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#the best way to nerf a character with a potentially story-breaking power is to just. nerf their stamina into oblivion
genericpuff · 1 year
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So if you had to order them whats the biggest to smallest let downs of lo? What has potential vs just being a crap plot point?
I'm REALLY bad at ordering things from biggest to smallest/worst to best/etc. so bear with me, but my personal list from smallest letdown to biggest letdown would definitely be:
5. Hera and Hades' affair. No 'potential' here, RS just shouldn't have done it. It casts way too many fucked up implications in Hera's characterization, from how she calls Minthe "nymph trash" to how she forces her own dreams and preferences on Persephone. She's always got an opinion about Hades' relationships, which would have been fine if we consider the fact she's the Goddess of Marriage and Hades is the only unmarried King, but now that we know they were in an affair for hundreds of years, it makes her opinions look even more mean-spirited.
4. The actual romance. There's no 'romance' in LO, it's just fluffy vignettes that Rachel thinks quantifies an entire plot but the reality is, Hades and Persephone are just not interesting characters and fluff doesn't make a story. So when they're together, it makes for a very uninteresting romance, as well. At least S1 had some amount of romantic/sexual tension, there is none of that in S2 onwards because it's just Hades and Persephone playing house but never bothering to actually get to know each other. Now that they're rushing into marriage it's just... blech. I couldn't be more disinterested in the marriage of a couple that Rachel's been writing about for five fucking years. I feel nothing towards them and that's the worst crime a romance can commit because it breaks my number one rule of storytelling - don't be fucking boring.
3. The Assassination of Demeter. The fact Rachel couldn't give an ounce of respect to the original myth that her bestselling series is based on is so goddamn disgusting, honestly. It goes to show how little integrity Rachel has, that she'll appropriate and gentrify another culture's religion and myths for her own personal monetary gain. Same goes for Webtoons as a whole. She writes this Greek myth comic as if she's ashamed to be associated with it, she wants all the fame and money without any of the responsibility or discipline. Demeter deserves better.
2. The Kronos fight. Lost potential. Not only did we not need some big MCU fight between Persephone and Kronos (this isn't an action comic) but even if we did have to have one for some reason, it couldn't have been, y'know... better? Why was it treated as a big joke? Why didn't Kronos use his powers? Why did it come out of nowhere and get resolved in a single episode? Why was the extent of his attempts to harm Persephone so nerfed? Answer: because Rachel doesn't know how to write action and she didn't want her precious self-insert to get an owie. Take this as a heads up/warning: I torture my characters. So I hope you're ready for the Rekindled versions of these characters to get HURT. 1.Persephone's act of wrath. So much lost potential here to characterize Persephone in a way that could have been more empowering or otherwise interesting. This is honestly the biggest thing I'm gonna be trying to revitalize in Rekindled and, full brag, I think I'm the perfect person for this task because I've been spending well over 10 years writing characters like this.
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akatsukitrash · 3 months
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1 - 19. all the numbers >:^)
most overrated character?
Doing this again because there are so many of those : Shikamaru and Hinata. Before someone kills me I do like Hinata, I just hate her fans. Like in what way did she surpass Neji when she can't be arsed to run without falling. Bffr Neji's the strongest Hyuuga. And Shikamaru isn't smart when his entire victory hinges on dumbing down and nerfing both Hidan and Kakuzu.
2. was sasuke right?
Answered
3. were naruto's intentions with sasuke selfish?
Answered
4. are the romantic undertones between naruto and sasuke intentional or accidental?
Accidental. Kishimoto's misogyny made him fly too close to the sun of yaoi.
5. can kishi write romance?
When he wants to? Yes. It's not the wildest romance, but he showed he can write a decent one with Tsunade and Dan (and arguable Minato and Kushina although I hate that couple for other reasons). Even ShikaTema aren't too bad. He's just clearly not interested in writing romance
6. what makes the Naruto ending bad?
Everything leading up to it. The way the antagonists (especially Madara) were treated both by the narrative and characters, the way Kaguya came out of nowhere, the way Naruto and Sasuke kept getting unearned power ups. Hell on earth. Then all this culminates into a VOTE2 fight I never wanted to see with a Sasuke who's blabbering nonsense, and then suddenly, skyscrapers and ugly ass kids of ships that got little to no development. None of the questions brought up by the story got resolved
7. should Naruto have become hokage ?
Answered
8. show a screenshot of your latest draft with no context
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9. which Naruto fandom words are you allergic to?
"deserve" (always used in ship wars), "who has the saddest backstory", "babygirl", "yandere", "actually kishi didn't intend-" (amazing under theory posts /s) and such
10. is sakura a shitty character or shitty-ly written?
Shittily written. That girl did not catch a break from the moment she got introduced, and she's not the only one, pretty much every female character is shittily written. They're just one of two misogynistic stereotypes, with no fulfilling arc, no space to throw hands like the male characters etc etc. Yeah yeah Tsunade isn't too bad but she still suffers from misogynistic writing
11. is Itachi a martyr, a victim, or a perpetrator?
Perpetrator. There could've been an argument for him being a victim, but adult Itachi does say he regrets nothing so clearly he's fine with the massacre and would've made the same decision as an adult aka he's nothing but a shameless genocidal murderer. I'm not very interested in waxing poetry about how hard it was for him to kill his own parents when he had like, so many choices to make, and I think such discussions are stupid when Sasuke (and the Uchiha clan) are the biggest victims of both Itachi and Konoha and yet don't get a fraction of the sympathy that Itachi gets
12. who should've died in war arc?
Gai first of all. Why the hell did he survive 8 gates? What was the point? It cheapened his sacrifice, and made it obvious that the stakes, no matter how high, are never that serious. Frankly I didn't even want him to be the one to open the 8 gates, it should've been Lee's moment (and yes, death) but well. At least one of the Gokage (preferably Onoki and/or Gaara) should've also died. And Hinata or Hiashi should've died to protect Neji, it would've been THE perfect symbolic end to the Hyuuga issue. Oh Shikamaru should've also died, he was useless and it would've made more impact. Probs another death in Konoha 12 would be great (like Kiba maybe?) but Lee's and Shikamaru's deaths (with potentially Hinata also dying) would've been great for tension and emotional impact. Oh also neither Obito nor Madara should've died
13. was kakashi trying his best? / was he a "good" sensei?
He was a good sensei bc he made good child soldiers. He was also a good sensei bc he did try his best to keep them safe. I don't know why people argue he's the worst. Gai, Asuma, and Jiraiya are fucked up, and Kurenai got 0 screentime teaching. Kakashi also trained Sakura, and recommended her to Tsunade. The idea that he completly neglected her is fanon
14. openings or endings?
Openings, most of them are so iconic
15. Is naruto white coded for having blonde hair blue eyes?
No??? his name is literally Uzumaki Naruto, and he has monolids. He's Japanese.
16. Is tobirama racist against uchihas?
Tobirama is Japanese. The Uchiha are Japanese. No he was not racist, and he didn't do half the shit people claim he did (he didn't disrespect Madara's body or Uchiha's funeral practices, he didn't segregate them, he didn't force them to be in the Police Force, he didn't focus solely on the Uchiha and no other threats, he didn't call them slurs (cant believe i even need to say that), he didnt hunt them specifically, he didn't kill Izuna for shits and giggles, he didnt seek out Kagami to use him as the "black friend", he didnt spread rumors, he didnt spy on them, he didnt blame them for Madara's actions etc etc etc. He was prejudiced, as was Madara (who even went as far as to cut Tsunade in half just bc she's Senju. That's way more violent than Tobirama calling Sasuke an evil brat). I think it's perfectly understable why he was so cautious about them, and I wish he was given half the understanding the Uchiha get for their own backstories and actions, considering he too was a traumatized child soldiers who watched his siblings die and was abused by his father. He's a product of his times, and even he acknowledges that. That's why he has faith in the younger generations, and why he died for them twice.
17. Is Sakura useless?
Not at all. Naruto would've died in the Waves arc without her, and that's just the first arc. People just hate female characters, and belittle healers.
18. ship wars or power scaling debates?
I prefer ship wars bc I'm not rlly a shipper so I don't get annoyed and can make fun of people who get mad at me for my opinions. Power scaling tho....I'm a great power scalers and when ppl just make shit up (like saying Hinata is stronger than Neji or Itachi than Obito) I get pissed.
19. pettiest fandom opinion you've blocked someone for?
not an opinion but i've blocked people for misspelling kakuzu's name
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tunaf1sk · 2 years
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A ref sheet for Blyndeffswap!Lori, featuring a slightly updated design (specifically of her museum arc look), some stats, and my futile attempts to work out how her hair works.
She’s in dire need of a day off.
(Edit: Stats listed here no longer apply. I haven’t worked them out exactly yet, but in an attempt to be a bit more canon compliant her stats have been boosted around the board, although none of them are orbit-level. Her creativity is now 5, at least.)
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cant-blink · 3 years
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Favorite and Least Favorite Ghidorah Incarnations
Probably gonna regret making this post, but it’s been a long time coming, so let’s do it. I guess I should warn, not suitable for people sensitive to opinions that might be different from their own. Can’t believe I have to say that about a list of fav Ghidorahs, but alas...
Anyway, enjoy!
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Let’s start with my Top 5 favorite Ghidorahs! Going from my most favorite down! All five of these are amazing and any one can easily become my #1 at any given time! :D But at the moment, my number 1 is...
Showa Ghidorah
Showa Ghidorah should come to nobody’s surprise, given how much I’ve been writing about him lately! I admit though, it wasn’t always like this. It took some time for him to grow on me, and he actually used to be one of my least favorite through design alone. But he has grown exponentially on me, and now I love everything about him! The manes are unique and I love the crescent moons on his heads too. His eyes are so big, and I feel they have more expression compared to other Ghidorahs. And the inspiration of the more traditional Eastern-style dragon is there in his face too. 
His backstory and personality, though, is what really got me to change my mind about the character. His personality is perfect as far as I’m concerned! Coming from space to destroy planets just for the lolz, cackling maniacally all the way! Even the fact he was mind-controlled was something for me to delve into in my stories, on how such a thing impacts the character. It really opened my eyes to the more subtle parts to his personality, like I realize that Ghiddy wants NOTHING to do with Earth. He tried to destroy it once and that failure is all he needed to know to stay away. The plot device of mind-control is used to keep him coming back in future movies! Even when he defeated Godzilla and Rodan, he chose to fly away back into space! There’s layers to his character if you look deep enough!
There’s just so much story-potential to this guy, I love it! Even in real life, he has an arc, going from one of my least favorites to being the top of this list! That’s definitely special!
Overall, a lot of love for this character, often wrestling with Legendary for the number 1 spot! Speaking of which...
Legendary Ghidorah
The one that started it all for me and they’re second on the list?! Blasphemy!! Nah, seriously though, Showa and Legendary really do often switch places for me all the time! Just right now, Showa has squeezed into the top spot. For now........
Anyway, Legendary Ghidorah needs no explanation for being a favorite incarnation of the character. Whilst Godzilla has always been a very vague presence in my life, KotM’s is what had me diving headfirst into the fandom, all because of Ghidorah. Their design is amazing, sleek and intimidating! The detail that they whip up storms just by flying creates an awesome menacing atmosphere everytime they’re on screen!
The personalities between the heads is unique, providing all sorts of material for my writer side to explore! Their backstory is left open for me to explore as well, like where they came from and how their species functions! It’s been a lot of fun! I may be slightly burnt out from how much I’ve written and posted about them, but make no mistake, I still ADORE this Ghidorah and I have them to thank for starting this whole page in the first place! 
Shin Ghidorah
That’s right, Shin Ghidorah exists in official TOHO canon and he needs more love!!
Shin Ghidorah was one I was introduced to not long after I learned Kamata-kun (oh, and Shin Godzilla) was a thing. With my obsession with Ghidorah, I wanted to know if there was a Ghidorah in the Shin universe and after some digging, I found that there was! Featured in a ride in Universal Studios Japan! And better yet, videos of it exists on youtube! I loved it the second I saw it! 
The design is amazing and surprisingly unique! This is because Shin Ghidorah was originally a scrapped concept for the original Showa Ghidorah! Like, Shin Ghidorah is basically an oversized three-headed Skullcrawler with wings! Because you see those “legs” he has? Those are actually ARMS!! Ghidorah could’ve been a giant Skullcrawler all this time!!
I also love his movements, oddly enough. He doesn’t just fly, he SWIMS though the air, something I don’t recall seeing in any other Ghidorah!
The only thing I don’t like about him... is the fact that he wasn’t around longer! A shame the ride is so short, I would’ve LOVED to see more of him in a movie. Oh well...
Grand/Cretaceous Ghidorah
Both are the same individual, so they’re both in this entry! I remember learning about him through a video talking about Ghidorah’s most sadistic moment and this was it. Grand Ghidorah kidnaps children with the sole intent to devour them, but he doesnt eat them right away, no. He holds them hostage to stew in their terror, returning to them every so often just to listen to their screams and cries. You know he’s enjoying every minute, knowing he’s torn families apart. Without a doubt, all this is just a game before he destroys the world as Ghiddys do. The way he toyed with Mothra Leo, leaving him to suffer after beating him to near-death. Or the way he possessed one of the Mothra twins to try to kill her own sister! It was great! He has such a regal design too! I can see why the fanbase have come to call him Grand King Ghidorah, he’s absolutely majestic. Shame he’s overshadowed, likely due to not being in a Godzilla movie.
Cretaceous Ghidorah has a more Western-dragon look to him and it works. He is basically a baby Ghidorah and he is so cute! His big eyes and squeaky roars, I love it! He also SOMEHOW made me feel sorry for my least favorite dinosaur! That's some true power right there!
The regeneration ability too, is amazing! This is likely where Legendary got the idea, but Grand does it better by regenning from just a small piece of tail left behind. Just badass, all around!
Void Ghidorah
A controversial pick, I know. I made a whole post about my detailed thoughts on Void Ghidorah, see here. Long story short: I think he has great potential, just suffered from piss poor execution. I love the idea of turning this alien dragon into an interdimensional GOD, with followers and everything. His full-body model looks amazing! He’s the biggest and most powerful Ghidorah yet, the biggest kaiju in the entire franchise in fact, and I don’t see him ever being topped. Granted, I dun really judge how much I like a kaiju based on how strong they are, but it’s a bonus here. He needs all the help he can get!
Adding more, his roars are insane, not just a combination of Showa and Heisei Ghidorah! But sounds that are truly otherworldly.
Void Ghidorah deserves love, and a better movie. Guess I’ll just settle on Godzilla: Star-eating Wings as the go-to Void Ghidorah video!
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I have no real opinion on the new ride Ghidorah, as I have yet to watch the full "movie” and thus, can’t judge how well I’ll like it compared to the others. So for now, tis neutral.
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Now I’m totally going to get hate for this list of “least favorite Ghidorahs”, but this is my opinion. I don’t like any of them, and they’re all outshined by my favorite non-Ghidorah kaijus, and some even being beaten by my “meh” kaijus! Anyway, this is gonna go from “best” least favorite to my “worst” least favorite. Here goes:
Heisei/Mecha-Ghidorah
Tis no secret that I don’t particularly like Heisei’s version of the character. I’ve mentioned it more than enough. Oddly though, I liked the design when I first looked through Ghidorahs from past movies, and I DISLIKED Showa Ghidorah’s design. How things have changed when I learned more about both of them... 
Now I’ve grown to not like Heisei very much. They took Ghidorah as an alien dragon that destroys planets for fun, and turned him into pets that I’m sure are meant to be cute, but just remind me of Furby’s in how creepy they are (tis not the good kind of creepy either!). I like the scrapped idea of him being an attempt to clone Showa Ghidorah from DNA left behind when he destroyed Venus, so I keep that canon in my head just for some attempt to like him more. Tis why I call him “Kitty Ghiddy” whenever I write him, I legit cannot take him seriously. Such a shame that he’s basically replaced Showa Ghiddy on merchandise, so it’s harder for me to find said Showa Ghiddy because of this thing. Oh, well.
Oh, and he replaced the BIDIBIDI of Showa with generic Rodan calls. And he also turns into a good guy at the end of the movie with Mecha-Ghidorah, and.... well, go down to the next entry for my thoughts on stuff like that.
GMK Ghidorah
He’s a good guy here. They nerfed the fuck out of him by having him be a juvenile (not even done well like Cretaceous Ghidorah), and turned him into a good guy. Granted, he was never meant to be in this movie in the first place and it shows. I’m a villain kind of person, and Ghidorah’s evilness is one of the biggest draws to his character for me. So taking that away... It just doesn’t work for me. It says something when I like GODZILLA more than Ghidorah in a movie. His design is okay, so at least he has that going. But...
Desghidorah
I really don’t like the design of the character. That’s literally it. I think four-legged Ghidorahs are very awkward looking; Ghidorah has a lot going on as is, three heads, two wings, two legs, two tails. Adding more legs... it’s just too much going on that tips the scales from ‘awesome’ to ‘messy’ in my mind. I can’t explain too well why I really don’t like the four-legged look to Ghidorahs, I just really don’t. But credit, he does pull off the look slightly better than the last one on my list.
AND MY LEAST FAVORITE GHIDORAH AND LIKELY TO GET A MOB ON ME IS.....
Keizer Ghidorah/Monster X
“An awkward horse” is what someone described him to me as, and I can’t help but agree. Again, that four-legged look breaks it for me but somehow, he looks EVEN MORE awkward than Des. I just can’t look passed it. Maybe it’s the front legs, or the wings looking too small for his body. Des just LOOKS a bit more natural in his four-legged-ness. 
Making it worse for me, Keizer has a second form that I REALLY don’t like: Monster X. They don’t even resemble each other. I can’t help but feel MX was supposed to be his own Kaiju, but they felt pressured to make Ghidorah the final boss so they combined them. Dunno if that’s the case, but it feels like that to me. Not even getting into the “how the hell does a dragon come out of THAT, where does it all GO when he changes back?”. And the biggest thing: I don’t like human-looking characters. I don’t care for human characters at all in any sort of media, or anything that resembles humans too closely. I skip human scenes entirely just to get to the monsters. Tis why I don’t really care for gijinkas either. As far as I’m concerned, I like the kaiju for being kaiju, and making them human just takes away all things interesting.
If Ghidorah kept everything intact about his personality, but you made him human... I wouldn’t even give his character a second glance, much less devote my Tumblr page to him! But yeah, tangent over. Monster X just looks too human for my tastes. 
Plus, tis hard to compete for my attention when you’re in the same movie as FW Gigan! It says something when Showa Gigan and Showa Ghidorah can share the screen and I love them both, but FW Gigan completely outshines FW Ghidorah...
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So there we go, a complete list of my thoughts for every Ghidorah incarnation that I can think of. Hopefully I didn’t miss any. Again, these are my opinions and you’re free to like whatever Ghidorah. I’mma sleep now.
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wanyinchen · 4 years
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(I may have accidentally deleted the ask and the post whoops sorry, anon!)  HOLY CRAP YES PLS OMG TALK TO ME MORE They literally are the best team ever? Like I am such a sucker for found family tropes you have no idea. The idea of these four people, so different from one another and are, in varying degrees, considered as outsiders found a bond with each other so strong  and I- AHHHH I CAN’T NOT LOVE THEM. I’ve always imagined them to be all orphans and then finally, they found these people who could and would always be their home, and where they could feel safe, loved and cared for, a family. I-I’m weak-*chokes back the tears* I have always had a hard time making friends in my younger years and I was a bit of a loner at childhood, and now as I am older and found friends who I could laugh with and keep secrets with, who I could be myself with and who I could always be with, I FELT THAT WITH TEAM GAI, OK? THEIR TEAMWORK AND CLOSENESS?? YEAH BABY! Sure I could relate on Nart or some other character but something clicked in me with Rock Lee and Gai. Like holy crap these are not the type of characters I usually love but there’s something about these two adorable bowl-cut, spandex wearing angels that compel me to them so much. Hardwork, effort, and dedication is something I very much value but not always “do”, they’ve become one of my inspirations to do better and be better and all around help me make good decisions with the question “would Lee and Gai be proud of me if I do this?” fuck I am such a loser but I just hecking love them so much. Rock Lee is the love of my life and I love him to bits, this kid is super precious and so sweet and so polite, like omg I want him, he literally is boyfriend material and I just super love him and whoever ended up with this sweetheart, I congratulate you, you have eyes more powerful than all the ‘-gans’ in the world and you have caught the greatest treasure. Neji is a complex character, a true genius but always considered to be inferior from the main Hyuuga family just because he was from the branch family, he was this happy kid and then was so jaded by his dad’s death, like I just want to hug him. He had such a compelling character arc and development, evolving from this bitter (and with reason!) and angry kid to this mature teen who empathizes and loves his team and cousin very much. He became somewhat more mellow, gentle, and approachable now that he found a true family with team gai. HE SHOULDN’T HAVE DIED, IT WAS A BS PLOT DESICION AND I WAS LIKE CRYING AND WHAT???? FOR WHAT?? IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE, HIASHI SHOULD’VE DIED INSTEAD FFS. And then there’s my queen Tenten, the one who aspired to be like Tsunade, the greatest medical nin and the strongest kunoichi, but along the way, with her DAD’S (Gai’s) help, she discovered that she just wanted to be a great and strong kunoichi at her own right and at her abilities(!!!). Despite her clear insecurities, hotheadedness, and not getting what she wanted at first, she still strived to be better, and perseveres to keep up with her team mates. And hello? Space time ninjutsu is super cool? Like summon a shit ton of weapons all at once out of mid air and heck?? How was this not exploited and utilized by Kishi?? Give me a solo Tenten sword fight with a powerful enemy?? She’s a weapon’s mistress FFS, how come Sasuke and Orochimaru gets sword fights when SHE, the thing she specialized on, didn’t get to have one?? Fuck what this is BS I swear AND HOLY ROCK LEE I need all of my kids to be legit taijutsu masters and is actually shown to be unparalleled at it compared to other nins and kids since its KING MAITO GAI himself teaching them taijutsu holy ass is that too much to ask for??? Wait, let me gush about Gai, he’s literally my favorite character. He’s the best dad, I want him to be my dad. I really love my father but I want Gai (and Dai) to be my dad, ya know what I mean?? He’s so supportive, loving, and he really just gives his all in caring for you. He’s forgiving and firm and crap I want a mentor like that. He’s such a excellent sensei and are one of the best adults in Naruto. He’s so unconventionally handsome and attractive?? He’s so confident?? He’s so amazing?? He’s so emotionally intelligent?? He defies the unjust expectations set by others and said “fuck you” to it?? And he’s super crazy strong? Like literally feared and famed, I bet enemy and rogue nin just tremble at the mention of his name, a peep about “The Noble Blue Beast of Konoha” would have enemies wetting their pants. He’s one of the elites and is one of the strongest in the Konoha? Heck the world?? He went from this below mediocre adorable runt to this feared and very powerful jonin?? And he did this without ninjutsu, hacks, and any kekei genkai?? Only through pure hardwork and dedication?? He developed the Strong Fist style?? Yeah break dem bones, my king!! I only stan legends. He is literally the light of my and Kakashi’s life. Whether you ship kakagai platonically or romantically, dude you better believe that Gai is one of the most precious people of Kakashi. Kakashi literally trusts no one more implicitly than Gai. Like this hella paranoid and self-sacrificing silver haired dog boi trusted Gai to watch his ex-anbu traumatized ass and be there for him at all times of trouble??? And Gai being there for Kakashi so unfailingly for all of their lives??? For all the dark times in their lives, they'll always have each other no questions?? They're each other's constant?? They love each other so much?? No one knows them like the other??? Uhh hello?? Like why do some writers write Gai as this weird ass buffoon idiot who goddamn annoys Kakashi 24/7? And then Kakashi doesn't even like him and pushes him away, super annoyed?? What. Are we talking about the same characters?? They are each other's best friend. Goddamned soulmates. Eternal rivals. They all have such untapped potential that I am breathing hard in frustration. I still stand by my claim that we should’ve had Team Gai as protagonists like fuck. This is the hill I will die on, I want them, I want to see their bond, I want their stories, I want to witness their development?? Like why nerf these beautiful characters I hate it here WHOOPS, HAHAHAHAA! That was rather ineloquent and vulgar, uuhh forgive me! I hope I could talk to you again, anon! Thank you for enabling me and helping me warm up my brain in answering my summative essays, I feel like writing again! And pls send asks, i wanna make new friends
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jaybug-jabbers · 3 years
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Review: Pokemon Gold and Silver 97: Reforged
The Review
What a fantastic game. I went looking for a hack that fully realized the sort of pokemon game we glimpsed in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo, and I was not disappointed. 
This alternative version of Gold and Silver takes that Spaceworld demo and builds on it with loving care and attention to detail. All the beta pokemon sprites were freshly made from scratch or edited to update them for the final, polished Gameboy Color look. The pokemon movesets and stats were crafted so that they were balanced and didn’t contain placeholders, and the pokemon were populated throughout the world in a logical fashion. Dex entries were written and the pokes were integrated smoothly into the world. There are even different sprites and different encounter rates for Gold and Silver-- although you can ‘catch them all’ in either version, an excellent choice.
Meanwhile, the world map was colored, tweaked and polished, allowing us to explore that beta world that was stunningly different from the final Gold and Silver. It’s a place that in many ways seems even more vibrant and varied than final Gold and Silver, and is truly exciting to explore.
Along with this fully realized map, this hack’s creators also gave us a fresh new plot for Gold and Silver. This one was inspired by the differences glimpsed in the demo, including Oak’s increased involvement in the story, Silver’s different personality and role, and the inclusion of an Imposter Oak. The plot stays true to the style of pokemon games and doesn’t seem out of place. 
All of the exciting little beta details were included too-- including the original Type alignments, the original Gym Leader designs, beta pokemon moves, new hold items, access to the Skateboard, being able to name your Mom, and even the minigame on the game start screen. The attention to detail and the polish on this hack is truly impressive.
Essentially, I feel like this hack can be considered the definitive edition of the beta Gold/Silver that we never knew. It gives us a chance to experience this alternative world, and breathes life into these wonderful pokemon that never were. Giving us a chance to know and love these beta creations is truly a gift for pokemon fans.
Perhaps the only downside is the sadness that this is not the official version of Gold and Silver. I experienced Pokemon a little bit differently then my peers. As a child, I adored Red and Blue, but once I’d finished with those games, I moved on from pokemon. I have no nostalgic memories of Gold and Silver to hold onto. I only returned to pokemon years later as a teenager. At that point I played several generations, one after another, at the same time, as a sort of “pokemon binge.” While most would call it blasphemy, I was never too terribly fond of Gold and Silver. I think it was largely because I didn’t happen to like a lot of the pokemon designs in those games. In many ways, this ROM hack presents a Gold and Silver that I adore and can love even more than the originals. 
That’s not to say the official Gold/Silver games are all terrible, of course. There are still definitely some beta pokemon that I feel were axed or altered for good reason. Not all of them are better then the final cuts. And there are other elements that are an improvement, too; for example, I actually really like Silver’s storyline in the official games and the fact we dealt with a character who actually stole pokemon and treated them poorly. 
That said, there is an awful lot to love in this ROM hack, and I’m grateful that we have it. Pangshi, Bellrun, Warwolf, Madame, Volbear and others may not be officially recognized by the Pokemon franchise . . . but they will always be very real in my heart.
The Team
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Cinnamon (Flame Wheel/Crunch/Scary Face/Earthquake - Charcoal)
Selecting the starter was difficult, because both Honooguma’s line and Kurusu’s line appealed to me. Ultimately I think I went with my old Fire bias. Cinnamon was everything you’d expect a Fire starter to be-- powerful, intimidating, and very reliable. My only real complaint would be that I happened to strongly dislike the sprite the team had created for Dynabear. This isn’t really anyone’s fault, because the team did an excellent job with spriting-- for example, their sprite for the mid-evolution, Volbear, was incredibly good and I adored it to bits. I think it was just a matter of personal taste; I just didn’t like the final evolution’s face. (I’ve actually replaced the sprite in this picture with the original sprite, because I don’t want it to dampen my love for this species) Other than that, seriously, they did this evolution family justice. It was a joy to have on my team.
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Doomsday (Curse/Confuse Ray/Body Slam/Shadow Ball - Power Wings)
The second member of my team was found in Brass Tower, to my great excitement: Kurstraw. This was possibly my favorite evolution line to come out of the beta discoveries. This pokemon’s stats were not exactly breaking any records; he went down pretty easily if I wasn’t careful. However, that never really mattered. Doomsday still did his job anyway-- pulling his weight just fine, relying on Confuse Ray and Curse a fair bit to take care of foes. He often was an excellent team player, messing with especially troubling pokemon before passing them over to an ally to finish off. His Normal Immunity also was a strong advantage at times, which I made sure to make use of. Basically, he was a fantastic companion, who helped me all the way through to the Elites and Champion fights.
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Rumtum (Slash/Thunder Wave/Thunderbolt/Crunch - Leftovers)
Along with a Rinrin, this round good boy was added to the team next. I was slightly wary of Kotora because it seemed to be one of the most popular beta pokemon among fans. But, the pokemon does seem to be worthy of praise, as it turns out. It is an excellent, cute, cheery little creature and seems to do Pikachu’s job just as nicely as Pikachu, both in fighting and in charisma. Where Pikachu is focused more on speed, though, Kotora and its evolution focus a little more on bulk. The tanky tiger was able to take hits long enough to outlast the competition, even when working with relatively low basepower moves. When he *finally* learned Thunderbolt, though, man, look out -- he was quite a force to reckon with.
It’s funny, actually. When I first saw this tubby tiger, I assumed it was a fire type. Electric was somewhat surprising, but I quickly grew to like it as that typing. Most electric type pokemon are rodent-focused, as Pikachu clones, or Magnemite’s kin. Having a big, bulky tiger is unexpected for the archtype of electric pokemon, but it’s a very refreshing change.
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Poprocks (Fire Blast/Surf/Body Slam/Flame Wheel - Mystic Water)
Next on the team was this awesome fellow. Well . . . sort of. Technically, next on the team was TRICKY the Bomsheal, which I traded a Rinrin for with an NPC. Later on, I felt like being able to name the pokemon myself, so I bred Tricky with Cinnamon and trained Poprocks up from scratch. This seal was the cause of some angst for me. I loved Manboo’s evolutionary line a lot, but I also loved the fire seal. They both vyed for the position of the water type on my team. For a while, I used Manboo (and Anchorage) . . . intent on keeping it. But I missed the seal so much, eventually I went back for it to retrieve it from the PC. Yes, it only added to my team’s Rock/Ground weakness, but I didn’t care. I loved this guy too much.
I’m not sure what it is. The freaking amazing typing of Fire/Water? That was definitely a big part of it. But there’s also just something so appealing in its design, simple as it may be. He’s just a cool seal with a fireball. And boy . . . I sure learned how INTENSE its stats were. This seal was RIPPING through the competition. Using it was basically pushing the win button. Honestly it might need to be nerfed a little, it was nuts. But yeah, Bomsheal is a badass and doesn’t need any evolutions to be cool. Best surfer ever!
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Darkwing (Slash/Fly/Swords Dance/Faint Attack - Stick)
Right around when I was handed the TM for Fly, I ran into an area that had two types of birds available, depending on the time of day: Hoothoot at night, Farfetch’d at day. As cool as beta Noctowl looks, I eventually decided I needed to have a Madame. I just had to. Like many others, I always, always felt Farfetch’d deserved an evolution and was kind of screwed over. Learning it used to have one was a revelation.
Madame on this team was kind of funny, though. Next to all of these exotic beta pokemon, Madame seemed so . . . normal. She had moves and performed pretty much the way you’d expect a Normal/Flying type to act. It was much like using a Pidgeotto or Fearow. She couldn’t take many hits but usually could take out one pokemon. Her typing had her as an ideal Generalist pokemon-- something that could be used in various situations, not to any amazing effect but usually to a passable one.
That may sound a little underwhelming to you, but honestly, it’s what you’d expect of this cool-looking swan; it’s a Normal/Flying type. It fills that archtype as a familiar, dependable generalist. And I am someone who can really appreciate a generalist pokemon. I think the pokemon world’s richer for having Madame in it, even if only in our dreams.
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Alpha (Strength/Blizzard/Screech/Ice Punch - Nevermeltice)
The final member of our illustrious team. You have to wait until fairly late into the game, when you reach the snowy towns, to get a hold of one of these fellows.But the wait is well worth it. What a beautiful pokemon design these two are-- mysterious little creatures hiding inside their wolf pelts, a perfect mix of cute and creepy. Wolfman/Warwolf actually struggled for quite some time on my team, unfortunately, just because of its movepool. I was left with the very weak Icy Wind for a long time. To compensate, I taught Strength, which worked somewhat, but I could still tell Warwolf wasn’t reaching its full potential. I taught it Blizzard, but the poor pokemon had a rough time ever landing its hits. What I SHOULD have done from the start is buy and teach it Ice Punch for a reliable STAB move with decent base power. I FINALLY decided to do that around the time I reached the Elite 4. I kind of had to-- its learnset wasn’t providing it with reliable, decent Ice moves, for some reason. Once Warwolf was properly equipped, he did great work. Admittedly, a pure Ice type pokemon isn’t the best, defensively. They have four weaknesses to some very common move types-- Rock, Fighting, Fire. (Steel moves weren’t really implemented in this game). That said, when used wisely, a pure Ice type can still be a valuable team member.
There was one hitch, though. Warwolf was mainly a physical fighter. This makes sense if you look at him. Of course he’d be a physical fighter. Thing is, in gen 2, Ice moves were all special. So I suppose technically Warwolf still isn’t hitting at his full potential-- not until the special/physical split in gen 4 so he can take true advantage of physical-type Ice moves. Still, despite that fact, he did a great job anyway. He landed the final blow that defeated Lance and won the game, after all.
I think my only real regret is how relatively little time I spent with him when compared to the others. This is, of course, just the nature of the game; you find some pokemon later on when you’re nearing the end of the game. If there’s any sort of post-game, perhaps I can spend more time with him.
And the Ones Who Didn’t Make the Cut . . .(This Time)
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There were so many beta pokemon that it was impossible to have them all on the team, of course. I was especially sad about leaving my Bellrun, Tibbs, behind. I adore Rinrin and Bellrun’s line, as yet another set of pokemon that should have been included in the final cut of the official games. Alas, ultimately I removed Tibbs from my team, though. The reason was simple enough. With the beta Type alignments, Dark type was heavily disadvantaged. It was weak to Normal-type and Dark-type moves (as well as Bug), which was extremely significant. Pokemon’s movepools were positively saturated with Normal and Dark type moves, and it was impossible to avoid. With her already weak stats, and her lack of any decent basepower moves for so long, there was just too much stacked against her. It’s my hope that Rinrin/Bellrun get a bit of a buff in future updates, because they really seem to struggle. 
In any case, there were also plenty of others not on my team: Aquarius, Noctowl, Belmitt, Jumpluff, Turban, Plux, Grotess, Girafarig, Leafeon . . . and so many more. Honestly, that’s fantastic. It gives such replayability to the game. I have no doubt I will return to do more runs and get the chance to try out other pokes.
And, who knows? Maybe in the future they’ll even update this hack to include even more beta pokemon that were uncovered last year. If they don’t, I’m sure someone else will.  
(This hack is largely the work of lvl_3, who created ‘Pokemon Super Gold 97.’ Then, the hack was further changed and refined by a team into ‘Pokemon Gold and Silver 97: Reforged.’ Both can be found at the PokeCommunity as patches.)
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zelskzerker · 3 years
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Mangadex went down so I read alot 1/7
Lets review a bunch of isekai and related stuff I binged because mangadex went down. The scale will be a single thumbs up to a single thumbs down in terms of how much I would consider recommending it in general.
Legend
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Chapters 1-51 Pretty straight forward in most aspects. For the best. Nothing crazy bad or good happening, making it surprisingly straight forward for an isekai. [Insert isekai startup here] but this time the MC is given a super magic body and the knowledge of ancient magic. Which he promptly uses to create a griffon buddy. Gets a THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER for just being a nice, believable stay in a world, but I have read some stuff that really has interesting sparks the way this doesnt. MC is brutal at times and General Princess is cute. They make a good pair for each other.  Although there are no ecchi situations, that artist really knows how to slide in the lewds, whether its mid combat flourishes or pre chapter artwork.
The Black Create Summoner: Revolt of Reincarnated
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All Chapters
Truly is revolting. A resounding THUMBS DOWN.  Apparently this was just an advertisement manga, which means that its intentionally incomplete and unsatisfying. Ontop of that, the sketchy artwork was generally rough and got worse to look at the more it went on. [Insert isekai startup here] but this time he has a grimoire that lets him summon stuff he draws. The power isn’t used that much though or in that creative of ways. Characters didn’t really leave an impact except maybe the elf little sister that is stubborn yet knows she is incompotent and recruits a dragon out of stubbornness. 
Minotaur’s Sweetheart
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Chapters 1-16
So what if a minotaur accidentally seduced the adventurer that was assigned to kill him? This is a good romance manga deserving a THUMBS UP because the pure-hearted minotaur boy and the unmarriageable adventurer girl actually develop a relationship and progress as people. The manga is ultimately about monsters and humans interacting and is fresh due to having a plot that evolves the situation a lot beyond the initial setup of the manga.
Moon-led Journey Across Another World
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Chapters 1-64
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time the god of the new world calls the MC ugly and banishes him to the edge of the world to die off. In order to help out the MC, the god of our world (Tsukuyomi) gives him a bit of power. The MC is funny to watch once you realize that he is an incredibly cautious pureboy and expecting every common street thug to potentially end him but in reality he is a god-rivaling cataclysm himself and never realizes. He is so powerful that he recruits the blue haired mist dragon, Tomoe, and accidentally turns her into a weeaboo. Tomoe can read minds and access pocket space with her mist ontop of her sick weeaboo katana skills. She really shines as the most mature person in the story, gaining information that no one else in the story has and carefully withholding it from the MC in order to protect his innocence. She is a DAMN good tomboyish waifu and sarashii is a blessing. Other main girl is yandere spider, Mio, which has shockingly good and well conveyed bouts of emotion. She has an extremely rare “can’t cook at all” joke that is explained due to her “eat literally anything” nature. In terms of plot, the MC hates the god of the world he is in and pretty much plans to do everything she doesn’t want him to. Which means mingling with humans, and eventually, god slaying/usurption. Odd think about this manga is that it’s heavily Japanese-inspired. That may sound odd because its a manga, but generally isekai are most medieval/western skinned than this one which leans in on Japanese mythos. Just look at the god of our world in the manga.
THUMBS UP.
The Unsuccessful yet Academically Unparalleled Sage ~A Cheating S-Rank Sorcerer's Post-Rebirth Adventurer Log~
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Chapter 1-10 So lets set up this genre here. This is a part of the “reincarnation” genre, which is a spinoff of isekai. They generally depict a very capable mage who reincarnates themselves into the future of their own world. At which point they realize that although they were pretty strong in their day, they are now practically a god in the deteriorated modern day. This genre will hereby be indicated by [Insert reincarnation startup here]. For this manga in specific, [Insert isekai startup here] but this time the MC could only use lightning magic and was the best at it but failed the gene gacha then [Insert reincarnation startup here] and he fails gene gacha again but is still the walking thunder god. These kinds of manga are always precious when the MC can walk through the world and see the fruits of their past labor. Specifically through Merlin, the MC’s adopted demon daughter who has grown up to be his heritor and bridge human/demon relationships. Truly adorable and heart warming. Lacks a bit of spice from themeing or ongoing plot due to its short length however. THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER.
Older Elite Knight is cute only in front of me
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Chapters 1-17.1
THUMBS UP. This is an oneshota manga where shota is a chad with incredibly good tastes. A really good ecchi manga with a light hearted story featuring Haru(the shota) knight that joins Karen’s(the oneesan) knight crew. As with all good romance manga, the main plot isn’t romance. Knight shenanigins are always happening, with a big (and lewd) bad entering recently. Top tier variation on the lewds, even including a princess loli in on the fun. Must read for all oneshota fans.
Lonely Attack on A Different World
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Chapter 1-91
[Insert isekai startup forma de classroom here] but this time the MC gets leftover garbage skills and has to learn to survive. Learning to survive thus makes him the most op and he can magic trick his way out of literally anything. Strong start as the whole classroom first tries to get their footing, but after the starting arc is done this manga starts spinning it’s wheels. The manga is kinda lacking in themes, overarching plot and end goals, so stuff just happens to make this a sort of slice of life trap room escape manga. Magic “just works” in this universe so its not very dramatic when the MC pulls out a new trick out of his bag of million tricks. Just kinda stagnates too much for my liking. THUMB IN THE BOTTOM CORNER.
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
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Chapters 1-34
Rentt Faina, the MC, is a good guy with no talent who aspires to be a legendary adventurer. But then he gets turned into a skeleton, giving the chance to evolve his way to greatness, kinda like in Spider isekai or Dragon isekai. The MC is most like Goblin Slayer in his serious and knowledgeable approach to the world, how characters that know him revere him. End goal so far is just him seeing how far he can evolve as he comes across other vampires and vampire hunters. Really want to see him go to the top. Fuckin great art. Girls drawn perfect. Like the hat on the guild girl, but nothing beats the witch Lorraine. THUMBS UP.
Teihen Ryoushu No Kanchigai Eiyuutan
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Chapters 1-13
THUMB IN UPPER CORNER. Pretty funny comedy about a lord of a poor land who wants to be a stereotypical evil lord but can only use healing magic. Therefore he bumbles his way into accepting a heretical cult nun, beast men who hate humans, etc. All the girls are to crazy for him to want to sex them(weak. give the assassin nun your babies). Most interesting parts are aforementioned nun, his fujoshi assistant, and the MC’s willingness to use his power to commit heretical and immoral warcrimes. 
The Undead Lord of the Palace of Darkness
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Chapters 1-11
Art average, don’t come to this one for spectacle. It’s strength is in the subertfuge that it’s recently-necromanced-back-to-life MC goes through to get his Master killed and to later, probably, evolve into a vampire. MC isn’t evil though, just wants to survive. Main girl on cover was born and raised to hunt vampires but has a compassionate heart. Obviously she goes easy on and relates to MC. Story is still kinda in it’s first arc so the overall trajectory of the story is a bit hard to gauge and not quite satisfying enough by its own right. Probably a thumb up with more chapters but for now THUMB IN THE UPPER CORNER.
The Reincarnated Inferior Magic Swordsman
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Chapters 1-38
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time.... uh... THUMB SIDEWAYS. Usually I am patient, but 31 chapters with no goal and just barely plot? Wow. Saving grace is uh... I guess the world of “other isekai people existed but they sucked because they didn’t level uncap like MC” could go somewhere but. I take it back, lowering this one to a THUMB DOWN.
The Invincible Sage in the Second World.
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Chapters 1-12
[Insert isekai startup here] but this time a pro mmo player in a game called “Broken Balance Online.” Guess what his class, the sage class, was considered in the game? Not far along enough to really pop off but it isn’t horrible. MC is moderately cautious to a healthy degree which is actually rare in most isekai. THUMB IN BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. 
The Dark Queen and I Strike Back
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Chapters 1-29.5
Although technically an isekai, no isekai startup here. This a battle manga with a big mystery on the backdrop of a war. That is to say, the MC gets teleported to a world to kill the demons but he ends up defending them from the humans with all he’s got. Of special note is the complete seriousness of this manga that whiplashes into debauchery like tentacles, the above cover, oneshota, and even really dark jokes in some of the omake. That tonal lash effect will be either make or break, and it is a HUGE make for me. I love when a single piece can have both absolute serious scenes and utterly lighthearted and fluffy ones. Or in this case utterly lewd ones. May the average-human-amount-of-perverted MC one day slam some demon lord loli. THUMBS UP.
Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
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Chapters 1-24
THUMB SIDEWAYS. Has the feeling of a nerfed slime isekai. Nerfed in all ways except romance. Art surprisingly good.
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So, I just finished playing Hello Neighbor and I'm here to give it my personal rating because reasons.
First off, I'll admit that the only reason I even was able to beat it was because I used walkthroughs. Without them, I never would have figured out half the shortcuts and mechanics and secrets (more on that later), but I just wanted to see how the game actually turned out in the end because most Youtubers I watched play it kinda gave up after like the 3rd version that got released. That being said...
Overall Game Rating: 6/10
So at its core this game had potential. I WANTED the final version of this game to be better than it was. Would it ever have been the best game ever? I highly doubt it. But it could have been much more noteworthy if it had just *functioned* better. I'm also fully aware that I'm several years late, but man I just need to give my discourse and opinions to someone who isn't 9 or a completely lost parent. Anyways, allow me to explain myself in the good old fashioned Tumblr way of bullets-
The Good
Physical design. Now, this is a completely personal opinion here, but I liked how the game looked. It was colorful, it had its own distinct style. There were very few occasions when I couldn't tell what something was, and most of the time those indistinguishables weren't remotely important. I also like how the writing in the game was scrambled to kinda make it fun and nonsensical, but you could still pretty much tell what it was meant to say.
Story! Guys, the main reason I came back to this game in the first place; the reason I really wanted to see it finished and see what happened in all those chapters that I never saw finished; was because I wanted to get more of the story. I wanted to know what happened, and while I'm still not entirely certain, I have several theories. And all the theories follow the same general track with a few basic deviations, so I'd say that the game did a pretty good job of getting it's focal points across.
The puzzel aspect. I like games that make me (when I'm actually playing seriously and not just playing to get through it) think. And I wasn't using the guide every step of the way, so I had a genuinely good time figuring out what items went to what, and what I could do with certain objects that I couldn't achieve with others. I think the overall idea of "hey, run around this dude's house and work out his overly complicated, Ikea-like home full of coniptions and contraptions" super fun.
Multiple ways to reach endings. Now, mainly this applied to Act 2 in my experience because Act 1 seemed pretty straightforward and Act 3 had me frustrated for so many days to the point where I couldn't really appreciate its options (more on that in a bit), but I'm sure there were deviating paths there as well. Point is, I saw 3 seperate ways of escaping the Neighbor's house in act 2, and I just sorta thought that was cool. And considering I'm playing for myself, and guiding (playing) two children through their own files, I managed to get two of those 3 escapes. The endings were the same, but still, it's cool.
The secrets and optional pathways. There were several rooms that I never actually managed to get into when i was playing through just because I wasn't secret I hunting. But I DID take notice of them, plus there were quite a few that I just happened to find my way into during my run arounds, and I explored because hey! Secrets! And I'm sure there was a ton of extra story material I missed because I neglected a lot of them, but I can appreciate a game that leaves its little hidden details as something you sort of have to work for. If I ever find the patience and the time one day, maybe I'll go back for them.
Audio warnings. Okay okay, so I was a big dummy and played through the first 2 Acts without any sound, and only plugged in headphones for the second half of Act 3. But once I did, having the music pick up in warning when the neighbor spotted me, or being able to hear the mannequins coming was very nice.
The minigames/cut scenes. And I'm not including the Fear rooms in this because I did not take anywhere near as much intrest or enjoyment out of those. I mean the things you were just mean to sorta run through. The bits where you could see the neighbor at his lowest. The bits that showed that maybe, maybe this dude that you've been cussing out the entire game is actually just some dude who had a really tough run, and just ended up snapping. The bits that kinda make you feel bad for barging into his home and shattering all his windows and just being a general dick. The bit at the very end got me especially- when he's trapped in the room by the shadow figure, and he sorta looks out the window at you, and then just stands dejectedly in the corner. I wanted to help him. I REALLY wanted to help him. I felt bad leaving.
The Bad
Limited functionality. Oh my lord, if this game hadn't been so effing glitchy the whole way through, I might have been able to give it a 7 or 8 out of 10. But it just...didn't. There were so many times when things would just vanish from my inventory and I'd have to reload, or the puzzle wouldn't solve the way it was meant to and I'd have to Macgyver my way around it. There were also several times where I would be trying to hide in a locker/closet, and my character would get stuck in the door of said locker/closet. Half the time it would get me caught, and half the time I'd have to button mash for several minutes before I could get free. The worst possible glitch I had during my whole experience was when I was trying to get up to the roof garden in Act 3. My walkthrough told me I had to get in the trolley and stop it just before a ledge to jump up. The problem is THE TROLLEY WOULDN'T STOP. Every time I tried, I'd either glitch through the front and get hit and die, or it would just completely break the train and it would just go into constant motion, not even making its programmed stops at the different stations.
Ridiculous enemy sightline triggers. Listen, Act 2 in particular was absolute HELL to get through the first time (and even unnecessarily difficult after I took the lids through it the 2nd and 3rd times) because the neighbor could be like 3 blocks down and inside his local "Murderous Psycos Anonymous" meeting, and yet the moment I step foot in his yard he's on a dead sprint to my location. And don't even get me STARTED on the mannequins in the Fear rooms. Their sightline triggers were so ridiculously unfair that if I hadn't had the sound triggers telling me they were coming, I never would have gotten past those rooms. But the sensitivity could have even been brushed off, if it were even remotely consistent. There were other times when I would be standing directly in front of the Neighbor, shining a flashlight in his eyes and staring him head on, and yet because I was crouched and slightly out of his sightline (this happened several times in the basement of Act 1.)
Pointless enemy boundaries. By this, I mean that the Neighbor is (apparently) meant to stop at the boundaires of his property when he's chasing you and you run off home. But he doesn't . In fact, quite often I couldn't get him to back off until I was actually physically in my house with the door closed.
Extremely unclear puzzle solutions. The main reason I opted to use the walkthroughs instead of working my way through the game myself? Because without them, it would have been damn near impossible. There were so many times that I was preforming the solution to a problem and I was just like "...really?". Requiring the player to interact with one of hundreds of completely repetative and indistinguishable paintings, having to glitch a shoe through a box to switch a lever, making a specific space match a painting on the wall to open a box that was down the hall and outside...it was just kind of ridiculous. I personally wouldn't have even guessed the the umbrellas could be used as floatation devices until maybe several hours into the game, if ever at all. When you have to many objects that seem unqiue but are actually just more props to toss around, it gets kinda hard to distinguish what is actually useful and what isn't.
The Iffy
The final boss. ...okay, I have to actually admit that I had a fun time being teeny and launching nerf darts and bottle rockets at the Neighbor. Especially after all the pain of getting through Act 2. (He actually didn't bother me much in Act 3.) But like...what was it? His household was weighing on his back or whatever. The reminders of his kids were causing him pain. Okay, okay, cool....but like...there wasn't any better setting for it? There was no better way to pull it off? I was legitimately just running around and doing things just to inconvenience the tall man in front of me. I died so many times just trying to work out the toaster puzzle until I got all...like, 600 umbrellas. I don't know, it was just strange execution.
The Fear Room Powerups. I didn't know the fear rooms were necessary. I didn't know they gave you powerups. Had I not read the walkthroughs, I never would have figured it out. And even AFTER I beat them, I didn't work out that I had power ups until last minute. There was no acknowledgment that I had gained a new power, save for the sneakily worded achievements. However, I did appreciate them while I had them. They let me Macgyver my way around even more.
The seemingly unexplorable. There were doors upon doors that I wanted to get through. And doors upon doors that seemed to have no actual entrances. No secret methods. No special actions. They were just doors. Taunting me. Is it possible I missed something? Absolutely, I'd bet on it. But all I'm saying is I ran around that house a lot in all three levels, and there were some things that I was just never able to work out.
The Conclusion
Hello Neighbor is a game for the patient and the crafty. I enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed it more if it were more functional and made even a lick of sense gameplay wise. But while it isn't anywhere near the best game I've ever played, it isn't the worst either. Its playable enough if you're willing to work around its defects. I'd suggest it for a rainy day, or an especially quarentined week.
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barbosaasouza · 6 years
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Sonic
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the latest entry in Nintendo's ongoing premier platform fighter series. It's also slated to be the company's biggest release of the holiday season. After almost 20 years of battle between top characters of some of gaming's biggest franchises, Ultimate will bring together every single fighter from every Smash Bros. game to date (along with a few more) in one single game.
With so many characters to choose from, Shacknews is taking a look at each and every one of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters individually, leading up to the game's big release on December 7. Because many aspects of the game are subject to change, including character damage and special move properties, these profiles should not be considered final and can be updated at any time. Any guide that has been updated will be clearly marked.
Here's what we have up so far:
#01 - Mario
Today, we continue with the most well-recognized character in SEGA'S history.
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Who is Sonic?
Blue streak speeds by Sonic the Hedgehog! Too fast for the naked eye Sonic the Hedgehog! Sonic! He can really move! Sonic! He's got an attitude! Sonic! He's the fastest thing alive!
Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega's top mascot and has been the face of the company since its console heyday and beyond. He's still beloved to this day, which is partially why some of his 3D outings are so frustrating, but that's an entirely different conversation. Sonic has been saving the world from the threat of Dr. Eggman for over 25 years, using his supersonic speed to run across loops and straight through danger. His speed is only matched by his cool factor, an intangible that nobody else on the Smash Bros. roster possesses. It was never more evident than Sonic's debut in the Smash Bros. series, something I touched on in our retrospective of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary story mode.
youtube
Sonic has starred in many platformers, some of which even star other versions of the classic character. There's Sonic Boom, Sonic Mania, Sonic Generations, and the list goes on. Sonic has dabbled in other genres, like the upcoming Team Sonic Racing, and has even buried the hatchet with Mario and co-starred with the portly plumber for the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
Sonic's Moves and Fighter Overview
I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but Sonic is fast. He's very fast. He's the fastest thing alive and has the fastest dashing speed on the Smash Bros. roster. His moves take advantage of his speed, while also borrowing from elements of his games.
Here are Sonic's special moves:
Homing Attack (Neutral B): Lifts Sonic off the ground and homes in on the nearest opponent. Hit B a second time to execute the move early..
Spring Jump (Up B): Pull out a spring from the classic Sonic games and use it to launch the blue hedgehog skyward. The move itself causes no damage, but it's one of the best recovery options in the game. The spring itself can also bop an opponent on its way down for minor damage.
Spin Dash (Side B): Sonic's signature move can be charged up before he launches himself at opponents. Has great combo potential, though it apparently can no longer be shield canceled.
Spin Charge (Down B): Acts like the Spin Dash, but is more for walloping nearby foes for multiple hits. Keep hitting B to extend the combo.
Super Sonic (Final Smash): Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic and fly across the screen, causing massive damage and potentially KO-ing anyone in his way. This move will be faster now than it was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS.
Sonic has several attacks that can reliably connect with opponents, like his dive kick and his Homing Attack, but while they'll do a lot of damage, Sonic isn't exactly a KO master. Sonic's more about outrunning his opponent and isn't for the more aggressive player, though he can be played that way. He also has some incredible recovery options, for those who opt to play the keep-away game.
What's changed about Sonic since Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS? Sonic adjusts his arsenal slightly with a dashing kick and a faster Homing Attack. But as noted, Sonic's Spin Dash can no longer be canceled, which takes away one of the hedgehog's big weapons. Super Sonic will also move much faster than before.
Esports Observations
Looking to play like an expert? I'm not one of those by any stretch of the imagination. Fortunately, Shacknews has scoured the web for breakdowns from the top competitive Smash Bros. players and personalities in the world for some more detailed opinions.
In breaking down Mario, we noted that one of the best ways to learn is through direct observation. We broke down Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios' Mario play during the E3 Smash Invitational, where he rode the plumber to victory. Did you miss that Grand Finals? Let's rewatch it below.
youtube
While ZeRo had plenty to say about Mario during the Nintendo Power podcast, he also had a few observations about Sonic, who was on the opposing side during that Grand Finals set. Shacknews quoted ZeRo last time about Sonic's Spin Dash nerf, but that wasn't all that he had to say about the character.
"It's hard to react to certain things and Sonic is too fast," ZeRo told the Nintendo Power crew. "Like, I have amazing reaction time. I'm the kind of person who can react to... few frame windows to several things. I can just react on the spot sometimes and Sonic, when he runs past you, you can't tell. It's impossible. If he runs at you, I can't tell if he's going to jump or grab. We have to guess. So that makes Sonic difficult to deal with at a top-level plane, because a good player can mix you up consistently and then it becomes the point where you don't react, so you can't consistently do it, because guessing is guessing. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't, but you can decrease the luck by reacting. But because Sonic is so fast, you can't react, so that makes him amazing. That's basically why Sonic is really good right now and couple that with the fact that he has a back-throw that kills, he has grab combos that no other character has, his Forward-Smash is absolutely ridiculous, his back-air has this slice of New York City, like it's actually humongous, like back-air stays off forever, always gets the strong hit, and even if he gets the weak hit, it puts him in a spot where you can back-air again, so it's one of the best moves, for sure."
While ZeRo has seen the positives in Sonic, a handful of the Sonic mains out in the Smash world are crestfallen with the loss of the Spin Dash shield cancel. Here's top Japanese Sonic player Kengo "KEN" Suzuki reacting to the news.
Bye Bye Sonic... https://t.co/BKTgmGho5u
— KEN (@KENisbg) June 12, 2018
The Sonic faithful are otherwise still looking to get accustomed to some of his minor tweaks, taking the most recent opportunity at CEO 2018 to get their hands on the character. The folks at Most Valuable Gaming and Smash Studios both got a chance to capture a couple of matches.
youtube
youtube
But at least one other person might be converted to the Sonic user base. That's the guy who used Sonic at the Smash Invitational, Leonardo "MkLeo" Lopez. Despite losing, Leo sees the potential in Sonic and is apparently excited to learn the character a little better.
Well he didnt die in winners finals by the snake's uptilt and the sonic back air in last game...i wanted to win... but still have so much fun The game is awesome but bayo tho lol I love smash im playing sonic in smash5 at least as a secondary Thank you everyone!
— EchoFox lMVGl MkLeo (@Mkleosb) June 12, 2018
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to arrive in December on Nintendo Switch. Shacknews will continue looking into each of the game's characters from now through the big day, so be sure to come back for more breakdowns over the coming weeks.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Sonic published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/
0 notes
barbosaasouza · 6 years
Text
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Sonic
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the latest entry in Nintendo's ongoing premier platform fighter series. It's also slated to be the company's biggest release of the holiday season. After almost 20 years of battle between top characters of some of gaming's biggest franchises, Ultimate will bring together every single fighter from every Smash Bros. game to date (along with a few more) in one single game.
With so many characters to choose from, Shacknews is taking a look at each and every one of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters individually, leading up to the game's big release on December 7. Because many aspects of the game are subject to change, including character damage and special move properties, these profiles should not be considered final and can be updated at any time. Any guide that has been updated will be clearly marked.
Here's what we have up so far:
#01 - Mario
Today, we continue with the most well-recognized character in SEGA'S history.
youtube
Who is Sonic?
Blue streak speeds by Sonic the Hedgehog! Too fast for the naked eye Sonic the Hedgehog! Sonic! He can really move! Sonic! He's got an attitude! Sonic! He's the fastest thing alive!
Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega's top mascot and has been the face of the company since its console heyday and beyond. He's still beloved to this day, which is partially why some of his 3D outings are so frustrating, but that's an entirely different conversation. Sonic has been saving the world from the threat of Dr. Eggman for over 25 years, using his supersonic speed to run across loops and straight through danger. His speed is only matched by his cool factor, an intangible that nobody else on the Smash Bros. roster possesses. It was never more evident than Sonic's debut in the Smash Bros. series, something I touched on in our retrospective of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary story mode.
youtube
Sonic has starred in many platformers, some of which even star other versions of the classic character. There's Sonic Boom, Sonic Mania, Sonic Generations, and the list goes on. Sonic has dabbled in other genres, like the upcoming Team Sonic Racing, and has even buried the hatchet with Mario and co-starred with the portly plumber for the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
Sonic's Moves and Fighter Overview
I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but Sonic is fast. He's very fast. He's the fastest thing alive and has the fastest dashing speed on the Smash Bros. roster. His moves take advantage of his speed, while also borrowing from elements of his games.
Here are Sonic's special moves:
Homing Attack (Neutral B): Lifts Sonic off the ground and homes in on the nearest opponent. Hit B a second time to execute the move early..
Spring Jump (Up B): Pull out a spring from the classic Sonic games and use it to launch the blue hedgehog skyward. The move itself causes no damage, but it's one of the best recovery options in the game. The spring itself can also bop an opponent on its way down for minor damage.
Spin Dash (Side B): Sonic's signature move can be charged up before he launches himself at opponents. Has great combo potential, though it apparently can no longer be shield canceled.
Spin Charge (Down B): Acts like the Spin Dash, but is more for walloping nearby foes for multiple hits. Keep hitting B to extend the combo.
Super Sonic (Final Smash): Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic and fly across the screen, causing massive damage and potentially KO-ing anyone in his way. This move will be faster now than it was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS.
Sonic has several attacks that can reliably connect with opponents, like his dive kick and his Homing Attack, but while they'll do a lot of damage, Sonic isn't exactly a KO master. Sonic's more about outrunning his opponent and isn't for the more aggressive player, though he can be played that way. He also has some incredible recovery options, for those who opt to play the keep-away game.
What's changed about Sonic since Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS? Sonic adjusts his arsenal slightly with a dashing kick and a faster Homing Attack. But as noted, Sonic's Spin Dash can no longer be canceled, which takes away one of the hedgehog's big weapons. Super Sonic will also move much faster than before.
Esports Observations
Looking to play like an expert? I'm not one of those by any stretch of the imagination. Fortunately, Shacknews has scoured the web for breakdowns from the top competitive Smash Bros. players and personalities in the world for some more detailed opinions.
In breaking down Mario, we noted that one of the best ways to learn is through direct observation. We broke down Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios' Mario play during the E3 Smash Invitational, where he rode the plumber to victory. Did you miss that Grand Finals? Let's rewatch it below.
youtube
While ZeRo had plenty to say about Mario during the Nintendo Power podcast, he also had a few observations about Sonic, who was on the opposing side during that Grand Finals set. Shacknews quoted ZeRo last time about Sonic's Spin Dash nerf, but that wasn't all that he had to say about the character.
"It's hard to react to certain things and Sonic is too fast," ZeRo told the Nintendo Power crew. "Like, I have amazing reaction time. I'm the kind of person who can react to... few frame windows to several things. I can just react on the spot sometimes and Sonic, when he runs past you, you can't tell. It's impossible. If he runs at you, I can't tell if he's going to jump or grab. We have to guess. So that makes Sonic difficult to deal with at a top-level plane, because a good player can mix you up consistently and then it becomes the point where you don't react, so you can't consistently do it, because guessing is guessing. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't, but you can decrease the luck by reacting. But because Sonic is so fast, you can't react, so that makes him amazing. That's basically why Sonic is really good right now and couple that with the fact that he has a back-throw that kills, he has grab combos that no other character has, his Forward-Smash is absolutely ridiculous, his back-air has this slice of New York City, like it's actually humongous, like back-air stays off forever, always gets the strong hit, and even if he gets the weak hit, it puts him in a spot where you can back-air again, so it's one of the best moves, for sure."
While ZeRo has seen the positives in Sonic, a handful of the Sonic mains out in the Smash world are crestfallen with the loss of the Spin Dash shield cancel. Here's top Japanese Sonic player Kengo "KEN" Suzuki reacting to the news.
Bye Bye Sonic... https://t.co/BKTgmGho5u
— KEN (@KENisbg) June 12, 2018
The Sonic faithful are otherwise still looking to get accustomed to some of his minor tweaks, taking the most recent opportunity at CEO 2018 to get their hands on the character. The folks at Most Valuable Gaming and Smash Studios both got a chance to capture a couple of matches.
youtube
youtube
But at least one other person might be converted to the Sonic user base. That's the guy who used Sonic at the Smash Invitational, Leonardo "MkLeo" Lopez. Despite losing, Leo sees the potential in Sonic and is apparently excited to learn the character a little better.
Well he didnt die in winners finals by the snake's uptilt and the sonic back air in last game...i wanted to win... but still have so much fun The game is awesome but bayo tho lol I love smash im playing sonic in smash5 at least as a secondary Thank you everyone!
— EchoFox lMVGl MkLeo (@Mkleosb) June 12, 2018
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to arrive in December on Nintendo Switch. Shacknews will continue looking into each of the game's characters from now through the big day, so be sure to come back for more breakdowns over the coming weeks.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Sonic published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/
0 notes