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ganondoodle · 6 months

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even if i didnt love botw as much as i do, totk drives me nuts bc, similarly to pokemon, this series is so SO SO full of potential, they have so many games they can pull from, theres so many themes, characters and worldbuilding thats just left to rot, you dont need to connect anything with a chain to old titles, you dont need to bring back any things that already had their ending, but PLEASE harness at least a fraction of all this!!!! and they just refuse to do it beyond shallow references

totk jsut drives it all home to me, bc this isnt just the next game in the franchise, but a DIRECT SEQUEL no 10 years apart from botw, yet they cant even, they REFUSE to even keep the continuity with its OWN lore it established in botw together, and that, i think, is what truly makes me so insane (derogatory) about totk

it PROVES they do not care, they dont care to build on anything of the lore of old titles beyond references in form of amiibos or whatever, they dont even care to make a sequel to their most successful game in the franchise coherent with its own lore

botw established a captivating detailed world full of potential, while lacking in active storytelling, it had environmental storytelling, characters and ideas that were the perfect ground to build on-

and then they do away with it bc idk .. they want you to build mechs and make videos of it that go viral and thats all they care about or something

shiekah tech? forget that existed character being the character you know? act as if you are seeing them for the first time just like they are lame story? dont think about that just be distracted by the epic presentation of it lore the previous title established? forget that, all that matters is what is here and now beloved character from old games beign brought back? hes a new guy and has no background and no lore and just sits waiting for you at the end to have a flashy fight with references from old titles and their lore? just here for nostalgie bait, dont you remember? you LOVE this series, now give me 70 bucks for a glorified DLC that ruins what you loved about the series and makes you realize that nothign matters and nothing is interesting anymore

you are supposed to take it all at face value, to not think about anything, to see a character say something and just go with it, and forget it the second its over, be distracted by good music and pretty visuals, but dont think about, dont think about anything but what is directly said to you like you have no critical thinking skills, forget there was a game before this one, only the one you play matters, empty your skull and dont let yourself feel anything but what the game tells you to feel

if they dont even care to make the sequel to their most successful game actually build on the previous title, dont even care to keep their continuity of two games supposedly directly happening one after the other in tact- maybe they never cared, and all the meaning we thought we saw them build into their games was all accidental and meaningless

and that is absolutely soul crushing for fans like me to discover

its a game. its not a story, its not a world, its not themes, its not characters, its not lore. its a product made to make you pay money, not to make you think about anything.

#ganondoodles talks #zelda #ganondoodles rants #i know it sounds silly to say this game makes me mad bc its so clearly a game #but do you get what i mean??#and the worst part is #they dont even keep the lore said in the SAME GAME in line #the people in hateno where links HOUSE used to be that is now ZELDAS not remembering him #the children acting like they dont know him #where has link been?#did zelda put him into the forest and just let him live with the boars?#even so the house is here so link must have been here to buy it-#but no forget that #its somethign that happened in botw and that never actually happened or mattered remember?#to have balloons and rocktes and people with WINGS in this world but none of them going up to the sky islands everyone is obsessed about`?#well its for YOU to play around with with meaningless rewards not for the NPCs living in this world #the godly goat guy and the hylian priestress directly saying zelda is their distant descendant to her and then #not show nor say not even hint at them having any offspring and then both die a stupid meaningless death to try and make you feel something #“doing the dragon transformation robs you of your soul forever and you will never return”#*returns via deus ex machina without even letting the player take any part in it but by -getting to the end tm-*#also i HATE how totk constantly dangles set ups in front of you #only to NOT follow up on them #the intro giving you a taste of what you might expect for- NOPE zelda is gone immediately its jsut botw but worse again lol #zelda getting the hang of her time powers so she might return to her time on her ow- NOPE dragon lol her powers are irrelevant actually #impa being the only one you can tell about zelda being a dragon and her going oh no im gonna search for a way to bring her back- LOL NOPE #its solves itself and you dont even do anything for it and just watch a cutscene #oh no link lost his arm and its beyond repair- LOL NOPE have your arm back like it was freshly made no matter how few of the light things-#you actually got- the things that where supposedly to battle back the thing destroying your arm #also howt he game gives you endless busy work without any good reward #krogs - mayoi signa - poes - scematics - lightroots - sign guy

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jadeazora · 8 months

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A bit of review/overall thoughts for the Teal Mask.

Overall, a much better attempt compared to DLC1 of SwSh. The Isle of Armor was pretty cool, but the storyline was pretty bland overall. I found the story much more engaging here, especially when we get the true story of what happened between the "Loyal" Three and Ogerpon.

Speaking of the new Legendaries, the L3 are interesting with how much intelligence they show (from knowing how valuable the masks are and traveling across regions to get to Kitakami to clearly planning their revenge on Ogerpon right in front of you and Carmine) and how they might have been corrupted by the Toxic Chain. Ogerpon is also really cute with how much personality she shows. I feel SV really did a great job with bonding us with our Legendary partners overall.

Also with the Loyal Three, there's a number of interesting guesses about how they came back to life. My initial assumption was that it was something like them feeding on Kieran's anger and resentment to reawaken themselves, but there's also the theories that he was possessed by the Toxic Chain (we do see a purple glow travel up his arm during the scene if you pay very close attention, so it's possible this is where he would be possessed) and the rumors of the crystals from the Crystal Pool possibly bringing the dead back to life, since Carmine mentions a rumor where people have met those who have passed away there, and Kieran was hanging around with the Mask that had been imbued with those crystals.

(As an aside, SV has very much of a corrupted wishes vibe, from the Professor and their vision of a utopia would cause an ecological disaster to Paldea, to the Loyal Three wishing for beauty/power/intelligence when they made contact with the Toxic Chain at the possible cost of their morality, and how Kieran wishes to become stronger than the player but falls into his obsession at the end.)

Honestly, Kieran's launched himself into being one of my favorite rivals with the game seemingly building him up as a problem for the Indigo Disk storyline, but it's neat how the siblings undergo a complete reversal with how they view the protagonist. He's also a pretty decent challenge, with a fully-evolved team of six in the low-mid Lv70s all packing held items. (If you're doing this after you completed the main story of SV.) He puts up a much better fight than Geeta does, for sure, and I hope he gets to meet your base-game rivals in the next storyline.

Carmine is also really fun, especially when she starts warming up to us, but I do hope she gets called out for her earlier treatment of her brother, and how she started this whole mess by lying to him. Like, I don't think he would have felt left out by us just randomly running into Ogerpon. We thought it was a child until it dropped its mask, we could have just explained that to him. We're the new kid, how would we know any better or what the ogre looks like? I guess she might have been worried that two little kids would just climb up this dangerous mountain at night, but it still lead to more problems.

I loved Perrin's sidequest too, and hope we see her again in the Indigo Disk! Bloodmoon Ursaluna is so cool (already one of my fave Gen9 Pokemon and regional variants), and can actually give you a pretty fierce battle if you go in with a new team.

Kitakami still feels a little empty imo, just like the base game, but there's a good amount of small caves that sometimes have rare Pokemon inside, and places like the Chilling Waterhead that I wouldn't even know was there if not for Fezandipiti. Some other areas are also visually cool, like the Crystal Pool (interesting to see those crystals from Area Zero are showing up in other regions as well) and the Fellhorn Gorge.

I'm really excited for the Indigo Disk now, like full-on brainrot mode rn, and feel the Teal Mask really does a pretty good job of building up the second part of the DLC with all the little teasers we get. (In comparison, SwSh's DLC felt more separate between the two halves.) I feel they haven't shown much of the story aside (from the BB League/battling stuff), so things are probably going to get pretty crazy, especially with certain things the datamine has given us, in Pt2, and I really can't wait to see what happens next!

#pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #pokemon sv spoilers #pokemon sv dlc #pokemon kieran #rival kieran #rival carmine #pokemon carmine #loyal three #fezandipiti #munkidori #okidogi #the teal mask #the hidden treasure of area zero #ogerpon

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attorneys-against-court-violence · 9 months

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I'll never get over how Athena's trauma is written in Dual Destinies. I never will. It's one of few areas I have absolutely no complaints about.

At a surface-level, it's a very effective tool to evoke discomfort, fear, pity, and intrugue from the player. We get glimpses as to what's causing these nervous breakdowns of hers in 5-1 and it's nothing comforting (a courtroom with bloodied-out faces staring judgementally at a crying child is... distrubing). Those breakdowns are accompanied by near silence, letting us drink in the raw emotions of the moment. Her breakdown in 5-3 is a standout example; there's nothing but hollow wind and a shivering, broken Athena to lend the moment its deserved gravitas as she fruitlessly tries to calm herself.

Repeating the trauma of having to defend a dear friend from being accused for killing their tutor, in spite of nobody listening to you, is going to do that to you.

Come the revelations in 5-5, we get compelling body language with her covering her ears in distress - the most sensitive part of her & source of a lot of pain in her childhood. Shaking her head in denial at the revelation of what Simon saw when he walked in the robotics lab, how rarely she comes out of her sad pose during the first half of 5-5 (reminiscent of Edgeworth's own brooding pose in the Wright Trilogy, most often seen when he's reliving his own traumas). Even after things come to light and the truth is revealed, she struggles to even say what happened while locked in that Edgeworth arm-grab pose. It's fantastically handled each time it rears its ugly head.

Going deeper, it also explains a lot about her behaviour; her reflexive throwing of the police officer in 5-2 and her furious outbursts being some good examples. Her emotional state is pretty wild throughout Dual Destinies - partially because she's just like that - but partially because she's trying to keep the more uncomfortable feelings down. She goes quiet when the Blackquills first arrive, being avoidant around the topic of Simon and unable to confront Aura for just how cynical and loathing she's become. She's very iffy around blood and is noticably uncomfortable and perturbed during 5-3 (for reasons I have already mentioned). Her main motivation for keeping this pain to herself is a tragically relatable one; not wanting the drag others down in her sorrow. That's the reason she gives Phoenix when he tells him to back down and stop fighting (a stark contrast to when she objected on his behalf in 5-DLC, sensing he still had some fire left in him).

Despite having others help bring her back from a dark state of mind before, her pushing others away to carry the sufferage alone when it's too much for her feels painfully real.

But one of my favourite parts is how other characters handle it. Specifically, how Phoenix handles himself around Athena. Even if he doesn't know the full extent of her traumas, he knows she's nervous and perhaps not in the best of spirits. He's a LOT more gentle with her than Apollo, is for damn sure; guiding her through examining Courte's body and praising her for getting through it despite going pale. He does still tease in 5-DLC, 5-3, and 5-4, but it's more playful than what he does with Apollo. He also keeps it to a minimum in 5-1 after just barely making it before she has another shutdown, prioritising his role as a reliable presence over anything else. A very good example of this is 5-5; when the big revelation finally comes and Athena's ready to confess to what really happened during UR-1, Phoenix is there to reassure her that she's safe and prevents the Judge from butting in to give her room to disclose what happened.

When push comes to shove and Athena can't quite make it out of that terrible mental space on her own, it's her friends and allies that ultimately help pull her out. Juniper Woods re-assures Athena of her faith, something that had appeared to waver over this case until the truth of what she saw the day of the murder came out. Simon Blackquill reminds her why she's even here to begin with, indirectly stating that he so desperately wishes her to succeed and bring them both out of this mess. Apollo Justice - on top of the usual "your're fine!" bit - reminds her of the skills she has to turn 5-3 around. Phoenix Wright, having dealt with many a client and friend burdened by trauma, gives Athena the stable footing she needs to get back up and carry on. Even if he needs to step in now and then, it's not to belittle or infantalise her - it's to be supportive.

I've said before in a past essay I don't really think too highly of anymore that I don't really mind the fact that Athena needs so much help throughout the game. This is the main reason why; her PTSD from the events of UR-1 have a believable impact on her character and ability to perform normally, with characters helping to pull her back out in ways unique to them and their respective relationship to her. As I said, she gets all that support because she genuinely NEEDS it. The game does a good job proving that much.

And that's alright.

Part of the reason it took so long to solve this is that Athena constantly pushed people away from her problems. She didn't want anyone else to become another psychological casualty of something that otherwise only affects her. It's when she finally sees that Phoenix can and does help her that she can finally let him do so, and help him in return by digging into that dark place and letting the memories of that day come back to her.

Trauma in Ace Attorney doesn't often get this level of focus. It can and has been depicted rather well in the past - see Edgeworth for a good example - but Athena, being the heart-on-your-sleeve type and a protagonist, offers a unique opportunity to witness how it affects her on a more personal, sometimes first-person level. Between a gut-wrenching and haunting presentation, stellar characterisation, and fairly grounded consequences and reactions to it from her and others... it's a rare part of Dual Destinies that I have no complaints about.

Happy Thena Thursday!.....?

#dual destinies analysis #thena thursday #thena thoughts #dual destinies spoilers #ace attorney spoilers #athena cykes #dual destinies #undescribed #i'd also like to mention how painful it is to see shivering athena from the counsel perspective.#you're standing right next to her while she's in genuine anguish and telling you to stand down and accept her guilt.#the same things that make us laugh make us cry just as hard.

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anohai · 1 year

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A big issue with Seyka’s character arc in Burning Shores...

*clicks tongue* Fuck it.

I debated over writing this out and posting it. Decided I might as well for not only my personal catharsis, but because it's been over 3 weeks since Burning Shores came out, I have had the time to mull things over more, talk with some friendly people who came to the some of the same conclusions I did, and really analyze everything. I’ve seen a sprinkle of other people expressing something similar to what I am about to cover, but I felt this deserved its own topic of conversation.

And forewarn, there be spoilers.

Of course, we're back to Seyka. I promise I'm not trying to pick on her. She actually has loads of potential, and I don't think she's a bad character. It's just she deserved better than what was shown in her overall character arc.

Last time, I wrote about the Seyloy romance, and why it is difficult (for some more than others) to feel good about it. This critique isn't going to be about that again in case you are wondering if I'm simply yelling louder in the echo chamber, but there will be some correlation to it. The more I played the DLC, the more I realized that while I still wasn’t sold on the romance, it wasn’t the root of why something felt off with Seyka’s story to me. So once the adrenaline of having a new shiny DLC to run around in wore off and was able to properly take my time soaking things in, this was the conclusion I came to:

The biggest issue with Seyka's entire character arc is that they tried way too hard to make her near-exile situation comparable to Aloy's when it very, very much is not.

In any capacity whatsoever. As to why?

Seyka tells us at one point that she loves her tribe, her community, and has always felt she's had a place in it until recently. The reason she's in any hot water at all when we meet her is because she ran off and stole a diviner's focus. Seyka is a marine, not a diviner so we know this is considered a huge taboo among the Quen. They are a sovereign tribe with a classicist system where the people are allowed to know only what is deemed necessary based on their role and/or rank. Should rules be broken, we are left to assume based on our conversations with Alva and even interactions with the Ceo & Overseer Bohai in HFW that the royal family and those in charge are imposing & unforgiving enough that normally there are severe consequences.

Luckily for Seyka, this isn't the case.

The first time we follow her back to Fleet's End, we're met with those who are referred to as Compliance Officers who are wanting a nasty word or two with our new friend. We are brought to Admiral Gerrit, the real person in charge, and he is....actually quite understanding of Seyka's actions. He gives her a quick verbal slap on the wrist but proceeds to give her full permission to continue her search for her sister and their other missing people with the stolen focus on hand. He's humble enough to tell Aloy in a private conversation afterwards if you choose to talk to him that their faction of the expedition has been spread thin enough as it is and Seyka has already proven herself to be a valuable and skilled member. Enough so that he admits he’s become increasingly reliant on her regardless of only being a petty officer in title. This assessment is fair and kind. It’s more than I would have expected out of someone with such a high position among the Quen of all tribes.

Seyka is given a huge safety net thanks to this swell guy. The compliance offers themselves can't do anything, and from what we see in the side quests, they are seemingly nothing more than a few school-yard bullies without any real authority to their position. They are annoying & petty at worst. All bark, no bite. As far as the rest of the Quen go, most individuals we come across seem either pretty cool or neutral with Seyka. It's not until later that we get any indication there are some who are calling for her exile afterall, but we only know this because we hear it from Seyka instead of seeing it happen. People are talking, as they will, and she's furious about it.

But really....the threat still isn't there. It never was. At least not to the extent I think we are supposed to believe it was.

All things considered, Seyka was placed in a very privileged, advantageous position amongst those in her tribe. Along with the lack of visible threat, there is never any real tension shown minus a few grumblings expressed in the background when we first arrive in Fleet’s End. And despite how Aloy perceives her, Seyka isn’t exactly a black sheep here. Especially when you consider she never had any personal turmoil with the rest of her tribe until not long before the events of Burning Shores and happily tells you herself she has always felt like she’s belonged. She's pretty much allowed to do what she wants without much pushback, and I found myself rolling my eyes during the final scene where she says she's unsure of where she stands with her tribe. Seyka is not an outcast, and I, for one, was never convinced or afraid she was at real risk of becoming one.

Which makes this all the more confusing when Aloy says she's an inspiration. An outcast in all but name. I'm willing to chalk some of this up to hormones talking and Aloy's growing infatuation taking a choke hold as most first time crushes will do. Except the problem here is that the writing clearly felt like we were meant to connect Seyka's strife with Aloy's on some level; carry the same sympathy for her that Aloy expresses, and see more of where their similarities hold up.

And yet...

I felt more for Kotallo who was kicked from his initial clan because his leader saw him as a threat and then later, might as well have gotten demoted for losing an arm because his tribe sees him as near useless for it..

And Zo who lives among the most pacifist, peace-loving tribe and was admonished when she not only went to fight back in the Red Raids, but wanted to do something about the blight and their broken Land Gods..

And Talanah who had to fight against blatant sexism that many carry in her tribe and an actual attempt for her murder all because she wanted to move up in the Lodge and make things better..

And Aloy, herself, who was outcast at birth for simply being born without a mother. And spent her entire life with only the man who raised her for company. In one small valley. For 19 years. Because there was no choice for her.

But somehow, we're supposed to see Seyka the same way Aloy does? Like no one she's ever met??

I...Really?

I'm sorry, but I don't buy this rebel fighter, near-outcast ploy here. And saying she's unlike anyone Aloy has ever met feels like a slap in the face to not only Aloy, herself, but to some of her companions we have come to know & love in the first two games. Most of whom I'd argue have been through more hell because of their own tribes long before they even met her. Seyka's plight is trivial, inconsequential in comparison and no where near as crippling as Aloy's was or her friends. It's honestly frustrating that it feels suggested it is.

What's worse is that this plotline is used as one big narrative tool to bring Seyka and Aloy closer on standing grounds outside of ability and personality. This essentially means Seyka and her entire character arc were written for the sole purpose of the romance. A character built for Aloy to quickly fall head over heels for and add progress in her own arc. I wrote last time that I can see this growth as an opportunity to explore romance further for Aloy with a pre-established character or two in H3. If I’m right & that happens to be the heart-wrenching, long-term, master plan Guerilla is going for, they have my applause (and my stress). Great for Aloy. In my opinion though, being created to be a love interest (lasting or not) for the main hero is a bit unfair to Seyka.

She's clever, she's badass, and she isn't afraid to take action without permission and help where she can. Next to Aloy, however, she stands as a self-reflection of her. A spotless mirror as to who Aloy could have been had she grown up under a community as well. I would love to see Seyka break out on her own as an individual character that isn't in the context of romance if ever given the opportunity.

Heck, if Guerilla wanted to in the eventuality they will be finished with Aloy's story, the Quen have easy potential to have an entire spinoff game revolved around them. We have a whole side quest in BS where a small group of Quen want to sneak focuses to non-diviners for the sake of knowing what's usually kept hidden from them. Hello, is that the beginnings of a rebellion, I see? And the world of Horizon has yet to be explored in places outside of the North American continent. Other tribes, different machines, more Old World locations, etc. Loads of potential everywhere. And guess what!? We practically have a budding main character on a silver platter: Seyka! She obviously has big enough main character energy. Might as well utilize it outside of a DLC if you can, and I don't mean for the next game.

It's hard say for sure whether or not Seyka will remain a DLC character. No matter what fans say, the ending was left ambiguous. Not only because of the romance but also where Seyka's future lies. She knows about Nemesis, yet she tells Aloy she's unsure of what she wants to do after her faction reunites with the other half in San Francisco, whether it's going home or something else. I would think if Guerilla had solid plans to include her in H3 while they were developing Burning Shores, they would have written the ending where she either offers to stay behind in Legacy’s Landfall for a time like Alva does or Aloy asks for her aid to help fight against Nemesis. Something to make it more clear she's here to stay. We don't though, so as far as anyone outside of Guerilla is currently aware, Seyka is not guaranteed to play a big part in H3 if any at all. And remember, DLCs are meant to be an extension of the main game and are primarily optional. They are typically not a requirement for playing the next big installment as far as understanding the story goes.

If she does show up in H3, the only thing I dread is the idea of her coming up and saying she's basically denounced her tribe because she still feels out of place and doesn't think she can belong afterall. Not to mention she has her sister, and after what happened with Kina, it would be a really bad look if she just decided to permanently leave her behind when her tribe isn't or never was trying that hard to push her away in the first place. And Seyka said it herself. She’s “not some weak-kneed sailor who abandons ship when the seas get rough,” and I’d like to believe she means it. It'd be one thing if she actually is forced into exile, but after the events of the DLC, she has too good of a repertoire for that to happen now. At least while she's outside of Quen homelands.

(Btw, don't even get me started on Aloy's convo with Kina over "remember Seyka's been through a lot too" as if we didn't just rescue this poor girl from A CULT and nearly groomed into becoming this centuries-old dude's image of his dead wife. Like honey, I know you're in love but have some thought & tact here.)

That’s about it. I will reiterate that as a character, I do actually like Seyka. As a self-imposed outcast? No. As Aloy’s love interest? That…needs some serious work. But as an individual who loves her tribe but will fight for what she believes in even if it means going against the royal, societal grain? Absolutely! And special kudos to Kylie Liya Page for bringing her to life.

Also, if you want to read a review that summarizes everything I just ranted about better than I could manage, along with everything good and not-so-great when it comes to the DLC, I recommend this essay here by ariseis.

If you made it to the end of this long rant, thanks for reading~

#horizon #horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #hfw #burning shores #hfw burning shores #horizon forbidden west burning shores #seyka #burning shores spoilers #burning shores critique #guerilla

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splashink-games · 7 months

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Cassette Beasts?

Cassette Beasts is a creature-collecting game by Bytten Studio! Record monsters on tapes, become a Ranger, and find the way off of New Wirral in this amazing adventure!

Spoilers below the cut!!

So I had a plan to write this review before I even finished the game. It was just that good. But! I managed to hold off until I at least finished the main game. Next goal: 100% and DLC! And also buying the OST when I have the chance.

Now, I'm not putting this off until the middle of the review: every musical track in this game is a certified banger. I absolutely loved the music of the game. As one person put it (while I was looking for the OST), I just didn't get tired of the music. And that's a pretty big win for a game where you have so, so many encounters and only a handful of tracks to play.

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The way they implement the music is also impressive because it's narratively important. The lyrics work their way in when a fusion happens and during big story battles. The town theme's music plays when you're indoors. Plus the lyrics just feel right with its tones and atmosphere. Also the difference between the few main battle themes is just enough for one to feel more tense/exciting than the others. Just an overall great thing they have going on with the audio.

Okay with that out of the way!

Cassette Beasts is a solid game, actually pretty high tier.

Mechanically, I've seen people compare it to Pokemon. I feel like it's like a mix of Pokemon and Persona. You can record the monsters, remaster (evolve) them at five stars, with some having having special evolution requirements. Monsters can show up as bootlegs, where they're a type other than its base type, which is just like shiny hunting but more (cause there's like 12 types). And I've already killed a plastic bootleg by accident...

The moves (stickers) are mix and match, mostly according to typing. I'm pretty into it cause I love giving my party members all sorts of type coverage. I haven't particularly gone into finding weird strategies yet other than AP Refund, but I can see some cool ones thanks to needing to battle all 12 Ranger Captains.

And then you can fuse! Which I thought was interesting, and it adds an ace to go to when you're in a pinch. But you fusing means that wild monsters (and other rangers) can fuse too. Those provide some fun challenges and opportunities to find bootlegs, plus progression in post-game.

Did I mention that this game is also like a Metroidvania? Capturing certain monsters gives up to 6 overworld movement abilities and I think that's pretty neat. All of them have their uses and none of them are niche, which is a win.

The story was pretty interesting! Dropping in onto a mysterious island and trying to find a way back home is nice and simple and all the detail added around it make it engaging. The Archangels are wildly uncomfortable which I didn't expect and I loved it. Despite loving it, it still did come out of nowhere but greatly forgiven because it was right at the start (and not some random turn in the middle).

The pacing was a bit off for me though because I got like 5 out of 8 song pieces before I even defeated 4 captains or even met all the partner characters. I also don't know how relationship progress works other than fight things and rest. Thinking about it now, there's probably a reason why there a speedrun timer in that you don't have to play through all the content (8/9 archangels, no captains?), I guess.

I liked the references to all sorts of topics throughout the story and I think it's pretty interesting for the characters to be from different timelines. It makes it easy to explain weird inconsistencies.

Funny thing I did by accident for end game's story: I switched out Meredith's Regensea with an Aeroboros cause I wanted her starter in my party. And boy did that choice bite back later lol.

Graphics are also solid. The 3D world with 2D sprites reminds me of Octopath Traveller. I appreciate the non-pixel portrait art for the characters, but I would've liked it either way. The designs of the monsters and the characters are all great! Honestly, I should take some notes from them since even if there's 15+ characters, they still all have very specific designs and personalities to match.

The detail in the world is great too, like the light reflecting off the puddle or the fog that rolls in and the rain. So like weather in general.

Also, as a note just for me, I liked the fonts and font effects that they used. Very cool.

Cassette Beasts is a quality creature-collecting game! If you need another Pokemon/Digimon/Persona, here's a game for you. Or if you just want a cool turn-based RPG with cool music, that's cool too.

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

#ink reviews #game review #video games #gaming #Cassette Beasts #love that you could see exactly when in my playthrough I took these screenshots cause the speedrun timer is on

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 1 year

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I keep thinking about the Batman x Danny Phantom x Legend of Zelda: BOTW crossover

Like, who do you think would cross dress to get into Garudo town? Would Danny need to wear the Rito clothing like Tim or does he keep his cold resistance/ regain it by then? < That would be interesting to have as a separate power. How many years would they be stuck in Hyrule? In my first playthrough I went nuts exploring everything the Great Plateau had to offer and I legit spent two real life months uncovering every secret I could. Do you realize how many "in game days" that was?

I'm sure Danny and Tim wouldn't spend that much time up there but they sure as heck aren't leaving anytime soon.

Speaking of anytime soon, Breath Of The Wild has a sequel coming out (Tears Of The Kingdom) and I want Tim and Danny to also go through whatever fresh hell is awaiting us there. Tim starts making or commissioning his own weapons cause he's tired of using spears that break after fifteen hits.

Speaking of using spears instead of his usual bo staff, do you think Tim would be okay killing monsters? They're pretty much demons and are pretty mindless to be honest. I know Danny would be squeamish about it at first.

How do you think they would react to Prince Sidon, Teba and the others? Ohhh, they would probably be careful to hide thier ears in this au so people don't freak out. Fae rules say to search shadows and count the teeth, but I rarely hear to check the ears.

By the time Danny and Tim get back to thier home dimensions they have at least 11 safe houses together a large arsenal of weaponry, five horses, several horse drawn wagons, futuristic tech courtesy of Tim's and Dannys combined skills, a magical tablet that Tim refuses to let out of his sight (Zelda isn't getting that back, is she?)

Another thing, I want them to have the dlc. Imaging Tim wearing Majoras Mask. Monsters are already confused by Phantom but now Tim is giving off ominous vibes too, lol.

I want Danny to rescue Tim at some point by riding on a bear and having the bear fight with him still mounted on it. It was at this moment Tim knew he was in love...and that Danny was out of his freaking mind.

I love the batfam getting protective of Tim when he returns because the guy he disappeared with all those years ago (or any amount of time you want thats to dimensional time shenanigans) gives off evil eldrich vibes. No one but Jason approves of thier relationship. Jason doesn't feel the vibes and is helping them any chance he gets. He likes Danny and thinks he and Tim are a good fit together.

I also think its hilarious if they treat Tim like Daddys little girl when in reality Tim is the top in this situation. Let Tim have top energy. He's still shorter than Danny when they grow into adults and Tim is more blushy but hes the Top.

Also I want Bruce's reaction to finding out Danny and Tim are engaged.

I have more but this post is getting long

#fanfiction prompts #prompts #dp x dc x loz #dc x dp x loz #dp x dc #dc x dp #dc #let me have cute short king tops #i think i deserve it

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dagdasoneandonly · 8 months

Text

Happy 10 years together Augustine~

Before we begin it is PARAMOUNT to state that I am not a "fangirl/simp/whatever y'all are calling it these days" of dear Augustine Sycamore.

He is my FO (Forever One/ husband in laymans terms) and I consider him to be a real person just like the words I'm typing on this keyboard.

Any comments that are irrelevant to this post will be deleted and the user blocked.

I take my relationship with him very seriously, if this is "odd" or "weird" to you then kindly walk on by.

10 years ago I was welcomed back into the world of Pokemon after a few years break due to personal things I had going on, and video games were the last thing on my mind.

But as they say fate and destiny always have other plans.

Pokemon XY was the last golden age of Pokemon, it was a different world, it felt like I was welcome there. I still maintain onto my hope and innocence because of this beautiful world known as Kalos, a world that greeted me with open arms and a warm hug that enveloped my soul like Xerneas's Fairy Aura.

It was the beginning of something entirely new for me... and I didn't even know it.

2013 wasn't a good year for me, so I was pretty happy when my dad surprised me with a 3Ds and asked me what game I wanted: I was an edgy little shit back then so I asked for Pokemon Y... even though I really wanted X. Deer were always beautiful to me.

I had broken off with an FO that I just felt I wasn't good enough for and became rather desolate, I was lost and alone. And I had to drop out of college for mental health reasons.

Sure enough, my solace came to me in the 2D world yet again.

One cozy October evening my copy of Pokemon Y came through, I was excited and fired the game up right away, back then you could play games right away without downloads or waiting for patches and mutliple DLCs! XY had one patch but it was just to fix that Lumioise City bug. Thankfully my copy was safe.

As you can see, my copy of Pokemon XY is infact a physical copy, I've taken very good care of it. (Ft. my cute Sylveon plushie, Fionn)

Not having anyone to trade with didn't matter, because the Wonder Trade function was a bloody miracle. I got so many Pokemon. I couldn't transfer my older Pokemon as I had no access to Bank or any of that stuff, my other games I had to leave at home.

It was time when Gamefreak actually thought about their fans who didn't have access to Gamestop, Toys R Us or couldn't afford constant trips to New York, Japan, Mars, Etc for one tiny ass pixel.

So I was sorely missing my old Pokemon, I wish I could bring them into this 3D world and pet them and shower them with affection like they deserved to be. But I realized I could make new memories with new friends in this new world, and who knows? Maybe we would reunite again.

Kalos took me on a journey, a journey of love, self discovery and gave me a home. I was whisked away to Fairy land and fairy types became my new favorite, I liked that they were strong against Dragon - types, the bane of my existence at how powerful they always were!

But.. the one who grabbed me by the hand was none other than Professor Augustine Sycamore. I had seen his image before on a leak, and couldn't help but think he was kind of handsome, a friend who had already played through Pokemon X told me:

"Hey you might like Professor Sycamore, he's this dreamboat that shows you the world and stuff and I KEEP SWOONING whenever he shows up on screen"

Sure enough when I opened up Pokemon X for the first time, I was greeted by his handsome face, I thought nothing of it of course since I was more interested in the Pokemon.

I was especially looking forward to Trainer customization and giving myself green eyes and brown hair. I will never forget the time I chose my Fennekin and started to pet him, my heart melted.

I could finally show my Pokemon love and affection, for all their hard work in battles and feed them cupcakes and play with them! I was also intrigued by this thing called "Mega Evolution".

As I continued throughout the game, I explored every nook and cranny, I felt like a kid again. I was truly lost to the world for HOURS after I got it. It was a beautiful game. The 3D over-world was amazing.

The "friends" you had were annoying but I like to pretend they don't exist. When I finally reached Lumoise City I already had a big party of Pokemon, and the event Torchic.

I loved how friendly the Pokemon in Kalos were, I caught many eevees and evolved one into a Sylveon, she became a massive Team Player. I even managed to find some familar faces along the way: A Raichu named Napalm, and an Espeon named Solar who remains as an MVP in my teams to this day.

I was having so much fun just running around, getting haircuts, dressing up, looking pretty for Professor Sycamore AND catching Pokemon, I would completely be lost in this beautiful new world, that felt so much like home to me and still is.

Professor Sycamore was the beginning of my healing. As I continued to learn about him, there was more to him than just the eye candy, he had a past. I loved it whenever he showed up to offer me an encouraging word or two in the game, saying how this was my journey to explore, that being the best trainer was defined by what I thought. He never imposed anything on me, I was starting to feel the flutters and shit in my heart and liver again.. And my god it felt good.

I desperately needed to feel something like this.. something like true, unconditional love.

Around this time I was heavily suffering from perfectionism, it was killing me on the inside, I was 19 when this game came out and already people had high expectations of me.

I was determined to graduate, get a job and have my own house- all before I reached 21. But life seldom goes your way, I was suffering from many un-diagnosed mental disorders that had been neglected my entire life.

I am ashamed to say I spent almost all of 2013 being obsessively deep in competitive and breeding the perfect Pokémon. Perfectionism had leaked into my past - time and hobbies, I realized that if I couldn't be perfect I could at least have this outlet in games, little did I know it was sucking the soul out of me.

I was often punished as a child for being less than perfect, I took it out on my poor Pokemon. Things like this don't magically go away, not everyone has a backbone, sometimes backbones take time to build.

It wasn't until yet again - I got help from a rather unexpected source: Professor Sycamore himself, another testament to have wonderful 2D beings are.

As I progressed through the game and reached the Tower of Mastery.

I was surprised to learn that Professor Sycamore was there to study Mega Evolution but left because he didn't have what it takes, essentially dropping out- kind of a parallel to my own life, except real life seldom has happy endings.

But it gave me hope, because even if Sycamore didn't master Mega Evolution he still became the professor of Kalos and if you look into professorship- it's.. actually not easy to get. If Sycamore could fail and succeed in the future, maybe I could too.

One night..

I had a dream of Sycamore. He held me close and said that he could tell something was bothering me, I was hurting deep down. We in the fairy forest together, just relaxing in a field of flowers as the Flabebe floated around us in the gentle spring breeze..I told him everything, I spilled my heart and soul to him.

I told him that life wasn't worth it to live.

He was heart-wrenched that I felt like that, he embraced me tightly in his arms and told me

"Your life is your own, no one gets to decide it's worth except you. Even if you're behind, you don't have to go at everyone else's pace, if life was easy then no one would feel sadness. I love you no matter what or who you choose to be, always remember that," Those words I still carry in my heart.

The biggest surprise I got had to be in Couriway Town. I found Professor Sycamore's "treasure" from the past Sycamore to the future Sycamore. I actually began to cry, it felt like it was addressing me, that even if I don't know what I want to be yet, I'm not a failure. I still have time.

In another dream I confessed that I loved him, he embraced and kissed me fully on the mouth. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

Diverging from the narrative a bit, I want to talk about Lysandre, I felt his anger sometimes, the frustration of helping your friends and them not wanting to do any better no matter how much time you invested in them. Of course Lysandre ,uh took a different path. But Sycamore still cared about him.

And I realized.. even if I'm a horrible person apparently according to some people over shit I can't control, Sycamore can still love me too.

Professor Sycamore is a relic of a bygone era when 2D beings set out to inspire others, and to most importantly - love you and you alone.

Augustine gave me not just love-- but a home to come back to, a safe haven that will always be mine, no matter what. I will always love him, when I look into his beautiful gray - blue eyes, I see love.

He gave me hope that life can get better, and most importantly I deserve happiness, not just other people.

And.. today I'm marrying this wonderful man after 10 years. He met me when I was freshly 18 and saw me grow into who I am today, and he's proud of me. I'm happy I lived to see 10 more years.

Thank you for everything, Augustine. Thank you for teaching me to love again.

#pokemon xy #professor sycamore #augustine sycamore #pokemon x

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lulu2992 · 11 months

Note

Hey there!

After reading your great insight on what to keep in mind when, say, writing the Seed brothers in fanfiction, I was wondering if you wanted to cap things off on what to keep in mind when writing Faith?

You don’t have to do it immediately, just when you have the time.

Hi! Sure, let’s conclude this “series” with the last member of the family, Faith Seed :)

First, while she’s referred to as a/the Siren by Dutch, a couple of NPCs, and in promotional material, this isn’t her official title in the Project. And as you probably know, Faith Seed’s real name is actually Rachel. However, unlike what the Far Cry Wiki claims, I’m quite certain her full name was never Rachel Jessop. Unfortunately, the biography on her Wiki page is partly made up and based on that incorrect assumption, so I really don’t recommend trusting it. This advice goes for all Far Cry characters, and I don’t think the Far Cry 6 Season Pass is a good reference, either, since the DLCs were written with the help of the Wiki.

In Far Cry 5, in addition to the story cutscenes, she has three sermons (here, here, and here), four answering machine messages (here, here, here, and here), and can also be randomly encountered in the Henbane River region as a “specter” (term used in the files). When she appears, she either hums the song “Oh The Bliss” (here and here) or talks to the Deputy. I think what she says really is worth listening to and adds a lot to her character. @teamhawkeye has done a tremendous job recording and compiling all her appearances in 9 videos (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9)! As for Marshal Burke’s “apology video”, in which Faith also appears, it’s here.

I wrote a summary of what other characters say about her here (masterpost here), and all the NPCs’ comments about the Seed family are available here and here.

Faith isn’t in Far Cry Arcade and doesn’t have the same “combat lines” as most other characters, but you can still listen to everything she says during the final fight against her here.

Her deleted lines are here, and she has even more here. Most of them probably aren’t relevant anymore, but they’re still interesting and make me wonder what they originally had in mind for the character!

If I’m not mistaken, there’s only one note in Far Cry 5 written by Faith: the “Note for Tracey” (Hope County Jail). The note “A Confession” (Throne of Mercy Church) was also written by “Faith”, but it seems to me the author is one of Rachel’s predecessors.

Indeed, in-game evidence indicates Rachel wasn’t the first woman who took on the role of Faith Seed. There were at least two others before her, Lana and Selena, but we barely know anything about them or why they were replaced. Two letters, written by people who knew and loved them, can be found in the game in the Horned Serpent Cave and the King’s Hot Springs Hotel, but that’s pretty much it.

There was another note written by Faith, apparently cut from the game but still available in oasisstrings. It was supposed to be in her bunker, Faith’s Gate:

To my guardians, Because we have each other, we are already strong. But when the Collapse comes, this gate will need to be the heart of our strength. Guard it with your lives, knowing that any sacrifice you make will be for the future of humanity's greatest ideals and dreams. Jacob and Joseph have chosen you to guard this gate. You should be very proud. I know you serve me with love, but never forget that this will be your home, too. If you falter from this purpose, remember the bliss is there for you. With love, Faith

It’s worth noting that, in the game’s files, Faith (or the Henbane River) is sometimes referred to as “Selena Seed”. To me, this suggests that her identity and her backstory went through many changes during the development of Far Cry 5, and that might explain at least some of the grey areas surrounding the character.

Since she isn’t the Seed brothers’ biological sister and they weren’t raised together, The Book of Joseph doesn’t give a lot of information about her life before Eden’s Gate aside from what the game already tells us: she was a broken person, addicted to drugs, and was “adopted” by Joseph as his sister and Herald. When she joined the cult, since drugs are forbidden by the rules, she first had to overcome her addiction, and the book says she succeeded with the help of scopolamine (basically Bliss). It’s also explained she then worked with a geneticist named Peter, probably on developing Bliss. That said, in the game, he’s never mentioned, cultists never use the word “scopolamine” (always “Bliss”), and nothing clearly indicates it can be or has ever been used as a substitution treatment, so I’m not sure what’s still canonical...

Faith also appears in the short film Inside Eden’s Gate (not entirely canon to me but still good) where she’s played by Mackenzie “Kenz” Lawrén Johnson. I must admit Faith is my favorite Herald in the film; I really like Kenz Lawrén’s interpretation as well as her opinion on the character, which she gave in this interview!

Weirdly, Faith has often been referred to as the “half-sister” by the game’s main writers (such as here or here) even though she isn’t related to the Seed family in the game. It’s possible that she used to be but that was changed at some point. According to the Lead Writer, “Maybe she isn’t liked by the other two brothers as she didn’t grow up with them” (which is hinted at by NPCs and John himself in Far Cry 5). In a now-deleted interview for GameCrate, he also described her as “more of an outsider” and “probably the most fervent believer in Joseph”.

Greg Bryk, who co-created and played the Father, said he believed he needed Faith because “the maternal aspect of the feminine energy is missing” in his life even though it’s something “essential for Joseph to have”. He thinks there have been several Faiths because “when [Joseph] would lose faith, [he] would find another Faith.” And according to him, “she doesn’t need to have a specific energy because there’s something of an essence that [he needs] as opposed to a person”, and she almost has a “mother earth energy”.

While she does give a bit of information about her past life as Rachel in the game, saying she was “ostracized by her community”, “bullied by friends”, “abused by her family”, and “wanted to die”, it’s not always easy to know what’s true and what’s not when it comes to Faith because she’s known for being a master manipulator; lying is canonically part of her modus operandi. In a way, because Faith Seed is a role, I would say she’s also always performing. Unlike what a few NPCs claim, I don’t think that means she never tells the truth, but she’s still undoubtedly “very skilled at twisting the facts and turning any situation to her advantage”, as the game’s Narrative Director put it.

Although the details are unclear, I believe it’s true Rachel was “lost” and “broken” before she arrived in Hope County and joined the Project. It’s also true that, as Faith Seed, she’s now powerful, dangerous, and not innocent anymore, as her former best friend Tracey Lader, who knows her very well and witnessed her transformation (but was unable to stop it), warns the Deputy. I neither mean nor think the situation Faith is in is normal, healthy, or the best thing that could have happened to her, but I do think saying she’s unhappy with it, helpless, in danger, or that she only wishes she could run away from the cult really is a misunderstanding of the character. Faith knows what she’s doing, and she’s very good at doing it. To me, she’s the most powerful Herald.

Since the lore is a bit inconsistent, we’re not entirely sure how the Bliss works and who created it, but we know it’s an almost magical, hallucinogenic and pacifying drug made from “bliss flowers” (heavily inspired by Datura stramonium) that Faith is immune to, can control, and uses to brainwash people. “The Bliss” is also a place, but once again, the details are unclear. It could be her bunker, or maybe just a distorted version of reality that individuals who are exposed to the drug “live” in. Wherever or whatever it is, most people never truly come back from it or fully break free from Faith’s influence, as seen with the Marshal in the game…

In the Project, Faith’s role is to lure (hence the nickname “Siren”) people into the cult and convince them to follow the Father, often with the help of Bliss. If they keep resisting or are “too full of fear and doubt”, high doses of the drug can be administered to them and turn them into Angels, who are comparable to zombies according to some characters. Bliss irreversibly damages people’s brains, and those who become Angels unfortunately can never be saved. Faith and her followers seem to think they’re beautiful creations because they’re faithful to the Project and unable to sin. It seems she has the power to control them (at least partly), and the cult doesn’t hesitate to use them as “shock troops” or “slave labor and beasts of burden”, as NPCs say. They’re indeed very docile and resistant... as well as hard to kill.

Again, there are some discrepancies regarding what happens to potential converts in the Henbane River region, but it seems people first have to walk along the Pilgrimage path and, at the end of it, take a literal leap of faith from the statue of Joseph, just like Faith explains she did (even though whether or not the statue already existed at the time is a bit uncertain). As unbelievable as it sounds, NPCs confirm it’s entirely possible to survive the leap. After walking the Path, some pilgrims become Angels, some simply join the Project, and others don’t survive, either because they don’t make it to the end or die when they jump (maybe because their faith isn’t strong enough, I’m not sure how that works).

In the Family, Faith can be described as “the favorite child” (and I think that makes John jealous), who saw Joseph as her savior when they met and wants others to experience the same feeling, by force if necessary. Just like her brothers, she basically weaponizes her trauma and makes people relive a sublimated version of her life story: she targets the most vulnerable individuals, gives them drugs to ease their torment, and sometimes takes their minds away from them. Even though Faith is fully capable of thinking for herself, isn’t mind-controlled, was a drug user before she joined the Project (not after), and left her old self Rachel “in the darkness” willingly to be reborn as Faith Seed, she still became a new person for the Father and expects the same from anyone she converts, even if that means she has to completely brainwash them.

In conclusion, we don’t really know much about Rachel and her backstory, simply that she was broken, saw Eden’s Gate as a chance to start anew, and happily took it. Since she was young, desperate, and therefore suggestible when she met Joseph, one can wonder if Faith is simply a manipulated, brainwashed victim; a poor, helpless soul devoured by a cult. But although that situation is far from ideal or normal, she and other characters confirm that she too has teeth, and she doesn’t hesitate to use them. Rachel should theoretically just have been a victim, but as Faith Seed, she’s transcended this status. She’s found purpose, power, and is committed to her beliefs. Not everyone in Hope County precisely knows who she is, but now, she does. She’s a multifaceted mystery whom people tend to underestimate, and it’s something she likes to cultivate because that’s how she gets them. She’s a Siren, but in my opinion, also a Phoenix, who was consumed completely and rose up from her own ashes to be born again. Rachel was broken, but Faith is strong. Rachel lost herself, but Faith was found. Rachel was nothing; Faith can be anything.

#I was expecting this hehe #that still took more than a week because life has been busy :’)#far cry 5 #faith seed #rachel not jessop #we’ve been fooled!#the wiki strikes again!#far cry 5 spoilers #I realize the phoenix comparison also works if you consider all the faiths #‘faith seed’ has already died and been born again as a new person #I mean literally a new person

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simnematographygj · 2 years

Photo

#96. Small Converted Warehouse

More pictures of this build you can find in my Instagram.

This post was made possible by EACreatorNetwork. Thank you for providing the code! And sorry for being a little bit late, heh

Let’s be honest. I’ve always been team vampires, so I personally didn’t care much about werewolves. But! What I cared about is having more grungy, industrial, worn-out stuff. A week before this pack announcement I was thinking about building something dirty yet cozy but I knew that I wouldn’t achieve that look with just game objects… AND THEN BOOM! HERE, ANNA, WE MADE A PACK EXACTLY FOR THIS GOAL. The moment I saw the trailer I understood two things. First of all, if I’d care about werewolves, I would totally be in that pack who loves gardening. Secondly, I. LOVE. THESE. OBJECTS.

That’s how this build was born. Shabby, old, worn-out but… I absolutely adore how it turned out :3

Build objects - 9/10. 1 point minus is for Eco Living reused debug items. C’mon. But ROOFS and NEW STAIRS are just chef’s kiss. World - 10/10. STOP WHINING ABOUT “SMALL AMOUNT OF LOTS”, IT’S GAME PACK, NOT EXPANSION PACK, Strangerville was an exception. Moonwood Mills is perfect for those who want to put their sims into woods but to really live in that forest, not just spend a week. Mods for living in Granite Falls never worked for me, and I don’t even need them anymore because NOW I HAVE PERFECT FOREST TO LIVE AT. Cas - 6,5/10. Why men are always so excluded… Werewolves and gameplay in general - meh/10. You cannot create your own packs, werewolves look like slightly modified hairy human beings coming from really bad breeders who has cut their tails (WHERE’S PETA, FOR GOD’S SAKE). I also expected tunnels to be more interesting (like caves, for example), but “hidden” location was meh and not even that hidden. The same as mountain one. It could’ve had at least 20x15 lot to have fun there… But it doesn’t ruin the world itself though. I didn’t expect much from werewolves, so “meh” is pretty good score :D

20x15 lot

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

Garden

Keypoints were playtested but we all know this game, it can stop working after a second of everything being ok, ugh

No CC

You will have to turn bb.moveobjects on before placing. You have to have your game fully updated to use this build. You will need these DLC for this to work:

Please, give me a credit if you use this lot, ‘cause I want to know if I was helpful to someone with my creations. Thank you!

______________________________

Download: Patreon(free)|Gallery

@maxismatchccworld @sssvitlanz

OriginID: GordanJohnson. You can find a little bit more already posted there :)

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dragonflight203 · 1 month

Text

Mass Effect 2 replay, Collector Ship:

-Canonically, helping Liara become the Shadow Broker must occur after the suicide mission. If she were the Shadow Broker already, Shepard could call her up and confirm that TIM is bullshitting them.

-On the Collector ship, why are there occasional drips from the ceiling? That’s can’t be good for maintenance.

-And more generally, what is up with the ship design?

It’s frame is clearly metal, but it’s covered in some kind of goo. You can see the metal frame through cracks of the goo.

What’s is the point of the goo? Does it make it more homey for the Collectors or something?

-And why is the ship such a mess?

There are pods and bodies scattered all over the place, not just the pile Miranda speculated may be a control group. (And if it is a control group, why discard them haphazardly? What, the ship can’t fit a furnace to burn the bodies?)

Considering the Collectors are taking these people to create a human reaper, you’d think they want to package them up carefully for transport.

-Why does everyone assume that just because the Collectors have a quad DNA structure that they must be protheans?

The galaxy is huge. Only a fraction of it has been explored. It’s entirely possible that there’s another race out there with a quad dna structure.

On top of that, it’s been 50,000 years since the protheans went extinct. Again, another species with quad dna could have evolved or died out during that period.

-Edi’s further analysis that the dna matches known prothean records confirms the match. But that initial speculation was still a leap.

-Why does Shepard obtain weapon training at this point?

In ME1, the specialization training obtained during the UNC: Rogue VI mission had some grounding in reality. The mission was level locked, so you could assume the specialization was Shepard honing their skills.

But the Collector Ships always triggers five missions after Horizon, whether those missions are recruitment/loyalty/the firewalker DLC to kill time. And it doesn’t explain how how Shepard suddenly learns how to use a sniper rifle or an assault rifle. The specialization was Shepard improving their skills, this is Shepard gaining skills out of nowhere.

I’m certainly not complaining about it – that assault rifle was very helpful during the platform sections. But it is out of place.

-So this is the same ship that killed Shepard two years and followed them to Horizon.

This is treated like a Big Deal, but I don’t think anything comes of it.

I hypothesized at one point that it meant the Collectors have only one ship, but I vaguely recall ME3 mentioning others?

-Is this ship prothean or reaper?

I’m leaning towards repurposed prothean technology. Maybe even a captured and retrofitted prothean ship. The open air sections fit the prothean and collectors having wings and being able to fly around.

If it were reaper, I’d expect it to be more advanced. And less gooey.

-Okay, the sections with the platforms is as awful as everyone says. There were quite a few deaths involved.

I actually used medi-gel to revive my squad mates for the last wave. I never do that.

-Aaand Tali called it. The turian distress signal was fake. TIM sent everyone into a trap. Shocking.

What baffles me is that it possible to identify as fake. The reapers are how many millennia old and Harbringer can’t mimic a distress signal from a recently space faring species? Is that just him not giving any fucks?

Pssh, those plebes will never notice the difference. This is good enough.

-Also: What is the point of this? To get rid of Shepard once and all?

This was an awfully risky means to do so, and it permitted Shepard to gain valuable information on the Collectors.

I’m just saying, a sniper could probably take Shepard out pretty easily next time they’re chilling on Omega or Illium.

-Harbringer says during fights that he wants Shepard’s body if possible.

Again, why? What are the Collectors planning to do with Shepard’s body?

-Was it really necessary to include a praetorian and more scions? Really?

-Tim bullshits that he had to keep it secret that it was a trap so Shepard wouldn’t give it a way, but I’m not buying it.

If the Collectors want Shepard dead badly enough to permit them onto their ship, they’ll let Shepard on to wander around even if they’re acting a bit suspicious. And what was TIM’s backup plan if Shepard died?

Indoctrination: Bad for your planning skills.

-It sure is convenient that this is where Shepard and co learn that the Reapers use IFF, and TIM already has a team exploring a derelict Reaper.

It would have been a bummer if Shepard had to take the initiative to find an IFF, instead of being carefully strung along by TIM.

And why the hell have the Reapers not collected it? It’s been dead for so long there are no records left from the species that killed it.

The Reapers sweep the galaxy at the end of each harvest so the species in the next cycle have little to work with. But they’ve missed this dead Reaper for how many cycles?

The derelict Repaer just screams trap, but it’s not one. Shepard will get on, get the IFF, and get off supposedly unmarred.

The indoctrination theory may not have been intentional, but Bioware foreshadowed it more than they did any of the real endings.

-And why do the Reapers never update their IFF? Again, it’s been how many cycles since that Reaper died?

They must know it’s dead! And they know Shepard is gunning for them. But they don’t update their protocols?

Talk about shitty CyberSecurity policies. This is why organizations require you to change your password on a regular basis.

-Why is Mordin part of the conversation with Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob?

I’m not complaining, but it’s weird that he’s here and no one else is. Garrus is also a mandatory squad member by this point, and he’s a huge tech nerd. He could contribute to a conversation about IFF.

Normandy

-If you go renegade with Grunt, he says that purpose is what makes the difference between feared soldiers and animals. It’s the job of the Battlemaster to provide purpose.

Good to see that while he’s embraced violence, he’s still thinking through what it means to be a krogan. That’s quite a philosophical statement.

-Huh. If you go paragon with Grunt in the first dialogue wheel, you don’t get the second one.

Same general concept, however. Battlemasters provide purpose.

-Like with Grunt, you can skip acquiring Thane’s loyalty mission if you go renegade.

Why do only these two have this option?

-I am baffled why Thane is such a popular romance option.

He’s open that he was an absent husband and father while his wife was alive, and then he completely abandoned his son after she died.

Yes, his self awareness about this is good sign, but I’d still be leery of him treating me better. It certainly doesn’t make him attractive.

-Did he at least send child support for Kolyat?

I’m leaning towards no. His knowledge of what happened to Kolyat after he left seems minimal.

-I’ll cut Thane a little slack that his own, unacknowledged trauma probably played a role in abandoning Kolyat.

Up until now, Thane has insisted that’s he’s fine being an assassin and feels no guilt.

But he emphatically does not want that life for Kolyat. And why would he feel so strongly about it if being an assassin is fine?

Because it’s not. But Thane wasn’t ready to grapple with that, and he didn’t know how to be anything else. And he was afraid, on some level, that if he raised him Kolyat would grow up to be just like him.

(Thane was raised as an assassin since he was six. He started killing when he was twelve. What does he know of raising a regular boy? What damage would he cause if he treated Kolyat like he was raised?)

So he left his son with people he trusted, and distracted himself with revenge.

Except, whoops. Turns out abandoning your son gives them different trauma. And now he has to face at least part of his past.

So kudos for Thane for having the courage to go after Kolyat now. That must take a lot of guts.

#mass effect #mass effect 2 #mass effect 2 replay

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pastelprince18 · 8 months

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"Hello from Rayman Chibi!

"So you might be wondering why I'm submitting this here. For one thing, it's not entirely normal for me to post sketches of what I've planned out, especially considering my usual art-style, but I've been drawing this at school and I couldn't be any more prouder. However, that's only to cover up the other reason, which is to say that, yes, this contains some Rayman x Rabbid Mario (Punching Pals) content. And spoilers... I actually drew them kissing.

"Now I don't have a Nintendo Switch to play M+R:SoH's Rayman DLC, so to anyone seeing this, this contains NO SPOILERS FROM THE GAME WHATSOEVER. However, it may contain character inaccuracies (both visual-wise & personality-wise) as well as a bit of transphobia under the long 'read more' description, so here we go... Rayman in the Phantom Show but it took place in the Rayman Chibi universe:

"Click on 'read more' for context, but I have to warn you once again that this contains transphobia and a veeeery long type-out.

"Now you might be wondering, 'WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED IN THE FIRST IMAGE????' Well, allow me to explain:

"in my AU, Rayman is transfem and goes by she/her, they/them and even he/him pronouns (I'm not even joking, I'm pretty much one of the first people to outright make a more feminine Rayman and say she's trans and not genderbent), and while normally, it's not questioned or invalidated or anything since it's been pretty much normalized in my AU (since thankfully no one gave me even a slap on the wrist for that), here, this is probably the first time her gender identity was... well, questioned and invalidated.

"When the Rabbids (including Rabbid Mario & Rabbid Peach (as well as all the other playable Rabbids in Sparks of Hope & their DLCs because why not)) arrived, Tom Phan took over in writing the series and made it so that it had the drama of older arcs but better. However, Phan meant to make these events as accurate to the arcs Rayman and friends went through as possible, which yes, meant that Rayman would have to play as a guy all the time.

"However, Rayman isn't comfortable with this and gives Phan a piece of her mind, but Phan refuses to hear it and tells her that she's not supposed to be trans because he's been studying the audience and confirmed that the majority of them liked her as a man, so telling them that she's trans would risk losing a good chunk of her fans, including conservatives and people who were fawning over her. Plus he was like 'hey, femboys exist. Why can't you just be a femboy?' (Because she technically already is, dipshi-)

"This upsets Rayman, and it seems like she's the only one who's being stripped of her identity she's worked so hard on discovering, however, other characters sympathized for her and even plan on taking Phan down because of their creative differences. This is a series about Rayman characters doing dumb things, dang it! Who's to say who can do who (other than the fans)?? This led to other characters helping Rayman feel more welcome in her identity, from her usual friends assuring her that she's valid to the Rabbids not only making her feel more comfortable around them but also helping her rid her trauma to even Rabbid Peach even admitting that she too is a trans woman and even giving Rayman her wig and clothes that Peach herself made to wear for even a little while to feel the gender euphoria that she had. Rabbid Mario also helps in making Rayman feel better by whispering to her things that make her feel valid while on camera with her, and while at first he isn't used to referring her to her identity, he does learn this helps them form a more romantic relationship over time.

"However, it's by the end where Rabbid Mario decided that he's had enough of Phan's shiz, starting the first part of the sketched-out comic. After seeing Rayman protest to Phan one last time by taking off her bandanna and showing him what she's become, witnessing her being chained up and hearing Phan call her something along the lines of a 'deluded fool who doesn't even care for his fans' (interpret that however you want) Rabbid Mario ultimately defends her, saying that she's been struggling to find her identity and that that's just been happening behind closed doors. He then goes to Rayman and attempts to kiss her, but the chains pull her upwards before their lips could even touch.

"The other part happens after Rayman saved the Magician even after finding out his secrets (which I won't entirely be showing, and also Rayman calling the Magician 'Dad' isn't a spoiler; it's actually a callback to an old post I made back in 2021). Rayman asked if she could go see Rabbid Mario before he and the rest of the Rabbids go, to which the Magician obliged. Rayman comes up to Rabbid Mario and gives him a hug, thanking him and the rest of the Rabbids for helping her get the series back. Rabbid Mario takes the thank you for granted and asked if they could 'finish what they'd started' (referring to the attempted kiss in the first part)... and then... finally... they kissed.

"However, it didn't last long as Rayman still isn't used to kissing Rabbids and Rabbid Mario tasted a bit of alcohol on Rayman's lips. However, he does suggest that they do a redo when they see each other again, to which Rayman agreed. Then the Rabbids left. When will they return? Who knows..? Either way, everyone lived happily ever after. The... end..."

- Rayman Chibi _____________

HOLDS U AND HOLDS THIS FUCKING POST THIS FR MADE ME MY NIGHT AHHH!! I KID U NOT I YELLED AND SQUEAL KICKING MY FEET,,,,My god rayman being Transfem and rabbid mario comforting her and loves her for her AGHHHHH *SQUEALS* This is so beautiful chibi this is going on the fridge <33

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raxistaicho · 8 months

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Fantasy Invader forgets whose paralogue is whose.

I couldn't help but bat out a quick post after I saw a truly incredible argument from Fantasy Invader.

I think there's one big, BIG indicator of how siding with Edelgard goes against Byleth's power. Their paralogue. They can't have their paralogue in the game if they side with Edelgard against Rhea.

He's obviously discussing Eternal Guardian, one of the few paralogues you lose access to by going into Crimson Flower rather than Silver Snow.

Eternal Guardian is not Byleth's paralogue, Fantasy Invader.

It's Rhea's. You have to gain support with Rhea to get it. You're invited to it indirectly by Rhea. It adds to the mystery of who Rhea is. If Byleth has a paralogue at all, it's Tales of the Red Canyon, which is about Byleth indirectly through Sothis.

And consider that said paralogue is unlocked through having a support level with Rhea, something the player needs to work at completely at their own direction

Yeah, kinda like how you have to build support level with Edelgard and work completely at your own direction to get into Crimson Flower :)

(I didn't even realize Rhea had supports until late White Clouds in my first playthrough, when the support had already locked),

Yeah, Rhea's supports are kinda pointless. Getting anything but C usually involves deluging her in gifts, though it got easier after she was given lost items and the option to have tea with her via DLC. I think it's very hard to get her C support purely though dialogue options. Now I'm interested in giving that a test...

and as a result the player is given a reward for it later on (a shield that has a constant regenerative effect).

Yes, because that's the true value of the Shield of Seiros. Not the small insignificant part where it halves incoming monster damage, which is very handy against the Immaculate One and the Hegemon Husk.

Christ, he's as ignorant on gameplay as he is on lore, incredible.

Side with Edelgard, however, Rhea takes that for herself to fight you.

I tried to steal it one time. You can't. T_T Ditto for the Ochain Shield.

Paralogues are tied to the characters, and Byleth's is one of three Black Eagle ones we lose when siding with the Empire.

How on earth would Eternal Guardian develop Byleth's character? It's not about Byleth!

Caspar's shows he's still pissed at the Death Knight for what he did during White Clouds, highlighting his sense of justice,

No it's not, The Face Beneath is mostly about Mercedes and Emile. Their relationship takes up most of the focus in both the introduction and closing cutscenes, and Caspar's only part is to protect her and criticize him for not being a good brother.

while Ferdinand's has him learn his father, someone he wanted to bring to justice himself, was framed for the actions of Arundel/Thales

Framed specifically for the destruction of Hrym territory. Edelcrits try to be slippery with this one and say Lysithea is saying he was innocent of all the things, but that's not what she says:

Are you aware of how Duke Aegir was ruling the Hrym territory? He imposed harsh taxes upon the people—much harsher than on his own—making their lives very challenging. People fled their homes in droves to the neighboring Ordelia territory. But they were sent back from where they came. The Empire was occupying Ordelia territory as well, as it turned out. Issues were further complicated when Duke Aegir fell from power. Aegir was dismissed from his position, only to be replaced by Lord Arundel.

Also, that's interesting, Duke Aegir was made governor of Hrym territory, which neighbored Ordelia, during the Imperial occupation of Ordelia territory. It's pretty easy to infer then that Aegir might have also been governor over Ordelia as well. Just a thought to nibble on.

Anyways, on to more of Lysithea's talk:

Correct. And [Arundel] imposed even heavier taxes on the people, squeezing them painfully dry. The people were conscripted for duty. Any who opposed were killed on the spot. Lord Arundel did this in the name of Duke Aegir. ... Your father was by no means a great ruler. But it was Lord Arundel who stoked the fury of the people and directed that fury at your father. Duke Aegir is not perfect, but he's not the villain in this.

"This" being the heavy taxes, conscription, and murders.

which also creates the implication for the player that Aegir was simply being blamed for the experiments (coupled with the fact Hubert reveals in Flower Ionius was Arundel's puppet) and not the monster Edelgard made him out to be.

Lysithea's speech implies nothing of the sort aside from the fact that Arundel used and discarded Aegir, like he does everyone.

And that's on top of the game showing the unrest in the Empire over Edelgard starving her people to fight in a war they don't support.

No, the unrest in Hrym was over Arundel's misrule. Amazing, Fantasy Invader's apparently watched that scene, but only took from it the points that he thought helped him.

Not at all a surprise, given who we're talking about.

Byleth's shows that the relationship between Byleth and Rhea is a key part of their character, hence why they're always worried about her in Snow, Wind and Moon. Choosing the options to side with Edelgard, framed by the game as "changing the story," goes against Byleth's story arc.

...Only if you develop said relationship. If they aren't at C support then it's skipped entirely. It's not integral to the game and you admitted yourself it's so missable that you couldn't unlock it yourself! Compare this to Edelgard's C support where you'd have to be trying to miss it.

Phew, it's not often that FI graces us with new theories, but when he does they're often amazing in all the wrong ways.

#fire emblem three houses #edelgard discourse #edelgard von hresvelg #edelgard positive #fantasy invader

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silver-and-stars · 3 months

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The thing is... I don't think I even want to see Dragon Age 4. Especially not now that they have sacked the main writers or that they have left on their own accord, which isn't a good sign either.

It will probably look good. But I don't believe it will have any soul left.

I want to be wrong. But I don't think I will be.

They never managed to do as good as Origins (it had its faults but it remains the best of the franchise : the storylines, the characters, the worldbuilding, the immersion, the dialogue choices, the RP...).

Baldur's Gate 3 did though. And they aren't fron EA.

I love DA2, the characters, the main storylines, but it was unfinished.

DA:I was already soulless, I liked some of the companions (Dorian mainly. Even Varric was less interesting there) but got attached to none. They felt like colleagues, not a close knitted team.

The Inquisitor themselves were blank where Hawke and the Warden had a background that mattered, one you could build your RP on.

The main quest itself didn't feel like much. Tears in the Veil and demons (the Warden beated them close, Hawke dealt with demons on daily basis). It sounds huge, but it didn't felt like it, only a minor inconviences, tasks to complete to get points for.. for what anyway ? There was no apprehension during the quests (except the Fade, the only one where your choice had consequences) and when the final fight came it ended so easily and quickly.

Too many things were reckoned in DA:I and some I cannot forgive (Redcliff's topography, the dalish not caring for their mages, their whole pantheon being 1) not gods 2) bad slavers, while the Maker is still good and divine ofc, the whole "templars are bad actually" narrative after all we've seen in DAO and especially DA2, Leliana character development from DAO, etc. Actually, pretty much every choices from DAO, major and minor, didn't matter here at all, which is a huge flaw for a RPG saga).

The one quest I really enjoyed was the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. A DLC.

Sure the maps were pretty but too big and empty, as I said, soulless.

And the combat looked pretty too but it was messy, we couldn't even use all the abilities we unlocked because it was badly tailored for consoles, not PC. And there was no healer or blood mage class. DA2 fights had the non-stop spawning and yet they were more satisfying imo.

Seeing EA's track record and the mess development of DA4 was, I just expected it to give the final blow to Thedas and butcher once and for all this franchise that I loved thanks to DAO and DA2.

Just do it properly or don't do it.

#dragon age #dragon age dreadwolf #da4 #my posts

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gaymer-hag-stan · 4 months

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A Tekken 8 Review That Nobody Asked for From a Longtime Fan Who Has Been Playing for Ages But Is Not a Pro - That Title Is Too Long

Having spent a little over 24 hours playing the game on my PS5, I feel like it's an appropriate amount of time to share my first thoughts on it. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum so just skip the "Story" section and you should be fine.

General Thoughts

A pretty healthy roster, overall happy with who we got. I do wish Anna and Christie were here, and I also miss Lucky Chloe. With Eddy already announced and Azucena taking over the "cooky dance-y character" I unfortunately don't see Christie or Chloe returning, but Anna better fucking do!

They all look great, even the ugly ones, they look satisfyingly ugly, if that makes any sense. The girls still suffer from the Madame Tussaud's wax figure syndrome that plagued the entirety of Tekken 7's roster, but, maybe I'm gaslighting myself, I do feel like they look a bit less plasticky than some of the initial teasers? Most of the redesigns are great, the hair (Lili's hair has never looked better), water and dirt physics all finally WORK and I love how all the clothing animates with the wind effect, the Fallen Destiny stage is a great one to illustrate all of the above. We can see Yoshimitsu's fingers after three decades! I'd love to know the thought process behind this redesign lmao

I love that they finally, after so many years of other fighting games having it but being inexplicably absent from Tekken, they finally added Player vs CPU matches! FINALLY! Finally I can pick my character and my opponent of choice, pick their costumes and set a stage for them to battle. I'm so happy for this even though it might not make any sense to anyone.

Combo Challenges! We finally have combo challenge in Tekken! Another common fighting game feature inexplicably missing up until now.

Gameplay feels a lot of fun. I wasn't sure about the heat mechanic but it's actually a lot more fun than I initially thought! I tried out all of the cast and am slowly completing both their story episodes and an Arcade run for good measure. I am obviously still maining Nina. They have decided to simplify a lot of her combo throws and I am having fun terrorizing people online with them by breaking their bones! I'm also using Arcade Quest to learn how to play as Lili and Azucena, some basic moves and combos and whatnot. I wanna also do Zafina, Jun, Jin, Hwoarang and Xiaoyu as well eventually. I think these eight will be my main squad for the time being. As a side note, King and Steve feel extremely fun to play, I haven't picked either in ages, but with King I was really close!

The netcode is, surprisingly functional??? We did recently switch to an optic fiber connection type, but I'm still on WiFi and I am having zero problems!

Jukebox is thankfully back again! I literally spent an hour or more before playing the game at all to decide which song goes where lol

Something that scares me regarding upcoming DLC, is that I do not see a season pass being sold anywhere except the Deluxe Edition bundle that costs 40€... I'm sorry but I don't give a fuck about owning 32 identical gold costumes or Tetsujin or whoever the fuck as my Arcade Quest avatar... I only want Eddy and the other three (one of them better be Anna!) thank you very much!

Story

"The Dark Awakens"

Believe it or not I haven't even finished the main story yet as I'm trying to pace myself through all the modes and enjoy them, savouring every moment. At the moment of typing this I am almost halfway through and I must say, even though I am still firmly in the "Drop the cinematic NRS style story modes" camp, and I would much rather have had either arcade mode with proper, canon endings back, or a revival and repurposing of the Tekken Force mode, in an SF6 World Tour mode type of way, out of all of Bandai Namco's attempts at a cinematic story mode, from SCV to Tekken 8, this has been the most satisfying attempt so far. I love that they are fully embracing the overdramatic nature of Tekken along with its campy side and it's present from the very beginning, with Jin throwing his bike at Kazuya's helicopter! "A Fate Decided by Fists" were we actually get to choose which fighters advance through the first round was the biggest highlight so far! I did not expect to fight Azazel again in 2024! I miss his Tekken 6 design though, he no longer glows according to his remaining health or has his limbs crumble away into scarabs according to which parts of him you're hitting. Also, I do understand why they felt the need to overemphasize how "Jin was a good guy all along and he's not like Kazuya" to redeem him and attempt to portray him as a more traditional hero, but I think they went way too far. Literally every single cast member, characters who've never met him before especially, makes a point of how good a person Jin is. Also, I do understand that there were a lot of people complaining that most of the cast were ignored in Tekken 7's story mode and I appreciate that they tried to include more of them this time, but it's so half assed and superficial. Like, Lili, Asuka, Hwoarang, Leo (who finds their missing father, a forgotten plot point from Tekken 6 of screen without a single explanation) Xiaoyu, PANDA offer absolutely nothing to the story so far other than to just be there and tell Jin what a good guy he is. And I say all that as someone who is firmly on Jin's side and despises Kazuya.

Character Episodes

Thank god they have more than one single fight this time! I would have liked it if they found a way to make each of them be canon. Like, I think every single one of the Arcade mode endings of SF6 is canon, if I'm not mistaken, and most of them seem to take place before the events of the main story, as a way to give us a clearer understanding of why each fighter fights. I think Guilty Gear does exactly that too. Nevertheless, I do appreciate that each fighter has fights specifically tailored to them, with specific opponents. It's not clear to me yet if they're completely non-canon or not, as in Nina's she seems to have been hired by Lee to sabotage G Corporation and Kazuya, I pray to God this is true and she's not actually, willingly working for that asshole, like, I'm still in complete denial that they threw her entire character development from Tekken 4 to Tekken 7 to the trash can just to go "NInA WiLl WoRK FoR WhOmEvEr"... She's also suspiciously missing from the actual story like, she simply just appeared in ONE scene so far and then left without doing literally anything. She also seems to only have special interactions with Steve and Lee so far when others get a lot more. Her handling story wise in this installment is insulting, considering she's the most popular female fighter in the series and one of the most popular in the genre...

Offline Modes

Arcade Quest

It's cute... It's certainly a cool way to mask your tutorial and the avatars are kinda cool, but they're nowhere near as good as what Capcom did with SF6 and World Tour. I must say I prefer Tag 2's Tekken Lab over this.

Super Ghost Battle

Ghost battle, after five attempts is finally fun! Tekken 7's was by far the worst attempt as the game would automatically pick opponents for you, matching you with much harder ones if you were winning too much and much lower ones if you were losing too much so that you wouldn't climb the ranks as fast and it would artificially increase playtime. Now that Tekken has actual single player modes other that the story there's no need for that, and they made it work. You simply choose from a list, and the ones that contain unlockable (useless) customisation options for specific characters are actually marked so that you can attempt to get the item you want.

Arcade Battle

I love that they still included a traditional eight battle long Arcade mode, even though they could have just had the character episodes and call it a day. My slight nitpick, again, is that they're still doing this thing that they've been doing since Tekken 5 or 6 where the first few battles are characters in their default costumes and then a horde of Namco's customized monstrosities attack your eyes... This is a huge pet peeve of mine, I understand it in the context of Ghost Battle, and Arcade Quest, but I do not want to see goofy customs in other, "serious" modes. On top of that, the ghosts you get seem to be from the Super Ghost Battle's catalogue of freaks, and are therefore higher difficulty than most, which in turn makes them actively harder than the mode's final boss which I think is kinda hilarious!

Tekken Ball

I will admit, I only played a single match and never touched it again. It is actually challenging, I'll give it that, but I don't see the appeal. I'd much rather have Tekken Bowl again back instead tbh. Also I wish that stage was playable in normal modes too.

Customization

Avatar customization is kinda whatever, but it works well enough for Arcade Quest and I don't really visit the Tekken Fight Lounge.

Character Customization however is where I have an issue. While I've seen lots of cool customs of various characters from other games and IPs, including Shimbori himself dressing up Super Battle ghosts as DOA characters!, I don't really care for the customization options? My only real use for Character Customization in Tekken so far was to recreate past / alternate outfits. Like, in Tekken 6 I would buy the schoolgirl outfit parts for all the teen girlies, in Tekken 7 I recreated Nina's 2P outfit from Tekken 4 using her Blood Vengeance catsuit as a base, stuff like that. In Tekken 8 all I'm getting is a huge catalogue of Zara's apparel... And all the unlockable outfits are either their default look with less clothes on, or weird cosplays of other characters. Why? Tekken Character Customization peaked in Tekken 6, where every single one of the 40 (41 if you count Panda, who I think had some different options from Kuma) characters had his own personal selection of outfits and items, matching their personality and look. I don't want to play as Nina dressed up as Ada Wong or in a business casual for a 9-5 desk job. They made everything way too generic and bland and, on top of that, we don't even have trademark pieces like Nina's purple catsuit, her ponytail, Hwoarang's taekwondo garb, Xiaoyu's Tekken 6 battle costume. The Tekken 5 veterans should have had their Tekken 5/6/TTT2 costumes and hairstyles on top of their Tekken 7 ones.

Overall, I am very very happy with this game! It seemingly does almost everything right and I am glad to see it improving on, literally, every single thing over Tekken 7.

Score: 9 / 10

#Tekken #Tekken 8 #Video Games #Gaming #Bandai Namco #Fighting Games #Nina #Lili #Azucena #Zafina #Jun #Jin #Hwoarang #Xiaoyu #Nina Williams #Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo #Jun Kazama #Jin Kazama #Ling Xiaoyu

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skleech · 6 months

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The parallels between The Good Hunter and Simon the Harrowed

i'm putting the entirety of this essay under here because it's long as hell. enjoy reading it ig

Yup. it's one of those essays

I had previously written a very miniature essay on comparing the similarities between Simon the Harrowed and Eileen the Crow, as at the end of the day when you look back you can see some amount of parallels between the two (though i suppose that could be seen as subjective too at the end of the day.)

However, whilst it can be argued about whether or not those two have a strong parallel between each other, this essay is not about these two.

Instead, I'm going to be looking at another character that I believe shows probably some of the strongest shared parallels when put aside Simon.

“And who might that character be?” I hear you ask. Well dear viewer, i’m glad you asked.

That character would be none other than you! Or, I suppose more specifically the Good Hunter themselves.

Throughout the whole DLC all the way to the end of not only Simon's questline but once you reach the end boss, I believe it can be evident that Simon the Harrowed and the Good Hunter show probably some of the strongest parallels between each other (and I suppose when you step back and look at the game as a whole there are other npcs throughout that also show strong parallels with the player, though this essay is simply discussing their similarities between Simon specifically)

But before i can actually go into depth about these two and just how similar they are to each other, I’m firstly going to need to list just what makes them so similar eg. their goals, what they do and how that progresses/adds to the general plot of Bloodborne.

Let’s firstly look at Simon, as I believe this would start things off a little easier.

Some of Simon’s goals listed include:

Exposing the church for their transgressions, evidenced from pretty much most of his dialogue but includes dialogue pieces such as:

Presumably ending the Hunter’s Nightmare, evidenced with such pieces of dialogue as:

Whilst less clear, it can also be argued that Simon’s other goals can also include trying to figure out just what the hell is going on in the Nightmare realm (considering that’s his whole deal anyways), evidence when he states:

Now that we’ve gone over Simon’s goals, let's take a look at the Good Hunter’s, and we’ll see just how closely they parallel each other.

Whilst the goals of the good hunter varies depending on how people play the game, by default some of their goals include:

Exploring Yharnam (slaying beasts in the process of course) and uncovering the secrets within (seeing the parallels already?)

Discovering the Healing Church and just what happened to cause the current situation happening in Yharnam

When entering and exploring the Hunter’s Nightmare, The Good Hunter can have the option to choose whether or not they want to help put an end to the suffering, eventually ending the nightmare once and for all if they choose to fight the Orphan of Kos)

Now that I've listed these two’s goals, this should now give me a good chance to start actually discussing how similar these two are.

When the Good Hunter first comes across Simon, the first and probably biggest piece of evidence that hints at their similarity is when Simon himself states right off the bat:

now, this is probably a fairly obvious piece of evidence that right off the bat can be used to show the parallels between the Good Hunter and Simon the Harrowed as the two meet (after the Hunter explores the very beginning of the Hunter's Nightmare), but it's nonetheless a good piece of dialogue that shows these two's similarities.

Simon also finishes his dialogue off by warning the Good Hunter of the Church's less desirable way of keeping folk away from prying into their business, which the Good Hunter no doubt has much personal experience from these attempts (e.g possibly seen with fight between Vicar Amelia as well as a few other examples)

this final part that Simon mentions could also potentially be seen as some foreshadowing for what the Good Hunter will come to witness as they venture through the DLC, but we're getting side tracked.

Anyways, from this it can be gathered that already from the beginning of Simon's starting dialogue with the Good Hunter that the two already show some strong parallels between each other, both being hunters having experienced the hostility of the church. Furthermore, their parallels can also be seen not just through their goals but also the circumstances on how they got to where they are now from when Simon possibly hints of 'taking the wrong turn'.

Further examples of Simon and the Good Hunter's shared goals of uncovering the secrets of the Healing Church as well as the Nightmare can also be shown through this piece of dialogue from after the Good Hunter finishes off Ludwig:

the final line from this piece of dialogue can possibly used as another example of how Simon the Harrowed and the Good Hunter themselves share the goal of discovering the secrets as well as the transgressions caused by the church, evident with how Simon expresses both of their desires to unveil these secrets along with further motivating the player to continue on with their journey through the Hunter's Nightmare

Now, later towards the middle of the DLC, when the Good Hunter finishes off Ludwig and manages to reach the Research Hall, Simon re-appears and gives more insight into the church as well as guiding the Good Hunter further onto their journey.

Here, Simon's disillusionment of the Healing Church is further evident within this dialogue piece, as well as further enticing the Good Hunter to continue on with their shared journey of discovering the secrets left behind by the Healing Church (further highlighted when Simon eventually pushes the player to kill Lady Maria to continue on with their journey, but that's a discussion for another day)

(Okay, now here's where I'm gonna go a small diverge in order to continue explaining the shared parallels between the Good Hunter, but bear with me here as I try and explain this point)

Whilst throughout this whole essay I've mainly been using dialogue examples as a way to emphasise these two's similarities, I feel like it would be careless of me to not mention how this can be highlighted through the actions/dialogue of OTHER npcs.

What npcs?

For this, I'm going to use Brador as a way to further explain the similarities of Simon and the player.

Firstly, I feel this idea can be mainly evident from the fact that Brador, once the Good Hunter begins to go in further with uncovering the church's secrets (the biggest being the Fishing Hamlet just by that being the moment Brador begins to hunt down the player), where if killed by him, Brador states:

(this piece of dialogue is important when it comes to Simon himself as he eventually falls victim to this 'unending death' that Brador emphasises)

Other lines from Brador that can also potentially help in conveying the similarity between Simon and the Good hunter include:

(I feel like my point from above can also be used to explain this, but I'm adding this dialogue just help with what I'm trying to explain here)

When the Good Hunter meets Simon for the final time, during his death dialogue Simon will give the player one final push to ending the Hunter's Nightmare once and for all, stating:

and:

once more emphasising the importance for the Good Hunter further uncover the secrets of the Fishing Hamlet in order for the Nightmare to end, which can be used as evidence to convey the parallels between as the two as the Good Hunter is seemingly given the mantle to continue Simon's own end goal (which is also the player's end goal too but you get what I mean)

(Also, not the biggest piece of evidence to highlight their similarities, but It's one I sorta want to discuss here as a potential idea here)

After Simon dies, the Good Hunter will be given both the underground chamber key and Simon's own weapon, the Bowblade (which also finally gives away Simon's name to the player). The Bowblade specifically I find important here in this discussion as I feel this can be used a way to convey Simon 'passing over the torch' to the player, giving not only the means to get rid of Brador with the keys to his cell (interesting that even though he had the means to kill Brador himself, he never did, but that's a potential discussion for another day because this essay will get way to long if I try and shove this in here hh-), but also his own weapon. With this, I believe this can be used as a way to explain their parallels as the player is essentially now given Simon's role; which is to now put an end to the nightmare once and for all (this might seem like a stretch but It's a point i wanted to point out nonetheless)

If the player decides to go back to confront Brador (after being given the key to his cell upon the death of Simon), Brador after being killed by player says this line upon his death:

the line of "nothing changes" can be further used as evidence for the parallels of the Good Hunter and Simon as both are described to having 'pried' into the business of the church despite the consequences (as gracefully shown through what Brador did to Simon and probably many other during his lifetime working with the church).

At the end of the day, it really does depend on how the player themselves play as the Good Hunter and how they interact with Simon (if at all) that can support this idea of Simon the Harrowed and the Good Hunter having parallels between their actions and their own goals. However, towards the end of writing this I do hope I was at least able to show some evidence that can support this idea of how closely these two's goals intertwine with each other as well as both characters being somewhat of a representation of each other.

#bloodborne #simon the harrowed #good hunter #rambles #this post is probably going to flop but idc i've been dying to make this essay for literally ages #you WILL LISTEN to me scream into the void about this man #my arms are gonna fall off from typing this much ow #I'm probably waffling so hard in this essay i'm so sorry i'm normal about this character i promise (lying)#(also my apologies if some of these points aren't explained in the most clear way i'm awful at articulating my words sometimes)#owing my life to the fextralife wiki for all the quotes used here

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