tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391350796388456302024-03-14T04:10:42.241+00:00Games, Apps And ReviewsThis site is dedicated to bringing you in-depth reviews and opinions on the wide range of apps, games and other media available. We strive to show you the best (and worst) in your favoured entertainment medium, be it apps, games, film or TV. Whether you're looking for reviews, Top 5's, features or simply some like-minded and highly committed people giving their honest opinions, then be sure to check us out!Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.comBlogger720125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-22098649789022655952020-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:002020-01-01T00:00:15.705+00:00HiatusSo, this is a tough post to write. Games, Apps And Reviews is going on hiatus for the foreseeable future to allow myself and the rest of the team to focus on other projects.<br />
<br />
After nearly seven years helming Games, Apps And Reviews I am incredibly proud of what it has become and I hope you, the readers, have enjoyed reading and interacting with our content as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it.<br />
<br />
I still remember my first post - a paragraph review of Kingdom Hearts - written with a sudden burst of inspiration in my room. As I grew up, so did the blog, changing from a general opinion on a game to an in-depth look at mechanics, story and style. Apps, film and TV all followed as well as variations on the review like First Impressions and Comments.<br />
<br />
We also changed the output levels, focussing more on each post, curating them to a higher standard, and publishing them when we felt it was best. A bit of a change from the YouTube channel, ‘fact of a day’ on Twitter, quote of the week and monthly Video Game Character of the Month!<br />
<br />
I’d like to thank my writers, from the guest writers who brought their opinions to the blog in a post here and there, to the core team and especially Harry, who was instrumental in developing some of the more ‘out there’ ideas such as the Video Game Character of the Month.<br />
<br />
Thank you to all of our readers, without you I’d just be a cynical man speaking my criticisms at an inanimate object. Thank you to the publishers who allowed us to test and review their hard work and thank you to Blogger for being a great platform to work on!<br />
<br />
Now, this is hopefully not goodbye and Games, Apps And Reviews might return in some form or other in the future. Stay tuned!<br />
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Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer </b>and the rest of the team.<br />
<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-68010960544303930592019-12-01T00:00:00.000+00:002019-12-01T20:46:09.165+00:00Video Game Character of the Month - December 2019 - Video Game Character of the Month - Games Apps and Reviews<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">December 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Video Game Character of the Month</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Games Apps and Reviews </u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">That’s right people, in a form of shameless self-promotion never before seen, the Video Game Character of the Month is being awarded to… The Video Game Character of the Month award! Please don’t hold your applause.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">And now for a little bit of info on the Video Game Character of the Month Award:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">There have been 76 awards given out</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">That means that the award has been going for 76 months</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">And that is over six years!</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They are always released on midnight of the first of the month</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The most popular recipient of the award is Waluigi with 2371 views</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">This is also the fourth most viewed post on the blog</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The most awarded franchise is Mario, with four awards</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">This is followed by Kingdom Hearts, Pokémon and Overwatch with three each</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Satamer has awarded 31 characters with awards, Oli has awarded 1 character and I, Harry, have awarded 44 characters</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of The Video Game Character Month:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The origin of the Video Game Character of the Month Award is shrouded in mystery. Some say that the first award was given to Steve, the first-named virtual stone to be passed around by children in the distant age of yore (we, of course, know that the first award was given to Mario in the distant age of the 1st August 2013). It began as a way to award the Games Apps and Reviews team’s favourite gaming characters, and legendary gaming icons, but soon developed into a little encyclopaedia of gaming knowledge. To begin with, the award was meant to be given to a character linked mostly with Nintendo, then PlayStation, then Microsoft, then apps and then retro consoles, but this pattern only occurred twice (with a small break to give Jingle the Christmas Award). </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The first Video Game Character of the Month Award was actually given to Link in 2011, back on the original, unpublished Games Apps and Reviews website (then linked much more closely to Nintendo) but it took until August 2014 for Link to finally be given an official VGCOTM Award. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of The Video Game Character Month:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Video Game Character of the Month Award has stayed in pretty much the same format since the beginning (although the list of games has become less detailed as what qualified as a character appearing in a game has become more complicated). The first major evolution was the spin-off of The 12 Gens of Gaming: a brief history of gaming dealing with the first eight generations of consoles, PCs, handhelds and smartphones, as well as an, increasingly inaccurate, prediction of generation nine. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The second major change was my relinquishing control of the feature in December 2014 and allowing, only somewhat regretfully, Satamer and Oli to write for the Award. And it’s a good thing they helped (and particularly Satamer as the stats at the top show) as otherwise I don’t think the Award would have survived. And then how would we award our gaming icons? By just playing their games? We all know that’s not enough.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Because The Video Game Character of the Month Award: The Game is stuck in development hell (so far in fact that it’s never even been thought up), there isn’t really a list of games to give you. Therefore, you can have a list of links to previous Awards, so that you can live or relive the glory for yourselves:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>This list will be going up in subsequent days.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">That’s all for this month but, as always, don’t hesitate to comment if I’ve made a mistake, missed something out (although this should be harder for me to do for this particular award) or you have a suggestion for a future winner of the award, or if you have a particular memory of the award that you want to talk about. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Goodbye for now,</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Harry Penwell</b></span><br />
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Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-68950982554789988352019-11-01T00:00:00.000+00:002019-11-01T00:00:14.750+00:00Video Game Character of the Month - November 2019 - Plants vs. Zombies - Crazy Dave<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">November 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Plants vs. Zombies</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Crazy Dave</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">It's Halloween season. Well, technically just past as we do the Video Game Character of the Month at the beginning of the month but anyway... It's spooky season. And what better way to celebrate this time of Ghouls 'N Ghosts than with a suitably scary recipient of this award. Why Crazy Dave and not a ghost from the likes of P.T., Amnesia or Outlast? Well, because he's Craaazy of course!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">And now for some information on Crazy Dave:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His real name is David Blazing</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the narrator in the original Plants vs. Zombies and its sequel</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is voiced by Orion Acaba in all games besides Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 where he is voiced by Taliesin Jaffe</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He wears a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a brown belt</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has a large, brown, unkempt beard and a generally untidy appearance</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He wears a large, grey saucepan on his head</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is a gardener</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the owner of his own gardening shop called Twiddydinkies, which is actually the back of his care</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He speaks his own language - 'Crazy Dave'</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The plot of Plants vs. Zombies 2 involves Crazy Dave wanting to 're-eat' his taco, having to travel through time to get back to the time before he had eaten it </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His time machine is called Penny</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He seems to have no thumbs in the in-game artwork, besides in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His least favourite zombie is the Bungee Zombie</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is abducted by a Bungee Zombie just before he can tell the player Dr Zomboss's weakness</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">This Bungee Zombie is then renamed to 'Crazy Dave Zombie'</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He sometimes eats food off the floor</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His saucepan doesn't fall off his head, even when he is hanging upside down</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He hates cats</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His design is based on former PopCap employee David Rohrl</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is 36 years old</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is an inventor</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">There is some speculation that there is either brains or at least some sort of meat in Crazy Dave's taco</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Crazy Dave:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Crazy Dave first appears in Plants vs. Zombies in Level 1-5 to give the player a Wall-nut to play Wall-nut bowling. He appears to be the only other survivor in the zombie apocalypse and helps you throughout your playthrough, buying a Magic Taco off you in Level 4-4 for $1000. He also rewards the player with two Marigolds of random colours and five bags of fertilisers when the Zen Garden is unlocked. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">In Plants vs. Zombies 2, he appears after beating Player House - Day 4 and obtaining the hot sauce. Crazy Dave asks for this hot sauce for his taco and appears to love it so much that he once to go back in time to eat it again. He uses his time machine named Penny to do this, first travelling to Ancient Egypt.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">In Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, he is the leader of the Plant Vanquish team</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">In Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, after the Hero-Tron 3000's malfunction, Crazy Dave has to unite all the Plant Heroes to stop the Zombie Heroes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><u style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Crazy Dave:</span></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Before the final boss battle in PvZ, Crazy Dave is about to tell the player Dr Zomboss's weakness, but before he can, he is kidnapped by a Bungee Zombie. In the end credits, Crazy Dave is seen hanging upside down by the Bungee Zombie. </span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">In Plants vs. Zombies 2, Dr Zomboss calls Crazy Dave, David and seems to imply he is a sleeper agent, who will turn the against the player upon saying 'Hypno-Zombonsis'. He</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"> eventually re-eats his taco in modern-day.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">In Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, Crazy Dave has to unite the plants from the future after Dr Zomboss successfully conquers the world. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Plants vs. Zombies: released (World Wide) on May 5th, 2008 on Microsoft Windows & OS X/released (World Wide) on February 15th, 2010 on iPhone/released (World Wide) on March 31st, 2010 on iPad/released (World Wide) on September 8th, 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade/released (North America) on January 18th, 2011/(Europe) on May 6th, 2011 on Nintendo DS/released (North America) on February 8th, 2011/(PAL) on February 9th, 2011 on PSN/released (North America) on March 14th, 2011/(PAL) on May 6th, 2011 on DSiWare/released (World Wide) on May 31st, 2011 on Amazon App Store/released (World Wide) on December 14th, 2011 on Google Play Store/released (World Wide) on June 22nd, 2011 on Windows Phone/released (World Wide) on February 22nd, 2012 on PlayStation Vita/released (World Wide) on January 30th, 2013 on BlackBerry 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time: released (Australia) on July 9th, 2013/(World Wide) on August 15th, 2013 on iOS/released (China) on September 12th, 2013/(Australia) on October 2nd, 2013/(World Wide) on October 23rd, 2013 on Android</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare: released (North America) on February 25th, 2014/(Australia) on February 27th, 2014/(Europe) on February 28th, 2014 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One/released (North America) on June 24th, 2014/(Europe) on June 27th, 2014 on Microsoft Windows/released (North America) on August 19th, 2014/(Australia) on August 21st, 2014/(Europe) on August 22nd, 2014 on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2: released (North America) on February 23rd, 2016/(Europe) on February 25th, 2016 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 & Xbox One</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes: released (World Wide) on October 18th, 2016</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">That's all on Crazy Dave, but, as always, if I've made a mistake or forgotten anything, then please don't hesitate to comment (this is especially true for this one, as I couldn't find a definitive list of which PvZ games Crazy Dave has actually been in)! And let us know who you want to win the award next month!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Sources:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Dave">https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Dave</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Dave">https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Dave</a></span><br />
<a href="https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Wall-nut_Bowling">https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Wall-nut_Bowling</a><br />
Various Wikipedia pages for release dates<br />
My own knowledge<br />
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Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-65179002436751547942019-10-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-10-01T00:00:02.801+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - October 2019 - Pokémon - Ghetsis<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">October 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Pokémon</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Ghetsis</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Pokémon. A 'game for children' they say. Well, besides the fact that it could be seen as an animal enslavement and battle simulator, and the fact that a ten-year-old running around the world on their own throws up some moral questions at the very least (and some legal ones in today's society), you've got the villains of the games to prove this wrong. Theft, kidnapping, squatting (both versions), blinding style choices and mass genocide. Hang on, did I read that right? Mass genocide? Oh. Um. Can't really give the award to someone with that motive. Mass segregation? Wow. That's. Um. I can't really... *Icicles form near Kyurem*...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The video game character of the month award goes to Ghetsis! And now some more information on the mastermind that is Ghetsis.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Some spoilers ahead:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is one of the Seven Sages</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the true mastermind behind Team Plasma</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He becomes mad after being defeated by a child on two separate occasions</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the mastermind of Team Rainbow Rocket </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His Pokémon are kept in Master Balls in Ultra Sun and Moon</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In Black and White, his team includes: Confagrigus, Bouffalant, Seismitoad, Bisharp, Elektross and Hydreigon</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In Black and White 2, his team includes: Kyurem, Confagrigus, Seismitoad, Elektross, Drapion, Toxicroak and Hydreigon</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In Ultra Sun and Moon, his team includes: Confagrigus, Bouffalant, Bisharp, Hydreigon and Zekrom/Reshriam</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His right arm is a lot darker than his left arm and is only seen during the Black and White opening in the games</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Ghetsis's full name was originally G-Cis Harmonia Gropius in Japan (where it is G-Cis currently) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The top of Ghetsis's robes in Black and White resemble the battlements of a castle</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the only villainous team leader in the main games that uses a pseudo-legendary Pokémon - Hydreigon</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the only trainer in the core series games to use seven Pokémon to battle the player - in Black & White 2 he sends out Kyurem to battle the player first and then has a regular team battle</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is the only core series villainous team leader to only be battle once per game</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is 2 m/6'6" tall</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His right eye remains hidden by an eyepiece</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He seems to have trouble moving the right side of his mouth</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Early concept art shows Ghetsis with a scar over his right eye instead of an eyepiece</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In Black and White 2, all of Ghetsis's Pokémon he also had in Black and White are two levels lower in Normal Mode, six levels lower in Easy Mode and two levels higher in Challenge Mode. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has long, pale green hair</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is a brilliant scientist and inspirational speaker</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He nearly made Kyurem impale the player with an icicle</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He originally seems to follow Team Plasma's motives to release Pokémon away from humans...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">But actually turns out to want world domination</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His last name is Harmonia</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Ghetsis's Hydreigon's Frustration move is at maximum power, indicating that Ghetsis treats his Pokémon poorly</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Ghetsis:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Ghetsis first appearance in Black and White is in Accumula Town, where he is seen trying to rally its citizens to follow Team Plasma's cause. He initially seems to support both Team Plasma and N, his adoptive sons, ideals. His full name was initially G-Cis Harmonia Gropius, as mentioned by Junichi Masuda, the game's director, in 2012. In an early piece of concept art, he originally had a scar over his right eye instead of an eyepiece</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Ghetsis:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Ghetsis was revealed to be the true mastermind behind Team Plasma near the end of Black and White, with the ambition to be the only person with Pokémon and so rule the world. However, when he is defeated by the player he disappears, with it later being revealed he had lost everything, including his Pokémon. In Black and White 2 he returns, considerably more ruthless, with the plan to combine Kyurem and Reshriam/Zekrom. Surprisingly, his Pokémon have decreased in level by 2 in the two years since Black and White (if Normal mode is taken as canon). During the game he slams his cane into the Giant Chasm, leaving it there. When he is defeated by the player again, he turns mad, rejects the compassion N shows him and eventually becomes mentally incapable of any further criminal deeds. However, another form of Ghetsis, from a world where he completed his plan to separate Pokémon from humans, appears in Ultra Sun and Moon as the true mastermind behind Team Rainbow Rocket. Again he is stopped by the player, but only after he has taken Lillie hostage, who is rescued by Corless. Corless then warps Ghetsis back to his original world. It is unknown if the events of Ultra Sun and Moon resulted in a changed Ghetsis or a rescued alternate world. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Games:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Pokémon Black/White: released (Japan) on September 18th, 2010/(Europe) on March 4th, 2011/(North America) on March 6th, 2011/(Australia) on March 10th, 2011 on the Nintendo DS</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Pokémon Black/White 2: released (Japan) on June 23rd, 2012/(North America) on October 7th, 2012/(Australia) on October 11th, 2012/(Europe) on October 12th, 2012 on the Nintendo DS</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon: released (World Wide) on November 17th, 2017 on Nintendo 3DS</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">That's all on Ghetsis, but, as always, if I've made a mistake or forgotten anything, then please don't hesitate to comment! And let us know who you want to win the award next month!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Sources:</span></span><br />
<a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ghetsis">https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ghetsis</a><br />
<a href="https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Ghetsis">https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Ghetsis</a><br />
<a href="https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Plasma">https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Plasma</a><br />
<a href="https://pokemondb.net/pokebase/279251/what-are-all-of-the-evil-teams-and-their-goals">https://pokemondb.net/pokebase/279251/what-are-all-of-the-evil-teams-and-their-goals</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black_and_White">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black_and_White</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black_2_and_White_2">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Black_2_and_White_2</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Ultra_Sun_and_Ultra_Moon">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Ultra_Sun_and_Ultra_Moon</a><br />
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Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-57493493731527507102019-09-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-09-28T13:00:28.596+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - September 2019 - Rabbid Peach - Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">September 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Rabbid Peach</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Eenie meenie miney mo. Which Rabbid should be awarded for going toe to toe with all of Mario's classic foes? Well, Rabbid Mario already has a vastly popular counterpart in Mario and so his name would be swept under the search rankings, Rabbid Luigi has a YouTube channel so the same there... Rabbid Yoshi? Yeah, that could be good. So, for this month's Video Game Character of the Month, we have Rabbid <strike>Yoshi</strike> Peach! Oh, guess it's Rabbid Peach then... Can I have my phone back now? </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">And now for some more info on Rabbid Peach </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Some minor spoilers ahead:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a>She is a Rabbid 'SupaMerged' with a Princess Peach wig<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She poor offence, exceptional defence and average mobility in-game</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She uses a Blaster as her primary weapon - a mid-range gun which deals high damage</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her secondary weapon is a Sentry, a deployable turret-on-wheels which can't fire but can explode on enemies upon contact and can be used as a decoy on enemies</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has a 'Stylish Dash' which can be used to hit up to four enemies in one turn</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has a special ability called Shield which can reduce all movement and weapon damage by a certain percentage (50% and 60% respectively)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She also has a special ability called Heal which can heal a percentage of Rabbid Peach's health as well as any ally in range (up to 70%)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is fond of taking selfies and is quite vain, flaunting her looks whenever she can</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is easily bored, being always on her phone</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is bossy, rude and inconsiderate - the complete opposite of Princess Peach...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">However, she is also compassionate, shown by her being the designated healer in the team</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">When the team loses, she is shown throwing her Princess Peach wig off and leaving it on the ground, implying she isn't as 'SuperMerged' as some of the others</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She might have a crush on Mario and is jealous of his and Princess Peaches relationship...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">...Or she might just be taking her cosplay role seriously and believes she should be Peach</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has an Instagram account - rabbidpeach</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can grow a moustache</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She follows pop culture such as Game of Thrones (Game of Bwaah) and the Brazil Football World Cup and Ubisoft games such as Watch_Dogs (Bwaatch_dogs) and Assassins Creed </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her favourite plant is a Piranha Plant </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">She likes yoga</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She almost had a Battle Royale solo game... but it was an April Fools</span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has blue eyes, but when in an adrenaline rush, her eyes turn red </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">And a coach in Just Dance 2018</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Rabbid Peach:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">As stated previously, Rabbid Peach was created when a Rabbid - a hyperactive, anthropomorphic rabbit was 'SuperMerged' with a Princess Peach Cosplay Wig. She starts the game with a Dash, a Team Jump, a Blaster and a Shield special ability. Her original Blaster is called the Fuchsia Fury, a 'luscious-looking lightgun'. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><u style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Rabbid Peach:</span></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Rabbid Peach becomes progressively more friendly with everyone over the course of the game, allowing others to join in her selfies. She even becomes friends with Rabbid Kong in the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC after pushing him off a pillar in the main game. She can gain the ability to heal other team-members, deploy a Sentry and use a Dash Attack on multiple enemies. A statue of Rabbid Peach is unveiled in the Mushroom Kingdom at the end of the game. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><u style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle: released (World Wide) on August 29th, 2017 on Nintendo Switch</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Just Dance 2018/Just Dance Now: released (North America) on October 24th, 2017/(Europe/Australia) on October 26th, 2017 on Nintendo Switch </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: released (World Wide) on December 7th, 2018 on Nintendo Switch </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">That's all on Rabbid Peach, but, as always, if I've made a mistake or forgotten anything, then please don't hesitate to comment! And let us know who you want to win the award next month!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Sources: </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://mario.fandom.com/wiki/Rabbid_Peach">https://mario.fandom.com/wiki/Rabbid_Peach</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.mariowiki.com/Rabbid_Peach">https://www.mariowiki.com/Rabbid_Peach</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.mariowiki.com/Rabbid">https://www.mariowiki.com/Rabbid</a></span></span><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_%2B_Rabbids_Kingdom_Battle">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_%2B_Rabbids_Kingdom_Battle</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_2018">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_2018</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Ultimate">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Ultimate</a><br />
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Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-71195978355849087692019-08-31T22:00:00.000+01:002019-08-31T22:00:04.876+01:00Film Review No. 50 The Lion King (PG)Strong Points:<br />
The photorealistic graphics are incredible<br />
Some new jokes and altered lines work well...<br />
A huge technical achievement<br />
The songs and story still contain the magic<br />
Timon and Pumbaa lift the film up to new heights, with their animal friends<br />
Singing was great from all<br />
Subverted expectations<br />
Little extra scenes filling in the transitions were great and didn't slow the pace down<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
...Although some lines were oddly removed<br />
Some of the new song additions don't really live up to the originals<br />
Animals aren't anthropomorphised, so there isn't much emotion around the eyes<br />
Photorealism removed the ability of animation to have clever, non-realistic ways to show a shot<br />
<br />
Some minor spoilers ahead:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
The story of The Lion King is as affecting today as it was back in 1994 (for other people anyway, I was still a non-human collection of atoms). An epic of Shakespearean proportions, with Disney's wit and family-friendly nature making sure the pace is light and funny throughout. Musical numbers to hum along to until the black holes of time stop all music, characters who are surprisingly relatable given that they mostly walk on all fours and an animation style which was able to make some of the most stunning vistas seen in a Disney film. This last one is what's changed with The Lion King (2019), with new photorealistic animation appearing to trick the brain and break records.<br />
<br />
The visual effects in this film are so incredibly realistic, my brain had a hard time comprehending them. I think the idea that I thought the film should be put up for live-action categories at awards when really, it's entirely comprised of animation (besides one-shot, supposedly), goes to show how far CGI has come. Sunlight dapples over puddles, sand is swept across sprawling deserts and each animal has been given their proper weight and physics (so much so that some sections of the film had to be changed to keep the realistic feel). The film looks like a nature documentary and is at it's best when taking a wide shot or aerial shot and allowing you to be a fly on a non-existent wall. The problems start when the animals start talking. Now, the animation is sophisticated enough to not fall into the problems of other animal-talking films such as Babe or Big Barn Farm (for that small subset of British readers). The mouths moving do look realistic to the animals and don't look plastered on at all. But this is almost the problem.<br />
<br />
You see, Favreau and the rest of the team have strived for realism so much that they've removed any anthropomorphization from the animals. Only emotions which are found physically on the animals in real life are shown (which makes anger the easiest emotion to show), with the rest of the human emotional range given to the voice actors to try and create. Boiled down to the pure basics? The eyes aren't alive in the animals. We can't see their motivations or thoughts laid out in front of us, any double entendres are heard but not seen. I knew what each animal was trying to communicate as I've watched the original film and my mind was able to fill in the gaps which the film tried so hard to fill. But still, it left me slightly disconnected to the whole affair.<br />
<br />
The voice acting was a mixed bag as well. It felt like half of the actors were chosen for their voice acting capabilities and half for their singing capabilities. That's not to say that any of them were particularly bad on their weaker sides, but there was enough of a difference to be heard and recognised during the viewing of the film. There was also just not as much of a connection between the cast as previous Disney animated films have had. This might be due to the animation style emphasizing anything which seemed 'off', but if films like Tangled can have a greater connection when the voice actors never actually met besides when they sang their duet, then this film should be able to do better.<br />
<br />
You might think the problem could be that the original voices are so ingrained in the public consciousness that anything else would seem unnatural but that's not the case, as sadly James Earl Jones was one of the most 'off' voices in the film (which it pains me to say). He still has his great, commanding voice and any time power was called for, you could count on him. For the quieter, more comedic moments, however, he came off as quite stilted, as if he wasn't in tune with the rest of the voice actors. Maybe he still had muscle memory with how he and the old voice-actors said the lines, but in any case, I was slightly disappointed.<br />
<br />
Other characters and actors excelled in the comedy, however, and none more so than Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumba respectively. They breathed new life into old lines and helped to bring a nice, self-aware edge to a film which was in danger of becoming a corporate series of events. The comedy changes and joke additions were mostly appreciated as well, building upon the previous film and serving as nice Easter Eggs for old Lion King fans. A special shout-out to John Oliver as well, for not being afraid to change Zazu from the original Atkinson persona - after a small adjustment period, I started to enjoy his take on it as much as Atkinson's original.<br />
<br />
Some of the changes were less appreciated, however, or just plain confusing. For example, why get rid of the classic line 'we've got to go home' from Mufasa's death scene? Realism reasons? That's how they explained the change in animation for Mufasa's death itself, with Scar now pushing Mufasa, rather than letting him go. I appreciate that the new animation style needs changes to the film and Disney couldn't hope to know what parts of the film resonated with all audience members, but still, some of their changes seem odd.<br />
<br />
The music in The Lion King is still as great as ever. Hans Zimmer's score opens the film in an incredible cacophony of instruments, and Elton John's songs evoke nostalgia, humour and questionable life mottos throughout. The additional songs by Beyoncé and Elton John are good too, although not quite as memorable as the original. Shame the extra songs from the Broadway show and sequels only made it on the album though, as there were a good 30 minutes extra film to fill. Also, why was Be Prepared cut down?! Ejiofor can sing!<br />
<br />
Conclusion: The Lion King is a technical achievement, there's no doubting that. Disney is, once again, at the forefront of innovation when it comes to animation, no-ones arguing. The question, however, is just because they can, should they? Because while I highly enjoyed The Lion King (especially the breezier second half), the feeling I came away with was a nostalgia of a different kind to what Disney probably wanted. I was nostalgic for old Disney, who tried new material, creating magic from stories about mice and men alike. I still got chills at the opening scene though<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 74%</span></b><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-73296364744979014082019-08-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-08-31T19:07:44.693+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - August 2019 - Solaire of Astora - Dark Souls<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">August 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Solaire of Astora</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Dark Souls</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">While you may have taught us to 'praise the sun', don't think that we've forgotten to praise you! But while we can't get you your own sun (whatever that means), we can give you an award that shines like one. I am, of course, talking about the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month Award, now in its sixth (!) year! An award even tougher to achieve than beating Dark Souls itself. Praise the sun!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">And now for a little bit of info on Solaire:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Warning: spoilers ahead</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">He is voiced by Daniel Flynn</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">He is a knight of Astora</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">He floats just above the ground, thereby appearing taller than the player</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">'Solaire' is French for 'Solar', or 'Sun' </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Solaire's armour is reminiscent of King Arthur's armour in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, both of which have green and white colours, a mail coat and a sun symbol on the front</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">He has light brown hair</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He purposefully became Undead so that he could visit Lordran</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">This is part of his quest to find a sun of his own</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He believes that his fate is intertwined with the Chosen Undead's (the player)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He explains summoning to the Chosen Undead</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He gives the White Sign Soapstone to the Chosen Undead</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is in utter awe of the sun</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is extremely jovial - in great contrast to the cynical natures of the other characters in Dark Souls</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is a member of the Warrior of Sunlight Covenant</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">It was theorised that he was Lord Gwyn's firstborn but this theory has been discredited as The Nameless King in Dark Souls 3 is now thought to fulfil this position</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">It is now thought that Solaire is merely a faithful knight to Gwyn's firstborn, as the Warriors of Sunlight worship both the sun (Gwyn) and the exiled god of war (Gwyn's firstborn)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Solaire's red feather motif might be a homage to the red plume of Ornstein, the captain of Gwyn's knights</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He drops 1,500 souls, 2 Humanity, a Sunlight Straight Sword, Sunlight Talisman, Sunlight Shield and the Iron and Sun Set of armour</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is equipped with the Iron and Sun Set, the Sunlight Shield (left hand), the Sunlight Straight Sword and Sunlight Talisman (right hand), the Orange Charred Ring and the Lightning Spear and Great Heal spells</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The Orange Charred Ring (a ring which is found just before Lost Izalith, and reduces lava damage) hints at Solaire's later journey into Lost Izalith</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Killing Solaire will not affect the player's position within the Warrior of Sunlight Covenant</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can either help the player defeat Lord Gwyn or...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Can go insane due to a Sunlight Maggot (or his desperation to complete his goal) in Lost Izalith, depending on how the player enters Lost Izalith</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If insane, he will attack the Chosen Undead, and is the only un-aggravated Undead NPC to do this without being Hollow</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If he survives a boss fight after being summoned, he will give you a Sunlight Medal</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has become a fan favourite in the Dark Souls community</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has an amiibo</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He praises the sun</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is referenced in Borderlands 2 as an armoured man named 'Solitaire' sitting next to a mock bonfire</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is referenced in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor as a follower named 'Soulaire of Andorhal'</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<u style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Solaire:</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Out of universe: he is one of the many characters associated with the sun in Dark Souls, such as Lord Gwyn and his offspring. The sun is linked with life, fire and nobility. His design appears to be based on classic Western European knights, as well as taking inspiration from Monty Python and the Holy Grail's King Arthur. His 'praise the sun' gesture was originally a rare holy gesture in Demon's Souls used when casting a miracle while wearing the Ring of Sincere Prayer. It was secretly kept in the game by the game's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, despite him being told by the game's publishers that the pose was not 'cool enough'. This clash caused the gesture to gain personal significance to him and he created Solaire to bring attention to the pose. Therefore, Solaire is the first truly helpful NPC that most players see in the game, so as to make him a 'champion' both of the pose and for the player. He is also Miyazaki's favourite character, and Miyazaki even designed the sun emblem on his chest, personally.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">In-universe: not much is known about Solaire's past, except that he is a from Astora, a kingdom known for their high-ranking knights, royalty and craftsmen. The first time the Chosen Undead meets him is at the Undead Burg, right after defeating the Taurus Demon. Here, Solaire introduces himself and explains summoning to the Chosen Undead (well, explains it as much as anything is explained in the Souls games) and gives the player a White Sign Soapstone which can be used to enter another player's world as a friendly phantom.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><u style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Solaire:</span></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Out of universe: Solaire quickly became a fan favourite among the Dark Souls community, primarily due to his jovial nature (which contrasts heavily with most of the other, more cynical characters) and the quest to save him from his horrific fate. In addition, he succeeded in his task of promoting the 'praise the sun' gesture, and this gesture is now one of the most popular in Dark Souls and, with its name, become a well-known reference to Dark Souls itself, even to people outside of the community. This is proved by the creation of a Solaire amiibo that is compatible with Dark Souls Remastered on the Nintendo Switch. The amiibo, which shows Solaire performing his famous gesture would cause the player to gain the gesture from the beginning of the game, without having to unlock it. Not the greatest use of amiibo ever but, also, perhaps the best ever thought up.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In-universe: after Undead Burg, Solaire can be found in Anor Londo, sitting next to a Bonfire after the Dragonslayer Silver Knight archers (enemies that still make me shiver with horror). He can also be found beside the Sunlight Altar Bonfire in the Undead Parish (this is the only optional encounter which doesn't affect the progression of his storyline) and, after beating the Centipede Demon, Solaire shows up at the bonfire on the borders of Lost Izalith. AND THERE HE STOPS! What? I have to explain what happens to him? No, please, not that... oh, fine. Solaire will then meet his demise on the bridge in Lost Izalith, between the Titanite Demon and the Chaos Servant door. He will attack the player while wearing a Sunlight Maggot, which he mistook for his own sun (warning: this is not a recommended path to enlightenment). Either the huge bug, or his own overpowering desire to find his sun, has turned him insane and the player must fight and kill him. Miyazaki has stated that this ending is the true ending for Solaire. However...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can be saved! Praise the sun! There are a few ways to do this. The player must join the Daughter of Chaos covenant and give The Fair Lady 30 humanity to open the Chaos Servant Door, and then kill all nine Sunlight Maggots, before defeating the Bed of Chaos. Solaire will survive and can be found by the Chaos Servant door shortcut, depressed over his quest for his sun. Speaking to him here will allow him to be summoned for the final boss. You can also kill the Sunlight Maggot by using the Poison Mist Pyromancy, White Dragon Flame or Dragon Greatsword's two-handed special attack (and possibly other area-of-effect attacks) by attacking the Chaos Servant door. The attack will go through the door and kill the Maggot, thereby saving Solaire. The player can then go and find Solaire by the bonfire in Lost Izalith and then can summon him before the Gwyn fight. Or, you can not talk to Solaire in Anor Londo, or any place before that, which will cause him to not appear in Lost Izalith. Then the player must kill the Sunlight Maggot before going through Solaire's locations and progressing his questline. There is a theory that if Solaire survives and helps to kill Gwyn, then he will link the fire (thereby continuing the Age of Fire) for his own world. However, this is unconfirmed.</span></span><br />
Solaire can be summoned at these locations: before entering the Bell Gargoyles' white fog; above the last staircase before the Gaping Dragon; in the hall, before Ornstein and Smough, on the stairs to the left; just outside the white fog wall leading to the Centipede Demon boss and at the top of the stairs leading down to Gwyn (if he survived Lost Izalith).<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><u style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u></span></u></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dark Souls: released (Japan) on September 22nd, 2011/(North America) on October 4th, 2011/(Australia) on October 6th, 2011/(Europe) on October 6th, 2011 on Playstation 3/Xbox 360/(Australia) on August 23rd, 2012/(North America/Europe) on August 24th, 2012/(Japan) on October 25th, 2012 on PC</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Dark Souls Remastered: released (Japan) on May 24th, 2018, (World Wide) on May 25th, 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One/(World Wide) on October 19th, 2018 on Nintendo Switch</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Referenced in:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Borderlands 2: released (North America) on September 18th, 2012/(Australia) on September 20th, 2012/(Europe) on September 21th, 2012 on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360/(World Wide) on November 21st, 2012 on OS X/(North America) on May 13th, 2014/(Australia) on May 28, 2014/(Europe) on May 30th, 2014 on PlayStation Vita/(World Wide) on September 30th, 2014 on Linux/(World Wide) on July 20th, 2016 on Android/(North America) on March 24th, 2015/(World Wide) on March 27th, 2015 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor: released (World Wide) on November 13th, 2014</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">That's all on Solaire of Astora, but, as always, if I've made a mistake or forgotten anything, then please don't hesitate to comment! And let us know who you want to win the award next month! Until then, praise the sun!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Goodbye for now, <b>Harry</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Sources:</span></span><br />
<a href="https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Solaire+of+Astora">https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Solaire+of+Astora</a><br />
<a href="https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Warrior+of+Sunlight">https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Warrior+of+Sunlight</a><br />
<a href="https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Orange+Charred+Ring">https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Orange+Charred+Ring</a><br />
<a href="https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/Solaire_of_Astora">https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/Solaire_of_Astora</a><br />
<a href="http://darksouls.wikidot.com/solaire-of-astora">http://darksouls.wikidot.com/solaire-of-astora</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaire_of_Astora">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaire_of_Astora</a><br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=arthur+monty+python&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4xZXJ_9rjAhWdURUIHZBiBlwQ_AUIESgB&biw=958&bih=959">https://www.google.com/search?q=arthur+monty+python&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4xZXJ_9rjAhWdURUIHZBiBlwQ_AUIESgB&biw=958&bih=959</a><br />
<a href="https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/Astora">https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/Astora</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Souls">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Souls</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands_2">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands_2</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Warlords_of_Draenor">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Warlords_of_Draenor</a><br />
<a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/667257-dark-souls-prepare-to-die-edition/71538658">https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/667257-dark-souls-prepare-to-die-edition/71538658</a></div>
</div>
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</iframe>Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-77078313071533901752019-07-14T18:00:00.000+01:002019-07-17T11:50:19.822+01:00Film Review No. 49 Pokémon Detective Pikachu (PG)Strong Points:<br />
Brilliant designs for the Pokémon<br />
Detailed animation and world-building<br />
Ryan Reynolds is brilliant as Pikachu<br />
Funny<br />
Use of more than the first 151 Pokémon<br />
Small details show the seriousness the filmmakers had with the film<br />
Doesn’t push for a franchise<br />
Some twists and turns I didn’t guess<br />
A mostly well-connected screenplay combining drama, meta-comedy and cheese...<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
Some cliché or stilted dialogue<br />
Not a lot of Pokémon battles<br />
...Sometimes crosses the line between knowingly cheesy and cringe-inducing<br />
Most of the human cast doesn’t get a lot to do<br />
Opening minutes crammed a lot of exposition and explanation into itself<br />
Could have done with the classic Pokémon narrator<br />
<br />
Some spoilers ahead:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a film which could only be created now. So many factors had to converge on the world at once for it to happen. CGI needed to be powerful enough to make sure the Pokémon looked real and acted well with their human counterparts. Ryan Reynolds or someone else with his brand of humour had to be available. Nintendo had to have undergone a resurgence in the mainstream consciousness (which happens every 5 years or so, to be honest) and they also had to relax their tight grip on their properties. All of this has happened, and to top it all off, the filmmakers seem to actually have done research on the games' lore. Unprecedented.<br />
<br />
You can really see the research in every area of the film's world, from the city to the Pokémon. Every detail has been carefully thought of from the branding of the shops to the way Pokémon can be used to help create Ryme City. Jigglypuff serenades/tranquillizes café customers, Snubbull works as a police assistant and Ludicolo helps serve the coffee (as in the infamous scene from the trailer). Pokémon aren't just there for the sake of the city and the city hasn't been made for the sake of fitting Pokémon in it. They work together to create a living, breathing world, which would be great to explore in a future Pokémon game, in my opinion. Maybe in the sequel of Detective Pikachu The Game?<br />
<br />
The visual finesse of the Pokémon in Detective Pikachu is simply amazing. Akin to Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book in the realistic style but almost more impressive due to the fact there’s no real-life Pokémon to base them on. The way the animators took the drawings from the anime, games and TCG and created realistic and recognisable versions of Pokémon was incredibly impressive. Then making them seem at home with live-action humans and even getting one of them to speak without it seeming odd, speaks volumes for how dedicated the visual artists were for getting this right. As well as just how simple and effective Pokémon designs really are.<br />
<br />
Of course, the crowning achievement of Detective Pikachu was the eponymous Pikachu, played with 'maximum effort' by Ryan Reynolds. For some reason, I'm completely happy with having exposition told through the mouth of a cute mouse, and the range of emotions the animators could show with Pikachu was quite impressive (this may or may not be the last fangirl moment I have with the visual effects artists). What added so much to the film as well, was the extra marketing created and apparent joy Ryan Reynolds had with the part. All the extra videos from the apparent 'leaked film', to him explaining his method of becoming Pikachu, made the film much larger than itself. However, while I'd recommend watching these extra videos, the trailers still run the normal trend of showing some of the best jokes of the film and so I'd avoid them if possible.<br />
<br />
If Pikachu is the crowning achievement of Detective Pikachu, then the human cast is the slightly rotten supporting structure. They get the plot across, help to set up jokes and sometimes deliver proper emotion, but watch them on their own and you'll want something slightly more dazzling (not sure the metaphor completely works but we'll run with it). I found Justice Smith to be almost bored at the beginning of the film, as heavy in exposition as it is (this is where they would have benefited from the narrator and his usual 'Welcome to the world of Pokémon spiel), but as soon as he could interact with the Pokémon more, the more he started to grow on me. The cast overall was good enough, but the random assortment of actors/musicians (Bill Nighy, Rita Ora and even Diplo playing himself) made it feel a bit 'made for TV' which ran directly against the care and attention with the Pokémon themselves.<br />
<br />
The script too seemed to have an identity crisis, with not two but three separate styles running only partly together. You had drama which helped to ground the film, including an excellent scene at a fountain allowing Justice to get out of his comfort zone a bit. You had meta-comedy, or basically anything Ryan Reynolds said, which allowed a wider variety of people to enjoy the film. And finally, you had the cheese, otherwise known as the larger plot. Did the plot make a lot of sense? No, not really. Was it enjoyable to watch? Yes, especially when the film straddled the line between comedy and cheese, which it did most of the time. Other times though, and I almost had to look away...<br />
<br />
When I wasn't looking away or laughing, however, I was glued to my seat. Some of the twists and turns of the film successfully kept me guessing the entire way through the film or even better, allowed their conclusion to dawn on me a few seconds before the reveal. Of course, I won't go into them here, but it was nice that some twists were still available even in a morally straight forward film such as Detective Pikachu.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: I still can’t quite believe this film exists. A photorealistic Pokémon film, with a storyline diverted from the games. A video game movie not taken over by the need to add ‘game mechanics’ or over-complicated lore. A Nintendo with rather lax marketing rules. This. This is the future.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 74%</b></span><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-73401508097592537432019-07-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-07-04T18:35:44.159+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - July 2019 - Nana and Popo - Ice Climbers<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">July 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Nana and Popo</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Ice Climbers</u></span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Looking at the ever-increasing Smash Bros. roster, I’m reminded just how many great characters we have in the world of video games. Complex characterisation, detailed designs, fully formed faces (I didn’t mean to start this alliteration, but we’ll keep going), contrasting colours (OK, we’ll stop now)... But there’s one character which I feel doesn’t get nearly enough recognition, even for just hanging in there. Well, actually, there are two characters. That right, the Ice Climbers are the newest recipients of the Video Game Character of the Month Award:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">And now for some more information on the Ice Climbers:</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The two Ice Climbers are called Nana and Popo - pink and blue respectively </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They both carry Mallets to break ice with and to destroy their enemies</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Their mission is to retrieve the stolen vegetables from a condor and to destroy their enemies </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Enemies they want to destroy include Topi’s (either a blue seal in the Japanese Famicon release or a Yeti in the Western versions), Nitpickers and a White Bear who wears speedos and sunglasses </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">There’s also a rare fourth enemy - a purple bee. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Of course, the slow deterioration of their popularity due to the increasing complexity of other games and Nintendo’s insistent in not revisiting their world is the greatest threat... </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Ice Climbers sometimes compete against each other </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sometimes the condor they are trying to reach turns into a giant butterfly </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They are so powerful, the 3DS couldn’t cope with them in Smash Bros. and they had to be restrained into trophy form</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Or, according to Palutena's Guidance, they were banned for illegal teaming</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They are left-handed in Melee and Brawl but ambidextrous in Ultimate</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Nana is the oldest female character, in terms of game release dates, in Super Smash Bros. beating out Peach by 7 months</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Nana and Popo have seen themselves redesigned over the years, possibly to help to distinguish between the two, possibly to confuse them enough so they don’t take over the world </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They can help each other reach platforms with rope </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">They can create ice out of thin air </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">And spin around without the slightest bit of nausea </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">In the Super Smash Bros. series the Ice Climbers became so powerful so as to be unaffected by Ice Terrain, even though they are affected by such terrain in their own series</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">All so that they can completely destroy their enemies </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><u>Origin of Ice Climbers:</u></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ice Climbers was directed by Kenji Miki, who also created NES Open Tournament Golf and was the first game programmed by Kazuaki Morita, of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Star Fox 64 fame. He created it as a warm-up exercise before Super Mario Bros. Ice Climbers was released as a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><u>Evolution of Ice Climbers:</u></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ice Climbers has been ported to many different systems over the years, with technical limitations and differences requiring certain graphics to be changed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Ice Climbers were introduced to Super Smash Bros. Melee when it was released in 2001, ushering in a new generation of fans of Nana and Popo. They are now connected by an invisible force, with the player controlling one of the pair (Popo unless you swap costume), and the other mimicking their every move until they get knocked off-screen and all you can hear are screams. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Ice Climbers dimensions have been changed slightly, with Popo’s legs and torso increasing in size and Nana’s overall dimensions decreasing. This is to allow better differentiation between the two character models. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">In terms of the future? Maybe a mobile game, maybe world domination, maybe Ragnarok. We’ll have to see. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><u>Games:</u></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ice Climber: released (Japan) on January 30, 1985/(North America) on October 18, 1985/(Europe) on September 1, 1985 on the NES/(Japan) in October 1985 on the PC-8801/(Japan) in November 1985 on the Sharp X1/(World Wide) in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance (Classic NES Series)/(World Wide) in 2007 on the Wii Virtual Console/(World Wide) in 2011 on the 3DS Virtual Console/(World Wide) in 2013 on the Wii U Virtual Console/(World Wide) in 2018 on the Nintendo Switch</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Vs. Ice Climber: released (Japan/North America) in 1985 on Arcade VS. UniSystem/(Japan) on November 18, 1988 on the Famicom</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ice Climber-e: released (North America) in 2002 in Animal Crossing on the GameCube via the e-Reader and Game Boy Advance/(Japan) in 2002 via data transfer from Dobutsu no Mori+</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Animal Crossing/Dobutsi no Mori + (Japan): released (Japan) on December 14, 2001/(North America) on September 15, 2002/(Australia) on October 17, 2003/(Europe) on September 24, 2004 on GameCube/(Japan) on June 27, 2003 on e+/(China) on January 1, 2006</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros.: released (Japan) on January 21, 1999/ (North America) on April 26, 1999/ (Europe) on November 19, 1999 on Nintendo 64/ (Japan) on January 20, 2009/ (PAL) on June 12, 2009/ (North America) on December 21, 2009 on Virtual Console</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. Melee: released (Japan) on November 21, 2001/ (North America) on December 3, 2001/ (Europe) on May 24, 2002/ (Australia) on May 31, 2002 on Nintendo GameCube</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. Brawl: released (Japan) on January 31, 2008/ (North America) on March 9, 2008/ (Australia) on June 26, 2008/ (Europe) on June 27, 2008 on Wii</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; line-height: 18px;">Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS: </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">released (Japan) on September 13, 2014/ (North America/Europe) on October 3, 2014/ (Australia) on October 4, 2014 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: released (North America) on November 21, 2014/(Europe) on November 28, 2014/(Australia) on November 29, 2014/(Japan) on December 6, 2014</span><br />
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: released (World Wide) on December 7, 2018 on Nintendo Switch<br />
Super Mario Maker: released (Japan) on September 10, 2015/(Europe/North America) on September 11, 2015/(Australia) on September 12, 2015 on Wii U<br />
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS: released (Japan) on December 1, 2016/(Europe/North America) on December 2, 2016/(Australia) on December 3, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ice Climber Themes and Imagery Appear in:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames/WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania (PAL): released: (Japan) on March 21, 2003/(Europe) on May 23, 2003/(North America) on May 26, 2003/(Australia) on June 6, 2003 on Nintendo Game Boy Advance/(World Wide) in December 2011 on Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors Program/(Japan) on April 3, 2014/(North America/Europe) on April 10, 2014</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games: released (Japan) on October 17, 2003/(North America) on April 5, 2004/(Europe) on September 3, 2004 on Nintendo GameCube</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare: Twisted!: released (Japan) on October 14, 2004/(Australia) on May 19, 2005/(North America) on May 23, 2005 on Game Boy Advance</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare: Touched!: released (Japan) on December 2, 2004, (North America) on February 14, 2005/(Australia) on February 24, 2005/(Europe) on March 11, 2005 on the Nintendo DS/(World Wide) on Wii U Virtual Console in 2015/(World Wide) on Nintendo 3DS in 2016</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare: Smooth Moves: released (Japan) on December 2, 2006/(Europe) on January 12, 2007/(North America) on January 15, 2007/(Australia) on January 25, 2007 on the Wii</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare: Snapped!: released (Japan) on December 24, 2008/(Australia) on April 2, 2009/(Europe) on April 3, 2009/(North America) on April 5, 2009/(North America) on April 5, 2009/(China) on March 11, 2010 on Nintendo DSiWare </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare D.I.Y.: released (Japan) on April 29, 2009/(North America) on March 28, 2010/(Europe) on April 30, 2010/(Australia) on May 20, 2010 on Nintendo DS</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Game & Wario: released (Japan) on March 28, 2013/(North America) on June 23, 2013/(Europe) on June 28, 2013/(Australia) on June 29, 2013 on Wii U</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">WarioWare Gold: released (Europe) on July 27, 2018/(Australia) on July 28, 2018/(Japan) on August 2, 2018/(North America) on August 3, 2018 on Nintendo 3DS</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland: released in (World Wide) in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Kirby Air Ride: released (Japan) on July 11, 2003/(North America) on October 13, 2003/(Europe) on February 27, 2004/(Australia) on March 30, 2004 on GameCube</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Daigasso! Band Brothers: released (Japan) on December 2, 2004 on Nintendo DS</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">That's all for now on Nana and Popo, the Ice Climbers, but, as always, if we've made a mistake or missed something out then please don't hesitate to comment! And, of course, if you have a suggestion for the next winner of the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month Award then please comment as well!</span><br />
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Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
AND<br />
Goodbye for now, <b>Harry</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sources:</span><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Climber">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Climber</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby%27s_Adventure#Rereleases">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby%27s_Adventure#Rereleases</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Air_Ride">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Air_Ride</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daigasso!_Band_Brothers">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daigasso!_Band_Brothers</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wario_video_games#WarioWare_games">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wario_video_games#WarioWare_games</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare,_Inc.:_Mega_Microgames!">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare,_Inc.:_Mega_Microgames!</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare,_Inc.:_Mega_Party_Games!">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare,_Inc.:_Mega_Party_Games!</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Twisted!">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Twisted!</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Touched!">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Touched!</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Smooth_Moves">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Smooth_Moves</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Snapped!">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare:_Snapped!</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare_D.I.Y.">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare_D.I.Y.</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_%26_Wario">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_%26_Wario</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare_Gold">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarioWare_Gold</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Crossing_(video_game)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Crossing_(video_game)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Ice_Climbers">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Ice_Climbers</a></div>
</div>
Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-85221948813672691402019-06-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-06-02T23:37:44.362+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - June 2019 - Professor Willow - Pokémon Go<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">June 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Professor Willow</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Pokémon Go</u></span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Ah, the professors of Pokémon. Always there to offer advice, a double-edged compliment, the tools to enslave creatures of any region, a friendly smile and confusing conspiracies about our own parents. Oh, and of course, to expand our knowledge of the various types of trees in the world. Now, while all of the professors in the Pokémon universe are probably deserving of this reward, I've decided to give it to Professor Willow of Pokémon Go fame specifically, for one reason. <strike>The love of Pokémon Go has transcended the core series much like the first games all those years ago, so to award an honour such as this to the incumbent Professor allows an even greater audience to notice and hopefully fall in love with the entire series through our blog.</strike> SEO. Ah, the cynical nature of the world...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">And now for some more information on Professor Willow:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has grey hair</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He always wears a white lab coat</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Instead of giving a trainer their first Pokémon like other professors, he gives them their first Pokéballs</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He specializes in Pokémon habitats and distribution, much like Professor Birch</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He worked in a lab as Professor Oak's assistant before setting out on his own</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His mother researched Pokémon ecology</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His father was fascinated by the outdoors</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is an only child</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His birthday is July 21st</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Players can transfer their Pokémon to Professor Willow in exchange for candy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He was the first one to recognise the mythical Pokémon Meltan</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has three assistants - Spark, Blanche and Candela</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His dream is to explore uncharted lands and to examine and document new Pokémon species in their natural habitat</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His English voice actor is Robbie Daymond</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">His Japanese voice actor is Nobuyuki Sakemoto</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">While he may seem outgoing and confident, Professor Willow has a pretty strong shy side</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He gives you field research and special research to find rare and powerful Pokémon </span></span></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Professor Willow:</span></u></div>
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Professor Willow first appeared in Pokémon Go as a 2D sprite, welcoming the new trainers to their first adventure. He gives them their first Pokéballs and explains how to catch Pokémon, challenge gyms, use PokéStops etc. </div>
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Before becoming a Pokémon Professor in his own right, Professor Willow worked as an assistant to Professor Oak. His mother research Pokémon ecology and his father was fascinated by the outdoors, both likely contributing to his chosen career.</div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Professor Willow:</span></u></div>
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After the 0.97.2 update on March 27th, 2018, Professor Willow grew a third dimension. Please don't say it was the candy...</div>
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On April 23rd, 2018, Pokémon Go hosted a mini-event called Professor Willow Week. Players were encouraged to post their fan arts and cosplays of Professor Willow on social media. On April 24th, facts about Professor Willow started to be posted on social media, carrying on for the rest of the week.</div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Pokémon Go (select dates): released (Australia/North America) on July 6th, 2016/(Europe) on July 13th, 2016/(UK) on July 14th, 2016/(Japan) on July 22nd, 2016 on Android/iOS</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-size: small;">That's all on Professor Willow but, as always, if I've missed anything out or made a mistake then please don't hesitate to comment! Also, if you have any suggestions on future recipient's of the award then please comment as well!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span></span></div>
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Sources:</div>
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<a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Professor_Willow">https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Professor_Willow</a></div>
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<a href="https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Two_Professors">https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Two_Professors</a></div>
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<a href="https://pokemongo.fandom.com/wiki/Professor_Willow">https://pokemongo.fandom.com/wiki/Professor_Willow</a></div>
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<a href="https://pokemongo.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_game_updates">https://pokemongo.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_game_updates</a></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Go">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Go</a></div>
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My own knowledge</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwgamesappsa-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07DJ1SS29&asins=B07DJ1SS29&linkId=0a861e0fe3accca8587069556f807d41&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=3d85c6&title_color=3d85c6&bg_color=000000" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-67572376257571301002019-05-29T18:00:00.000+01:002019-06-02T23:35:28.199+01:00Film Review No. 48 Tolkien (12+)Strong Points:<br />
Great, confident acting from the cast, young and old<br />
Confidence in the audience to have references to Tolkien’s work in the background to find as well as in the foreground<br />
Great cinematography<br />
Nice production design<br />
Focussed on different areas of Tolkien’s life than you might expect<br />
Good, subtle but apparent score<br />
The right amount of fantasy<br />
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Weak Points:<br />
The opening ‘montage’/set up didn’t engross me<br />
Slightly ‘by the numbers’<br />
A lot of information was passed on all at once<br />
Pacing issues<br />
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Note: as I only have a passing knowledge of Tolkien’s life, I won’t be commenting on any potential historical inaccuracies (I’ll leave that for the comments). However, remember this isn’t a documentary, it’s a dramatic biopic and should be treated as such.<br />
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Some spoilers ahead:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Tolkien wasn't really what I expected. A biopic of one of the greatest writers which doesn't really focus on his writing? Sure. A mix of pre-war, WW1 and post-war, set slightly non-chronologically to give significance to certain scenes? Why not. No elves in sight? Well, I sort of expected that. Oddly enough though, these areas of Tolkien's life were almost as engrossing as the fantasy realms he created, as long as you push through the opening 20 minutes.<br />
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The opening had a tough time with having to push out a lot of information at once. They chose to do it via quick, semi-silent scenes (think the opening of Pixar's UP), outlining how Tolkien ended up in the care of Mrs Faulkner. Unlike UP, however, I didn't feel particularly immersed in the story and the struggles of the family, instead, feeling rather detached from the whole proceedings until the film settled down slightly later on. This may have been due to pacing (the film settles on some parts of the story for slightly too long and rushes past others) or may have been due to it simply not working as well with live-action and without all the visual and creative ingenuity animation provides.<br />
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The actors, both old and young, did a very good job with this film I felt. From the four young actors comprising the T.C.B.S to Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, everyone played their parts with conviction and energy. Subtle notes to character traits which weren't necessarily touched upon in the story were given by simple looks to other characters and you could feel the pain of post-war Tolkien in the tearoom scene. A small nod also needs to be made to the casting team, as the characters grew up naturally and it was easy to figure out who was who without the names being thrown at your ears.<br />
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I wasn't expecting a full-on war scene to be completely honest. It was quite haunting, with some excellent production design decisions - resting in the pool of mud and blood with the bodies all around was certainly a shot and a half. Now, I won't be mentioning the consequences of the war here, as it is a spoiler, but I'm sure you can work out, not a lot of good came of it.<br />
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It's difficult talking about the pacing and story content of a biopic - surely what their life was like is what you have to work with? However, there are many, many ways to present this information in a creative way and sadly Tolkien settles for a rather traditional storytelling structure. We had the classic story beats of relationships versus learning, the war's abrupt entrance, our protagonist being in a situation to show his special talents quickly and effectively... Even when the film tries to change itself up slightly, removing character connections or using the war flashbacks as a way to tell its story, it quite quickly returns to the similarity of other biopics. Now, this wasn't exactly a problem for me - I'm not quite saturated with biopics yet - but it is something to take note of. Now, onto some more positives.<br />
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One of Tolkien's greatest strengths is the way it goes about referencing the eponymous' writers' books in the film. A reflection in an eye, a cloud changing and darkening and shadow on the wall, all act as small references to TLOTRs, without lingering and forcing each audience member to acknowledge the reference. Of course, there are some larger, more transparent nods to the books, with the Balrog/Sauron appearing in the war scene as a prime example. But the confidence in the audience to notice and appreciate small details is a really admirable choice, especially in an age of spoon-feeding.<br />
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Visually, I loved this film. It uses CGI sparingly and subtlety to tell its story and some of the wide shots, especially in the war scenes, are glorious to behold. Yes, the visuals, like the story, are a bit 'by the numbers' - what you expect to see in Oxford or the trenches is what you do see, but the simple quality of the shots is more than enough to keep watching. While maybe not a feast for the eyes like the works of Blade Runner or Barry Lyndon, couple the cinematography and production design with the aforementioned subtle references to TLOTR's, you've got at least a decent meal. The score also complemented the epic feel nicely, although I'm one of the people who like it when you notice the score on its own, so it depends on how you like your music blended.<br />
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Conclusion: no matter if you speak Sindarin or thought it was a type of infection, know every word of the Ring Verse or only have a passing interest in fantasy, Tolkien should leave you with one thought - what a waste war creates.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 76%</b></span><br />
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Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-91710830352823161392019-05-09T18:00:00.000+01:002019-05-29T14:44:00.122+01:00Review No. 148 Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee - Nintendo Switch (7+)Strong Points:<br />
Streamlined approach to the games<br />
Great graphics and art style<br />
References to other games in the series and general lore<br />
Legendaries are an event to catch again<br />
Catch mechanics add a different style to catching Pokémon...<br />
Small cutscenes show visual flair and small changes in gameplay show creativity<br />
Pokémon in the overworld means you can pick Pokémon you want<br />
Customising appearance of Trainer and Partner Pokémon is nice<br />
Rideable Pokémon help to speed the game up (and have some nice visual gags)<br />
Pokémon Go comparability is well implemented<br />
Catch combos reward perseverance...<br />
Master Trainers offer a tough endgame...<br />
Shiny catching is improved and visual<br />
Pokémon Box and secret techniques being taught to partner are efficient...<br />
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Weak Points:<br />
Unreliable motion controls<br />
Barebones co-op<br />
Removal of many conveniences and well-established features<br />
Some lag in areas such as Viridian Forest doesn’t bode well for the sequels<br />
...although they don’t offer a lot of depth<br />
A slight jump in animation between walking and running (allows rideable Pokémon to get out of Pokéball)<br />
... although catching every Pokémon in sight so as to transfer removes the special bond between trainer and Pokémon<br />
Partner Pokémon becomes an unstoppable machine by the end, and you are pushed towards not changing your team<br />
...albeit a slightly tedious one<br />
...Although the need to go through multiple menus isn't<br />
Actual Pokémon battles against legendary Pokémon and minibosses feel tacked on<br />
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Nitpicks:<br />
Eevee gets more costumes than Pikachu<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Release Dates:<br />
World Wide: November 16th, 2018<br />
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Controls: see in-game<br />
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Main series Pokémon is on a home console. Let that just sink in for a moment. Main series Pokémon is no longer in 240p. There are cutscenes. There are (slight) changes in facial animations. The world looks crisp and sharp. You can be carried by a Snorlax on its belly. This is truly next gen.<br />
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It's slightly odd what we forgive the main series Pokémon for, compared to other games. Call of Duty is attacked for recycling similar ideas year on year, Mass Effect Andromeda was attacked for broken facial animations and Crackdown 3 for last gen graphics. None of that seems to really affect Pokémon, a series which almost singlehandedly has kept the handheld consoles afloat. And I've got to say, I was ready to not only agree with some of these statements with Let's Go but add another - it seemed like a step back. Of course, this feeling changed after the first hour or so with the game. It's not a step back, far from it, instead, it's a streamlined experience of Pokémon for the next generation of players and of consoles.<br />
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Going back to Kanto allowed for a streamlined experience, perfect for newcomers. Without abilities, breeding, held items or 700 extra Pokémon, players aren't overwhelmed by choice when they first start. The story is streamlined too. Gone are the morally questionable and grey area antagonists of USUM or X and Y. Instead, we have Team Rocket and Giovanni who are evil simply to be evil. While I did enjoy the extra features and motives of the previous games, Let's Go is certainly easier to just jump into. Also, without all the extra parts Let's Go has a substantially more hands-off approach to tutorials and handholding between story beats, hopefully showing that extra tutorials don't necessarily denote an easier-to-understand game.<br />
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Of course, there's an opposite view to all of this. Gen 1 was rather bare bones compared to later generations and removing all of these features does make the game feel more shallow than previous iterations. Extra minigames such as Poké Pelago, Contests, Battle Towers and even the game corner (due to legal reasons) don't make a return and as such you are often left with only one goal - to catch 'em all. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing - that motto was what made Pokémon the juggernaut it is today, it does feel odd to have so many extra features stripped from past gens. As such, the game simply isn't as long as the previous iterations, with myself finishing the story in around 15 hours compared to the 35 or so with UM. This combined with the changed mechanics of catching etc. does make Let's Go feel quite different to the other games.<br />
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So, these new catching mechanics. Simply put, they take the gameplay of Pokémon Go and expand upon it. No longer do you have to battle Pokémon to weaken them, instead, you have to throw a Pokéball into a circle and hope that Arceus allows it. These do speed up battles quite considerably, especially when combined with the fact that Pokémon now roam free in the overworld (with Shiny Pokémon even showing up differently). No longer do I get a cold chill when seeing a large patch of grass in front of me when all I want to do is get to the next town. Instead, you can plan which Pokémon to catch and when, saving time and Pokéballs.<br />
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Which you'll need when you come up against a powerful Pokémon. As you can no longer battle Pokémon or use status effects to weaken them, when you get to a Pokémon with a red circle (denoting it's tough to catch) there's not a lot you can do to increase your chances. Throw a Razz Berry (which are surprisingly difficult to find unless actively looking for them), use a better Pokéball and try to aim for an 'Excellent' circle. Otherwise, just be prepared for the long haul and potentially the crushing disappointment of a Pokémon eating your Gold Razz Berry and then running away. And this is without the difficulty of motion controls being added to the equation.<br />
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Ah, motion controls. I've got to say, I enjoy using them. They make a more visceral experience for the player than just buttons, and as long as you're not playing on a cramped train full of angry office workers, I'd recommend using them for Let's Go - it also gives you more exp points with 'technique bonuses'. However, if it's a Pokémon you really want to catch or a Pokémon which moves around a lot, then I'd stick to just handheld mode. As there's no recognisable sensor for the Joy-Cons to aim at or target shown on the screen, I would sometimes through a Pokéball in completely the wrong direction. Sometimes some other electronic item would interfere with my Joy-Con and I'd drop the Pokéball as well, which never helps the frustration of losing 40 Ultra Balls to an escaping Rhydon.<br />
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Overall, though, I'd say the Switch is a perfect fit for Pokémon. Battery life wise, I've never encountered a problem, just as long as you charge it every couple of days when travelling. And being able to beat the League on a big screen then carry on catching Pokémon on the train has been great fun and has made me actively want to play the game more than USUM (not only because the Switch is just faster than the 3DS).<br />
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Alongside the promise of a big screen worthy main series title came the hope for some properly animated cutscenes, and Let's Go actually delivers. Some of the time. We have a great couple of opening cinematics, a humorous meet-up with Bill and then... Not a lot, besides the occasional legendary battle encounter. It's like they wanted to show what the game was capable of to begin with but then just ran out of steam by the end (I know games aren't necessarily built in chronological order but still). The League especially, has less flair than even Black and White with you just walking into a room and facing an Elite Four member. Game Freak could have really shown off the power of the Switch with cutscenes similar to X and Y but instead, I was left with a feeling of wasted potential. Maybe with Sword and Shield?<br />
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On a similar note, we had small changes of gameplay throughout such as being able to control Pikachu to grab the keycard (Dragon Quest 8 style), flying and the classic Blaine quiz show. These were fun and showed the near-willingness to change up the formula but just like the cutscenes, felt barebones at best.<br />
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Now onto something which Pokémon still does very well. Battling. It's a similar affair to previous instalments, just more streamlined, as Z-Moves, abilities and even items no longer play a factor. It's just your team versus another. Or more likely, your starter versus the entire world as due to the special partner moves increasing your coverage, you won't really have to use anyone else. Still, battles are enjoyable, although be prepared for a lot of one or two Pokémon trainer battles due to the rebalancing of the world after the removal of random battles.<br />
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Now, legendary battles are an odd experience. On the one hand, still getting to battle the legendary birds, Mewtwo and some mini-bosses really puts into focus how strong they are meant to be. On the other hand, having the only objective being to defeat them within the time limit so as to move on to the Go-esque catching mechanics removes any strategy. It's hit first and hit hard. And when they're mostly flying types and you're electric, well... You do the math.<br />
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Of course, your partner Pokémon can't be an unstoppable machine all the time. Sometimes they just need to play. Yes, Pokémon-Amie is back but only for your partner Pokémon this time. Maybe don't look into the psychological games Pikachu/Eevee play if you want to sleep easy. Anyway, you can pet your Pokémon or feed them, and they'll respond with pleasure or hate depending on their mood. For some reason, my Pikachu seems to be have become permanently angry with me as soon as I started completing the Pokédex. Maybe it's jealous? All is forgiven though, as you can dress them up with a Diglett cap.<br />
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Don't worry if your favourite Pokémon isn't your partner however, as Pokémon can now follow you again. The attention to detail in this feature is great, with Dratini floating alongside you and moving down to the floor when you talk with it, or Electrode actually rolling. Oh, and Venasaur acting like a frog. You can also ride certain Pokémon, from Snorlax to Dragonite, and while there are a few outliers (especially for flying), most Pokémon you think you can ride are rideable. Just remember - a flying Charizard can't easily go into a Pokémon Center. Far too much to burn.<br />
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On a slight side note: not using a rideable Pokémon throws up an interesting animation bump when transitioning to running. This slight pause would have been used to get the Pokémon out of the Pokéball but without one, your character just sort of judders before running. A nitpick sure but something which you'd think would have been fixed quite quickly especially with games such as Uncharted 4 and even Nintendo's own Breath of the Wild showing what's possible with animation in games now.<br />
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Onto a completely different point now (not everything can be connected, you know?). Pokémon Go connectivity. Let's Go obviously has some sort of connectivity, it's in the name (I'm waiting for an app called Let's now). The connection consists of being able to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon into Let's Go, allowing you to fill up the Pokédex easier than before, play minigames, catch Meltan or even show off your horde of 300 Ratatata. Overall, I found it really easy to connect and send Pokémon from my phone to my Switch, although even something as simple as changing the title from Bring Pokémon to Bring Pokémon from Pokémon Go would help people further.<br />
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Now, a slight change in Let's Go comes from the adoption of the Pokémon Go mentality. In previous games, I would usually catch one of each Pokémon, and battle the rest, never running. But with the addition of catch combos, transferring and more, this way of doing things doesn't really work. It took me a while, but I soon adapted to the new style of play, it's just something to watch out for if you're a veteran player.<br />
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Something else which has changed is the addition of a Pokémon Box in your bag, allowing quick access to your Pokémon at any time. This is a great, time-saving addition to Pokémon. What isn't, in my opinion, is the rearrangement of the bag. I understand it's a change due to the single screen nature of the Switch, but some of the items are just not in pockets I'd have thought they would be (Mega Stones for example). Furthermore, if you're going to put some items in pockets, can you put everything in pockets, please!?<br />
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One of the most exciting additions for Let's Go for me was the promise of a co-op mode. Being a twin, local co-op games are held in high regard in our household and having a Pokémon adventure with two people was always a dream. Sadly, co-op is quite barebones in this game, with them only being able to walk around and throw Pokéballs or battle to help you, the main player. They can't even interact with Pokémon in the overworld, and if I'm being honest, the only time I used co-op was by myself while catching Clefairy for EXP as it gives you more. Not quite the travelling the same world and doing quests style of co-op I had in mind. Online as well, is quite barebones, with trading and battling being present only in a basic format (single and double battles only), with no battle rooms or extra modes.<br />
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Right, time for visuals. Let's Go's graphics are, quite simply, the best you've seen for a main series Pokémon game (although I still think the art of FireRed-HeartGold is my favourite). Each character model is clean and highly detailed, there are many, many animations, no podiums for battling and the colour palette is gorgeous. At first, I didn't think it was much of a leap compared to Sun and Moon, especially if you compare it to Breath of the Wild. But then I went back to USUM to collect the last Z-Crystals and oh boy is there a difference. I won't be able to go back to 240p, that's for sure.<br />
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Musically as well, this game is great. Due to Gen 1 and Kanto's history, the score is instantly familiar to any Pokémon fan and has some of the best tracks out there for a Pokémon game (I'm humming Route 2's theme while writing this review). Game Freak has also doubled the amount of voice-acted Pokémon there are in the game to a staggering two. Yes, Eevee now also has a voice actor and I've got to say, it really adds life to the Pokémon. Maybe in 100 years and the 13th remake of Red and Blue, we could have the entire Kanto Pokédex voice-acted?<br />
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I'm going to finish this review with a slightly cautious look at the future. Pokémon Sword and Shield are on the horizon, and with well over 800 Pokémon expected. That's a lot of polygons (and probably the reason they seem to have gotten rid of Pokémon walking beside you). This is a problem, as I have already encountered lag in certain areas of Let's Go, namely, Viridian Forest. Now, experience with hardware will always help to improve optimisation and it's definitely coping better than Ultra Sun and Moon did on the Switch, but please Game Freak. Be smart about this.<br />
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Conclusion: overall, I enjoyed my time with Let's Go more than I thought I would, and the streamlined, slightly hands-off approach of Kanto was a nice change of pace to the handholding of Gen VII. Hopefully, Sword and Shield can merge the best bits of both and create another great entry for both newcomers and veterans, but only time will tell.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 82%</span></b><br />
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Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
P.S. who would have thought a 'streamlined' Pokémon game would still have so many features? If there are any features I've had to miss out and you still want to know about, leave us a comment and I'll try and respond with information<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-43440393503613420312019-05-01T00:00:00.000+01:002019-06-30T20:45:12.294+01:00Video Game Character of the Month - May 2019 - Aqua - Kingdom Hearts<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">May 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Aqua</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Kingdom Hearts</u></span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Is it done? Can I come out now? Yes, that's right, dear readers, I've finally finished enough of Kingdom Hearts 3 that I feel comfortable searching keywords (pun intended) involving the franchise. And, therefore, I think it's time to give Master Aqua another award. And this one is even harder to achieve than the Mark of Mastery. It's the Video Game Character of the Month Award!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">And now for a little bit of info on Aqua:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Major spoilers ahead:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">She has blue hair and blue eyes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Her name means 'Water' in Latin</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is referred to as 'Dancing Waters Forming Bonds' on the official Japanese website</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her Keyblade is called Rainfell</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The upgrade for this is called Stormfall</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Small petals form when she summons her Keyblade</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Kairi accidentally inherited the Keyblade by touching the Aqua's Keyblade when they met in Radiant Gardens</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She put a protective charm on Kairi</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is the only one of Master Eraqus's pupils to have been recognised as a true Keyblade Master</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has passed her Mark of Mastery exam</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is best friends with Ventus and Terra</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She saves Ventus and hides him in the Castle Oblivion</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She braved the Realm of Darkness for over twelve years, alone</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her homeworld is the Land of Departure</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is voiced by Willa Holland in English and Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She gains control of Master Eraqus's Keyblade but loses it</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She becomes Anti-Aqua after losing to Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and being thrown into the Dark Margin's waters</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has a 'tricky' fighting style</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is a magic and agility based fighter</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is capable of using her Keyblade while doing cartwheels</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is slower than Ventus but faster than Terra</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is third only to Master Xehanort and Master Yen Sid as a Keyblade and magic user</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has her own unique versions of Fire, Ice and Thunder spells and can cast Reflect indefinitely</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her exclusive Command Styles are Spell Weaver and Ghost Drive</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her unique Shotlocks are Prism Rain, Bubble Blaster and Lightbloom</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her exclusive Keychains generally share a water-theme and are focused on magical strength</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her Keyblade, Brightcrest, is the most magically-powerful Keyblade in Birth By Sleep</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has a strong sense of justice and moral code</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She will do anything to protect her friends</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is rather modest, only referring to herself as 'Master' near the end of Birth By Sleep</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is arguably the true protagonist of Birth By Sleep</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Aqua:</span></u><br />
In-Universe - Aqua is one of the three apprentices of Master Eraqus, along with Terra and Ventus. Over the course of Birth By Sleep she is tasked with finding and bringing Ventus and Terra back home, while also watching out for the darkness in the latter. Throughout her adventure she fights many Unversed through many Disney Worlds and comes into conflict with Vanitas and Master Xehanort. Eventually she hides the sleeping Ventus in Castle Oblivion and sacrifices herself to save Terra from the Realm of Darkness. She takes his place and resides there for the next twelve years, fighting for survival against the darkness.<br />
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Out of Universe - Aqua was first revealed in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II (what most people, including myself, were sure would be Kingdom Hearts III. How wrong we were). Nomura was unwilling to say who the character was but did comment that her story took place before Kingdom Hearts I. Her name was revealed by Lingering Will in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Nomura explained that her name follows the water theme originated by Kairi's name. However, this was meant to be the only connection between the two characters (unlike the stronger connections between Ventus and Sora, and Terra and Riku). Unlike her two friends, Aqua didn't have a reference point for her design, leading to Nomura having to create her character from scratch. Her outfit was based on Terra's Japanese-inspired clothes, which are meant to exemplify the student-teacher bond shown between them.<br />
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Aqua's outfit was altered three times during the development of Birth By Sleep. The open back of Aqua's outfit presented at the Tokyo Game Show way back in 2009 was considered too revealing and Nomura altered it to make it more conservative. The 'X' was added to her clothes in order to give her the means to activate her armour. Nomura was worried that the character would be unpopular due to her weak connection with other Kingdom Hearts characters and so extra care was taken to make her a 'strong' character. Unlike with Xion, who underwent a similar character design, Nomura wanted Aqua to retain her feminine qualities along with her strength.<br />
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Megumi Toyoguchi's work as her voice actress was noted by Nomura as a reason for her popularity, while Willa Holland received more mixed reviews as some thought she sounded bored. Aqua's story was the last one written in Birth By Sleep and was intended to be the last one played by players. Her gameplay, with its emphasis on magic, was designed to take some getting used to and should be played last once the player's gotten used to other gameplay mechanics. The original ending of Aqua's storyline was moved to the game's secret ending so that the main game wouldn't end in such a negative fashion. Her movements were designed to reflect her personality as a serious and dignified woman.<br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Aqua:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">In-Universe - Aqua's armour and Keyblade make a brief cameo in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. They reside in the Chamber of Repose, and Xemnas often visits the armour and refers to it as 'friend'. Xigbar states that he once heard another voice respond to Xemnas (although it is unknown if this voice is Aqua's - what do you think?). Xigbar also alludes to the 'other Keyblade bearers' in The World That Never Was. In the secret ending of Birth By Sleep, 'Blank Points', Aqua ends up at the Dark Meridian and the events between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II are explained to her by Ansem the Wise. In Kingdom Hearts Coded/Re:Coded she is mentioned by Data-Naminé as one of those connected to Sora in need of help. In Dream Drop Distance, she appears in the opening movie as well as figment created by Sora's heart at the end of the game. Sora first sees Kairi who turns into Aqua. This leads to Sora remembering his childhood meeting with Aqua. In the secret ending of the game, Aqua is standing on the Dark Meridian. She is the protagonist of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage and is shown to be fighting for her own survival in the Realm of Darkness. She explores some of the Disney worlds that have fallen to darkness and has to fight Heartless and phantom versions of herself, eventually with the aid of Mickey Mouse. She witnesses Mickey and Riku's closing of Kingdom Hearts and saves Riku from the Demon Tower, forcing her to stay in the Realm of Darkness. Eventually, she ends up in the situation detailed in 'Blank Points'.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">In Kingdom Hearts III she fights Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, even without her Keyblade, and loses. This causes her to be thrown into the Dark Margin's waters, becoming corrupted by the darkness and turning into Anti-Aqua. She believes that she had been forgotten by Mickey and decides to attack him with the aid of a Demon Tower. She is defeated by Sora and begins to sink into the Dark Margin's waters but is saved by Sora and brought back to the Realm of Light. She later wakens Ventus, defeats Vanitas and goes with the other Seven Guardians of Light to fight Xehanort. She is taken by the darkness when fighting Terra-Xehanort but is saved by Sora and, later, the Lingering Will (Terra's armour - I'm afraid I don't have enough words to explain the entire story of Kingdom Hearts here so please bear with). She finally defeats Terra-Xehanort but is snared by chains of unbreakable bonds which are broken by Terra's Heartless. With the help of the other Keyblade wielders, Aqua seals Xehanort in Scala ad Caelum along with Sora so that he can defeat him. She remains behind but follows to find Sora once he has defeated Xehanort. She gets to meet Master Eraqus, who was slain in Birth By Sleep but whose heart was retained by Terra. Eraqus apologises for the burden he placed on her by making her spy on her friends for him. Along with Terra and Ventus, Aqua returns to The Land of Departure to mourn the loss of Eraqus. Finally, she goes with everyone else to Destiny Islands and watches Sora and Kairi share a sunset together before he fades away. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">P.S. As I've mentioned, I don't have the words to explain the full story of Kingdom Hearts in this Video Game Character of the Month (it's meant to be focused on Aqua after all) but I would recommend giving this confusing but spectacular series a go.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Out of Universe: Kingdom Hearts 2.8's co-director Tai Yasue expressed that the staff wanted to explore Aqua's torment in A Fragmentary Passage. Aqua was used to show the new magic and movement systems that would be in Kingdom Hearts III in A Fragmentary Passage. Finally, Nomura was surprised by people's reaction to Aqua falling into darkness in the E3 2018 trailer for Kingdom Hearts III and expected her role in the aforementioned title to surprise the audience even more. I think he was right there.</span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts II: released (Japan) on December 22nd, 2005/(North America) on March 28th, 2006/(Australia) on September 28th, 2006/(Europe) on September 29th, 2006/(Japan - Final Mix) March 29th, </span>2007<span style="font-size: 16px;"> on the PlayStation 2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: released (Japan) on January 9th, 2010/(North America) on September 7th, 2010/(PAL) on September 10th, 2010/(Japan - Final Mix) on January 20th, </span>2011<span style="font-size: 16px;"> on the PSP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts Coded: released (Japan) on November 18, 2008 (Pre-Install Episode)/June 3, 2009 (Episode 1)/July 8, 2009 (Episode 2)/August 5, 2009 (Episode 3)/September 17, 2009 (Episode 4)/October 15, 2009 (Episode 5)/November 26, 2009 (Episode 7)/December 26, 2009 (Episode 7)/January 28, 2010 (Episode 8) on mobile devices </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded: released (Japan) on October 7, 2010/(North America) on January 11, 2011/(Australia) on January 13, 2011/(Europe) on January 14, 2011 (Europe) on the Nintendo DS </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: released (Japan) on March 29, 2012/(Europe) on July 20th, 2012/(Australia) on July 26th, 2012/(North America) on July 31st 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix: released (Japan) on October 2nd, 2014/(North America) on December 2nd, 2014/(Australia) on December 4th, 2014/(Europe) on December 5th, 2014 on PlayStation 3</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix: released (Japan) on March 9th, 2017/(North America) on March 28th, 2017/(Europe) on March 31rd, 2017 on PlayStation 4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue: released (Japan) on January 12th, 2017/(World Wide) on January 24th, 2017</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Kingdom Hearts 3: released (Japan) on January 25th, 2019/(World Wide) on January 29th, 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Kingdom Hearts X: released (Japan) on July 18th, 2013 on Web Browsers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Kingdom Hearts Unchained X: released </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">(Japan) on September 3rd, 2015/(North America) on April 7, 2016/(Everywhere Else) on June 19, 2016 on Android and iOS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Kingdom Hearts Union X: released (Worldwide) in April 2017</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">That's all on Aqua but, as always, if I've missed anything out or made a mistake then please don't hesitate to comment! Also, if you have any suggestions on future recipient's of the award then please comment as well!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Goodbye for now, <b>Harry</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Sources:</span></span><br />
<a href="https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Aqua">https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Aqua</a><br />
<a href="https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Blank_Points">https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Blank_Points</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_(Kingdom_Hearts)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_(Kingdom_Hearts)</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts_%CF%87">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts_%CF%87</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts_III">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts_III</a><br />
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Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-75748633597277590512019-04-30T22:16:00.002+01:002019-05-29T14:45:35.565+01:00Comment: Avengers Endgame - An End Of An EraThere was an idea, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to fight the battles we never could.<br />
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There was also an idea, called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The idea was to bring together a diverse (or at least getting there) group of remarkable cast and crew, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when Hollywood needed them to create a film franchise we never could on our own. And after 22 films and just under 11 years, we're in the Endgame now.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Due to university schedules differing and the general busyness of existence, Harry and I decided quite late to go and see a midnight screening of Avengers: Endgame. We had two reasons for this: one, we'd never gone to a midnight screening before and wanted to try it and two - spoilers. So, after searching all 6 screenings at our local Cineworld for the best available seats we were all ready to go. And then Harry got the work call. Shift ends at 23:00, movie starts at 23:35... Oh dear.<br />
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What to do, what to do. The only thing we could really, given the circumstances (yes, this is all exaggerated for dramatic effect). We booked tickets for the day after as well, just in case. Monday rolls around (the screening is Wednesday) and Harry gets another call. Work has been moved forward a day, leaving Wednesday free for what truly matters in this world - making sure the Thanus rumours weren't true. After a successful midnight screening (even with a surprising amount of movement for an out-of-hours showing), we went home, making sure not to discuss the film to loud to avoid spoilers for everyone else. "But the other tickets!?" I hear you scream at your phone/computer monitor. Well, of course, we had to go again...<br />
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From all of us at GamesAppsAndReviews, thank you, Marvel, for the good times over the past decade, and here's to many more.<br />
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Thanks for reading, <b>Sat<strike>amer</strike></b><strike>. I don't feel so good Mr Stark</strike><br />
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P.S. comment your favourite MCU quotes down below<br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">April 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Boy</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Limbo</u></span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">So... Is anyone going to mention it? No? Ok, I just thought? Right. Of course. Silly me. It's just, well it's quite in your face to be honest? So wouldn't it be easier? No. Right. We won't say then...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">But what about the kids? More specifically, the boy? No, you can't just give him a Video Game Character of the Month Award and expect him to be OK with it. I mean, look at him. No, no, you're right. I think. I still think we should tell them about that, that, thing. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">What am I talking about? A spider? An orphanage? The political unrest of some far off planet? Carrots? It's hard to be certain, but I guess that's all part of the fun. At least for the boy. He's in Limbo at the moment, constantly replaying, over and over. Better him than me I suppose...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">And now for some more information on the Boy:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He's a boy - no figure</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He lives in a black and white world</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can walk with an almost ragdoll like feeling</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can die from most things, from heights to spiders</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He will return to finish his journey</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He is very expressive, especially given the monochrome world</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He likes to collect eggs</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can be taken over by worms</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Gravity is no master to him... Sometimes</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He's currently in Limbo</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can work basic machinery such as switches</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">As well as more advanced machinery involving magnets</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He's seeking a girl</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He doesn't like spiders</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Other people don't like him</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He will use anything to survive</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He can't swim but can use boats</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">He has glowing eyes.</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Boy:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Who really knows the origins of the Boy? Does he himself know? It feels like he's been stuck in a loop for years, decades even, trying to escape. Or is he? Does he enjoy this? There are many theories as to the origin of the Boy from him dying in a car crash or falling from a tree house, but we may never know. Even the director, Arnt Jensen isn't telling, although he has admitted that some fan theories are 'scary close' to his own ideas.</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Boy:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">After awakening in the middle of a forest, on the edge of hell, the Boy sets out to explore, trying to find his missing sister. Along the way, he encounters all sorts of horrors from savages to the industrialisation of the world. The horror. He gets captured by a giant spider (which has obviously affected me, given how many times I've mentioned it) and taken over by mind control worms. He learns to control gravity and electromagnetism and to fear spikes even more than he did. He finally gets to meet his sister, only for her to be taken away again. Is there any hope that he will escape Limbo? Again, we're not sure. </span><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Limbo: released (World Wide) on July 21st, 2010 on Xbox 360 (digital)/released (World Wide) on April 19th, 2011 (retail)/released (North America) on July 19th, 2011/(Europe) on July 20th, 2011 on PlayStation 3/released (World Wide) on August 2nd, 2011 on PC (digital)/released (World Wide) on December 21st, 2011 on OS X (digital)/released (World Wide) on March 15th, 2012 on PC/OS X (retail)/released (World Wide) on June 4th, 2013 on PS Vita/released (World Wide) on July 3rd, 2013 on iOS/released (World Wide) on June 23rd, 2014 on Linux/released (World Wide) on December 5th, 2014 on Xbox One/released (World Wide) on February 11th, 2015 on Android/released (World Wide) on February 24th, 2015 on PS4/released (World Wide) on June 28th, 2018 on Nintendo Switch</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">And that's all on the Boy, but, as always, if I've made any errors or missed anything out, or you want to suggest who should win the award in a future month, then please don't hesitate to comment!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(video_game)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">https://kotaku.com/the-most-depressing-theories-on-what-limbo-means-1724276367</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">My own knowledge </span><br />
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Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-85140146471719501722019-03-26T00:00:00.000+00:002019-03-26T00:00:07.635+00:006th BirthdayWell, well, well. *Nervous smile* So you've arrived, have you? That, that, didn't take long. *Shuddery laugh* Are we completely sure time is regular? Six years, hm? And look at you! You've only gotten better! More vibrant, more knowledgeable, more, more... I'm sorry. We haven't spent nearly enough time together. No, we are not drifting apart, how could you say that? It's just, you know, I've been busy with other things, and you've demanded more and more thought and care. OK, I didn't mean demanded. Forget I said that...<br />
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Wow...<br />
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Anyways, happy birthday to the blog! 6 years strong. *party poppers and crackers*<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">34 posts were crafted with the finest changes in pixels denoting the English language this year, with a slight skew in favour of film reviews (in part due to a certain Unlimited card). Views have been consistent, with May being the high point with 2345 views due to the juggernaut which was <a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2018/05/film-review-no-39-avengers-infinity-war.html">Avengers: Infinity War</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With Google + being shut down by Google near the beginning of 2019, social media has had an interesting time. A major source of sharing has now been lost, but... Oh, this just in. No-one seemed to use Google + anyway. Twitter and Facebook have been consistent with 366 followers and 76 likes respectively.</span><br />
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The two mainstays of this year have been Disney and Kingdom Hearts (which I guess is technically Disney). Out of the 23 posts of the year that weren't VGCOTM's, 8 of them have been Disney or Kingdom Hearts. This isn't surprising due to the events which have happened to them over the past year, and with Kingdom Hearts 3 being released only a couple of months ago, and Endgame on the horizon, you might expect a few more!<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now for the stats!</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">First Review of This Year: <a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-no-140-red-dead-redemption-ps3-18.html">Red Dead Redemption </a>(No. 140) with 117 views!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Viewed Game Review: <a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-no-86-gta-v-ps3-18.html">GTA V</a> (No. 68) with 447 views!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Viewed App Review: <a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/app-review-no-57-two-dots.html">Two Dots</a> (No. 56 - updated No.) with 4967 views!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Viewed Film Review: <a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2018/05/film-review-no-39-avengers-infinity-war.html">Avengers: Infinity War </a>(No. 39) with 1085 views!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Viewed Page: Leaderboards with 2631 views!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Game Reviews: 146! (Including temporarily archived ones)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of App Reviews: 110!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of First Impressions: 111!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Rants: 11!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Film Reviews: 47!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of TV Reviews: 67!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Satamer's Posts: 416 posts! (Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Harry's Posts: 242 posts! (Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Martin's Posts: 25 posts! (Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Euan's Posts: 20 posts! (Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">No. of Olimg's Posts: 9 posts!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">(Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">No. of Thomas' Posts: 21 posts! </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">(Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">No. of Guest Author's Posts: 7 posts! </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">(Including archived and collaborative posts)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Total No. of Published Posts: 703 posts!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No. of Labels: 65 labels!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Total No. Views: 119,144 views!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Latest Post (not counting VGCOTM): Film Review No. 47 The Favourite (15+) with 29 views!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As always thank you SO much for reading, commenting and sharing this blog. Without your support, this blog wouldn't still be here. We can't wait to see how the sixth year of this blog pans out and I hope you will stay with us for the foreseeable future!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ3T_yzUXD4/XI0IiM85XyI/AAAAAAAACLo/Fwnt-Fqewp4C0vh7Cbc2XwAEP68L-TfygCLcBGAs/s1600/Cake%2BReal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ3T_yzUXD4/XI0IiM85XyI/AAAAAAAACLo/Fwnt-Fqewp4C0vh7Cbc2XwAEP68L-TfygCLcBGAs/s320/Cake%2BReal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cake is realistic. And also, a lie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>Sources:</u><br />
https://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photos/slice-of-cake?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=slice%20of%20cake</div>
Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-12394844252792531692019-03-22T18:00:00.000+00:002019-03-22T18:00:12.682+00:00Review No. 147 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection - PS4 (16+)Strong Points:<br />
Strong characters<br />
Humour<br />
Stunning graphics, detail and animation<br />
Great set pieces<br />
Intriguing story...<br />
Great use of parkour, especially in the latter two games...<br />
Nice gunplay<br />
Throwing grenades back mechanic adds a touch more strategy... (Uncharted 3)<br />
Brilliant voice acting<br />
Great value for money (the collection)<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
...That sometimes feels too quick or too long<br />
Jet-ski levels (Uncharted 1)<br />
...Although the objects used can be quite samey (Uncharted 1)<br />
...Until you throw a grenade at a wall (Uncharted 3)<br />
Sometimes feels like there's little point to any of this<br />
Some large difficulty spikes<br />
Detailed environments but lack of climbable objects (Uncharted 2/3)<br />
Boss fights (Uncharted 1/2)<br />
The villains don't get quite the attention of the heroes<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Release Dates:<br />
Europe/Australia/New Zealand: October 7th, 2015<br />
North America/UK: October 9th, 2015<br />
<br />
Controls:
<br />
Different for each game but detailed in-game<br />
<br />
I managed to miss Uncharted when it was first released, way back in 2007, probably due to not owning a PS3 at the time. To be honest, I hadn't really heard of Naughty Dog until I'd played The Last of Us but then I was hooked, and after seeing the excellent reviews of Uncharted 4, decided it was time to dive in. However, I couldn't start on the fourth game, not as an avid KH fan, which drilled into me the importance of playing games in chronological order.<br />
<br />
So, I had to wait until the Christmas of 2018 to finally start Uncharted. By February, all three games were complete. Due to the short timespan I completed the games in, I have decided to review all three together so as to not confuse parts of one with parts of the other.<br />
<br />
It's not often that I start with graphics in a review, not even with film, however, there is something special about Uncharted's. It looks like a blockbuster basically, with incredibly detailed environments and animation, realistic damage effects and stunning vistas and environments. Given that the first game was released over 10 years ago, they are still great even by today's standard - the facial animation even surpasses most triple-A titles of last year (looking at you Just Cause 4). Of course, this is helped by the fact that I'm playing on a PS4, but even without the extra processing power and shine, these are some nice-looking games (especially the latter two, when the PS3's notoriously difficult systems were under control).<br />
<br />
Drake? Drake!? Draaaake! Whoops, wrong series... Anyway...<br />
<br />
Characters take a slightly higher position than story in the Uncharted games. This isn't really a problem, such is the strength of the characters, and you'll want to just spend time with them and their own personal character arcs. Take the eponymous Nathan Drake for example. You'll laugh with him, get frustrated by his actions, get saddened by his past, and slowly, over the course of the three games, feel a connection, much like you do with the heroes of films. The villains don't get quite the attention as the heroes do, however, with them coming off more like stereotypes.<br />
<br />
This easy stereotyping and slight focus carry on into the story as well, with breezy narratives, plot conveniences and technical jargon to hide the simplicity of the story. Again, this is by no means a bad thing - we have complex RPGs and indie titles to deal with complex themes, but if you go into this series expecting a story full of twists and moral grey areas then you may be left disappointed. Leave that more to The Last of Us and just enjoy the ride.<br />
<br />
The characters are helped immensely by some of the best voice-acting I've seen in gaming. None of the stilted tones of Horizon: Zero Dawn or one voice actor voicing 20 Skyrim characters (yes, I know they are both RPG's and as such have their own challenges). No, sir. Instead, we get voice and mo-cap work that could rival actors in live-action films (an in some cases, surpass them). Drake, Sully. Elena and Harry especially are almost real people by the end of the games.<br />
<br />
Gunplay is pretty solid overall, taking inspiration from other third-person, cover-based shooters. Each game adds systems and ideas to the gunplay, with 3 even allowing you to throw grenades back and grab hold of enemies. The guns as a whole feel good to use, with my preferred types being a pistol and an assault rifle to allow for wide areas of attack but the game doesn't really punish you for using any weapon set-up. Just make sure to keep an eye on your ammo, especially in higher difficulties.<br />
<br />
Parkour is a staple of the series as well, and much like gunplay, is developed with each iteration. You can perform incredible feats of acrobatics with Drake, throwing him pretty much anywhere and he'll stick, be it on the side of a moving train or hanging off a clock tower. One problem with it, which I felt odd in a linear game, was that I was often stuck as to what I could and couldn't jump at. Most of the time the game did a good job of pointing me in the right direction, but there were times, especially in the later games when the environments became more crowded and the parkour points more natural, where I happened to jump, thinking I was going the right way, only to be met with a greyed-out screen and Elena shouting 'Nate! No!'.<br />
<br />
The puzzles as well were a mixed bag sometimes. A few I found quite rewarding, especially when you were met with a large room and parkour - you felt like the only one able to solve them. Other times though, I was either surprised at how easy the puzzle was and wondered why the previous explorers couldn't work them out or they were really difficult and obscure, and I had to spend a good deal of time before succumbing to the hint button.<br />
<br />
Ah, boss battles. What an odd beast you are. Some games are made around you, cramming every new idea they have into the belly of said beast. Others use you as an afterthought when the enemy you are chasing has grown too powerful to allow for anything else. This is the case for the Uncharted series, with boss battles in the first two games serving as the climaxes of their respective stories, succeeding in one thing. Slowly the games down. A lot. This is especially the case with Uncharted 2, where the final battle took me a good 30-40 mins (in a 10-12-hour game, this is a long time). Yes, I was playing on hard mode, but still, it was such a change of pace, I thought I needed to mention it here.<br />
<br />
Any of my misgivings about the games were quickly erased, however, when a set piece arrived. Be it the multiple trains in Uncharted 2 (running and hanging), the mansion on fire in 3 or the jet-ski levels in 1 (...), the set pieces in this series are some of the best. Naughty Dog really did some ingenious things with the environments and programming to make them as stellar as they are, and if you can play them without much knowledge going in, I think that's the best way.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: a superb collection of titles that harken back to a time of fun and adventure, which has been sorely missed from games of this generation. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Indiana Jones, parkour or quick wit.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 90%</span></b><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
P.S. yes, I didn't like the jet-ski levels that much either. The idea of using vehicles or animals in an Uncharted game was great (as shown by the horse-back riding in 3) but making it so you couldn't move or shoot at the same time? An... Odd design choice to say the least.<br />
<br />
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</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-34339464209771223612019-03-01T00:00:00.000+00:002019-03-03T12:11:48.313+00:00Video Game Character of the Month - March 2019 - Lydia - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim <div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">March 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Lydia</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">'I am your sword, and your shield'. Thanks Lydia, but now that I have Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (there, Satamer, is that enough of a plug?) I don't really need you to be. 'I am sworn to carry your burdens'. Terrific, but I'm telling you that I don't need your service anymore. 'I am sworn to protect you'. Seriously, Lydia, you can leave. 'I have a bad feeling about this'. Alright, what if I give you the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month award? Then will you leave? 'As you wish, my Thane'. Fantastic.</span></span><br />
And now for a little bit of information on Lydia:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is a Nord</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is a warrior class</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is a Housecarl</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She is voiced by Colleen Delany, the same voice actress as Ria and Mephala as well as all female Bosmer Bandits </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She starts at level 6 and can get to level 50</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can be a follower of The Last Dragonborn</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can marry The Last Dragonborn </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can be a steward</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can join the Blades</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She uses no spells</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has the tendency to rush into combat, even if it will result in her death</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She has a very low Sneak skill, but can roll</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She favours Heavy Armour and One-Handed weapons but will use any equipment if it bests the current base damage or armour rating</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can use spell scrolls and staves as well as potions and food</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her default armour is steel armour, boots, gauntlets and shield, resulting in a total armour rating of 169</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Her default weapon is a steel sword and a hunting bow with an infinite supply of un-pickpocket-able iron arrows</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If she is not wearing a helmet, she chooses enchanted mage's robes in her inventory over any other type of armour</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If she dies, The Last Dragonborn will be approached by a courier and left either 300 or 400 gold depending on whether they are married or not</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">In either case, a tax of 30 gold will be kept by the Jarl's court</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">The player can give Lydia a single arrow of any type and she will use an infinite supply of these arrows</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Lydia will not follow over rough or steep terrain (including jumping up a mountain) and is not very adept at swimming</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Therefore, she will take an easier path and catch up which can result in her disappearing from sight for several minutes (waiting or entering a door should cause her to reappear)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Lydia will fight against the Whiterun guards if the player joins the Stormcloaks during the Battle for Whiterun</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She will still regard the player as Thane, even if the title has not been restored by the new Jarl</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Lydia is the only housecarl introduced by name, or even recognised by the Jarl at all, when the player is named Thane</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can become a vampire if the player sides with the vampires in the Dawnguard expansion and if she is the player's spouse</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If she is given a better bow than her default one, she will lose the ability to have infinite arrows (other than iron) - therefore, the player should either give her a better bow and have her use her default iron arrows or have her keep her default bow but use infinite better arrows</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">If she is recruited by the Blades, Hrongar may send hired thugs after the player, but this happens rarely</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Lydia's dialogue differs slightly depending on the player's race</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She doesn't own a home, and so the player cannot move into her house, even though the option is there</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Lydia will reside in Dragonsreach until you acquire Breezehome and then Breezehome unless you move into another house</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">She can die if not given enough time to recover</span></span><br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u> <u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Lydia:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">There isn't much information regarding Lydia's childhood or really any history at all before she swore to carry the Dragonborn's burdens. The player will first meet Lydia at the end of the main quest 'Dragon Rising', after killing the dragon Mirmulnir and reporting to Jarl Balgruuf. He will make you Thane of Whiterun and grant you the option of buying Breezehome as well as giving you Lydia as a Housecarl. The player can then make Lydia their follower by telling her that you need her help. Lydia can then answer the player's questions on what a Thane is and what a housecarl does as well as being able to perform follower actions and carry items that can be traded with the player. In addition, Lydia can fight for you or with you, and get stuck in doors at unfortunate times. Oh, and reply rather sarcastically when you ask to trade items.</span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Lydia:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">After the main quest 'Alduin's Wall', the player has the option of making Lydia join the Blades. Her default steel apparel will be replace with a full set of Blades Armour and a Blades sword, and this change is permanent. If she is married, then she will open a shop in town and give the player 100 septums a day, and can cook a Homecooked Meal once a day that regenerates Stamina, Health and Magika. She can only be married once Breezehome has been purchased. If the player owns a different house to Breezehome, then Lydia can be moved. After the Dawnguard expansion was released, Lydia can now be turned into a vampire, so long as the player has sided with the blood-drinkers and has married her. The Dragonborn expansion gived her with a set of quotes unique to her, regarding various situations and locations in both Skyrim and Solstheim. </span><br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u> <u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: released (World Wide except Japan) on November 11, 2011/(Japan) on December 8, 2011 on PS3/Xbox 360/PC </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition: released (North America) on June 4, 2013/(Europe) on June 7, 2013 on PS3/Xbox 360/PC/released (World Wide) on October 26th, 2016 on PS4/Xbox One/released (World Wide) on November 17th, 2017 on Nintendo Switch</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR: released (World Wide) on November 17th, 2017 on PS VR/released</span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">(World Wide) on April 2nd, 2018 on HTC Vive</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">And that's all on Lydia, but, as always, if I've made any errors or missed anything out, or you want to suggest who should win the award in a future month, then please don't hesitate to comment!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Goodbye for now, <b>Harry</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_(Skyrim)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Dragon_Rising</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Dragonslayer</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
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Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-57304614592313197932019-02-23T18:00:00.000+00:002019-02-24T17:46:31.422+00:00Film Review No. 47 The Favourite (15+)Strong Points:<br />
Great production design<br />
Interesting camera shots<br />
Good acting from all<br />
Great casting<br />
Some bits of humour<br />
Original story<br />
Characters constantly change status, including in the minds of the audience<br />
Lots of subtext in dialogue<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
Some odd camera shots<br />
Some odd plot choices<br />
Gratuitous with language and sex<br />
<br />
Some spoilers below:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
The Favourite, at first glance, could be mistaken for a classic period drama, what with it's setting, costumes and story about royal upset. In actuality, this film has more similarity to films such as The Death of Stalin, using the period setting to tell a story of satire, subtext and dark comedy.<br />
<br />
Power is the name of the game in this film, with each character jostling for just a piece of Queen Anne's. Firstly, we have Lady Sarah, played by Rachel Weisz, a manipulative aide to Anne and a lifelong 'friend' to her. We also have Sarah's cousin, Abigail, played by Emma Stone, another manipulative aide to Anne. Basically, everyone is manipulative and scheming and no-one can trust anyone, except for perhaps the rabbits.<br />
<br />
Colman, who plays Queen Anne, absolutely revels in the absurdity and madness of the film. She screams, cries and shows at least three different thought trails on her face at any one time. Seeing just how much (or little) of the manipulation from her two aids she's actually aware of was an interesting thing to witness, as I still don't really know if she was in power or not during the film.<br />
<br />
Weisz and Stone also play their parts excellently, with each half of the film letting one of the actors come into their own. The first half is Weisz's film, where she has the power and can control and deceive anyone she chooses. For this reason, I sympathised with Stone's character, until of course, the scales are tipped. Suddenly, I'm rooting for Weisz as Stone's character reveals just how far she's willing to go. The constant back and forth is absorbing to watch, until, near the end, it stops and we are left with a victor slightly abruptly. Of course, this was planned to give us one of the oddest ending scenes in recent memory, but at the time it felt quite sudden.<br />
<br />
The supporting cast all do their jobs well, from Hoult's flowery and dark Harley to Mark Gatiss's calm acceptance of the facts as Churchill, wife to Sarah. These characters do verge on the stereotype sometimes, as they don't have nearly the screen time of the main trio and have to resort more to filling roles in the story than being full-blown characters, but they are entertaining, cringe-worthy and shocking all the same.<br />
<br />
The Favourite is a comedy, as much as Lady Bird and the aforementioned Death of Stalin are. You will probably laugh at the incredulousness of the situations rather than any punchlines or wordplay. That's not to say that's a bad thing, just a different type of comedy - and one I'm seeing more and more films and theatre veer into recently. I did laugh at multiple points, and I'd suggest not watching too many trailers as they often have the jokes that have the broadest appeal.<br />
<br />
Now, comedy is all well and good, but sometimes The Favourite resorted to less clever and more shocking tactics to emit a laugh. This can work - look at Deadpool and some stand-up comedians as an example. However, normally, the joke is quick and used once then we move on. A 2-minute sequence about throwing fruit at a nude man and the plentiful use of the C-word isn't quite the same and after the initial shock value, they seemed out of place.<br />
<br />
The visual style of The Favourite is interesting mostly because it is noticeable. Normally, camera shots and angles are set up in a way to promote a fly on the wall mentality - even 'off the wall' and absurdist comedies rarely show the camera as an integral part of the show. Now, The Favourite doesn't go as far as to get characters to move the camera, but it does do some interesting things with it, notably using a fish-eye lens and at one point having the camera move around as if floating while the characters were stationary. Now, I personally liked the inclusion of these setups (especially the first time, much like the comedy) but it does remove you slightly from the film at points. Whether that was the point remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: I can appreciate the craft of this movie. It was well made, and each moment carefully executed. I can even say I enjoyed it, although not to the degree of some of the more blockbustery films out there. And yes, even though I'm a film reviewer, I can say that.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 72%</span></b><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading,<b> Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwgamesappsa-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B07LBHC4LG&asins=B07LBHC4LG&linkId=94844b2c81ba74046ed35fdb2557b3de&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=3d85c6&title_color=3d85c6&bg_color=000000" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-17739579480928805752019-02-01T00:00:00.000+00:002019-02-28T23:41:07.864+00:00Video Game Character of the Month - February 2019 - Tenzin - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">February 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Tenzin</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Uncharted 2: Among Thieves</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u></div>
</div>
A trusted protector. Master of the punchline. Wisdom for the ages. Now, if only I (or the game's subtitles) spoke Tibetan. Yes, today we are awarding the VGCOTM to Tenzin from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, a character who's got two brilliant characteristics - he is almost superhuman and he shares a name with a character from Legend of Korra. What more could you ask for? Besides a universal language<br />
And now for a little bit of information on Tenzin:<br />
Some spoilers for the Uncharted series ahead<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Tenzin rescues a dying Drake, bringing him back to his village<br />
He is a farmer and a treasure hunter<br />
He is tasked with helping Drake search for Karl Shäfer's expedition<br />
He is extremely capable with a hook rope<br />
He can jump as far as Nathan Drake<br />
He can survive being thrown by a Yeti<br />
He has a daughter called Pema<br />
He is the village leader<br />
He is extremely patient with Drake<br />
His voice actor is called Pema Dhondup<br />
Robin Atkin Downes provides motion capture for Tenzin<br />
He speaks Tibetan but is able to understand Drake's intentions when it comes to puzzle solving<br />
He uses the 92FS-9mm and P080-9mm pistols and the Kukri knife<br />
Tenzin means 'the holder of Buddha Dharma' in Tibetan<br />
He is a playable character in both Uncharted 3 and 4<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Tenzin:</span></u><br />
Tenzin's name is of Tibetan origin, meaning 'the holder of Buddha Dharma' and is likely a reference to Tenzin Norgay. Norgay was a Tibetan Sherpa who, along with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, was the first person to conquer Mount Everest on the 29th May 1953. In terms of the game, Tenzin first appears at the end of Chapter 15 - Train Wrecked as a mysterious figure who saves Drake from the eponymous train wreck. After Drake talks with Karl Shäfer, Tenzin is sent to help guide Drake to Shäfer's old expedition party.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Tenzin:</span></u><br />
Drake and Tenzin firstly find it difficult to communicate with each other, with Drake just following Tenzin. Over time though, they manage to work out a way to communicate without the aid of language and Tenzin is able to understand where Drake wants him to go to solve puzzles. They soon become friends, with Drake having a picture of Tenzin in Uncharted 4, exclaiming that he misses him. He is unlocked as a multiplayer character in Uncharted 3 by downloading the Classic Skin Pack #2 and is unlocked in Uncharted 4 through vanity chests or using Uncharted Points<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: released (North America) on October 13th, 2009/(Australia) on October 15th, 2009/(Europe) on October 16th, 2009 on PlayStation 3<br />
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception: released (North America) on November 1st, 2009/(Europe) on November 2nd, 2011/(Australia) on November 3rd, 2011<br />
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection: released (PAL) on October 7th, 2015/(North America and the UK) on October 9th, 2015<br />
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: released (World Wide) on May 10th, 2016<br />
<br />
That's all on Tenzin but, as usual, if I've missed anything or made a mistake, or you have a suggestion as to who should win the next Video Game Character of the Month, then please don't hesitate to comment! Maybe even something Kingdom Heart's related?...<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
https://uncharted.fandom.com/wiki/Tenzin<br />
https://uncharted.fandom.com/wiki/Tenzin%27s_Kukri<br />
Various Wikipedia entries for release dates<br />
My own knowledge<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwgamesappsa-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B01BFLRNKW&asins=B01BFLRNKW&linkId=f9fc92a820f89ed810b43bd7a23590fb&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=3d85c6&title_color=3d85c6&bg_color=000000" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-82463519113150952132019-01-09T18:00:00.000+00:002019-01-09T18:00:05.940+00:00Review No. 146 Bioshock 2 Remastered - PC (18+)Strong Points:<br />
Great expansion of the world<br />
Awesome voice acting<br />
Interesting story concept - communism instead of capitalism<br />
Sense of time running out<br />
Gunplay was mostly great...<br />
Plasmids were also fun...<br />
Choices<br />
Hacking was sped up a lot<br />
Reduced sense of dread made sense in terms of story...<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
Crashes<br />
Slow start<br />
Hard mode goes against the game design<br />
...Felt the Rivet Gun wasn't different enough to justify<br />
...Although not very different from the first game<br />
...But removed some of the atmosphere<br />
Removal of choice at one point felt odd<br />
<br />
Note: this is a review of The Bioshock Collection rerelease version and won't include multiplayer or Minerva's Den (might come separately)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUBi46IBmj4/XDXhpHjDN1I/AAAAAAAACK4/Zraez3VZDmEaKZ4JH3zraWwIGpSsZAMugCLcBGAs/s1600/20180827135219_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUBi46IBmj4/XDXhpHjDN1I/AAAAAAAACK4/Zraez3VZDmEaKZ4JH3zraWwIGpSsZAMugCLcBGAs/s320/20180827135219_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Also, some spoilers ahead:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Release Dates:<br />
World Wide: September 16th, 2016<br />
<br />
Controls: configurable in game<br />
<br />
Bioshock 2 is an interesting entity. What starts off as more of a return to Rapture and the original Bioshock slowly transforms into a beast of its own, with its own views and stories to tell. It just takes a little while to get there.<br />
<br />
You start, as with many great video games, by dying. And that's not in a Dark Soulsy 'learn the controls by dying kind of way', I mean you die in the first story clip. Not to worry though, as the power of your fatherly bond allows you to keep going. Oh. And Plasmids, can't forget about them.<br />
<br />
Plasmids are pretty much the same entity as they were in the first game. You start with electricity, moving onto telekinesis and before you know it bees will be shooting out of your hands. They play well, especially once they've been powered up and you can start frying multiple enemies. A small nitpick - I had to change my mouse button controls to make it so the left click lined up with the left hand and vice versa - seems like an odd way to have it originally. Tonics also make a return, with, at least in my opinion, a wider range of options than the first game. It might have just been that I started paying attention to them more but effects such as freezing enemies on impact made a big difference, especially in the harder difficulties.<br />
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ix5ZmB7lw-w/XDXh-saRQJI/AAAAAAAACLA/k6JpHujl8EoSsc74uzUiPHQnQCnPK9i5gCLcBGAs/s1600/20180827142435_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ix5ZmB7lw-w/XDXh-saRQJI/AAAAAAAACLA/k6JpHujl8EoSsc74uzUiPHQnQCnPK9i5gCLcBGAs/s320/20180827142435_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rivet Gun and Electo Bolt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Talking of difficulties, I felt a slight conflict of interest when playing at the Hard difficulty. You are a Big Daddy, protector of Little Sisters, feared throughout the land and... You've died. Again. One rivet to your name, each enemy a death trap and annoyance. Big Sisters (a new, faster version of the Big Daddy's) take multiple respawns at a Vita-Chamber and Big Daddy's are avoided at all costs. You've forgotten everything - your objective, how to love, even who you are. Play on an easier difficulty and enjoy.<br />
<br />
<br />
The gunplay itself is quite tight and varied, with many weapons at your disposal. From your regular shotgun to a spear gun and, of course, your drill, the gunplay never felt stale. Of course, you quickly find your favourite weapons (for me it was the classic machine gun and shotgun) but you'll definitely be in a situation at one point or another where all the weapons come in handy. I do feel that some rebalancing could have been done, however, as the rivet gun doesn't feel particularly powerful (and more of an early game weapon) and the drill, while fun to use, runs out of fuel far too quickly, especially in the harder difficulties, and sometimes doesn't feel worth it to switch into during a firefight.<br />
<br /></div>
Due to playing as a Big Daddy, drill, superpowers and all the extras - there is less of a feeling of horror and tension in this game compared to the original. While in the original I was creeping around corridors, jumping at lights etc. in Bioshock 2 I rarely felt scared. Even when they tried the classic turn all the lights off and make enemies appear, I still didn't feel particularly scared. Instead, I felt more like a Big Daddy - powerful but cumbersome, each step taking quite a lot of thought. Credits to the game designers for their attention to detail to allow this, but beware if you want to play a horror rather than a thinker game.<br />
<br />
The 'thinker' portion of the game comes out in its main themes. If Bioshock 1 was a warning against unchecked capitalism, Bioshock 2 takes aim at communism. Doctor Lamb, the main antagonist, has created 'the family', basically a tribe of Splicers and other civilians, all tasked with one thing - helping the greater good. The story goes on to show the pitfalls of such an ideal as well as the pitfalls of a utopia. It was an interesting idea really, as Bioshock 1 took the completely opposite side, focusing on how one's own ideals shouldn't take precedent over the ideals of the society, otherwise, chaos ensues.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bZAsM_U8jgQ/XDXh_9UFTSI/AAAAAAAACLE/Ay-rM__ZupoefQQFOrX_T7DRO8SLtb7HgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20181224103449_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bZAsM_U8jgQ/XDXh_9UFTSI/AAAAAAAACLE/Ay-rM__ZupoefQQFOrX_T7DRO8SLtb7HgCEwYBhgL/s320/20181224103449_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The environmental storytelling really added to a sense of time running out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The world of Rapture is as mystifying and captivating as ever. Even though the city is more broken than in the first game, I was surprised that progression still exists. People made their way down to Rapture and new cults and businesses have set up shop. The world lives and breathes a lot more than I thought it would in this game series. The ability to travel through the water now is also a nice touch - what was once an impenetrable and terrifying barrier, is now just a means to carry on the journey.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: overall, I enjoyed returning to Rapture for Bioshock 2, especially when the storytelling ramped up in the later sections of the game. On a slight side note: one portion of the game - hacking - has been significantly sped up, with even the option of an auto-hack dart.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 82%</span></b><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />
P.S. Bioshock 2 Remastered can be prone to crashes so be sure to save regularly<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwgamesappsa-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B01IPJC9GU&asins=B01IPJC9GU&linkId=8f59fe6f91403ea1db351335bab819e3&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=3d85c6&title_color=3d85c6&bg_color=000000" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe>Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-10029748864428117612019-01-01T00:00:00.001+00:002019-01-31T15:50:25.773+00:00Video Game Character of the Month - January 2019 - Master Hand - Super Smash Bros.<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Video Game Character of the Month</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">January 2019</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Master Hand</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><u>Super Smash Bros.</u></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Overview:</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: black;">Ah yes, the personification of the creative spirit itself, Master Hand. The greatest being in all of the Super Smash Bros. Universe, nay, the entire universe. Beautiful, all-powerful and... *help*... the greatest *puppet-master* ever. No fighter will ever defeat Master Hand and he will grant himself all the Video Game Character of the Month Awards that he wants... *HE'S WRITING THIS, RU...!*</span></span><br />
And now for a little bit of information on Master Hand:<br />
Spoilers for Subspace Emissary and World of Light ahead:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Master Hand is the physical embodiment of the creative spirit<br />
He is a giant white glove<br />
His counterpart is Crazy Hand - the embodiment of the destructive spirit<br />
He shares the same voice actor as Crazy Hand and the announcer of each Super Smash Bros. game<br />
The English voice actors are Jeff Manning (SSB.), Dean Harrington (Melee), Pat Cashman (Brawl) and Xander Mobus (SSB.4 and Ultimate)<br />
His idle pose consists of him simply clenching his fist, although, due to the lack of time between attacks, this can only be seen in the original SSB. and in Melee/Brawl using the Master Hand glitch and boss control codes respectively or in SSB.4 when Crazy Hand attacks by himself<br />
Melee and Brawl are the only games in the series where Master Hand does not have his own theme song<br />
However, in Brawl his battle music is a slightly altered version of the Final Destination theme<br />
Master Hand is playable in Melee using a glitch and in Ultimate in World of Light mode<br />
In Melee, Brawl and SSB.4 Master Hand fights only in the right-hand corner of the stage (with Crazy Hand fighting in the left)<br />
In SSB. and Ultimate, he is free-roaming<br />
Ultimate is the first game where Master Hand can be stunned and incapacitated during battle<br />
Rather than being knocked off the screen, Master Hand is defeated when his HP is reduced to zero<br />
He is the final boss of Classic mode<br />
He as similar attacks to Wham Bam Rock from Kirby Super Star/Kirby Fun Pak<br />
He appears to control the fighters in the SSB. universe and may have brought their trophy/plush doll selves to life<br />
He was controlled by Tabuu during the Subspace Emissary as part of Tabuu's plan to control the various fighters of the SSB. universe<br />
He is not powerful enough to defeat Tabuu<br />
The meaning of his existence is unknown but he enjoys challenging chosen warriors who've claimed many victories<br />
He is right-handed<br />
He resides in Final Destination<br />
He experiences no knock-back from your fighters<br />
He toys with his enemies rather than using his full strength<br />
In SSB.4 he contains various creatures, namely Master Giant, Master Beast, Master Edges, Master Shadow, Master Fortress and Master Core<br />
In Ultimate's World of Light mode it is revealed that there are multiple Master Hands<br />
Master Hand has also appeared in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror as a mini boss<br />
He also appears in Kirby Squeak Squad, although he is made up of black particles similar to the Master Core<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Origin of Master Hand:</span></u><br />
In Universe - Not much is known about the origin of Master Hand. In the original Super Smash Bros. he places the plush dolls of two random characters on a table and carefully positions objects around them. Then he counts down from three on his fingers and snaps them. The objects are changed into a stage resembling Peach's Castle and the plush dolls come to life to fight. He can then be fought at the end of the 1-Player (Classic) Game, in which he has 300 hit points that must be depleted. Once this has been achieved he explodes while floating away into the background. After the final results screen, a cutscene plays which shows the player's character transformed back into a plush doll form and the sound of a closing door playing. Does this mean that the animated dolls fought back against the child playing with them? And that the child rage-quitted and turned them back to inanimate dolls?<br />
Out of Universe - While we don't know for certain what led to the creation of Master Hand, it has been theorised that he represents the creative hand of game director Masahiro Sakurai himself, and that Crazy Hand represents the want of Sakurai to stop making Smash Bros.. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evolution of Master Hand:</span></u><br />
In Melee, Master Hand reprises his role in Classic Mode, although he now only faces one direction and his HP and power change with the difficulty. In addition, he has now lost his out-of-fashion cuff, instead just fading to nothingness below the wrist. Furthermore, his left-handed partner, Crazy Hand has joined him. The pair can combine to perform powerful combination attacks. The duo also appear in Event 50: Final Destination Match as boss characters.<br />
In Brawl, Master Hand returns in Classic Mode yet again as well as having a role in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. He is the one giving orders to Ganondorf, Bowser and Wario, although it is later revealed that he was under the control of Tabuu. After Ganondorf is knocked back by Tabuu, Master Hand is freed as Ganondorf falls onto the chains of light binding him. Master Hand attempts to strike Tabuu but is beaten with little effort, collapsing onto the ground in defeat. What happens to Master Hand afterwards is never revealed.<br />
In Super Smash Bros. 4 he is once again the final boss of Classic Mode. He now shares a HP meter with Crazy Hand in intensities 3.1 or higher. In intensities 5.1 or higher, Master Hand rips open for Master Core to emerge for the final battle. Master Core can mutate into Master Giant, Master Beat, Master Edges, Master Shadow and Master Fortress. Furthermore, Master Hand now rules over his own mode, called 'Master Orders' where he orders the player to partake in various special games such as battles and Home-Run Contests to get rewards in exchange for tickets.<br />
Finally, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Master Hand returns as the final boss of several, but not all, characters' Classic Mode routes. He also appears in Adventure Mode: World of Light, where it is revealed that there are many Master Hands. These Master Hands are seen approaching the fighters alongside Galeem. They unravel to reveal glowing masses of energy which are unleashed by Galem to consume the fighters. Master Hand later obstructs the player's path several times in The Light Realm and must be fought before reaching Galeem. He can then be fought twice in The Final Battle Realm, after which he and Crazy Hand create a giant rift. The player can then temporarily control Master Hand to defeat 50 false characters.<br />
Master Hand appears in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror as a mini-boss. If Kirby inhales him, then he gains the Smash ability, which grants him some of his moveset from Melee (but altered slightly). Master Hand and Crazy Hand are also the bosses of the Candy Constellation stage. Finally, in Kirby Squeak Squad, an enemy that resembles Master Hand appears on some levels, but it is made up of black particles similar to Master Core.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Games:</span></u><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros.: released (Japan) on January 21, 1999/ (North America) on April 26, 1999/ (Europe) on November 19, 1999 on Nintendo 64/ (Japan) on January 20, 2009/ (PAL) on June 12, 2009/ (North America) on December 21, 2009 on Virtual Console</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. Melee: released (Japan) on November 21, 2001/ (North America) on December 3, 2001/ (Europe) on May 24, 2002/ (Australia) on May 31, 2002 on Nintendo GameCube</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. Brawl: released (Japan) on January 31, 2008/ (North America) on March 9, 2008/ (Australia) on June 26, 2008/ (Europe) on June 27, 2008 on Wii</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; line-height: 18px;">Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS: </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">released (Japan) on September 13, 2014/ (North America/Europe) on October 3, 2014/ (Australia) on October 4, 2014 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;">Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: released (North America) on November 21, 2014/(Europe) on November 28, 2014/(Australia) on November 29, 2014/(Japan) on December 6, 2014</span><br />
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: released (World Wide) on December 7, 2018 on Nintendo Switch<br />
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror: released (Japan) on April 15, 2004/(Europe) on July 2, 2004/(North America) on October 18, 2004/(Australia) in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance/(World Wide) on December 16, 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program/(Japan) on April 3, 2014/(North America/Europe) on April 10, 2014 on Wii U Virtual Console<br />
Kirby: Squeak Squad: released (Japan) on November 2, 2006/(North America) on December 4, 2006/(Australia) on March 1, 2007/(Europe) on June 22, 2007/(South Korea) on September 13, 2007 on Nintendo DS/(Europe) on June 25, 2015/(North America) on July 30, 2015/(Japan) on September 9, 2015 on Wii U Virtual Console<br />
<br />
That's all on Master Hand but, as usual, if I've missed anything or made a mistake, or you have a suggestion as to who should win the next Video Game Character of the Month, then please don't hesitate to comment!<br />
<br />
Goodbye for now, <b>Harry</b><br />
<b><br /></b> Sources:<br />
<a href="https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2018/09/video-game-character-of-month-september.html">https://gamesappsandreviews.blogspot.com/2018/09/video-game-character-of-month-september.html</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_%26_the_Amazing_Mirror">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_%26_the_Amazing_Mirror</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Crazy_Hand">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Crazy_Hand</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Core">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Core</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Special_Orders#Master_Orders">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Special_Orders#Master_Orders</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand_(SSB)">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand_(SSB)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand_(SSB4)">https://www.ssbwiki.com/Master_Hand_(SSB4)</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahiro_Sakurai">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahiro_Sakurai</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Ultimate">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Ultimate</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby:_Squeak_Squad">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby:_Squeak_Squad</a></div>
</div>
Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-18756829743133384342019-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:002019-01-01T00:00:02.726+00:00New Years Resolutions Version 6.0Ah, the end of the year, who would have thought you'd appear so soon? With life ramping up and changing its workload, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have read one of our posts this year. Hopefully, each one has been informative and entertaining - the old adage of quality over quantity should ring true this year. I honestly don't know what the future holds, but this blog should be there, in some capacity, for years to come.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Features for the coming year (subject to change):<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>More posts</li>
<li>A possible change in the blog setup</li>
<li>Anything else if we have sudden inspiration</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What you can do to help:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>More comments</li>
<li>More sharing</li>
<li>More interaction on social media</li>
<li>More ideas</li>
<li>Just keep reading!</li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">So all I have to say is thank you to everyone for making this hobby worthwhile and welcoming the content with open arms for nearly 6 years!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thanks for reading and I hope you have a brilliant 2018!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Satamer</span><b style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </b><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">and the rest of the team.</span></div>
</div>
Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-47649731684847513212018-12-24T11:00:00.000+00:002018-12-24T11:00:02.265+00:00First Impressions Super Smash Bros. UltimateA new challenger approaches! And it's... all of them? That's the first thing you'll notice about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - just how much content there is.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Actually, that's a lie. Because you start with a mere eight characters (the original roster from the first Super Smash Bros.) the game appears to be much smaller than it actually is. But while it stopped me from insta-locking my previous main (Mr Backslash himself for those wondering), it also forced me to play as characters that I wouldn't normally, as well as encouraging me to at least attempt each character. And don't worry, you'll soon unlock all the characters; I was unlocking one every three battles or so. This unlock system also had the effect of a 'one-more-game' mentality, as I wanted to know what new character was waiting around the corner.<br />
<br />
The next thing I noticed about SSB. Ultimate was how polished and well-made everything was. Each character feels complete and handles more or less uniquely. Of course Samus and Dark Samus are rather similar (but these use Ultimate's new character classification of Echo Characters which allow characters such as Daisy and Dark Samus to be in the game without Sakurai being accused of just cloning a previous character), but even these seem to differ enough (Dark Samus glides whereas Samus walks for example). With the Switch's HD Rumble each and every hit felt like it was connecting and a smash, especially when the game would zoom in on a finishing blow, felt like I was blasting through concrete. It's fantastic.<br />
<br />
As for the modes, I've so far attempted Smash Mode, Classic Mode and Mob Smash Mode as well as a quick battle on local wireless against Satamer. Smash Mode is your normal mode used for battling AI opponents (or players using other Joy-Cons) and gives you the option between having a 'timed' victory condition and a 'stock' victory condition (where you win by getting the most KOs in a set time or by dealing a pre-set number of KOs while surviving yourself, respectively). However, rather than just changing the rules after every match like we're used to, Nintendo now makes you set up your ruleset before the game. And while I'm sure this will be quicker and more efficient in the long run, it is slightly annoying when I just want to change one detail and have to type in another name for the ruleset.<br />
<br />
Classic Mode is what remains from the fighting game genre's arcade heritage and this one is a doozy. Gone are the repeated battles from Brawl, and the multiple paths/tournament versions from Fo(u)r, to be replaced by bespoke journeys for each character, relating in some way to the character's story or referencing an aspect of their games. For example, when playing as Link, you have to battle the various villain characters in Smash Bros. before finishing off with a fight against Ganon (Ganondorf's Final Smash). There are also other boss characters such as Marx from Kirby Super Star and Galleom Super Smash Bros. Brawl. These make for a much more exciting and climactic endings than just Crazy Hand and Master Hand (although they're still here don't worry). It also makes me much more excited for the World of Light Adventure Mode, especially as an old fan of Subspace Emissary,<br />
<br />
Mob Mode returns, although there seems to only be 100-Man Smash (renamed to Century Smash), All-Star Smash (where the Mii Fighters are replaced by every playable character) and Cruel Smash (a masochistic display of AI cheating). I'm not sure if 10-Man Smash and the timed Smashes have returned but I seriously hope so. This is the same with Sandbag Mode (where you have to hit a Sandbag as far as possible) and Target-Smash Mode (where you have to hit as many of the targets in a stage as possible) which also seem to be missing. I know that these modes are really just for the 'party' aspect of the franchise, and not particularly fitting of the uber-serious fighting game some people want it to be, but I'll miss them if they're gone.<br />
<br />
Finally, I had a go at local multiplayer with Satamer. The first battle was Inkling (me) vs Link (Satamer) where I was victorious (throwing ink bombs as Inkling and managing to juggle the enemy across the stage is great fun and very effective by the way). The rematch was Inkling (me) vs Zelda (Satamer) where I still can't believe that I lost. To be honest I think I got cocky and a well-timed smash attack from Satamer caught me when he was on about 140% and I was under 100%. The final match was Inciniroar (me) vs Falcon (Satamer) where I learnt the true meaning of no recovery. That's not to say that I don't like Inciniroar - clothes-lining an opponent is ridiculously satisfying, after all - but I'd need some more practice with him to consistently survive.<br />
<br />
Since starting this First Impressions I've also had a quick look at Spirits Mode and I'm definitely intrigued. The Spirit Board part involves you having to win a Smash battle with certain conditions in order to win a Spirit and appears both enjoyable and challenging (and the constantly changing board encourages you to return often). And, as anyone who knows me will know, I'm a sucker for any mode that allows me to collect and level up characters (hence my small Pokémon and Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes addictions) so I'm a great fan of that. I do miss the trophies though but I understand the need for their removal if we wanted Ultimate released anytime before 2022 (and if we wanted Sakurai to survive past 2022 as well).<br />
<br />
I haven't even touched World of Light Adventure Mode and there are lots of Smash modes that I've not attempted either (including online due to my lack of a Nintendo Online pass). I'm particularly looking forward to Tourney Mode, however, which looks very interesting. Of course, the ultimate test of Smash Bros is battling lots of people in a competition or a party, the latter of which I shall be endeavouring to organise as soon as possible. For the former I shall have to wait until my return to University and my gaming society's fortnightly Smash Bros. tournaments. These tournaments, and the fact that my Switch's R button isn't broken like my 3DS's, have finally encouraged me to attempt to learn to play properly (with shielding and dodging and everything - no I've never learnt before, I just depend on characters' counter attacks etc. And gotten pretty good at that, if I may say so).<br />
<br />
Overall, I'm definitely pleased with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, even if the Ultimate title mainly seems to apply to the main fighting part of the game, rather than the party aspects. Also, a personal request: if we can get Piranha Plant and Persona 5's Joker as fighters, please can we get Kingdom Hearts' Sora? It'd probably add 5% to my personal review score (even if it doesn't to our, very professional, review score).<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've spent way too long writing this, time that could have been much better spent having just one more round on Smash Bros.. So...<br />
<br />
Goodbye for now, <b>Harry </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And I'll see you on the battleground!<br />
<br />
P.S. Definitely a good last minute Christmas present for any gamer with a Nintendo Switch!Harry Penwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869317097361801158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139135079638845630.post-51172935487025871512018-12-19T18:00:00.000+00:002018-12-19T18:00:05.533+00:00Review No. 145 Mr Shifty - PC (12+)Strong Points:<br />
Great art style<br />
Tongue-in-cheek humour without resorting to vulgarity<br />
Teleport (Shifting) technique<br />
One hit deaths add suspense...<br />
Can pull off great moves<br />
A large array of items at your disposal<br />
Slow-Mo<br />
Shift Meter adds risk and reward<br />
A short, easily digestible game...<br />
Satisfying combat<br />
<br />
Weak Points:<br />
...But can also lead to frustration<br />
A few oddly placed checkpoints<br />
Removing the ability to teleport to make the game artificially harder<br />
...Which still suffers pacing problems<br />
A tower block doesn't make for the most interesting environments<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GXqQPQga68k/XBqDwt-uLDI/AAAAAAAACKs/cD_CSlysjKczEThN_bri0IALSNhFaO8JwCLcBGAs/s1600/Mr%2BShifty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GXqQPQga68k/XBqDwt-uLDI/AAAAAAAACKs/cD_CSlysjKczEThN_bri0IALSNhFaO8JwCLcBGAs/s320/Mr%2BShifty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In-depth Review:<br />
<br />
Release Dates:<br />
World Wide: April 13th, 2017<br />
<br />
Controls:<br />
Can configure in game<br />
<br />
Mr Shifty is a top-down beat-em-up, in a similar vein to Hotline Miami. And by that, I mean, it's hard and it's crazy. Enemies fill the screen, projectiles appear from everywhere and the one-hit deaths sometimes cause more frustration than they're worth. However, when this game works, it's really quite fun.<br />
<br />
The main USP of Mr Shifty is the appropriately named Shift mechanic. Basically teleportation, you can press the RMB (or whatever you have configured) to zip around the room, through or around walls and enemies and dodge projectiles. As long as you have some Shift Meter the enemies are at your mercy. There's even a nice risk and reward system whereby if you use all your Shift Meter then it takes a while to recharge leaving you exposed.<br />
<br />
If you have a nice risk and reward system already in place, then why tamper with it? Or even worse, remove it completely? But that's exactly what Mr Shifty does, when, about halfway through the game, your powers are blocked by machines. You suddenly become the hunted and have to take each level slowly, hurting the pace of the game. While it's nice to slow down once in a while, it doesn't particularly make sense when the game is all about fast-paced action/<br />
<br />
Combat in this game is kinetic, fluid and any other adjective you'd like to use to describe great punching and throwing. Moves connect to enemies and you feel every hit as enemies and projectiles alike are thrown across the room. One of my favourite hobbies in the game is sending enemies careening through the glass surrounding some of the floors - it's just instant feedback that you're doing well. It's a shame then, that some areas later in the game slow down the flow by making themselves difficult to destroy while you are also preoccupied with whatever else is in the room. Guerrilla tactics suddenly don't work as well, and it becomes slightly less in the moment and slightly more tedious.<br />
<br />
The enemies are nothing special but have enough variety to keep things interesting. Ranging from rifleman to teleporting ninjas and everything in between, the different enemies means you will constantly be changing your fighting style and target, as leaving some types of enemies unchecked for long will spell your doom. I'd recommend becoming acquainted with the various weapons in the game as these can drastically turn a battle in your favour, as long as you hit the correct people.<br />
<br />
The story of Mr Shifty is basically a collection of tropes which are then yelled at you. Silent protagonist? Check. All powerful radio woman? Check. Boss of an evil corporation threatening to blow everything up with a nuclear bomb and who also happens to be extremely strong? Double check. Personally, I liked that the game didn't take itself too seriously and instead just had fun with the storyline and how many puns they could come up with. We don't need morality questions in every game I guess.<br />
<br />
Finally, a quick mention of the art style and general visual flair. A cross between cel-shaded and neon, Mr Shifty's graphics are pleasing to look at and the environments are detailed enough to keep some of the repetitiveness of the missions out. By constricting to just a tower block they did limit the variety of design available to the levels but by the time you've shifted around, defeating enemies and throwing projectiles, you tend not to care too much about it being another office room.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: overall, I enjoyed my time with Mr Shifty. For nearly every time you slam the keyboard down in frustration after dying to the last enemy in a 4-wave room, there's another moment which makes you feel amazing - timing the Shift just right, using Zeus's Lightning Bolt to send an enemy careening over the edge etc. If more of the game was like the latter, we'd have a real winner on our hands.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 78%</b></span><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, <b>Satamer</b>.<br />
<br />Satamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18053240472515456386noreply@blogger.com0