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rigelmejo · 2 years

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Language Updates! May 25, 2022

My health is still being mean but hopefully it'll turn. As expected, I'm not studying much.

But I did get the urge to study again. So I did. And it went in an odd direction (for me) so I feel like documenting it.

First the Japanese stuff - I got into playing Final Fantasy 7 again, and video games always remind me how much I want to learn Japanese, so the urge to study kicked in gear lol. As of now I'm not doing anything big, I'm too tired lately for big goals. I am playing Yakuza 0 now and having fun picking up the words I do know. And learning some words, mainly though just refreshing my memory on things I already knew like 少し,あるんだ, zenbun matte etc. Some sentences I fully understand! Most I know a couple words, some I only hear omae lol. As one would expect.

I'm also listening to Glossika Japanese again (as review so the old files I've heard already). So not much listening, at the beginning again lol, but everything is coming back fast. So that's good.

I also bought Koisenu Futari today and started reading it on Kindle. It's like 249 pages and my reading speed says I'll finish in 8 hours, which honestly is amazing to me since usually I read too slow to Ever finish a novel ToT in a foreign language (unless it's french). I read 7 pages and it's clear to me on some level I remember the grammar i learned i jusr don't explicitly remember it if it makes sense. Like I know what's a noun or verb or how the verbs conjugation affects meaning but I'm not able to say exactly whats going on. Basically it's readable, thankfully, cause my brain still remembers how to interpret the grammar. I still credit forcing myself to do 600 Clozemaster Japanese sentences last summer for all the grammar comprehension improvements tbh, it really truly helped me get used to real world sentences and the variety in them (versus textbook sentences). Anyway so far its nice! It's to my happiness an easier read (difficulty wise) with a lot of Kanji I know so I also can kind of cheat and guess the meaning on a lot (I'm mainly looking up Kanji pronunciations/confirmations of definition and hiragana words). But I will say :c kindles Japanese to English dictionary sucks So I'm glad i recognize the Kanji a bit.

Basically, I'm back into Japanese a bit. I also found some audio dramas with eng subs I'd like to listen to that I was going to months ago, maybe yest Listening Reading Method with. But tbh my attention span is short and I don't think I can focus for 1.5 hours to get through them (though Nier Replicant Audio drama AND mdzs Japanese audio drama are on youtube which are both very cool and i do eventually wanna get to ToT)

Now for the out of character portion. So ive been watching kdramas. Live Up to Your Name, Mr Sunshine, Tomorrow, My Country the New Age, etc. As you do. And it turns out... when I listen to something long enough I really want to learn something. So I looked into learning Korean a bit.

I want to preface with!!! If YOU are brand new to learning Korean, like comprehensible input/nature method learning methods, I highly recommend going to Learn Korean in Korean YouTube channel and just Devouring all the videos made by that guy. THAT is a well made course where you can genuinely learn through comprehensible input for the basics and some surface conversational stuff (possibly more). I watched 1 of his videos once knowing zero Hangul and not caring if i learned and learned how to introduce myself. His videos are GOOD.

That said... mejo is a messy person who doesn't follow their own advice, and despite me KNOWING I love that specific learning material... I'm not using it. Why? Because watching YouTube videos requires consistent focus and i just cannot reliably focus on something for several minutes right now. I can't do long periods of focused study at the moment. Even though I know if I binged his channel I'd learn a lot.

So what is mejos plan to learn korean?

Well studying Hangul is step 1, which I've done before and have done the past few days again. Now I'm practicing just kind of seeing it in practice (like in textbooks etc) to get used to properly reading it and remembering. As my motivations for wanting to learn korean are Extremely Shallow right now - I'd just like to know some lines in kdramas when I watch, maybe absolute MOST I'd like to have a convo in korean like hi how are you do you draw (and in a world I'll never live in... enough to read Korean guardian translation but let's be real its not gonna happen.. probably). I have no intense need to learn to read Hangul. I'm gonna pick it up anyway, since it's everywhere and reading it is ultimately critical. But books with romanization are my friends right now so I can compare romanization to the Hangul to test my reading of the Hangul, and to learn words with an approximate pronunciation instead of absolutely no idea if i picked a moderately close pronunciation up (if theres only Hangul and I read a,syllable wrong I'm gonna learn words wrong lol).

So I found Teach Yourself Korean (or some equivalent type book) on archive.org for free. And am reading it. It covers Hangul, and then simple surface level conversations like your typical beginner textbook (hi, how are you, my name is, i work at, I study, I want to eat x etc). It works fine for some Hangul reading practice and getting a chance to look at sentence structure. Realistically I know korean is SOV and a really Great help would be a textbook that does literal word by word translations cause my brain likes seeing that but I'm not putting tons of time into this. (Also sadly? I KNOW there's a cool korean textbook out there whixh starts with english but in korean sentence structure then adds more korean words, like comprehensible input for korean but also intuitive grammar instruction. And i DONT know the name so I canr find it ;-; if you know the name of the textbook I'm mentioning please message me).

For words, i was going to just be brutal to myself and hop right into Clozemaster Korean. That was utterly impossible lol! With very poor Hangul reading skills you are screwed in clozemaster, there's no romanization to help you sound anything out. Also you don't hear audio until after you answer, also the diffetent grammar structure is not explained even minimally in Clozemaster. So I have realized. Yes, yes you really do need to be upper beginner or above to use Clozemaster reasonably comfortably. Unless you're learning a language with similar grammar and a similar alphabet like French or Spanish then maybe you could jump right in as a complete novice if you were up for the challenge (I can read some Spanish, I could probably push through clozemaster Spanish to study and learn more vocab even though it would be brutal). I realized clozemaster is just NOT helpful as a complete beginner in korean with zero grammar knowledge. Now normally, I'd dive right in and spend 1 week to 1 month reading a grammar guide summary of the language so I have a vague idea of what I'm looking at verb noun adjective subject object particle wise etc at all times. But as I mentioned, im exhausted lately, i cant do intensive focused reading for hours which a grammar guide would require of me. Also... to be honest, I find it an interesting experiment to go into a language totally unprepared. I was prepared for all the other languages I studied to some (minimal) degree since i studied literally all of them as a teen at least a little (japanese, Spanish, French, German, mandarin). While it's not much, it does mean if there were ever 6 months of struggling with sound or writing system or what the heck does a verb look like in z language, i got a little practice prior to diving in more as an adult.

So. What to do. Well I know for me, comparing sentence structure truly helps me grasp grammar the best. It's why clozemasrer Japanese helped me SO much with grammar, it's why one of my fave japanese textbooks is Japanese Sentence Patterns, it's why Spoonfed Chinese anki deck ans audio files help me so much. Seeing and hearing a sentence in both languages helps me figure out where words go in each, how they conjugate, what phrases are different completely etc. Unfortunately anki and memrise sentence decks in korean would make me exhausted, as i can't do the hours long intensive focus I need for flashcards personally at the moment. Clozemaster has a radio mode (to help make it easier on me) but clozemaster sentences start TOO hard compared to educational made sentences which tend to start artificially simple but help clarify the sentence structures before adding complexity gradually. Well i was like... glossika Korean might work. Turns out I'd downloaded the old glossika korean audio files a year ago so I put them in a place I could listen to. And that's going to be my primary setup for study probably. I doubt I'm going to pick up much, certainly not at the slow rate I've got to study right now. But if I DO learn anything then I'm putting in a good word for comparative 2 language audio flashcard type study materials. They worked EXCELLENTLY for me for chinese listening comprehension, increasing vocabulary, grammar patterns, but i used them as an upper beginner who could read some stuff already. Korean would be my first time trying to use glossika with a language I can't already read some things in (aka comprehend basic stuff to a decent level when reading already). We will see if i pick up much. But I can already tell it's easier for me to figure out new words than clozemaster korean, so glossika is easier for a beginner to use for sure. (Personally I do Not recommend modern glossikas subscription model I hate the flashcards but tbh i canr do flashcards often, I prefer the old glossika audio lessons they used to make so that's what I use whenever i say glossika).

So yeah, my plan for korean right now is: glossika korean audio files (dual language audio of sentences starting simple then progressing), and Teach Yourself Korean book read through. Maybe some other stuff, but this is easiest.

A side note: I am sad to report the FSI korean course audio files on archive.org are Only korean. I say thus because FsiS chinese course audios read the English aloud, then rhe chinese, then the drill directions then the drill answers. So you can basically do the entire course entirely through audio (which is great if visuals are an issue for you, or so it can be done without needing to look if say you're walking or working, and the book is mainly pinyin so it's not a huge loss to just use the audio files). So I was expecting the korean FSI course audio to also have all that - which would have made it serve the "simple sentences with dual audio to compare and pick up words and grammar" function. But there's no English in the audio, so i found the korean glossika audios instead. (In a pinch FSI courses are yes dry, but very good introductions to several languages. I like their tone drills a lot for chinese.)

Another side note: sad to report that unlike Japanese and Chinese I am not aware of the really cool niche textbooks yet. Like in Japanese, I have textbooks specifically suited to me - ones that focus on sentence patterns, 2 that teach through reading and progressive difficulty, Kanji mnemonic books. Same for chinese - I have an old grammar book that writes a way I understand, 3 comprehensible input massive graded readers that increase in difficulty, some more graded readers by difficulty, a 500 most common hanzi book with a bunch of words that use them underneath, parallel texts, a wonderful hanzi mnemonics book, a wonderful chinese intro book that covers 1000 words (which isn't ideal but i appreciate the author and irs better than one textbook I found which only teaches 200 words total yikes). I learn well with comprehensible input books like graded readers/stuff that makes you learn by trying to understand, and with comparisons of sentence structure with a LOT of common words so I pick them up. Like I mentioned above... I know a korean textbook exists that writes the English in korean word order then gradually adds in more korean words too, I am very interested in finding it if anyone knows the name or has heard of it before.

#rant #may #may progress #progress #may goals #goals #korean #korean study plan #study plan #WOW YEAH im learning a little korean #not much but i would like to recognize a bit more than i do now which is like nothing #except the greeting and thank you

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worddoodles · 3 years

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#doodlings #words #worddoodles #stuff #writing

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yourdanganronpaneedshere · 6 years

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Could do a thing where fuyu,hajime,nagito,and hanamura meet a childhood crush and the boys wanting to rekindle a romance with them?

This is just adorable! I’m on it! Took alot of time though ( /0 w 0)/

Fuyuhiko,Hajime,Nagito and Teruteru meeting their childhood crush!

Hajime Hinata

When you and Hajime split up into your own paths when you guys were younger really did break his little child self’s heart

He never got a chance to confess his true feelings to you, well he was much to nervous to even lash out his love towards you

Once he had grown older he started thinking about you all the time, about all the great moments you two have had

But those moments were never going to come back at least that what he had thought

A new neighbor was moving and Hajime wanted to make a good first impression since that’s what he always tries to do whenever he meets someone new

But you were one certain person that made him REALLY nervous

He walked over to the neighbors house and rang the doorbell, after a few minutes Hajime began to feel that nobody is home and just about when he was gonna leave he heard the door fling open

He was a little bit caught off surprise over how the door was opened. And Hajime began to introduce himself

“Uh hi! I’m Hajime Hinata and I’m your new neighbor! Nice you meet you” you looked into his face and see how nervous he was and began to introduce yourself

“I’m y/n! It’s nice to meet you to!” Your name quickly got Hajime off guard and he asked a question to really confirm if it was you “is it y/n l/n?” You nodded your head

“Yeah that’s me! And you must be that guy Hajime from my childhood!” He quickly blushed a little after hearing your words, you looked so different and so much cuter

He didn’t say that out loud though in fear of the moment getting really awkward

Hajime was overjoyed to see you after all these years, he never showed physical affection like a tight hug or anything like that

After the little reunion you and Hajime talked a bit of the funniest and most embarrassing things you two did as a kid and oh boy was he in a blushing mess

Soon enough Hajime started doing a little bit of physical affection like holding your hand or giving you warm hugs every now and then and to you it meant he had a little crush on you

After a long time of you two staying as close friends Hajime built up the courage to confess his love to you he never did it earlier because of the fear of being friend zoned or completely rejected

It took a lot of stuttering and long pauses for him to say the full thing but it was adorable seeing his attempt and you happily accepted his confession while giving him a tight and warm hug.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

You and Fuyuhiko surprisingly got along really well as children, though harmless insults like “dummy” or “idiot” flew out of his little kid self quite often you still cared about him nonetheless

Of course nothing lasts forever and you two were forced into your own paths and your friendship died down

Your parents thought it was dangerous to hang out with a yakuza so you weren’t allowed to play with him anymore

Not that he wanted that to happen since he had developed romantic feelings during that period

He saw you in a bakery Fuyuhiko only went there to go get some fried dough cookies since he didn’t have any in awhile

Something caught his eye, and it was a good thing it looked like you but all grown up he didn’t think it was actually you though.

A little blush appeared on his face he thought that he had feelings for you so why was he even blushing?

Your name was written on the bag and as you were walking away from the cashier Fuyuhiko got a good look at your bag, it was your first name

Fuyuhiko built up the confidence to go up and speak to you, if it wasn’t actually his childhood sweetheart he’d leave the bakery in complete embarrassment

So he walked up to you, while also taking quick pauses to recap his thoughts “is that really y/n? She looks so f**king different”

He tapped on your shoulder and you turned around a bit confused for the sudden interruption

“A - are you y/n l/n?” he seemed to be blushing which made you ever so slightly curious why

His face looked so familiar to a childhood friend you had long ago

“Uh yeah I am! Why ask?” Fuyuhiko almost froze. It was really his crush

Though he did think that you’ll most likely not remember him “I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu” that name made you light up and gave him a hug. Which never helped get rid of his blush

You let go of him to end and the hug and you two walked out of the bakery while talking about the great times you both used to have

But Fuyuhiko still wanted your relationship to be alot more then what is just given now

Over time Fuyuhiko built up alot of courage after talking to you often and he thought that he could maybe have a chance

It was sunset and Fuyuhiko confessed when nobody else was around to avoid embarrassment of course the confession couldn’t be complete without one or two curses coming out of his mouth

You happily accepted by giving a small kiss on his cheek, enough to make him go in a blushing mess.

Nagito Komaeda

You were the only one who Nagito hung out with as a kid, you always played with his dog together and did various other things people that age would normally do

His bad luck eventually struck and you two were separated and all little Nagito could do was blame himself. Falling into an endless void of despair

He really wished that you knew how much you meant to him

While he was growing up he always wondered the real reason why you left reasons like

“y/n probably got sick of my trashy existence that’s why she left, I just wish I could die of self loathing”

Of course none of that was any close to the truth but he continued to blame himself anyways.

Nagito always thought about how you were doing and your living a much more sparkling life without him.

The luck cycle he was trapped in never made his life any better, the tragic events he was forced to go through damaged his self esteem more then anything

Though his good luck struck again and that was seeing you after so long

You were just sitting by the bench at the park lost in your own world and would only find your way back when someone snapped you out of it. Nagito recognized you and he was a little surprised

He really thought that it was you right there nobody could look that similar to another only if they were twins and that’s what floated in his head

He sat beside you and for some reason that snapped you out of it because of the sudden movement you felt. You looked at each side and then you locked your eyes with Nagito

You instantly thought that it was your childhood friend from years back, Nagito seemed to have noticed you expression and started to talk a little

“Sorry for the interruption but are you y/n l/n? You don’t have to answer and I apologize for that lame interruption”

His choice of words matched perfectly from what he used to always say back in childhood so that was enough to put the pieces together.

“Yeah I am, you must be Nagito then right?” After letting him hear those words Nagito first had a surprised expression and then it morphed into a more calm happy one

After the small introductions Nagito began to talk a little about what recently happened in his life and how his luck cycle was responsible for it

The conversation was pretty long since there was so much that had happened in your lives, and Nagito built up a little bit of confidence to hold your hand.

The sudden movement gave a little shock but you enjoyed the courage he had, and the feeling felt nice so you held onto his hand too

You were pretty surprised that he never made any comment on the gesture that he did

Teruteru Hanamura

Even at a young age Teruteru loved talking about cooking and how he wanted to be a top quality chef when he’s older, you always encouraged him to do so and that you’ll eat anything he gives you

You know? What little kids would say when they want to encourage somebody. Somehow Teruteru developed a crush on you but never lashed out his feelings

But nothing lasts forever and you guys were separated for a long long time. Teruteru always thought about your encouraging words and how much enjoyment you two used to always have.

You Teruteru had your reunion in a place nobody else would really expect in the groceries store ik this is random but trust me

He pretty much made a trip over there to prepare for his newest dish and realized that he didn’t have the ingredients

You were pretty much there to go pick up something that you wanted/needed and you saw someone who was really small and had a chefs hat

So many thoughts were going through your head if he was really the one person from your childhood, you kinda waited for him to notice you instead

When Teruteru was finished in one aisle he turned over to your side to go get the remaining ingredients but instead his eyes was greeted by you

He pretty much stood there trying to get things sorted out was it really you?

You gave a little wave and smile to him and that was just enough to make a little tint of red appear on his face

Deep down he knew it was you but way too nervous to say something “h - hey y/n!” Frightened that he might’ve gotten the wrong person he started sweating and fidgeted with his fingers

“Hey Teruteru”

He stopped it was really you! He was ecstatic to see you but didn’t show it too much

You looked so different and he really loved it and immediately started having fantasies but eventually snapped out of those thoughts after you shook his shoulders

After Teruteru got all the ingredients he asked if you’d like to come over to have dinner and you enthusiastically agreed to his offer

When he got back, Teruteru tried making the dish perfect and up to your expectations

You finally made your grand entrance and Teruteru was really enthusiastic to talk about everything that had recently been happening in his life and also listened to what you had to say

As expected from the ultimate chef the food was appetizing and you enjoyed it to the fullest which made him overjoyed.

Though he still really wanted to be something much more then friends

Mod Kaede~

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breziarchive · 7 years

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a punch a day keeps the yakuza away

i ain’t got time to proofread shit this is majimakoto fic one of eight billion that i finally actually finished

post-0 or whatever, rated pg, pg-13? fuck it! it’s fluffy but it involves cutscene typical violence. the kind of cutscenes that, i don’t know, don’t destroy you viscerally maybe? it’s 4am.

extreme disclaimer that the title is a misnomer.

~~~~

Makoto let out a small hum of relief, relaxing her shoulders as she found the crowds dispersed as she made her way to her subway platform. The rainy season was just letting up, and since people were seeing the sun for the first time in well over a month they were taking every opportunity to walk or bike their way around the city. Granted, she was going home early. Work was slow enough that she could leave it in the hands of her assistant, and at his behest she took a half-day. It was the calm before the storm, after all. Good weather meant more strain and injuries from more outdoor activities—soon her cozy little clinic would be overrun with groaning sportsmen and older individuals under the presumption that they were still in their youth for the summer.

But for now, she could take a half-day. Go home. Enjoy the weather and the relative silence of the subways on her way there. Her eyes were mostly healed but colorful city crowds, coupled with the noise, tended to overstimulate her to headaches if she remained in them for too long. It had been long enough that she resigned herself to the idea that she'd always have this problem. At least it was more of a nuisance than a curse.

Her spine coiled up, thrusting her shoulders up and her chest out as she heard whooping calls and hollers from the cavity of her subway platform. It sounded vulgar and low-life. It sounded like yakuza. She felt her muscles become iron piano wires in danger of damage due to hyper-tension as the first elbow of a flashy suit came into her vision. A group of about six or so men, ranging from just below her in age to perhaps several years above, were rough-housing on the platform, near enough that their shoes more than once stepped onto the yellow strip meant to caution people away from the tracks.

Makoto quickly swept her eyes around the platform. Only a ragged elderly man snoozed on a bench facing the opposite of the yakuza and where her train would be arriving—and from the looks of it, he had been there for a while and probably missed his train twice over. Essentially, it was just her and the yakuza. She inhaled a steely breath and readjusted the position of her jaw.

She had survived much worse situations.

The yakuza seemed too preoccupied with their brand of horseplay to pay her much heed as she stood for her train, far away from them. Ducking her chin, she pulled out a novel from her purse and slipped the bookmark between her fingers as she pretended to read. Her eyes skimmed the pages, minimal information was given, she flipped the page, she continued to listen to the pack next to her. Several of them had loud voices, but one seemed more grating than the rest. Her ear seemed particularly tuned to it, and each word he said made claws rake down her skin. It was like he was unhinged, unpredictable—mad. Even if the cadence to his words were jovial and over-the-top even for Kansai, there was something immeasurably off about the screech to his voice.

With no warning the soothing but loud chime in her wristwatch went off. Makoto tried not to jerk so hard in surprise. Usually it went off to remind her to break for lunch or she'd forget, but with her taking a half-day, it decided to serenade proudly to everyone on the platform. Her, the still-sleeping man on the bench, and the pack of yakuza to her left. Resisting the urge to clamp a hand over her wrist, she clenched her jaw and pretended not to notice the chime, pulling the book closer to her nose as if she'd look more convincingly engrossed. To her dismay, as the chime continued the yakuza's ruckus simmered down to harsh, assumedly lewd whispers as they were finally forced to turn their attention to her.

Before the chime had even died out she saw the pack begin to move in her peripherals, spreading around her until the only escape was the track, and even that was blocked off by a battering ram of a young man.

“Hey, sis,” one of them addressed her, and she wished she could've pretended to ignore it but the anxiety drove a spike into her neck, striking the piano wires rigid and forcing her to look up from her book with a stony gaze, “That's a cute li'l song. Won'tcha play it again?”

The yakuza talking to her had a flashy blue pinstripe suit, topped with a coral tie that had some sort of stain at the tip. Makoto narrowed her gaze and her voice was polite but strained.

“It plays at specific times of the day.”

“What, time fer you to get onna train? Don't they have schedules for that?”

“Oi, where y'off to anyways?” the one to her side prodded, “'Specially on a day like this? Yer too pretty to be hoppin' trains when it's sunny-shine out.” He looked to be one of the older ones, with a brain so knocked about that one corner of his lip seemed permanently limp.

“I'm avoiding the crowds,” Makoto answered, flicking her gaze between the encroaching wolves, “Crowds like this one.”

“Hey, don't it take like, fifty people to make a crowd?” one piped up. His suit was far less flashy, and she got the impression it was because he did a lot of rolling in the dirt.

“No, you idiot, two's company, three's a crowd, it's basic math—but we all know you failed math,” another snapped. Technically, the style of his suit was the sharpest out of all of them there, but the colors and the composition of the patterns clashed so harshly he might as well have been colorblind or fashionably lacking in areas that weren't proper grammar and tailoring.

“That applies to relationships, not law-abidin' cityfolk, bozo-brains,” another half-sharp reply, from a freshly-made adult with short, fat lips and slick hair.

Makoto grunted. Inane though it may have been, the banter was only serving to twist the wires tighter.

“Hey, what's got ye all scared?” the latest yakuza turned to her, “I just said we're law-abidin' cityfolk, what y'got to be afraid of?”

“Plenty,” Makoto growled despite herself, “Please leave me alone.”

“No need to get so cold, sis,” the first one said, “There's plenty o' places to go fer a lady like you, but we're waitin' on a train, here. We already mentioned the sunny-shine,”

“If you're waiting, then please wait somewhere else. There's a whole platform, and I'd like to be alone, please.” she reiterated, clutching her novel so hard the pages bent. The slick-haired one stepped forward and grabbed at her book, forcing her attention as his voice oozed poisoned honey.

“Hey, but it's dangerous for a lady to be alone,” he said, “We could protect ya, easy!”

“For sure!” The dirt-roller nodded, “All's it takes is a small fee or two!”

“We could start at, hmm,” the grammar-brain said, obviously cunning enough to be the brains behind this, “30,000 yen an hour. How does that sound?”

“Each,” Blue-suit pitched in, “Otherwise we'd be splittin' it so much we couldn't afford no ramen to beef our muscles for ya.”

“I don't need protection!” Makoto yelped, curling herself away from the yakuza, relinquishing her novel to the slick-haired one to do so. Baring her teeth though it wouldn't do any good, the whites of her eyes showed as more than half of them began to chuckle.

“Shure ya do!” Limp-lip proclaimed as Dirt-roller moved forward, “Or we're gonna show ya why ya needs it!”

Makoto's breath felt cold as the wolves closed in. Closing her hands into fists, her mind raced as every lesson and memory raced through her head. It was too late to wish for something different. Her nails bit into the flesh of her palm as she tried to keep each yakuza in her sight. The old man on the bench was still asleep, and suddenly she got a pang of fear that they had murdered him quietly before she got there. Brain firing all cylinders in panic, she felt her heart race the likes of which it hadn't since she was last in a life-or-death situation.

A harsh, crazed peal of laughter sliced through the tension and all the yakuza flinched and righted themselves, half out of fear, some out of embarrassment it seemed. All bowed (or cowered?) and moved out of the way in respect as a tall, wiry man stepped forward. Silver-tipped boots clacking on the concrete platform with each stride, the alpha yakuza barely seemed to notice the sea he was parting. Arms, long and lanky, were casually slung over a well-loved, well-beaten bat that had scuffs and stains that could not have possibly come from baseball. His clothes clashed with everything decent in the world—a harsh, snake-skin jacket that moved freely about his bare chest while his leather pants clung a little too tellingly along his legs. A gold chain graced his collar beneath a neatly-trimmed beard pulled sideways in a lopsided smirk that hung on a dangerous pause. Most significantly, though, was the patch covering his left eye. Makoto froze in recognition, wide-eyed stare moving from the patch to meet his remaining eye. Once, several years ago, that eye had gazed at her with such sadness she was almost sure he knew her better than anyone had any right to. Now it was almost condescending, looking down on her from a throne. She blinked. Long ago he had saved her from a similar situation, but here he was at the helm of the wolves. Maybe he didn't recognize her, but either way she was ready to sneer back and bite at that throne, for this was the yakuza with the unhinged voice. All the other ones were lackeys, but her heart knew true danger when she saw it.

He opened his mouth to speak, and the remaining cloud of smoke from the cigarette he had been nursing while his lackeys tormented her escaped, making him look like a demon, “Ain't you boys been listenin'? The Miss says she don't need yer protection.”

Malicious laughter rippled through the yakuza, making Snakeskin's eye gleam. Something was off about it, like everything else that was off about him. Off-beat, out-of-tune with his pack—and somehow he seemed aware of this.

Tipping his feet upwards and bending forward so that most of his weight was on his heels as he lowered his face to be more in-line with hers, bat still set parallel to his shoulders, he hummed with a smile, looking her up and down. Scrutinizing without changing his expression, he continued, “Hmm, yup, I'd say protection is the last thing the Miss needs,”

More laughter, but some of it slowed—particularly from Limp-lip, whose eyes started to widen as he took an extra step back. Some of the other ones that seemed to hold more experience were catching on to something not quite being on the same beat as them, and they started glancing at each other nervously. Makoto's heart raced, but she didn't dare take her eyes off of Snakeskin. If the other yakuza were unsure of what was going to happen next, then she should be even more afraid. She should run. Bolt. Go back upside and throw the half-day in the trash and go back to work. Despite her inner thoughts she willed herself now to cower and kept her back straight and her expression firm as it was unwavering. Snakeskin craned his neck closer, tipping it at an angle as he continued to hum study her. A grin split his face like it was elastic and she wrinkled her nose at his narrow, discolored teeth.

“S'nice melody though, really. Does it warn ya of danger?” he split his cadence as if it was in time to the watch's melody, but his memory was poor and his notes even moreso. Makoto brought her wrist up with the watch in question and grasped it protectively.

“It warns me that I need lunch.”

A peal of laughter from Snakeskin, but the other yakuza didn't know what to do or say, suddenly transfixed in worry at the scene unfolding before them.

“Oh! A big mouth! A big, big, biiig mouth!” Snakeskin celebrated, “Where'd ya learn to have a mouth that big, Missy?”

Makoto couldn't help her voice becoming dark and hateful, “Running into people like you.”

“Oho!” The white of Snakeskin's eye showed around his iris as he laughed from his stomach, whooping until the singular oho's became a string of them, echoing in the empty platform. Some of the yakuza began to laugh again, though whether because they were nervous or eased it was hard to say. Makoto narrowed her eyes. His harsh laughter pierced her ears, painful and infuriating. He was laughing at her, like she was some cute innocent dolly out of place in the action figures' section. Anything to shut him up, to kick at that throne, so she wouldn't have to deal with him and his irritating voice anymore. Why it was irritating she couldn't say, it was just something in the air he breathed, she supposed. No matter. She was high-strung from the encounter and she had to wrestle control back into her hands. (After all she would not, could not be taken lying down again.)

Makoto slapped the cheek of his ruined eye and cut his laugh short.

“Hey! You bitch!” Slick barked along with his comrades suddenly calling for her blood for such insolence. All of them rolled their shoulders forward like they were going to fight a bear, not gang up on a girl, and Slick moved faster than any of them, youthful face snarling in rage as he lunged.

Makoto flinched as wind rushed past her, shutting her eyes for one terrifying moment where everything was blind again. Too afraid to keep them closed, she opened them, and her lips pursed together in shock.

The blunt end of the bat Snakeskin had been toting was now wedged in the precious, fleshy gap between Slick's jawbones. Snakeskin was glaring but his smile was wide, eye gleaming with what Makoto could only describe as unchecked rage though his voice was the same as ever.

“Oh, my bad, Ogawa-han,” he drawled, “I forgot that a bat's longer than a knife.”

Shoving him backwards into his neck, he swung the bat in a comfortable circle and it resumed its place parallel to his shoulders for his arms to rest on as Ogawa collapsed on the ground, sputtering desperately for air without being able to use his tongue for words. Dirt-roller began sizing imaginary objects with his hands, the dim light in his head brightening until he realized what the others did—Snakeskin did not just forget the length of the bat. And if he did, then that would mean that the blade of the knife was headed for Ogawa's throat anyways. Makoto felt her limbs freeze from the outward in. She had instigated the violence—was she now fair game?

“Nahh, you disappoint me, Missy!” Snakeskin ignored the rest of the yakuza as he hung his head and shook it, “If yer gonna hit a man, hit a man, like ya really mean it! We ain't duelin' with pool noodles, y'gotta put some snap into your slap!”

Everyone, Makoto included (though excluding Ogawa, who was still writhing on the ground) gave a distinct, bewildered eh?! Snakeskin frowned at her, continuing to lecture.

“You just dragged yer fingerpads 'cross my cheek like you were a toddler who ain't got the concept of personal space yet. Y'call that a slap? Y'gotta wind it up!”

He gestured with the bat, bouncing it up and down on his far shoulder, “Imagine if home-run hitters just swung with their arms. They'd get nowhere! They swing with their whole body—all the way! If yer gonna throw down, y'best be bringin' yer A-game like that!”

Makoto stared at him in wonder the more he lectured, rolling his shoulder and doing demonstration swings with the bat that made every lackey around him nervous and step back. She held her ground, his words melting to mush in the background. There was still condescension in his eye, but she was starting to realize that there was something behind it—something a bit more true to form, something closer to the day he rescued her from the yakuza accosting her on the street.

Only one way to see what was behind the mask.

“Jeez, is this how they teach women nowadays? Back in th' day you'd see grannies with grips of steel right terrifyin', this is just pathet—,”

Makoto reeled back and threw everything she had into another slap. Mid-word Snakeskin's head snapped to the side, spittle flying from his mouth as he stumbled back on one boot. The bat swung down on his own instinct, catching him like a third leg before he fell completely to the floor.

“B-Boss!!” his lackeys cried, all jerking like they meant to leap forward to help but too wary of the consequences. Some of them shot glances in her direction, but none of them dared to lunge at her as Ogawa had sufficiently become catatonic for the time being on the ground. Snakeskin was quiet. The namesake of a jacket hung at a wonky angle from his shoulders, revealing the tattoos on his pectorals to also be snakes. She briefly wondered if that's all the tattoo was or if there was more to it. The curiosity didn't last as Makoto quietly damned herself as he poked the cheek she had now slapped a second time and turned so his good eye could see her.

There. A flash of something else in his eye, but it wasn't cruel or enraged or upset. Pure something, and from that something he smiled. It soon split into a maniacal grin as he began to cackle once more, but she had seen it in the precious few seconds he had given her.

Yeah.

He most definitely recognized her.

Snakeskin righted himself, still laughing, “Now that's what I'm talkin' about!” The lackeys looked on, dumbfounded, though Limp-lip started to crack a smile that was almost genuine as he looked between the two players on the stage.

“Li'l bit of practice and you'll have men spinnin' to the pavement! Awright, Missy, hit me agai—,”

Makoto did without hesitation, curling her nails so they raked across his flesh. Snakeskin yelped, pinwheeling backwards into Dirt-roller and Blue-suit. The bat clattered to the floor, nearly tripping Snakeskin completely before he found his footing with the help of Dirt-roller. Raising a gloved hand to his cheek, he looked at her in complete and utter shock as he gingerly pressed against the scratch marks that were starting to ooze blood.

“O-Oi,” he stuttered, “Nails are next week's lesson.”

Makoto felt the eyes of every yakuza on her as she straightened her shoulders, now strangely relaxed despite everything, and replied, “I learn quickly.”

Another smile that came from that something that Makoto was having a hard time naming. His voice still annoyed the ever-loving shit out of her, but she was getting the nagging feeling that it was because of something other than its initial repulsiveness. Snakeskin righted himself, straightening his lapels as he bent down and picked up the scarred bat. A train arrived—not hers, but the one the yakuza were waiting for in the first place. Snakeskin swung the bat onto his shoulders, turning away from her.

“Motozawa, stop gawkin' at the Miss like you got a slappin' fetish. Hey, someone drag Ogawa into the car,” he ordered, “I ain't comin' back for his sorry ass.”

She watched them pile into the car, one by one by dragging-Ogawa's-sorry-ass one. Though Snakeskin had swaggered in, as soon as it seemed he was clear of her he slumped onto a seat, bad eye towards her. Spreading his long legs outward so no one could even consider sitting near him, he leaned on the bat like it was a cane and pressed his forehead to his folded hands on the pommel. His lips were pulled into a frown that was more than just a natural resting state, distorting the scratches she left on him. It looked painful for reasons she was sure she didn’t know about.

The train sped off. Somehow this was the one thing in the entire world that jerked the old man behind her awake. She barely listened as he turned, standing up and hobbling over to her to ask the time. Glancing down at her watch, she gave the answer in a distant voice, transfixed by the ticking second hand.

S'nice melody though, really. Does it warn ya of danger?

Did it warn her of danger, or did it draw it to her?

She wiped a smudge from the glass face. Perhaps a little bit of both?

Makoto reminisced on the sadness of his eye coupled with the ferocity of his attacks as the station announced her trains arrival within the next two minutes.

Perhaps a little bit of both.

#yakuza #yakuza 0 #ryu ga gotoku #majima goro #makimura makoto #makoto makimura #goro majima #the lackeys aren't any particular characters in general #AT LEAST I HOPE THERES NOBODY NAMED OGAWA AND MOTOZAWA #IF THEY ARE THESE ARE NOT THOSE #fanfiction #fanfic #writing

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zaggitz · 5 years

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My Top Ten Video Games of 2018

Well, here were are again, my friends. After the non stop roller coaster thrillride of VIDEO GAMES 2017, can 2018 live up to the hype??? I’m gonna go ahead and say no right off the bat, but while every single week wasn’t filled with a new incredible genre defining experience like last year, we still had some genuine certified bangers in the mix, many of which I think will remain important to me as the years go by. It should be noted this is the first year since 2014 where a Trails game hasn’t hit the market, so for the first time ever since I started writing these lists, a Trails game will not reign victorious at the end. Scandalous! Impossible!! Shit year tbh, but we’ll get by.

Outside of games this year is maybe the best year of my entire life?? I got out of a years long slump, started an actual genuine career path, and then somehow managed to fenegle falling in love into the whole mix. These lists have always come from some greater sense of yearning to reach out and communicating how I feel about things I love to anyone who will listen, but right now all I can think of is about how happy and lucky I am for my life to have taken the turns it did this year. 2019 is gonna have to try real hard to break my stride.

If you’d like to read my previous rambly lists, here they are:

2015

2016

2017

Anyway without further ado, here’s ten games that aren’t Trails of Cold Steel 3(WHEN??):

10. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

This one is only at the bottom of the list because I didn’t have time to finish it. I loved getting to jump into the world of the witcher again. The world is dark and gritty and the choice are morally grey and the writing is impeccable and gwent is even more fun to play as a main mechanic than it was in the Witcher 3 as a minigame. I can’t wait to dive back into this one come the new year.

9. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology

One of the most well written and executed time-travel-based JRPGs I’ve ever played. It’s a story about trying to fix mistakes, about different perspectives trying to understand each other instead of fighting over differences.

It’s got an overall theme of realizing how important you can be to the world around you despite seeming insignificant that really resonated with me, an amazing cast of characters and it also just happens?? To be really fun to play??

8. The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence

That I didn’t play the first game the year it came out is a damn crime, this series of gothic tragedies has such special, meaningful and important themes of redemption and sacrifice and finding the people who will survive the world with you no matter what. It tackles mental illness, lgbt topics with an immense amount of respect and tells some of the most heart wrenchingly real and gutting stories, but it all culminates in the most viscerally satisfying way.

This sequel delves into one of the most unspoken parts of the original while also offering promising and hopeful glimpses into the future. It’s absolutely a must play if you in anyway liked the original.

7. Wandersong

Now here’s one that came absolutely out of nowhere. This game just oozes joy out of every pore. You play as a dandy bard who can only interact with the world via music trying to save it from being destroyed. Heavy themes of pacifism and the internal struggle of doing your best when you know for a fact your best won’t be good enough cover this thing like sprinkles on the most delicious and colorful donut.

Another thing I love is how every single chapter of this game plays differently, one will be a pirate adventure where you steer a ship with pirate shanties, the other will be a Majora's Mask still town sim, it goes on like this, and it never once gets boring. This game will make you smile the biggest smile from start to finish.

6. God of War

Remember Kratos?? He’s back, in open world action-RPG form. I sort of grew up with the original GoW trilogy and am of the opinion that they aged about as well as I did(which is fuckin not gracefully, teenager me was a fuckin mess). God of War is out of its edgy teenager phase now, and just barely squeaking out of its holier than thou college student phase into a game that actually has a few things to say, fun characters, an amazing world, and a paternal relationship that is kind of actually a joy to watch unfold despite everyone making fun of the game for it.

This game is like twice, maybe three times as long as the original trilogy which hilariously kind of makes those games feel like a prologue to this one. I suppose the real ironic thing is they kind of are?? They were shallow angry games with nothing to say but their existence created a character that, under the right light, under THIS light, could actually be extremely compelling and fun to watch grow alongside his boy. This series went from one I was glad to see gone to one I can’t wait to get more of.

5. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life/Yakuza Kiwami 2

It’s absolutely insane that Yakuza is popular now. I got into this series 10 years ago and at the time every single new yakuza release was a blessing and a curse; blessed because holy shit they actually put out a new Yakuza game and cursed because oh god it sold like shit and they probably won’t localize the next one why did they localize the zombie spin-off it almost killed the series nooooo don’t localize that give us the samurai games instead.

So anyway, this year I finally finished my journey playing through all 7 mainline Yakuza games. The journey of Kiryu Kazuma has come to an end and I have seen every step he’s taken. Yakuza 6 itself had kind of a really rough new engine that Kiwami 2 ended up refining, and from a gameplay perspective these games are basically the same, for the most part(Kiwami 2 is just better). Neither of these games come close to touching the masterful highs of Yakuza 0 but from a story perspective I think the respect and love this series has for its protagonist is unmatched, and while I was sad to see him go, I will never forget that big good crime boy and his whacky antics.

Ganbare, Kiryu-san...sayonara!!!!

4. The Messenger

This game fucking rules, I really don’t know how to do it justice, I played it on a whim and fell in love with it for the time it took me to beat it in a way that I haven’t done with a game in a long time. The gameplay is fluid and fun, the writing is charming and legit hilarious at times and the soundtrack, oh baby the soundtrack, if this wasn’t a year where Celeste came out this game would win every single award for OST of the year, I would fight anyone who disagreed.

The main gimmick of this game once you reach the halfway point is being able to shift between the 8 bit past and the 16 bit future, and every time you do the music will warp to fit those aesthetics and the game does this so freaking seamlessly, it’s amazing. The final level in particular meshed the music so well with the narrative that I was like fist pumping the whole way through the final sequence of the game.

It rules extremely hard, play it. Yes, you, you reading this right now, play this game so these people will make more for me. Please?

3. La-Mulana 2: The 0th Body, The 9th Spirit

Chalk this one up for game of 2018 I most can’t wait to replay and do a bunch of quick runs of. The original La Mulana is one of my favorite games of all time and this sequel delivers more of all the stuff I love while streamlining a lot of the more obscure and obtuse solutions. The music, the bosses, the world, all of the best things about the first game were all just as on point in this one.

The game evokes a sense of mystery you can only really achieve in a sequel to a game like the original La Mulana by constantly making you question the lore you already knew from the original. This all culminates in a sidequest that for a game as inscrutable as opaque as LM2, I still ended up getting really really emotionally invested in.

I don’t think there will ever be a La Mulana 3, and if that’s the case I’ll be able to leave this series happy, these two games complete each other in such a huge way, and will remain some of my favorites for years to come.

2. Celeste

I swear to god, this game was my Game of the Year for 9 whole months. I have never in my life played a game with this much precision perfect game design. This is maybe the tightest most consistent feeling platformer of all time. It’s like basically perfect on a gameplay level. That it meshes it’s gameplay with it’s themes so well is what truly makes it stand out and transforms it into not only a viscerally satisfying, tough but fair game, but an emotionally resonant masterpiece that will stick with me for years to come.

Celeste is a game about climbing a mountain. Celeste is a game about overcoming depression and anxiety and learning to cope and better yourself. These things are not interchangeable, the challenges you face as a player in this game all tie in perfectly to the main character, Madeline’s struggle to just fight through her self doubt and self loathing. It’s an extremely real tale, despite how fantastical the visuals are. It’s a game about fighting and screaming and clawing at that fucking Mountain to give you a way to have your heart again, and it’s absolutely wonderful.

The game is difficult, but every personal triumph accompanies one in game, and it lets you truly feel the feelings the game is trying to evoke alongside it. This is the kind of game that only comes once or twice a decade. I’d be extremely surprised to see anything hit this level any time soon.

1. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

This is the gold standard for all JRPGs now as far as I'm concerned. There are series that go deeper, that go harder, that go all the way in with their music but no game out there exists that is so confidently just the classic all encompassing idea of a JRPG like this one. This game is pure comfort food, it knows exactly what it is and what it is is a fun heartwarming and charming classic JRPG “chosen one gets the cool sword and fights the dark lord” tale and damn it if it hasn’t been a while since we had just a good one of those.

Haha, just kidding.

A third of the way through, this game takes a dramatic shift and flips everything on its head in a way that hasn’t been really seen or executed this well since FF6. Suddenly the comfortable is taken away, the world is scary, bleak, and the themes you missed, that were simmering in the background since the start of the game start to boil over to the surface. The world is darker but the people in it are warmer, they hold themselves together until the day comes, and the game will find ways to make you cry you would never expect from a series this traditional. These themes all culminate in a super satisfying finale that, while not entirely happy, at least leaves the world in a better place than it was before, with it’s people that much closer.

Now what if I just didn’t write any of that and told you why I really love the game.

Credits roll, and the post game, that is to say, the final third of the game, begins. What if the shift never came, how would the world be different? How would these characters acrs resolved? Who would live? Who would die instead? What does this happening mean to the world? What does this new future hold?

In one simple moment, you answer all of those questions, and Dragon Quest XI becomes a prequel to Dragon Quest III (which was a prequel to DQ1 but that’s less important).

All of a sudden this entire series has lore, everything is connected in a way it had never been for 30 years, and it fits so seamlessly and perfectly that it could only have happened in a series like Dragon Quest, which has had the same writer across all 11 games. As a fan who had played all the available english games this was such an insane rewarding moment. I struggle to really compare it to anything else outside of maybe like…

Oh shit.

OH SHIT.

Outside of goddamn Trails.

Ya’ll know what that means right?

That’s right, Trails wins game of the year once again. STILL THE KING BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

#game of the year

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kiwi-le-survivant · 7 years

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Oh right. I bought Dragon Age: Origins on Steam like a month ago and completely forgot about it until now.

Eh, my backlog’s pretty big already. Maybe I’ll play it after I finish Nier, Nier: Automata, Yakuza 0, Persona 5, and replay 999 and Justice For All.

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kingofbluebell · 7 years

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Video Game Forecast 2017

Due to some computer trouble and my lack of time to edit this week, I'm pushing the first anime review on this blog to next week. I want this review to be a good first impression for the greater anime community, and besides, if I rushed it out I'd be letting myself down. Instead, I'm going to ramble on at length about the upcoming games for 2017 that I'm excited to play because people sure love making lists on this topic. Yes, I touched on most of these games in post two weeks ago, but I didn't flesh out exactly why I was excited for them. As always this list reflects my personal taste which is sure to be different from anyone else who reads it. I'm trying to square away some other projects before the first load of games comes knocking at my door so let's finish this quickly. Just like with my other list posts I'll include a table of contents at the start for easier browsing.

Dragon Quest VIII

Gravity Rush 2

Yakuza 0

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Persona 5

Nier Automata

Super Mario Odyssey

Yooka-Laylee/A Hat in Time

Etrian Odyssey V

Kingdom Hearts 3

Dragon Quest VIII 3DS: Unlike the feelings of disappointment that grew as I reached the end of Dragon Quest VII, there is a precedent for me to enjoy this game a whole lot more. Dragon Quest VIII is one of my favorite games of all time, and the ability to easily play it anywhere is always a boon in my book. Sure the lack of the orchestral score, decreased resolution, and a voice actress change are making me hesitant to play it, but at its core, it's still Dragon Quest VIII: the pinnacle of the classic JRPG. I'll get used to the new voice for Jessica as I did for Chie and Teddie in Persona 4 when Golden came out and like that enhanced release, I'm excited to test out all the new features chief among them being the lack of random encounters. To me, this was the major thing holding back the original Dragon Quest VIII, even if the encounter rate was relatively unobtrusive, and with Akira Toriyama's iconic monster designs seeing those slimes scuttle across the world map is going to be a delight. I'm also curious to see how they've extended the story, especially with the inclusion of the two bonus characters. Plus I want to see what outfits I can put on my favorite guy Yangus. Unless another game appearing later on this list gets localized this year, or I muster up the will to plow through the Shin Megami Tensei IV duology I can't see another game vying for time in my 3DS this year.

Gravity Rush 2: Sure the dream to have this sequel be another defining title for the PS Vita is long since dead, but the combination of this game existing at all and the befuddling presence of the Vita in 2017 is more than enough to satisfy me. The original Gravity Rush translated very well to the PS4, and demo proves the controls have been refined even further. Being built from the ground up for the PS4 has not only improved the controls, but the brief glimpse of the vistas we'll be able to float through are anything to go by the developers certainly know how to make use of the rest of the PS4's hardware. I hesitate to classify Gravity Rush as a sandbox series, but that's mainly due to my reticence to play many of them now. Most of these games are heavily padded with additional objectives and exist on a playfield so large they become overwhelming. Gravity Rush also contains the myriad of collectibles and repetitive side missions of increasing difficulty however it doesn't immediately hit me that I've done this all before. The series' unique movement options and that said movement options only improve with every digression from the main plot certainly aid in this feeling, yet there is clearly something more. The original Gravity Rush's world, possibly stemming from the fact it was originally a portable game, felt compact and that translated into a more focused experience. I can't wait to see how I can mess around with the sequel's settings, but I hope the developers give me more ways to interact rather than more ground to cover.

Yakuza 0: If there were any franchise that exemplified the tenets I mentioned above it's Yakuza. The way folks over at Sega have gone about expanding the fictional city of Kamurocho, not by expanding the map but instead increasing the number of locations the player can explore in the same space is nothing short of genius game design that reflects actual urban development. This cost saving measure has not only allowed longtime fans to become familiar with the city as they would their real-life neighborhoods but also for the developers to make it come alive by including dozens of unique side activities on top of the already expanding and satisfying combat mechanics. While I'm still relatively new to the Yakuza franchise, my time playing the PS2 entries of the franchise make me excited to play more. I have no reticence jumping into a game further down the development timeline because I don't mind going back to older eras of 3D action games with their relatively stiffer controls. From what little I remember Yakuza 3 is a large step up from the PS2 era titles, and besides the story, design and charm of the franchise are more than enough to get me going back to older games even after playing the most refined game the series has to offer (in English). I'm just happy Sony and Sega are giving this franchise another chance outside of Japan. Even though prequels tend to get a bad rap in most media the Yakuza series storytelling pedigree has me excited to see how Kazuma and Majima turned into the men we've grown to love. In fact, the game being prequel has also given me the opportunity to sell the concept of this game to as many of my long-time GTA, martial arts, and crime-fiction loving friends as I can. The two-year localization wait for this game is almost at an end, and I can't wait to delve into the opulent world of 80's Japanese crime.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age: I've been a fan of the way Yasumi Matsuno crafts RPGs since before I could easily pronounce his name. His approach to story and characters are as nuanced as the game mechanics that encapsulate them. In my opinion, they're some of the few RPGs that have a real balance between their gameplay and narrative aspects which is saying a lot given the tendency for Japanese RPGs to rely more heavily on the latter for player engagement. The world(s) of Ivalice is one of the most intriguing fantasy settings ever created in any medium and while it saddens me to say we may never get another chapter in its story I'm more than happy to return to its grandest one. Final Fantasy XII was already a huge game within the constraints of a PS2 title, and I'm sure this PS4 upgrade will do its sweeping landscapes justice. More importantly, I'm excited to experience the Zodiac Job system after all these years. The original's license board being fully open for each character, while certainly gave multitudes of customization options, felt almost too broad to the point it became unwieldy to manage. Having a more focus skill set for each playable character will go a long way into making the fights more strategic. After playing Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir I'm curious if this collection will give us the opportunity to use either system for character progression though I'm doubtful it will. What I don't doubt is this title coming out in 2017. With news of more delays on Kingdom Hearts 3 and the Final Fantasy VII remake not to mention the impossibility of any localized version of Dragon Quest XI so soon, this HD remaster will be a solid stop-gap title for Square's RPG market.

Persona 5: The changing tides of Japanese game development, as well as the maturation of my taste, has made the (Shin) Megami Tensei series overtaking such giants as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest my favorite JRPG meta-franchise. Even almost succumbing to "Persona 4 Fatigue" and being let-down by Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE are not enough to change my mind. Persona 5 has a lot to live up to and from what little I've allowed myself to hear and see it has certainly impressed those who've played it. I'm grateful to have not been spoiled on any of the major plot developments and even many of the finalized game mechanics in the extended wait between the Japanese and global localization. I'm not normally the type of person to care about spoilers, but I've managed to hold back my excitement this long so why throw it all away at the eleventh hour? I haven't seen a new trailer for the game in at least a year, and I've gone so far as to avoid the English VA introduction videos for fear some of their characters are introduced too far into the story. I expect to either set up a myriad of blacklist programs or just take a sabbatical from most online interaction until I beat the game once so as not to be "tainted" by even the most benign meme. Sure I might become a hermit for a few weeks once the game arrives, but it'll be worth it to finally get to enjoy another full-fledged JRPG from masters of the craft.

Nier Automata: Rather than a screenshot I'm starting off this section by showcasing a very telling tweet from Drakengard/Nier creator Taro Yoko. There seems to be an unexplainable amount of pressure for this game to be amazing, and I'm still trying to break down how exactly we got to this point when at E3 2015 there were so many people confused about "the weird guy in the creepy mask". It's not like after the reveal of Nier Automata the rest of the franchise was made more readily available to a wider audience to get them acclimated to the franchise. The first two Drakengard games weren't released on the PS3 or PS4, and I don't believe Nier is eligible through streaming on PS Now or is backward-compatible with the Xbox One. You would think after the unfortunate state Drakengard 3 released in, being plagued with slowdown and having a third of the content locked away as DLC that cost as much as the base game, that the series would have stopped there. In fact, most fans were shocked Drakengard 3 came out at all. Despite the odds, it seems some folks at Square Enix must enjoy Taro's work and want let him continue to lead projects, which for people like myself is a delightful aberration in this industry. I wouldn't say I'm the most knowledgeable Drakengard/Nier fan, I haven't spent much time looking at the fan-translated supplementary materials, but Nier is still one of my favorite games of all time, so that's why I have high hopes for its sequel. Outside of folks like myself, I believe everyone else's hopes lie are with the developer of Nier Automata: Platinium Games. Despite some recent disappointments, which can partially be blamed on rushed development cycles for licensed products, Platinum Games have been responsible for some of the most mechanically complex and energetic games of all time. Their reputation certainly precedes them at this point, and I think a lot of people believe they'll bring a similar flair and finesse to the combat in Automata. However, after playing the demo it's clear that Nier Automata is going to play a lot closer to the original Nier than Bayonetta. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but that means that 2B isn't the next evolution of cyborg Raiden. Combat in the original Nier was a simple hack and slash with some interesting magic mechanics, and I believe Platinum's involvement with Automata will go a long way in smoothing out the combat in ways Taro's previous team at Cavia was just not capable of doing. From what the demo provided it's clear that Platinum succeeded at this without sapping a lot of the particular flavor people look to get from Taro's games. Personally, I'm ecstatic Taro gets to work with a team known for massive and intricate boss encounters because I can only imagine how much they'll be improved compared to those found in the original Nier. My biggest wish for 2017 would be for Nier Automata to be a resounding critical and financial success not only for Taro but also for Platinum. After the cancellation of Scalebound and Activision pulling out of licensed game development it'll be a rough time for them to find another project so soon and they could certainly use a big win.

Super Mario Odyssey: While everyone else seems blown away by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the game that piqued my interest more at the Nintendo Switch presentation was Super Mario Odyssey. Seeing Mario in a more sandbox oriented platformer for the first time in over a decade immediately grabbed my attention, and the idea of Mario going on a globe-hopping adventure will aid in making the cliche level tropes you see in most platformers have some distinctive flair. I must admit seeing one of the areas called "New Donk City" made me giggle more than the realization that a lot of the elements in the trailer mimic the original Sonic Adventure. More important to my potential enjoyment of the game was seeing all the additional movement abilities Mario as acquired for this new title. Mario can now swing as if he's performing an uneven bar routine and his hat, that is somehow sentient, can be thrown to act as an additional platform to reach greater distances. I'm unsure if the fan favorite "long jump" has made the transition to this title but it would surprise me if it didn't. Despite all of this I don't think Super Mario Odyssey, despite coming after a collection of solid titles, will be enough for me to purchase a Switch. My infatuation with portable consoles will have me buying the console eventually, but I'll be waiting until I hear more about that new Shin Megami Tensei game.

Yooka-Laylee/A Hat in Time: I'm putting both of these in the same paragraph because my thoughts on each of them are the same. Before Super Mario Odyssey got announced, these were the only 3D sandbox oriented platformers (have to find a better name for that before I take a deeper look at these games) on the horizon after the genre died out just at the start of the 7th console generation. I may not be the biggest fan of Banjo-Kazooie (certainly not its sequel), but I played and still replay on occasion the hell out of Insomniac developed Spyro the Dragon games. I adore the freedom you get roaming large levels and using your platforming prowess combined with your ever expanding move set and power-ups to tackle the various challenges put before you. I even like collecting a ridiculous amount of different collectibles, which is why I'm one of the few people who still emphatically enjoy Donkey Kong 64 outside of the memes. All these factors, as well as a majority of the original Banjo-Kazooie team involved with the project, convinced me and many others to heavily back Yooka-Laylee. The pedigree of the developers and constant updates have put a lot of our fears to rest after some rather large Kickstarter kerfuffles soured plenty on crowdfunding. I can't say I know as much about A Hat in Time though its smaller, inexperienced team and more meager funding explains its near four-year development cycle. Still, I've heard plenty of positive things from those who've backed the project and got to try out the demos. My fondness for the subgenre will have me giving this a shot as well if it reaches its promised release date this year.

Etrian Odyssey V: Last year I fell deeply in love with the plodding and challenging dungeons of the Etrian Odyssey franchise, completing two games. As arduous as they were I enjoyed (almost) every second of my hundred hour journeys, and I anxiously awaited the next title to be localized. I can understand Atlus wanting to make sure their global launch of Persona 5 to go smoothly before announcing any concrete release dates for games, but the wait for any news of Etrian Odyssey V's English localization is making me worry. Now with the Switch the next big thing from Nintendo resources from all companies, including Atlus, shifting to support it. It concerns me that a more niche title like Etriany Odyssey will be forgotten as we move to new hardware. Still the overwhelming success of Pokémon Sun & Moon, the lack of any announcement of a Switch Pokémon RPG, and the fact that Atlus USA tends to localize games for older hardware more often than other companies has me hopeful. Will we see Etrian Odyssey V in 2017? It's possible, and if it turns out to be true this year will be an even better year for games. Until then I should probably take the time to brave Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl to make sure I'm not too rusty.

Kingdom Hearts 3: I know anything can happen now than Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian and Owlboy came out last year, but I'm not holding my breath for Kingdom Hearts 3. I can guarantee to be there day one, but until then I'm not even touching 2.8 until the "third" entry in this franchise gets an actual release day. Just because I still harbor deep feelings for this hot mess of a series doesn't mean I need to be beholden to its whims. I'm not fifteen anymore.

So that's all the games I'm interested in checking out this year. I've chosen a lot of safe bets this year, but a lot of that has to do with me wanting to play a lot of highly rated Japanese games that have taken a while to localize. If any of the heavy hitters on other peoples' lists turn out to be great, I'll try to squeeze them in if I have the time and cash. In addition, every year there are a handful of smaller titles that blow everyone away that few initially knew about and when those inevitably rear their popularity onto the gaming landscape, I'll try to check them out too. I'd love to hear what games the people that read this post are looking forward to in 2017 so either leave a comment here or on my Twitter.

See you next week.

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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Cake Bash Interview — Laura Hutton on Indie Gaming in 2020 and Cake Philosophy

June 11, 2020 2:20 PM EST

Laura Hutton sits down with DualShockers to discuss Cake Bash, developing indie games in an age of uncertainty, and what constitutes a ‘cake.’

In 2020, there’s a lot on the mind of the average gamer — through a global health crisis and mass civic unrest, many games and high-level publishers are delaying their games to both respect the moment, account for changes in the work environment, and realize all possible press potential. In a way, it’s almost the perfect time for fledgling studio High Tea Frog’s first game, Cake Bash, to release.

Sitting down with DualShockers, Artist and Director Laura Hutton talked a bit about the indie minigame collection ahead of the demo’s launch next week as part of the Steam Summer Game Festival. Perhaps even more importantly, Hutton discusses a bit about Cake Bash‘s subject matter and what should be considered a “cake.”

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Lou Contaldi: Watching some of the gameplay, you really get a Mario Party mini-game vibe–what have been some of the biggest mini-game inspirations in creating Cake Bash?

Laura Hutton: We wanted to capture a bit of the magic of the 90’s classics, which I still play with my family after 20 years! We watched a lot of videos from Mario Party and Pokemon Stadium for inspiration, and I think what makes them so memorable is their characters and scenarios. One of my favourites is “Burgerini” from Rayman Raving Rabbids – doesn’t matter if you lose because it’s such a good laugh – it’s a masterclass for what makes a great party game.

Each of our minigames has its own unique design, and we’ve kept focus on the baking theme for all of them. It’s quality over quantity for us and a lot of minigames we prototyped didn’t make it – I’d much rather have fewer great games than loads of games that are rushed! I’d say that Nintendo games have been our biggest inspiration.

LC: What game is the dev team currently playing that isn’t Cake Bash?

LH: Quite the list! Final Fantasy XIV, Satisfactory, Yakuza 0, Astral Chain, Stardew Valley, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, to name a few. We don’t really have a favourite genre, and try to play as many as we can. I think it’s important to try as many new games as possible, but FFXIV is our most played right now – it’s good team-building to work together to defeat primals. Before that it was Monster Hunter World, I’m a charge blade fan, Clement chose the hammer, and Tommy went for the hunting horn – of course he’d go for the bagpipes, being Scottish.

“It’s quality over quantity for us and a lot of minigames we prototyped didn’t make it – I’d much rather have fewer great games than loads of games that are rushed!”

LC: High Tea Frog is new as a developer, but the three-person team underneath draws from a wealth of projects that most “core” gamers would recognize — Viva Pinata, The Division, Far Cry among a few. Has any of the work or experience in these past projects influenced the work on Cake Bash, either mechanically or in balance? If so, how?

LH: I think our experience influenced the way we work behind the scenes more than the content of the game itself, but working with realism on The Division definitely gave me the confidence to attempt a more challenging art direction for Cake Bash even though I’m the only artist! I went for a ‘drawn-to-life’ look, which needed the characters and environments to be as realistic as possible.

Being part of a bigger team before meant that we could adapt a lot of the processes which worked into indie life. We wanted to keep the good parts of the AAA development pipeline, and we’ve recreated our favourite tools and scripts which made our lives easier. Our past experience also means that we know how hard it is to make games, so we’re not knocked off track with unexpected curveballs.

LC: Moving on from Ubisoft, what has been the biggest surprise or hurdle in creating your own project from start to finish? What advice would you offer other soon-to-be indie developers?

LH: It’s a lot more pressure to have so much input in the game – when things go wrong there’s nobody but you to take responsibility! One of the biggest difficulties was at the start – we were bootstrapping (living off our own savings accounts) and struggling to find a publisher.

For the first six months of independence we were making a single-player game, but after it didn’t get any interest we went back to the drawing board and started from scratch. Three prototypes later we started working on Cake Bash while also doing contract work on the side to pay the bills. For contracts, AAA games in your portfolio go a long way. It was hard work but ultimately a good decision for us to start again, and we have a publisher now which means we can focus more on development.

LC: Cake Bash is a remarkably wholesome game — very much like an Overcooked — being released in a year with a ton of turmoil. Has this been a motivator in creating and sharing your game or a personal roadblock to overcome in the tumultuous indie gaming market?

LH: Thank you! Adapting to working from home has been a challenge, I’m often distracted by tea and snacks so my productivity has taken a hit, but it’s also difficult not to get demotivated by the bad news. Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing enough, in the current climate, by ‘just making games’, but I’m trying to remember how much comfort I found in gaming when times were difficult, and hoping that I can bring a little bit of happiness to others. When we launch I’m sure players will be looking for a bit of light-hearted fun, and hopefully we can deliver!

We’re still actually on target for our original launch date, even after everything that’s happened, and I’m really proud of that. We’ve worked hard to get this finished and can’t wait for people to start playing soon.

“Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing enough, in the current climate, by ‘just making games’, but I’m trying to remember how much comfort I found in gaming when times were difficult, and hoping that I can bring a little bit of happiness to others.”

LC: Based on promotions, it looks like the definition of “cake” is fairly loose in terms of playable pastries. We have doughnuts, muffins, and eclairs on the list. How did you curate the pastry list in the game? What ended up on the ‘baking’ room floor?

LH: Hah, yes. We were considering adding a stack of pancakes at one point too, so the definition is definitely a loose one. We wouldn’t include cookies or else we’d have to call it “Biscuit Bash.”

LC: Existential Question: Is “ice cream cake” considered “cake” or “ice cream?” Follow up: is a muffin just an unfrosted cupcake?

LH: That is a difficult question. If it has layers of sponge, I’d say it’s a cake.

We have muffins and cupcakes in Cake Bash, and I did have a bit of a crisis there – are they the same character? Is this a Zelda / Sheik situation? But then I remembered why I chose them – all the cakes have a unique silhouette, even for their skins, and the cupcake always has a pointy bit at the top but the muffin is round. Muffins puff up more at the top and overflow at the edges of the casing, and they have eyelashes but the cupcakes don’t. They’re definitely different.

“We have muffins and cupcakes in Cake Bash, and I did have a bit of a crisis there – are they the same character? Is this a Zelda / Sheik situation?”

LC: “Fork Knife: Gateau Royale” is one of the better word plays in indie gaming. Will there be more dad puns or wordplay through the game?

LH: Oh wow, what a compliment! There are as many puns as I could squeeze in without annoying everyone. A good test for a successful pun was if our programmer, Clement, understood the joke even though English isn’t his first language. I also had the strict rule of only one pun per screen, otherwise it would have been a punderful overload. I also like subtle ones most like ‘prove yourself’, because they’re easier to sneak in… We used to have ‘Thyme’ for the end match countdown but it was too savoury.

LC: The Campfire minigame has just been revealed, where did the inspiration come from and what was it like to design?

LH: Campfire is my favourite minigame! I can’t wait for people to play it in the Steam Summer Festival. We wanted to design something a bit more relaxed and this one was really fun to make. I looked at a whole bunch of references of different states of cooked marshmallows and worked out the best way to make them look realistic!

We also spent ages balancing the scoring, to make it fair yet challenging – we made sure that you can get really good at this minigame with practice. You can even get a perfect score of 100 in the ‘high heat’ of the fire if you’re a total pro!

It seems like forever ago but our first prototype of this game was rubbish – we nearly scrapped it! You roasted popcorn for some reason, and the player had no control over the heat level so it was a boring waiting game. Just goes to show how important iteration is, and I’m glad we kept trying with this one.

Cake Bash launches on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One later this year; if you are looking to dive into some of the dessert action, you can try out the game beginning June 16, 2020 on Steam.

June 11, 2020 2:20 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/cake-bash-interview-laura-hutton-on-indie-gaming-in-2020-and-cake-philosophy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cake-bash-interview-laura-hutton-on-indie-gaming-in-2020-and-cake-philosophy

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