saw spirit tracks zink earlier and it made me kind of sad actually because what are the odds we'll ever see that + phantom hourglass get ported or even remade...... :(

Perfectly Perfect: Chapter  1 (Self-Insert fic)

Title: Perfectly Perfect

Rating: Teen for swearing(That didn’t take long but it’s not a lot)

Relationship: Steelbeak x Self Insert Lexi

Genre: Family/Friendship and eventually Angst and Hurt/Comfort

Chapter Summary: Steelbeak is here and we chat about teachers that sucked when we were kids.

Other: Nothing that I can think of.

Author’s Note:

Just a quick chapter. I’m trying to think of filler related things before the angst and pain starts in a couple of chapters. Which I’m going to try and make be chapter 10 when it happens.

I will forever headcanon that OG Steelbeak is New Steelbeak’s dad. But instead of working with FOWL, he was some Crime/Mob boss and it’s how he lost his beak. Which is ironic that both lost their beaks for one reason or another. 

Prologue - Last Chapter - Next Chapter 

It was an average Spring day in April 2019 when Black Heron sent Steelbeak to the library to grab a few things. Apparently there was some books there that FOWL needed. So she decided to send her errand boy to go get them for her.

Steelbeak stepped inside and groaned to himself. He was never really into reading when he was younger. Well, except for Darkwing Duck comics. He read those all the time. Much to his teacher’s dislike.

He looked at the list he was given and began looking for them.

As he walked by a table, he thought he saw that Dewey kid at a different table only in red this time. But he didn’t get the chance to think about it for very long when a noise distracted him.

Looking down, he saw someone had smacked themselves in the face with a notebook. Chuckling, he walked over so he was leaning on the chair next to them.

“Bad day, babe?” Steelbeak asked.

“You can say that.” I replied with my pointed ear pinned down and not looking up from my notebook.

“What are you doing?” Steelbeak decided to ask.

“I forgot how much homework sucked.” I put the notebook down and my ear lifted up again.

“You look a little old for homework.” Steelbeak stated the obvious.

“Let’s just say I went to college, quit after a year or so to help raise my nephews, and finally started going back recently.”  I said.

“Ooooh!” Steelbeak started. “I got ya.” 

“I also forgot how teachers can be dicks for no reason.” I added.

“Oh don’t get me started. I hated just about every teacher that I had as a kid. Then again, it probably didn’t help how often I fought with my teachers and the other kids.” He gave a small quiet chuckle. “I lost track on how many schools I was kicked out of for fighting.”

“Wow.” I stated.

“I know!” Steelbeak said and kneeled down a little. “Wanna hear a story about one of my worst teachers that I had?”

“Sure.” I nodded.

“So I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, right? I did awful in things like Math and Science and had this woman as my teacher for both one year. I think those two classes were back-to-back even.” Steelbeak started. “For some reason she refused to give me help in those classes. And was constantly calling me out in front of the whole class. Hell, the other kids started calling me names like ‘stupid’ and she did nothing about it since she called me it herself too and even started it.”

“Please say she got fired.” I said.

“Nope. Never got fired for it. I got kicked out for fighting her one too many times though.“ Steelbeak continued. “Another thing that happened was that some kid was crying for getting a B and this same teacher told her to be happy she wasn’t like me and getting Ds and Fs! It wasn’t the only time she mentioned my grades out loud.”

“I probably would’ve fought her too for being a mega bitch.” I replied.

“Really?”

“Nah.” I smiled. “I didn’t get into fights like that. But it definitely would’ve pissed me off if I had a teacher go THAT far. Now I’m glad my kids are home schooled now.”  

“Did you have teachers get on your nerves like that?” Steelbeak asked.

“Yeah I did. I remember in 4th and 5th grades, I had this teacher bitch at me nearly every day. When I found out she was my home room teacher for 5th grade, I dreaded that school year before it started. Only upside is that my class had two desks side-by-side for our books.” I replied.

“What did she bitch at you for?” Steelbeak asked, sitting down beside me.

“I went to a private school and had to wear skirts along with pants. She kept yelling at me about my skirts being too short despite classmates and kids both younger and older having even shorter skirts than me. Plus, I was constantly growing during those two years and had gotten new skirts in 4th grade. Let’s just say those things are expensive as Hell. Even back then.”

“Did any other teachers give you trouble about it?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “That’s why I never did anything about it. She was the only one to give me problems so I chose not to get new skirts to make her happy. If other teachers and the principal said something, maybe I would’ve done something different.”

“Good for you. Honestly, I probably would’ve picked fights with her every day like my own teachers.” Steelbeak shrugged. “That said, I don’t even remember many from high school. In fact, I actually dropped out completely when I was 16 years old and left home.”

“How did your parents feel?” I asked.

“My folks didn’t like it. But then again, my dad’s an asshole and I never did anything right in his eyes. My mom, eh….she wasn’t much better.”

“That really sucks.” I replied, not knowing how to take in that info.

“Don’t worry about it. It was years ago. I haven’t seen my parents in a long time but I did turn into my dad a little bit.” He tapped his beak. “Never told me what happened to his original beak before he got a prosthetic but I doubt he did the same thing that I did to mine. Personally, I‘m pretty sure he was some crime boss. You‘re lucky you got two families.”

“How do you know?” I questioned, humorously. 

“Well, you’re a Dognose. So obviously you have a Dognose family. And I’ve seen you with McDuck’s family all the time. Are you like some bonus family member or something?” Steelbeak asked.

“Yeah. I guess you can say I’m an honorary family member since I grew up with his niece and nephews. He took to calling me his niece one day and he‘s been my Uncle Scrooge ever since.” I said.

“See? You got two families. You make stuff like that look easy. I mean, I did have friends growing up that liked things like Darkwing Duck. But it didn‘t last in high school.” Steelbeak rubbed his face.

“Trust me, I always had social anxiety growing up and was lucky to meet Donald and Della. I’m pretty sure Donald and I only became best friends because we both have speech impediments. So we knew how the other was feeling with our shared insecurity and bonded from that. Della was a bonus best friend that happened to be a girl too.”

“So would you have been able to make friends or gain a second family without them?” Steelbeak asked.

“Fuck no.” I replied.

“Well,” Steelbeak laughed then someone shushed him so he quieted his voice a little. “I guess that made me feel a little bit better.”

“Surely you have friends now right?” I asked.

“Yeah!…Kind of… Depends on what you consider coworkers to be. Especially if they call you stupid and constantly muzzle you. I‘m NOT stupid, by the way!” Steelbeak replied, folding his arms.

“Didn’t say that you are.” I frowned. “Doesn’t sound like friends to me. I mean, playfully calling you dumb is one thing, being full on serious is another. Especially if they muzzle you.”

“Have you ever been called it before? And are you still bothered about your speech problem?” Steelbeak asked.

“Not as much now as I was when I was younger. If you meant stupid, I don’t think I’ve been called it straight to my face. But I know my teachers thought it all the time. Especially my math teachers.” I held up the notebook I hit myself with earlier and showed it saying MATH on it.

“I agree, Math is the worst.” Steelbeak chuckled. “Now I understand why you smacked yourself earlier. But come on, I doubt you did worse than me.”

“I beg to differ. You weren’t the one with an undiagnosed learning disorder so everyone thought you were legit stupid when it came to all things Math. Well, I’m pretty sure I have a learning disorder. Those tests didn’t exist as a kid so who knows. But the one I think I have makes so much sense.” I said.

“Oh really? What is it?” Steelbeak asked.

“It’s called Dyscalculia.” I replied. “It basically involves having a hard time with concepts like time, mainly analog clocks, and measurement. And not being able to remember concepts, rules, and formulas.”

“Do you think things would be different if you knew about it as a kid?”

“Probably not.” I shrugged. “It wouldn’t of changed how I still did awful in math and better in History and reading.”

“Same here.” Steelbeak said. “I wasn’t into reading much as a kid but it was definitely the easiest subject for me. History wasn’t so bad either. What type of books did you read?”

“Mainly things involving supernatural or paranormal. What about you?”

“Like I said, I didn’t read books much.” Steelbeak said.

“You mentioned Darkwing Duck, right? Did you read the comics?” I asked.

“Oh yeah! I read those all the time! Did you read them?” He asked.

“Not really. I’ve been rewatching the show with my buddy, LP.” I said.

“…You mean Launchpad?” I nodded. “Huh. Didn’t know he was into Darkwing too.”  

“You know him?” I asked.

“Sort of. We met… in passing one day and I heard the kid over there talk to him. Only he was wearing blue.” He pointed to Huey.

“That was probably Dewey. Huey wears red a lot and is over there. Dewey wears blue. Louie, the third triplet, is usually wearing green.” I said and he stared at me. “What? I did help raise my honorary nephews… so of course I can tell which is which.”

“Fair enough.” Steelbeak replied with a shrug. “So what made you start school again? Was it because your kids are older now?”

“No. The boy’s mom is home now and found out I quit college over 10 years ago to help raise her kids. She basically forced me to go back.” I replied.

“And yet you’re still babysitting one of them.” Steelbeak said.

“The kids asked to come since they made their own book club. I don‘t mind watching them as I do my homework.” I shrugged.

“Where’s the rest of the kids at?” Steelbeak asked.

“Either home at the mansion or hopefully with another adult.” I said.

“Oh okay. Well, I better go look for the books that I’m here for before I forget.” Steelbeak said, standing up and taking the list out again.

After looking at the list, he frowned and looked around.

“Need help…?” I asked, noticing the look.

“Uh no. I can find them on my own. Thanks though, babe.” Steelbeak winked then walked away.

Fate Servants Play Animal Crossing!Headcannon ft. the Cú Quartet

Ok, so for one, they’re playing Animal Crossing:New Leaf on 2Ds(instead of 3Ds because they needed something a bit more sturdy cause they’re wild and sometimes forget their own strength). This might be a little long because I’m just jotting down stuff about how their play-style and towns would be so read under the cut....Isn’t that what they say? Or did I say it wrong? x-x

When the Gudas first bring this game to their attention, none of them are super interested in it. This all changes however when one day, Gudao is laid up in bed from overexerting himself earlier, Setanta(Cu Lancer) comes to check up on him. It’s fishing tourney time and Gudao plans on winning 1st place(because he’ll be darned if he lets Zucker win for the second time in a row!) so he doesn’t even notice him come in. Or notice him sit down next to him on the bed, eyes glued to his screen. He doesn’t even notice that as time passes, Magi(Cas Cu), Lainn(Proto Cu) and even Alter(Berserker Cu) end up watching him play. When the tourney ends at 6 o’clock, Gudao gets the 1st place trophy and a group of four Servants that now want to give the game a try. Let the gaming begin!

(and yes he does scream when he realizes that they’re all in the room with him)

Setanta(Cu Lancer):

Title: Fisherman/Delicate Flower

2DS Color: Blue/Black

Well we all know that when he first starts, all he cares about is the fishing. Ordinances? That can wait. Public Projects? They’ll get done. 

His town is in slight chaos for the first week of playing

Flowers are wilting. Crops have perished. The townsfolk are panicking 

Heck, the Gudas literally have to sit him down and force him to work on getting a house instead of living in his tent

After he gets his house, it’s like a switch is flipped. He finds a balance in fishing, ordinances and projects(thank the lord) and from then on his town is pretty peaceful

Wants to ANNIHILATE mosquitoes because they always try to bite him when he’s getting ready to catch a shark. Almost threw his DS

One thing he hates, is when someone plants flowers in the wrong spot. Don’t misunderstand, he likes the wild flower look as much as anyone, but if he has a specific look going and someone plants something where it shouldn’t he’ll go bonkers

Nearly threw his DS again when his neighbor, Cherry, planted a bunch of red lilies around his statue fountain because ‘NOOOOOO! I’m planting RED ROSES around that statue, not red lilies Is beag cac tú!’(he was silenced before any of the kid Servants could hear him)

His museums fish collection is practically complete. Same goes for his fish book. He’s got a few other things in some of the other exhibits, but said he’ll focus on them more once all of his fish tanks are full

Made sure he got a cafe, not because he likes coffee, but because the uniform you wear when working brings back good memories

Somehow has a golden fishing rod(is that even a thing?)

Number of Visits to the Gudas towns per day: 2 or 3 depending

Magi(Cu Caster/Cas Cu):

Title: Butterfly

2DS Color: Sea Green

His first week of playing consists of getting his house in order and earning enough money to get the ordinance in place that’ll keep his town pretty and well kept

Plus he doesn’t want to have to walk around town and water every single plant that he sees

Has a nice little garden outside of his house made up of all different kinds of Lillies. Tends to put the special hybrid flowers around areas that visitors will see

He wants to show off how cool his flowers are basically

Likes to fish, and now that his town is together he can do so freely. Is also kind of into collecting the different bugs, especially the butterflies. ‘Something about them is calming...Which is weird because they’re in a game’, he said once

The bug exhibit in the museum is halfway done. Fishing museum is also halfway done

He has a Birdwing butterfly in his house

Her name is Ava

Really likes to go into the flea market store(can’t remember the name right now) and enjoys changing the patterns and base colors on a piece of furniture. One thing he doesn’t like, are the pieces made out of solid gold. Not really his style

Sometimes he’ll have his character sit by the big tree everyone has in their town while he’s reading a book on runes or making some kind of potion/elixir/etc,

‘The music they play is pretty’, he said(more like mumbled, but ok)

Number of Visits to the Gudas towns per day: 2

Lainn(Proto Cu):

Title: The Designer

2DS Color: Crystal Blue

His first week was a mix of Magi and Setas. A little bit chaotic. A little bit calm

For some reason, still unknown to this day, he couldn’t start the game. Like the game literally would not start. When it finally did, the game already selected a town for him

Wasn’t too sure about the town at first(the layout was dreadful at best) but with a bit or work and running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, he got it together

Or at least to a point where he could actually work with it

Once again, fishing is a constant. Bug collecting, not so much. Instead of the bugs, he actually kind of likes looking at the different fossils that you dig up. With a bit of help from Alter(explained later), his museum is packed with different bones and things stuck in amber

Making designs isn’t his favorite thing to do, but every once in awhile he’ll go into Able Sisters and make a pretty cool design. This then leads to him wearing it as a shirt and a hat, showing it off to the Gudas and his older counterparts for about...two days? Maybe three?

Also like shooting stuff out of the sky with his golden slingshot

None of the public projects interested him at first, so he kind of held off on them for awhile

Until he was ambushed

The three remaining Cus ambushed him when he was half asleep, looking at this list of suggested projects and telling him which ones he should do

Since he was half asleep, he just went with it

When he finally came to his senses, the damage was already done. Things were in weird places and he had to end up demolishing a bunch of the projects

Gudao and Gudako stepped in and helped him get a better layout going

He doesn’t play when he’s sleepy anymore

Number of Visits to Gudas towns per day: 3

Alter(Berserker Cu/Culter):

Title: Bone Man(he hates that one)/Fossil Finder

2DS Color: Red/Black

The fact that he even agreed to playing in itself was a miracle

As it turns out, playing the game actually relaxes him a bit

His first week was...Not chaotic? More like...Quiet confusion? He’d stare at the screen a lot with a raised brow or a confused frown. This then lead to him sticking to whichever Guda he could find when playing, so they could show him what he needed to do

And by sticking, I mean abducting. They could be in the middle of talking to someone and he’d just pick ‘em and off they go

If he was in a good mood that day, he would instead plop said Master into his lap and continue playing as if nothing happened

Fishing? Sure, it’s fine. He’s really good at catching sharks and ocean sunfish

Bug Collecting? It’s fine. He caught a moth once

Fossil Collecting...Hmm...It’s more like he has a natural talent for it instead of doing it because it’s fun

‘Death is drawn to me...’ he said once which resulted in him being given a cookie because that statement is very depressing

But it’s like, no matter where he digs, he always seems to find some kind of fossil. That or he hits a rock and Bam! A gold nugget. It’s so weird

His fossil exhibit is FULL. It was filled during his first two weeks of playing

So instead he either sells the fossils or gives them to one of the other three

When he visits the Gudas towns, he’ll go looking through their fossil exhibit and go digging for the ones they’re missing when he gets back to his own town

Surprisingly, he has a lot of flowers in his town. Ya can’t run anywhere really, or you’ll trample them. He doesn’t really mind it per se, but running through someones flowers just isn’t cool

He doesn’t really plant flowers mind you. They just pop up randomly and he goes with it. Likes the wild flower look. And sometimes, he’ll even walk around a water some of them just to see them do the little shiny sparkle thing

Has a golden watering can. Lets the Gudas borrow it if they want to

Tends to put his character in either of the Masters houses when he naps. Nobody really knows why but they just go with it

Number of Visits to the Gudas towns per day: Depends on how many naps he’ll take but let’s just say 4

Another long one done and dusted. Yay! Although, part of me thinks this sounds funny. Ah well. If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed it!!

Oh yeah! Gudao has a limited edition Light Blue 2DS(AUO got it for him) and Gudako has a Crystal Red 2DS(Wise King got it for her).

Top 5 Games Of The Year Runner Up And Honorable Mentions

Runner Up: Doki Doki Literature Club (THIS SECTION CONTAINS BIG SPOILERS, IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED DDLC AND ARE INTERESTED IN MAYBE TRYING IT HERE’S THE TL;DR It’s good, it plays with your expectations in a very good way and in a multitude of ways, it’s a great little piece of media that brings to life an extremely good character. Also it’s free, go download it on steam.)

Look, maybe it’s because I don’t consume a lot of horror media but this game really stood out to me. Not only for it’s genre though, also for the high quality of its writing and with how great the game is at accomplishing the one and only thing it truly sets out to do: Convey Monika as a character. The horror elements themselves can be a bit hit and miss and some of them are quite predictable, but I feel the game is excellent at building a continuous sense of dread as the player continues through it. It rapidly ratchets up the intensity of its content after taking just enough time for the player to settle in and get comfortable and mixes in JUST A COUPLE of jumpscares (which honestly it probably shouldn’t) in order to keep the player unsteady enough in terms of expectations to keep that dread building. Regardless, throughout the game Doki Doki Literature Club does a great job taking advantage of player expectations both of dating sim visual novels AND of horror writing to ultimately become something just a little bit more. It becomes an excellent character exercise and exploration. Thanks to some smart programming in service of the game’s ultimate intent, to make Monika into a ‘real’ character actually ended up giving me one of the deepest scares any piece of media, video game or otherwise, has ever given me. And it did it without any secondary stimuli like sound or a jumpscare or horrifying visuals. No, in a completely calm moment all that was said was this:

And I REELED back in my chair because the suspense and the dread the game had been building all impacted me at once. You can’t deliver that kind of scare in someone without some smart writing backed up by some VERY smart programming and understanding of player expectations. Honestly Monika is such an excellent and fully realized character despite the game being so short it’s astounding. By taking care to give her a lot of special conditional dialogue, pages upon PAGES of missable content, and even meta-content such as her having unique dialogue that only appears while looking through the game’s files it really just all coalesces into making Monika feel almost real, real enough to give me the willies and to feel a bit sad for her by the end. DDLC is a divisive game and I understand if the game’s handling of certain themes or content doesn’t sit well with other people but for me, and I say this as someone who is no stranger to suicide attempts, the game never went to far. For me it all worked in service of the game’s narrative and Monika’s character growth. Honestly even just little details like how the piano in the soundtrack only starts playing for the first time once Monika is introduced and only ever stops when she’s not watching you or how there’s a lot of different horror elements that only occur randomly so not everyone has the same experience or how some can only happen in fullscreen or in windowed mode, it’s really amazing attention to detail and consideration of her character while also making the game more unique as a product. DDLC was really good. It gave me some good scares but it also gave me a good story and a GREAT character to appreciate. Even if, like me, you’re a bit of a weenie when it comes to horror content I’d wholeheartedly recommend DDLC as a read, assuming you both can handle a jumpscare or two and can handle game content that involves suicide and self harm. I know I didn’t get too in depth here but I wanted to avoid spoiling TOO much and honestly I already said too much as is! Please excuse me! Honorable Mention #1: Yo! Noid 2 - Enter the Void

It’s not often you get a game that’s developed explicitly as a joke that’s so good. Yo Noid 2 is a solid, fun, and funny platformer. It’s all pretty clearly built just to tell one joke right at the very end but the ends ABSOLUTELY justify the means. I can’t talk too in detail about this game without ruining why it’s special, but Yo Noid 2 is a legitimately fun 3D platformer, with good level design, a relatively expressive moveset, a very special Special Action Button, and honestly a great soundtrack to boot! Its difficulty ramps up in a good way across its very short 90-150 minute length culminating in a very fun final boss fight. PLEASE go download Yo Noid 2, if you like 3D platformers and want to have a good laugh it’s 300% worth your time. It’s even free, you have no excuses!!

Honorable Mention #2: Mega Man 11 Mega Man is back, again, and they really did a good job expanding the franchise. While I still like entries such as 9, 10, and 4 better personally there’s no denying MM11 expands the franchise in a positive way more than any other before it. MM11 takes the time tested side scrolling design of the classic Mega Man series and adds just enough of a new wrinkle with the Double Gear system to really expand the player’s horizons and to push their level design concepts. While Double Gear and in fact all of the secondary weapons are entirely unnecessary as is tradition for Mega Man games MM11 does a great job incentives smart use of these mechanics, keeping them balanced with a shared cooldown system between both gears (power and speed) and making every single one of the Robot Master powers actually useful! Also all of the robot master designs are really charming this time, I was initially worried about the addition of voice acting but the voice cast does a great job! The level design is also a treat, while the length of the levels varies DRASTICALLY and Wily Castle 1 is dramatically longer and harder than another other stage in the game overall it’s very easy to just jump into any level and challenge yourself. There is no obvious first boss, they’re all pretty tough, and I started with Acid Man myself. The only thing about MM11 that let me down was the soundtrack; it wasn’t bad it just wasn’t bombastic either, merely present during play but not sticking in my memory at all. MM11 is a great entry in the series and I hope it signals a true return of one of my childhood favorites with more games to come soon.  Honorable Mention #3: Fire Emblem - Mystery of the Emblem (FE12) Taking the great concept of remaking FE’s earliest titles that Shadow Dragon started and actually putting in the elbow grease to make the game really good, FE12 is a stand out entry in the Fire Emblem franchise. While some aspects of its map design are somewhat held back by the original iteration, FE3′s age, the developers at IntSys really did a great job modernizing Archanea and paying good tribute to the characters and story that made this game an absolutely beloved classic in the first place. With overall good map design, modernized mechanics, the best use of an Avatar Character in the franchise, and massively improved unit, class, and weapon balance over the original FE12 polishes its source material to a razor shine. Top it all off with a decent story and great new content that adds a bunch of new dialogue to the characters and this is the definitive way to experience Archenea and its inhabitants. Except for Marth, he was better in Shadow Dragon. Besides Marth’s characterization taking a step back and the gaiden content being rather slapdash and forgettable, this game is everything a remastering should be; Taking what worked and polishing it, improving what didn’t, and adding all new content that fits in with the original game in a productive and fun way for fans. The addition of a wide variety of gameplay difficulties and including the until this game INCREDIBLY rare BS: Fire Emblem expansion chapters previously exclusive to the Super Famicom Satellaview this game cartridge is bursting with good content. It’s a fun, fun game with a lot to offer and great replayability thanks to its BULGING roster of characters and deeply customizable avatar character. If you like Fire Emblem as a franchise I’d heavily recommending finding a patched FE12 rom out there, harder though it is to do now. You owe it to yourself to experience this game. Oh, just play with the battle animations off, they’re REALLY ugly. Still, this game puts Shadow Dragon’s lazy near-direct port of an NES game to DS to shame. Honorable Mention #4: A Hat in Time - Seal the Deal This DLC has been getting some backlash and frankly I don’t get why. While I was a bit disappointed the new chapter was shorter than the base game ones the Death Wish side of things offered a TON of great new content and new ways to experience past challenges. For its modest price point this DLC really does everything I could possibly hope for out of a 3D Platformer expansion. New, tougher challenges to really push my skills, fun new content that fits right in with the base game in terms of quality and polish, and in A Hat in Time’s case GREAT new boss fight experiences. Taking every existing boss and turning them into a downright Superboss level difficulty fight, remixing all of their attacks, speed, patterns, and adding all new stuff to them is such a great idea and I really loved it. Seal the Deal is a ton of fun as long as you aren’t averse to an easy base game getting a VERY challenging DLC expansion. I can understand why the difficulty whiplash might turn some people off but for me it was just right and really hit the spot. A Hat in Time is just so good, I love it.

End of the Year 2018 (I’m a few days late)

Hello ladies and gentlemen, it's that lovely time of the year again. The holiday season is past, the year is winding down and there's a new year on the horizon. As is traditional at this time of year I feel the need to force upon you my thoughts and feelings about the best things and the worst things I personally have endured this year. Once again, I can't really bring myself to do a best film of the year because honestly I don't recall seeing a movie that really stood out as particularly good this year. Some films I only saw because it was something to get me out of the house for a few hours, and honestly the only movies I can really remember seeing in the theaters were: Solo A Star Wars Story, Slender-Man, and Avengers Infinity War. 

Anyway, my Games of the Year 2018 edition. I decided to do something a bit different with this particular list, even though I played quite a number of games this year I didn't really play many that come out this, just a lot of older stuff. You may notice some glaring omissions from the games I did play this year, some of the big titles that came out I simply didn't play. So, you fine people are going to get a double list this year. I will have a top five for games that came out pre-2018 that I played this year, and one for games that did come out this year.

Honorable mentions:

HM: Call of Duty Black Ops IIII. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. I haven't really played many shooters in the past couple of years, but I greatly enjoyed my time with Black Ops 4. The base multiplayer plays pretty decently these days, and it reminds me a lot of Counter-Strike for reasons I can't really explain. Like so many of my friends though I really liked the time I spent in Blackout, I don't really play these battle royale games, but I enjoyed the time I put into this one.

HM: Mega Man 11. This was a very fun game, and I liked it quite a lot. Some of the pixel perfect jumps the game requires of you are a fair bit irritating though. I freely admit, I may have liked this a lot more than I may have otherwise because of the fact that I played Mighty No. 9 a couple months before the games release.

HM: Elder Scrolls Legends. I played this game a lot over the year, and I'd probably still be playing it if they didn't make the game unplayable on mobile and completely uninteresting to play on PC.

HM: SoulCalibur VI. I was really looking forward to this game, and I was so happy that the game came out as good as it did. It's a delight to play, and I really want to get back into playing more of it. Geralt was an interesting addition to the game that I'm really glad made it, he's quite fun to play as, and I can't wait to try out 2B.

HM: Deltarune. I'll admit that when I started playing this I wasn't really feeling it, I thought that the game was going to be trying too hard to recapture what made Undertale good. But it's a surprisingly enjoyable game, can't wait for the rest of it to come out eventually.

HM: Faith. A retro-style horror game, done in vector graphics. I like this game, granted some aspects of the boss fight, and the events just prior to this fight are somewhat annoying.

HM: King's Field (and King's Field 2). I played these in about mid-January, shortly after playing Persona 5. It was a nice little palette cleanser because it was a change going from a big story RPG to a game with a barebones plot. I played the Sword of Moonlight version of King's Field, and I had fun with it. King's Field 2 was also fun, I could not play these games without a guide though.

Game of the Year: Pre-2018

5. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

I played the 3DS version of this game, and honestly I loved just about every minute of it. The storyline was actually very well done, and I liked basically every character in this game. I was a bit unsure of how the game would play on the 3DS but it ran really well, and actually holds up great in the visuals. This is going to sound silly but I really like it when games include outfits that actually change the look of your character, it's a real treat. I really wish I had actually played this one when I got a PS2 copy years ago, but at least I finally got the chance to play this one.

4. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

I'm very slowly going through my backlog of 3DS/DS games that I've built up over the past five years or so. I played through this game back in March, and honestly I keep having a desire to go back through the game again just for the fun of it. The game becomes a bit of a bastard to go through towards the end, but I found it to be a greatly rewarding experience to play through. Also unlike Untold 1, the story mode in this game isn't a complete mess! So that's nice, a shame there will probably never be an Untold 3.

3. Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Briefly alluded to as "a game I'd probably really like if I played more than an hour" on last year's list I found that to be the case entirely. Breath of the Wild was a really great game that I found myself loving from top to bottom. This is another game that I completed fairly early in the year that I find myself wanting to replay again because I enjoyed it that much. Even when I played other games that are entirely different from it I found myself trying to pull off some of the moves and abilities you get in Breath of the Wild. Maybe I wouldn't have found this game to be so great had I played any of the newer Zelda titles (the last one I played was Wind Waker), but I found this game to be an absolute joy to play. I admit that the announcement of it being an open-world game filled me with dread, but I was so pleased to find out my fears were entirely unfounded. It's just really remarkable how much stuff they were able to put in this game, I wonder how the Wii U version fairs in comparison?

2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (and the DLC)

This is quite possibly the best version of Dragon Quest V I have ever played! I don't really know why it took me so long to get to this game, but for whatever it's worth the slightly over one hundred hours I've sunk into the game was a trip entirely worth taking. A bad habit I have when playing RPGs is sometimes near the end I start wishing it would wrap up, I never had this thought while playing through the Witcher's length. Even when I played the DLC almost immediately upon completing the primary story I didn't want my time in this world to end. This was an unexpected treat, after having played the first two Witchers I didn't in my wildest dreams think the third one would be this good. I absolutely adore this game, it has some of the best writing I've seen in an RPG, the characters are great, and I really like the villains. They feel like a very real, tangible threat as opposed to a vague evil sitting just beyond the horizon. Add to that the inclusion of Gwent and you have a game that holds its value really well. It must be said that Blood and Wine has what might be one of the most affecting endings I have ever seen in ages.

1. Fire Emblem Warriors

Surely I'm out of my mind, you must be thinking. After the words I said about Breath of the Wild, and Witcher III, how could a Musou game be the best of the pre-2018 games I played this year? Particularly in a year where Hyrule Warriors got a re-release? It's simple, I didn't really play Hyrule Warriors, and I played through Fire Emblem Warriors three times. While Breath of the Wild, and Witcher III have story, waifus, and better looks and feel about them, Fire Emblem Warriors has gameplay working in its favor. The gameplay in Fire Emblem Warriors is quite possibly some of the best Musou gameplay I've seen in a long while. Sure I might have issues with the fact that this is primarily an Awakening/Fates show I'm able to get over it because of how good the game plays. I earnestly hope for a sequel, I know it's a long-shot that any of the older Fire Emblem heroes would get in, but I would love it. Also this game does the impossible and makes the cast and story beats of Fates tolerable and decent.

Games of the Year 2018

5.  Detroit: Become Human

This game should count itself lucky I didn't play anything slightly more substantive. If I had played anything better than this I don't honestly think Detroit would have gotten any more than an honorable mention. That's not to say I didn't like the game, I enjoyed it greatly in fact, I just am surprised this game managed to be one of the better games I've played this year. The story really isn't the greatest around, but it did have moments that I liked a whole lot. Like so many others I think I liked the stuff with Connor and Hank the best. If this game had focused more on the "android cop" idea I might have liked it more, but I do want to reiterate I do think this was a good game. As by the numbers as Markus's story may have been, and some really hamfisted story beats that occur toward the end of the game it was a really solid game overall. I kind of feel like the game also played its hand regarding some of the characters a bit too early, and as such it kind of fumbled the reveal when it happens. It is pretty interesting seeing some of the variations between being peaceful Markus versus violent Markus, also the endgame variations of Connor's arc are pretty intriguing. Sadly Kara kind of gets the short end of the stick when it comes to characterization. Despite the game not quite sticking the landing when it approaches the ending it was still a good game to play through.

4. The Banner Saga Trilogy

This might be a bit of a cheat, but the console versions of the trilogy came out this year, so I'm counting it. It might not have the deepest strategy gameplay around, but this series is so much more than just the combat encounters. Some of the choices you're forced to make as the series advances are actually pretty difficult to deal with, but for its credit the game never really goes out of its way to chastise you for the decisions. I enjoyed the setting of these games a lot, Viking stuff is very interesting to me, and I absolutely adore the art style these games use. It reminded me a whole lot of the animated Hobbit movie that was out in the early 80s that I remember my dad having. I adore pretty much the whole cast that is in this trilogy, some of the characters fall flat, but when the cast is as large as the one in this series it's to be expected. This series also reminded me a lot of the early Fire Emblem games (specifically the ones on the GBA), in that your characters can permanently die as the story progresses. I played through this entire series over the course of a month because I was that engrossed in the world and story this series takes place in. I like how the threat in the series becomes much larger and grander as the games go on, and it never really feels entirely out of left field. The story does take a bit of a dive towards the end of the third game, but it was never really a deal breaker for me. If you like turn-based tactical combat, vaguely Norse mythology, or just a compelling story I really can't recommend this enough.

3. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Perhaps they should have done the Kiwami games prior to making this, since they seem to have had some issues with the engine. That said however I really enjoyed this one a whole lot. I don't really have a lot to say about the gameplay for this game, it is still some of the best combat you can experience in most modern games these days. Style switching from 0 is gone, but that's alright. Most heat moves seem to boil down to mashing the button a whole lot to make the impact greater, but none of the gameplay changes were a deal breaker for me. I don't really want to talk about the story in the game because I feel that the story is really the game's greatest aspect. The story has some major gut punch moments, it still has its more outlandish moments (it is Yakuza after all), but the story overall is a very satisfying very moving finale for Kiryu's story. I desperately want more people to play these games because the ending was perhaps one of the most emotionally satisfying things I have ever experienced with a video game.

2. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age

I adore this game. When it came out in September I played nothing but Dragon Quest XI until I completed the game. It's rare these days that something I look forward to actually lives up to my expectations, but Dragon Quest XI hit the mark and then some. I love just about every single member of the party in this game, I don't think there's a single weak link to be found in the cast. Sure the villain of the game lacks a bit of oomph despite the build-up, but I was still really digging the final villain by the time the game was approaching its end. Normally when I play an RPG by the end I start to drift away from it a bit, but I was thoroughly enjoying my time with it. I do have some complaints with the narrative towards the end, some minor complaints I have with certain characters and their characterizations near the end. The game is absolutely worth playing, it is just sheer classic role playing joy from beginning to end. Plus if you play it on PC you can mod in the orchestral soundtrack which is nice.

1. Monster Hunter: World

I sunk a lot of time into this game over the year. Two hundred and twenty-five hours to be precise (on one character at least). Granted that might be small potatoes compared to the time others have sunk into this I think that is quite a large amount. There's just something about this game that keeps calling me back to it. It might not be the most narratively rich game, but quite frankly I love this game to pieces. It's very cathartic hunting down these big behemoths. To be honest though I was kind of split between declaring this or Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate my favorite of the year. They both do something that I love so much about these games. It might be shallow to say but I probably like World more due to the graphical polish that the game possesses over Generations Ultimate. I love the inclusion of the cosmetic add-ons that are in World, it amuses me greatly to run around dressed up like Ryu from Street Fighter, or Dante from Devil May Cry, I also like the Aloy costume from Horizon: Zero Dawn. However I kind of prefer the greater amount of monsters that are available in Generations Ultimate. The sheer volume of monsters in the game is kind of ridiculous, but some of them are just tremendously fun to fight and I wish they could be in World. Generations Ultimate I kind of feel like I might be cheating by including it here, since it was an import copy for the Switch I played a lot. Honestly though, Monster Hunter World and Generations Ultimate I spent an absurd amount of time with during the year. In World's case at least I imagine I'll play a lot more during this year simply because of the inclusion of multiple crossover events that will no doubt be happening over the year. There's also the fact that Iceborne is coming out later this year, and I really can't wait to get my hands on that.

The honest truth is every single game that make up my best of list are all games that I really want to replay because I enjoyed them so much. Also just for fun here's the order the list would go in if I combined the two lists:

10. Detroit Become Human 09. Dragon Quest VIII 08. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold 07. The Banner Saga Trilogy 06. Yakuza 6 05. Breath of the Wild 04. The Witcher 3 03. Dragon Quest XI 02. Fire Emblem Warriors 01. Monster Hunter World/Generations Ultimate

Here’s to 2019, and the very many games that are coming out that I am really looking forward to! Thank you for reading, and until next time farewell.

15 Underrated E3 2021 Games Not Enough People Are Talking About

https://ift.tt/3vGBozn

Despite being a somewhat quiet year for the show, E3 2021 was filled with so many new titles and updates to previously announced major projects that it’s hardly a surprise that many smaller games featured during the show ultimately went overlooked and ended up being somewhat underrated.

Yet, this is so much more than a list of games that let us celebrate little studios and individual developers. At a time when Covid-19 production delays threaten to push so many major games into 2022 and beyond, these 15 titles (and so many more) could end up working their way into upcoming game of the year conversations just as they remind us that new ideas aren’t dead: they’ve just gone indie.

From wizards with guns and spiritual Thief sequels to cosmic horror punk RPGs and escape room deck builders, these are the 15 underrated E3 2021 games that not enough people are talking about. 

15. Wizard With a Gun

You’re going to see a number of Devolver Digital games on this list, but few E3 titles from any publisher or developer made as good of a first impression as developer Galvanic Games’ Wizard With a Gun.

Described as an “online cooperative sandbox survival game,” Wizard With a Gun looks like a blend of Don’t Starve and Enter the Gungeon. Aside from the incredible name, the thing that stands out most about this game is the ability to combine magic and guns to craft some truly wild weapons. Interestingly, it may actually be possible to push your experiments too far and craft something that will hurt you more than your enemies.

14. Gloomwood

I’m a huge fan of developer New Blood Interactive (probably best known for 2018 horror shooter DUSK), and Gloomwood could just be their best game yet. 

Gloomwood is a stealth survival horror game that, in many ways, effectively serves as the Thief sequel fans have been begging for. The game’s Steam demo showcases its tremendous potential, but the title’s E3 2021 extended gameplay preview suggests that the best is yet to come. 

13. Replaced

There’s a good chance that you actually saw this game considering that it was featured fairly prominently during Xbox’s E3 2021 show, but it’s pretty much impossible to give this project enough love. 

While most people are (understandably) focusing on Replaced’s wonderful pixel art visuals, the few glimpses of action gameplay that we see in the title’s debut trailer suggest that this is going to be so much more than an artist showcase.

12. Bear and Breakfast

Bear and Breakfast was actually quietly revealed last year, but I’m more than happy to use its brief E3 2021 appearance as an excuse to hype up this wonderfully wholesome game with a potentially dark twist.

Bear and Breakfast presents itself as a kind of sim/builder game starring colorful and friendly woodland creatures, but both trailers we’ve seen so far suggest that there’s something darker at play that only reveals itself as you expand your cabin empire and dive deeper into the forest.

11. Harold Halibut

Somewhere between a Wallace and Gromit cartoon and a Wes Anderson movie lies the weird and wonderful Harold Halibut.

This stunningly beautiful project may just win you over with its stop motion visuals alone (which were handcrafted in real life and digitally scanned into the game), but it’s Harold Halibut’s classic adventure gameplay that could prove to be its best feature.

10. Lake

Lake is another one of those games that we actually heard about before E3 2021, but this is one of those projects that just keeps looking better every time we see it. 

If you can get past its Hallmark movie premise (a young woman leaves her big city job to return to her small town home and deliver mail), you’ll find that Lake’s large world, branching storylines, and diverse cast of characters may just make it one of the most compelling narrative experiences on the horizon.

9. The Anacrusis

The most logical reason more people weren’t talking about The Anacrusis after Xbox’s E3 2021 show is that the multiplayer co-op FPS was arguably upstaged by two bigger, somewhat similar titles: Back 4 Blood and Redfall.

Were it not for those titles, I suspect that more people would have instantly fallen for this ‘70s sci-fi-inspired shooter with roguelike and dungeon master elements. The Anacrusis promises to offer hours of replayability, which should make it a perfect addition to the Game Pass library.

Read more

Games

Metroid Dread: From Canceled DS Game to E3 Showstopper

By Matthew Byrd

Games

Xbox E3 RPG Lineup Targets One of PlayStation’s Biggest Weaknesses

By Matthew Byrd

8. Loot River

I understand if your brain is wired to ignore the mention of another roguelike dungeon crawler, but Loot River has already found some ways to distinguish itself from some considerable competition. 

The highlight of this game so far is undoubtedly its level manipulation mechanics which add a compelling puzzle element to what may otherwise be a more standard entry into the genre. Having said that, even as a standard genre entry, Loot River looks like a lot of fun.

7. Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart is another one of those games that weirdly almost suffered from its prominent place in the Xbox E3 2021 showcase as it was flanked by larger titles that garnered most of the attention. 

However, nearly every aspect of this game we’ve seen so far is, at the very least, compelling. Atomic Heart’s physics and power-based shooter gameplay looks like a blast, but it’s the game’s alternate 1950s Soviet Union setting and Fallout vibes it gives off that really has us intrigued.

6. Death Trash

Speaking of Fallout, you probably think that The Outer Worlds 2 and Fallout 76 are the E3 2021 games that will come closest to offering a proper new Fallout experience. However, Death Trash may just be the game that realizes the potential of so many of the little things that make that franchise great.

This cosmic horror punk rock action RPG so perfectly captures the spirit of classic games like the original Fallout titles and Shadowrun that it’s hard to look at it and not wonder how it was possibly assembled by a single developer. This labor of love should absolutely be on your wishlist.

5. Sifu

There just aren’t enough martial arts video games in the world. I’ll never understand why that’s the case, but it’s just one of those sad facts of life. 

While Sifu impressed us when it debuted during a PlayStation broadcast earlier this year, the game’s E3 2021 gameplay trailer ensured it will stay on our radars. Sifu’s intense melee fights and environmental interactions could just make it the go-to experience for starved martial arts fans everywhere.

4. Demon Throttle

Recent years have gifted us with a number of notable retro action games, and Demon Throttle looks more than ready to join the ranks of exceptional experiences like Shovel Knight and The Messenger.

This top-down co-op shooter is currently garnering attention for its physical-only release strategy, but it’s the game’s chaotic action and outlandish humor that will really make you want to add it to your shelf. 

3. Inscryption

The deck builder genre has offered some of the most quietly compelling video game experiences in recent years, but I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever seen a deck builder as intriguing as Inscryption. 

The creator of 2016’s bizarre and wonderful Pony Island brings us this strange little game that combines elements of the deckbuilding genre with escape rooms and psychological horror. I can’t imagine how all of those incredible flavors are going to be mixed together into something cohesive, which honestly makes me that much more excited to see what this game is all about. 

2. Trek to Yomi

If Ghost of Tsushima didn’t quite give you a full dose of your Kurosawa-inspired video game fix, then you have to check out what Trek to Yomi promises to offer.

Trek to Yomi’s black-and-white visuals and samurai setting are obviously welcome Kurosawa callbacks, but it’s the way the gameplay references everything from Limbo and Mark of the Ninja to Bushido Blade that instantly shot this one near the top of our shortlist of underrated E3 2021 games more people should be talking about.

1. Immortality

With Her Story, Telling Lies, and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Sam Barlow has firmly established himself as one of the most exciting and daring writers in gaming. Now, Barlow returns with E3 2021’s most underrated and overlooked game, Immortality.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Granted, we don’t know much about Immortality, but between the intriguing (if vague) premise that sees you explore three lost films starring a now missing actress and Barlowe’s outstanding track record, there’s no world in which fans of story-driven games won’t want to keep a close eye on this one.

The post 15 Underrated E3 2021 Games Not Enough People Are Talking About appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3iO9VIT

What your ears were longing to hear: Reviewing Asus' financial plan Xonar DGX and DSX sound cards Finding moderate PCIe alternatives for sound aficionados.

For years, we've trumpeted the advantages of discrete sound cards. They basically solid superior to the run of the mill incorporated sound on motherboards, particularly for those with perceiving ears and mostly better than average speakers or earphones. Great sound cards tend to last through numerous redesign cycles, as well. They're incredibly modest considering the normal life expectancy. Without a doubt, the two we'll be putting under the magnifying lens today—Asus' Xonar DGX and DSX—offer for under $50.

On the off chance that the names look commonplace, that is on account of the cards are the PCI Express forms of the Xonar DG and DS. Those more seasoned models have PCI interfaces, similar to a dreadful parcel of other sound cards, and PCI spaces are rapidly vanishing from present day motherboards. The Xonar DGX and DSX drop into any PCIe x1 space, and those ought to be with us for a decent, long time.

Each card has a one of a kind character. The DGX courts earphone clients with a devoted speaker and Dolby Headphone encompass sound virtualization. In the interim, the DSX offers home-theater clients a replaceable OPAMP, bolster for more yield channels, and the capacity to encode multichannel computerized bitstreams progressively.

How do the two look at, and all the more essentially, how great do they sound? We've directed a blend of execution, flag quality, and visually impaired listening tests to discover. We've likewise tossed in our most loved mid-extend sound card, the Xonar DX, and a motherboard with Realtek's most recent sound codec. This ought to be interesting.Before we delve into the Xonars, it merits pausing for a minute to develop why sound cards tend to keep going so long. In all honesty, the market for them has to a great extent stagnated.

Diversions used to drive the interest for equipment quickened sound, yet that component has everything except vanished from late titles. Inventive's EAX positional sound plan kicked the bucket years back. OpenAL should be a substitution of sorts, yet Creative's rundown of recreations with OpenAL sound hasn't been refreshed since 2008. Blue Ripple Sound's Rapture3D positional sound programming is utilized by some Codemasters diversions, and it's been made to work with a modest bunch of OpenAL titles. In any case, Blue Ripple Sound is very unequivocal about the way that its calculations keep running on the CPU.

The truth of the matter is today's multi-center processors have a wealth of torque. Doing the math for positional sound shouldn't be a test. Nowadays, engineers ordinarily handle positional sound preparing in programming. A few, similar to Battlefield 3 creator DICE, even offer their own particular virtualization voodoo.

Maybe in light of the fact that the requirement for equipment increasing speed has disappeared, the stream of new sound processors has eased back to a stream. We've had a lot of yield channels and constant encoding choices for a long while, leaving few explanations behind crisp silicon.

The more seasoned sound processors that command the market are intended for the PCI interface, which is rapidly dropping out of support among motherboard producers. Intel dropped PCI bolster from its customer desktop stages years prior, driving board creators to utilize outsider silicon on the off chance that they need to offer PCI openings. Most still do, yet it likely won't be some time before the dominant part of new loads up are PCIe-as it were.

Since the C-Media sound processors utilized as a part of the Xonar line need local PCIe bolster, Asus has taken to utilizing span chips to connect up with the more up to date interface. The DGX and DSX both element PLX's PEX8112 connect chip, much the same as the other PCIe individuals from the regularly developing Xonar family. Connected arrangements aren't exactly as smooth as local ones, obviously, yet we've yet to perceive any issues identified with Asus' utilization of the PLX chips.In the photo above, you can see the extension chip by C-Media's Oxygen HD CMI8786 sound processor on the Xonar DGX. That is a similar C-Media chip as on the more seasoned DG demonstrate. Similarly, the DSX highlights the same Asus AV66 sound processor as the Xonar DS. In spite of the fact that Asus' name is silkscreened at first glance, the AV66 is really a C-Media CMI8788. Asus lets us know the AV66, AV100, and AV200 processors highlighted on its Xonar cards are all variations of the CMI8788 with various programming bundles.

We're at a misfortune with respect to why Asus doesn't have its own particular name marked over the CMI8786. That chip is a custom request only for the Xonar DG and DGX. The CMI8786 is truly only a chopped down variant of the CMI8788. Both chips can deal with 24-bit sound, yet the CMI8788 does as such at testing rates up to 192kHz, while the CMI8786 beat out at 96kHz.

As the model numbers recommend, the CMI8788 can encourage eight yield channels, while the CMI8786 is topped at six. Interpretation: the Xonar DSX can control 7.1-speaker home theaters, while the DGX is restricted to 5.1-speaker setups.Asus utilizes an alternate blend of corresponding advanced to-simple and simple to-computerized change silicon on each card. The DSX sets a six-channel Wolfson DAC with a stereo codec from a similar organization. Cirrus rationale supplies the transformation equipment for the DGX, which utilizes a comparable DAC-and-codec combo. By chance, the greater part of the DAC and codec chips offer 24 bits of determination at 192kHz testing rates. The Xonar DGX's 96kHz constraint originates from its sound processor alone.The distributed flag to-commotion proportions of each card give us a general feeling of their general flag quality. It would appear that the Xonar DGX may be the more adjusted of the two; it has a 105-decibel yield SNR and a 103-dB input SNR. The DSX has higher yield SNR, at 107 dB, yet its 100 dB input SNR is somewhat low.

The Xonar DGX is the more affordable of the two cards, yet by not as much as the cost of a super-sized McDonald's combo. Settling on the two might be increasingly a variable of whether you mean to attach the card to a favor home-theater recipient or run it through a headset or earphones. We'll investigate the elements custom fitted to every setup as we investigate each card.Say hi to the Xonar DGX

To start with up, the $40 Xonar DGX. Its ancestor, the Xonar DG, has been one of our most suggested sound cards for a long while. Actually, we've been foreseeing its PCI Express successor.

We're somewhat miffed by the appended premium, however. The first costs just $25 at this moment, so you're paying an additional $15 for the PCIe overhaul. I assume that is not all that terrible in the event that one considers the consumption an interest in future compatibility.Although the PLX connect chip expends some extra board land, the Xonar DGX is as yet based on a half-stature development card. The circuit board is 2.5" tall and 6.7" long, and Asus incorporates a half-stature backplate in the case.

Along the top edge of the card, you can see various inside connectors for additional information and yield ports. Notwithstanding helper info and S/PDIF yield headers, a front-board headset connector is given. Inasmuch as your case has the fundamental ports in advance, there's no compelling reason to scrounge around behind your PC to attach earphones or a mic.The front-board earphone and essential front-channel yield are both furnished with Texas Instruments DRV601 earphone intensifiers. In the photo over, one of the chips can be seen sitting between two groups of capacitors close to the card's top edge. The installed amps have three working modes tuned for various earphone impedance ranges. Pick the one that matches your jars, and you're set.

Like the Xonar DG that preceded it, the DGX has been customized to give certain components, particularly vocals and percussion, somewhat more oomph. We preferred this additional kick when we initially heard it, however the manufactured accentuation can sound somewhat brutal. Cyril's ears appear to be particularly delicate to this uncommon programming. He's accomplished weariness when tuning in to the Xonar DG for long stretches. All through our visually impaired listening tests, he additionally said the DGX helped him to remember the DG.A normal combination of ports lines the DGX's backplate. On the far ideal, there's a computerized S/PDIF yield for people with good beneficiaries or speakers. The Xonar DGX can't encode computerized bitstreams on the fly, restricting multi-channel advanced yield to pre-encoded tracks. Music and films will work fine and dandy, however gamers who need encompass sound should utilize simple yields. Three of those can be found beside a mutual line/mic input.

The Xonar DGX won't not have the capacity to encode computerized bitstreams progressively, yet it can virtualize multi-channel speaker setups utilizing Dolby Headphone programming fused in the drivers. With the Dolby conspire enacted, clients can look over three room designs that place the virtual speakers at various separations. Oh dear, The Dolby choice seems just when earphones are the chosen yield. The DGX can't fake encompass sound with stereo speakers.Asus' Xonar driver control board hasn't changed for quite a long time, which is somewhat of a disgrace considering how much function the firm has put into its current motherboard programming. The control board covers every one of the essentials in unspectacular mold. It additionally has a couple traps up its sleeve.

The first of those is the little GX catch in the lower-right corner. The mark alludes to GX 2.5, an Asus "gaming sound motor" that reproduces the EAX positional sound impacts of some more established recreations. GX 2.5 works with the last form of EAX, which took into consideration up to 128 concurrent impacts. That last form of EAX turned out before Windows Vista, a truly long time prior.

For its second driver trap, the Xonar DGX offers a resound cancelation mode intended for people with stereo speakers and work area mounted amplifiers. It's implied for voice correspondence applications, and Asus suggests crippling the component unless you're effectively utilizing Skype or something like that. Beside the quiet and volume controls, whatever is left of the driver control board is turned gray out when reverberate cancelation is empowered.