i think there’s something funny in how the expectations for qsmp’s big events with most of the entire server are Always heavy angst, hard lore, high stakes, general horrifying events happening

and then without fail the second that they’re all in the same room it’s just

[minecraft crashes] [loud screaming] [somebody has a soundboard] [entire server crashes] [entire server crashes] [LOUDER SCREAMING] [talking so quickly the translator becomes an eminem song] [10 conversations at once] [the admins having to teleport the players] [new members getting the worst summary you’ve ever heard] [STRIP TEASES] [gay sex] [server crashes]

What are your thoughts on 7 Remake’s ~controversial~ ending? It’s been a few weeks now since I finished and I legit feel like I’ve journeyed through all 5 stages of grief and finally landed on Acceptance 😅

haha that’s fair! I have a lot of thoughts about the remake, but they’re coming from three different angles. 

(Spoilers under the cut obvs; also this got fucklong even after I cut a bunch of non-ending-related thoughts, and I apologize to those of you on mobile)

From the POV of someone who played and loved the original

Overall, I really enjoyed the remake, ending and all. I replayed the OG prior to the remake’s release, finishing literally four hours before the remake became available in North America, but it had still been months since I did the Midgar parts so it wasn’t too immediately fresh in my mind. Still, I was impressed by how faithful the remake is to the OG for the vast majority of the game. They noticeably cleaned up a few things, like Tseng slapping Aerith, which didn’t age well or stopped making sense with regards to the greater Compilation, which was nice to see. But they also doubled down on some of the ridiculousness of the original. I can’t tell you how much I cackled when the Hell House showed up, or how many times I said to my fiance in joy/disbelief, “They really managed to fit that in!” 

I also love all the little nods to the greater Compilation. I saw one interview excerpt from like... 2015 or 2014 or something that said the Remake is considered canon to the Compilation, and the content of the Remake itself suggests this. While some of the cameos could be considered nothing more than cameos (as much as I love Kunsel, I don’t think his name being dropped means anything other than that they needed a name and wanted to give a nod to him), there are other clear hints that Crisis Core and The Kids Are Alright, at minimum, are canon to the Remake. Hojo mentions “S and G type” SOLDIERs, i.e., Sephiroth-type and Genesis/Gillian-type. (Roche is a G type I am not taking arguments on this point) The description of the Buster Sword says it carries the hopes and dreams of those who came before, implying more than just Zack (i.e., Angeal). Zack’s scene right before he charges the ShinRa army is shot-for-shot the one from Crisis Core, which could have just been a nod, but the fact that he also says the same lines as the original is telling. There’s a lot of lore loaded into those lines. Leslie and Kyrie are both from The Kids Are Alright (which makes me wonder if the third ShinRa half-brother is floating around somewhere). You could make an argument for Before Crisis being partially or completely canon to the remake as well, since someone mentions a previous assassination attempt on the President, which happened in BC. 

But now we get into the issue of whether Advent Children is canon to the remake, i.e., the ending and the thing you actually asked about. ^^; This is where I’m more torn. My initial reaction to the ending was “Oh crap, we went from FFVII-Remake to Kingdom Hearts - oh shit now we’re in Advent Children - oh fuck now we’re in fanfiction-land.” Which... is definitely not what I was expecting from the ending of Part 1. 

On first playthrough it feels a bit like they overplayed their hand with Sephiroth in the ending: “everyone wants a Sephiroth fight in a FFVII game, so we’ll give them a Sephiroth fight”. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the fact that Sephiroth appears in person in the Midgar sequence, when in the OG all we see of him before Kalm is the aftermath of President Shinra’s murder. I do think Sephiroth’s appearances prior to the ending were done well - the writers clearly intended to emphasize Cloud’s mental issues, and Sephiroth is too big a part of them to ignore. His appearances prior to the top of Shinra Tower both serve as a bone tossed to those who wanted to see him in the remake, and set up the Cloud-Sephiroth relationship a lot earlier and in more depth. You can see how utterly terrified Cloud is every time Sephiroth is around - even sometimes frozen into immobility. Depending on how things go with the Kalm flashback, this may also help cue new players in to just how wrong things are with Cloud. (After all, a SOLDIER First shouldn’t be afraid of another SOLDIER First, should he?) But the final fight against Sephiroth, or at least, a clone wearing Sephiroth’s face, felt premature, out of place, something that’s only there to appease people who wanted to fight Sephiroth now. 

Aside from the Sephiroth thing, I’m reserving judgment a bit on the ending as a whole. On the one hand, I’m deeply curious to see where the story goes from here, and how the writers use their newfound freedom (more on that in a minute). On the other hand, I don’t want this to turn into Kingdom Hearts 4, and I don’t trust Nomura in that regard, especially after all the bullshit that went on with KH3, Verum Rex, and FFXV/versus 13. I love Nomura, but like George Lucas, he desperately needs someone to rein in, edit, and shape his ideas.

I’m also not sure how I feel about all the theories being thrown out there - such as that at least one of the Sephiroths we see is the one from after AC, somehow flung back in time to fuck things up; or that the OG was, 999-style, Aerith seeing into the future and now in the remake she’s taking control to put everything on the path she wants. They’re interesting, for sure, and I think that with careful handling, it’s possible Squenix might be able to pull one of them off - but given what I know of Squenix (again, more on that later), I don’t trust them to do it well. I am, to be blunt, very concerned that later installments of the remake are going to turn into an incoherent tug-of-war between those who want to be faithful to the original, and Nomura’s desire to inject weird Kingdom Hearts nonsense everywhere. 

I say this with all the love to Kingdom Hearts, but it’s a very specific kind of story and it’s not what I want to see in my FFVII.

On a writing meta level

On the meta level, I’m fascinated by the choice to go with the whole Whispers/Arbiters of Fate thing. I don’t know how much of that is pure Nomura-injected BS vs how much was a deliberate choice by the writing team, but for right now I’m going to assume it was mostly a deliberate and unanimous choice. 

I’ve seen a lot of other Remake opinions along the lines of a reluctant, “I guess they had to put the Whispers in there because a perfect remake wouldn’t have been satisfying to everyone. There’s always someone who would have complained.” I... don’t think that’s entirely true. Like, yeah, sure, someone’s always going to complain if it’s not a pixel-perfect remake, but based on the overall satisfaction I’ve seen from OG fans (including myself) regarding the parts that are true to the original, I think Squenix would have done just fine if that was the path they chose. And given how much attention they paid to making most of the game into a nearly-perfect recreation, I think the writers knew it. 

So why’d they go the whole Whispers route? 

My guess would be that the writers were giving themselves freedom, on a meta level, with the Whispers. It’s a way of both poking fun at, and solving, their own dilemma: do we make a perfect, hi-res copy of the original? Or do we change things to make it our own? 

The “change something to make it your own” is a longstanding trope when someone new is put in charge of something old. You see it in everything from Disney live-action remakes to new managers who change their employees’ routines just to “make an impact”. Most of the time, these changes are neutral / un-impactful at best, or outright frustrating / terrible at worst. I wonder if the Remake writing team wasn’t fully aware of this, and possibly tangled up in knots internally about how to handle it. Would it be seen as a bad, “make it their own” change to have Tseng not slap Aerith? What about adding Chocobo Sam, Madam M, and Andrea Rhodea to the Wall Market sequence? What about the changes to how the Avalanche gang reacts to Cloud, now that we have full animation and voice acting and it’s clear Avalanche has no reason to want to keep him around except for Jessie being horny on main? Where’s the line? 

I could see the Whispers being the writing team’s way of making sure they stay in line where it’s important, while also giving themselves the freedom to make the updates needed to allow the remake to work. They’re kind of a meta nod to the audience, a “don’t worry! If we get too far out of line, the Whispers will bring us back.” In that sense, the entire ending where you (the player) kill the Whispers and free yourself (the player) from destiny is you giving the writers permission to continue making those small changes. 

In FFXV, almost the entire ending sequence is a cutscene: Noctis on the throne, being murdered by his ancestors and descending into the spirit realm. But there’s one single quick-time event in there, one point where the player has to take action and push a button. It’s not even difficult, and on the surface it seems pointless. Except, if you don’t, Noctis lives. (Trapped in purgatory maybe, but he’s still there.) If you never push that button, Noctis doesn’t sacrifice his spirit and those of the Lucii to destroy Ardyn and wipe the Scourge from Eos. By asking - requiring - the player to push that button to commit that final act, the game makes the player complicit in Noct’s sacrifice. It’s a powerful moment, and similar to what (I suspect) the Remake writers intended with the Whispers. 

Because they could have left the Whispers in forever. They could have had them be a continuous presence throughout all episodes of the Remake, a little reminder that no matter what tweaks the writers might make to update the story, to “make it their own”, the Arbiters of Fate will ensure things are on track. That things will play out exactly as in the original. But by asking the player to destroy the Arbiters, the writers are asking for the player’s permission to make changes. And by killing the Arbiters, you’re granting it. Because, just like you can keep Noctis alive by not pushing the button when prompted, you can keep the original game more-or-less on track by never stepping through that portal, never killing the Arbiters. But if you do step through that portal and go through with it, you’re agreeing to accept that things might change, thus freeing the writers from the constant double jeopardy of changing things vs keeping them exactly the same. 

On a business meta level

As cool as (I think) that all sounds, the bigger question is, can Square Enix actually pull it off? And here’s where I start to have my most significant doubts. After the FFvs13/FFXV debacle and the hopeless mess that was KH3, I do not trust Nomura to tell a coherent story, even if it’s supposedly a retelling of an existing, well-known story. I don’t know anything about the inner workings or politics at Square Enix, other than that there are politics at play, so in fairness to him I can’t really say it’s because he himself is bad at telling a story, or just doesn’t have the support he needs to convey his vision well. But that gets into other issues with Squenix. We know their last several major games have had long and troubled developments. Someone way more attuned than me to the Japanese video games industry can talk in depth about why; all I know is that it happened (is happening?) and that it’s something of a miracle the remake came out as well as it did. 

On top of that, I’m a bit concerned that even if Squenix can get (and keep) its shit together, it might be up against external forces that constrain how it can tell the story of FFVII in the present. For example, from what I’ve heard, the reason Crisis Core never got ported the way so many other games did, and the reason Genesis Rhapsodos has never been seen outside it and a Dirge of Cerberus cameo, is due to image licensing fights with Gackt, Genesis’s face model. CC established Genesis as a key player in the events leading up to the original game’s story, and enough hints have been dropped about CC in the remake that, like I said earlier, it appears to be canon. But if Squenix can’t reach an agreement to use the character again, they might be trapped in a corner where they either have to completely rewrite the parts of the story involving Genesis, or dance around his existence. 

And on top of all that, it’s just expensive and time-consuming as hell to make games on the remake’s scale. Everyone expects the PS4 to be retired by the time Remake Part 2 comes out, which is going to pose huge logistical issues for releasing it. Squenix has been having a rough time of it lately, from what I’ve heard - are they, as a company, capable of handling all those logistical issues? I don’t know, and that makes me nervous. 

Still, they did do a remarkable job with the remake overall, even grappling with the pandemic around the launch date. So maybe they’re getting their shit together again, and things will be smooth sailing from here. We’ll have to wait and see. 

11, 12 & 20 ;)

Wow, okay! I ended up going on and on (and on and on and on…) for these, so I’ve posted ‘em under the cut!

Thank you for the ask!

((From this post!))

11. Top 5 favourite female companions?

5. Velanna: It’s rare that we get to see angry elves. Elves who are sick and tired of humans burning them out of their homes, sick of racism and human policies, and just sick of everything the world’s thrown at their people. Velanna, despite her “abrasive” (or worse, “bitchy”) personality, is, at her core, a wonderful person. Sure, pride was a part of the reason she stood against the humans trying to burn her clan out, but, if anything, it was her overwhelming resilience and defiance that made her take a stand, even if it was against what many considered better judgement. I love angry elves, especially Dalish ones. I think that the Dragon Age series needs more elves that won’t just play to the narrative of “elves were weak and violent against The Righteous Humans so they deserved what happened to them” because they didn’t deserve any of that. Nobody oppressed deserves to be oppressed. Velanna knows that. She’s incredibly talented and strong-willed and it’s wonderful to see. But, almost above that, is the fact that she’s still a young woman, naive to the world outside her clan. And, honestly, I find that adorable. She believes Oghren’s obviously false stories about dwarvern babies, and can’t handle being flirted with. And her ears are adorable. The bigger the ears the better.

4. Sera: Okay, my love for Sera’s a little tougher to describe than Velanna. On one hand, I adore her character. I absolutely love her design, her openness of and love for sexuality, and her chaotic-neutral-with-a-guarded-heart-of-gold personality. I just… hate how she was handled. So, therefore, I have taken Sera as my own. I love her obvious neurodivergence, and how it’s the opposite of all the more widely-loved neurodivergent characters we usually get. She’s loud and unfiltered, she’s impulsive and often reckless, and she gets angry when she’s sad or angry or confused. I think, personally, that her character is a type we should see more, and that, more importantly, we should sympathize with more. Sera, at her core, just wants to help the people that have been spat on by society, the “little guy” at the bottom of the social ladder. She’s fueled by a love of adventure and want to do the good thing. And I really do admire that. I love characters who aren’t afraid to get in trouble for doing what they believe to be right. And her romance is so cute, she’s so obviously smitten by her Tadwinks and it’s downright adorable. And her friendship with a male PC can be just as cute, really. It’s all the fun of the romance without the sexy-bits. And I love how close you can become with her, living life after the Inquisition with someone who likes you for you, not because you’re the supposed prophet of someone. I think that Sera is one of the few characters that genuinely couldn’t care less about where you’re from or what you do, so long as you make an effort to understand her and her feelings, and don’t work against what she works for. Not to mention, she’s got a stupid sense of humor that I just love. Her banter always makes me laugh and I so appreciate everything about it.

3. Merrill: I’ll start this out by saying, unapologetically, that I am completely in favor of blood magic. I love blood magic. I think it’s an unharnessed force of magic that could be used in so many unexplored aspects of magical fields, and that it’s use in healing could revolutionize the art if only people would get over it’s taboo. That being said, I adore Merrill. Not only is she connected to the Dalish Warden, but her connection to them ends up leading her to becoming one of the most intelligent characters in the series. Not only is she a Dalish mage somehow surviving in human civilization (even if she does get lost sometimes…), but she’s working to undo Darkspawn corruption of an ancient elven artifact. That takes not only immense skill, but the upmost patience and dedication to discovering knowledge lost for Creators-know-how-long. And, being completely honest here, Merrill is one of the cutest characters in the series. Her absolute adorable-ness is one of the most prominent in the series. You can’t argue me on this. I’m right. I adore her voice actress, and could listen to her banter for hours upon hours. And her face is just… pure adorable. Those big green eyes just make my heart melt, honestly. Anyway, like with Velanna, I really appreciate having elves that take immense pride in their cultures, and do whatever they can to protect their people. With Velanna, it was standing alone against humans trying to attack her clan. With Merrill, it’s calling upon “forbidden” magic to restore not only parts of her people’s past, but (even if this part was… in vain) to cure the people she loved, Mahariel and Tamlen. There’s so much goodness trapped inside this tiny elf, it’s a miracle she doesn’t burst at the seams.

2. Leliana: Okay, I know I go on and on here at a-gay-bloodmage about how much I hate the Chantry and every single thing that comes out of it, but Leliana is an exception. As much as people like to claim that she’s annoying, that she’s too forward, that she falls in love with the Warden no matter what they do, I can’t help but believe that this is not only wildly exaggerated, but part of why she’s such a good character. First off, the claim that she’s annoying. If anything, her enthusiasm toward saving the world only makes me love her even more. Also, she never forces her beliefs on anyone who tells her they don’t believe in her god. She had a vision, she believes in it, and she wants to help. Whether or not you believe her is up to the player. Her forwardness is just another part of her charm to me, as well. I think that there’s something so wonderful about a woman who is just so in love with all the good things in the world that she can set aside the bad in their favor, that she can look to where people see an absentee god and see a loving, embracing figure. That warmth is so beautiful to me, and I love to shape my thinking after hers, preferring to believe in a good force in the universe instead of fire and brimstone and all the nonsense. And when people complain that she keeps ninja-mancing the Warden? So what? Again, I love that. Sure, it can mess with some relationships in-game, but she accepts a no if you give it to her. I think her love toward the Warden is so sweet and pure, to be honest. She loves the person she’s following out of actual admiration for once, and not out of manipulation, like how she was with Marjolaine. I’m an absolute sucker for characters with love too big for their heart, and Leliana fits the description quite perfectly.

1. Morrigan: Fuck you. I love Morrigan. Okay, that started off a little strong. I just really love her. I not only think she’s breath-takingly gorgeous, but her personality just draws me to her. Of course, if she were an actual person I had to interact with on a daily basis, well, maybe I’d have a different opinion, but we’re talking about video game ladies here, fellas. They can be abrasive and petty and prideful, but eventually, we get to see behind the proverbial curtain. And… God, I can relate to the serious case of mommy issues in this one. I do think that if I weren’t such a passive person, I’d be quite like Morrigan. Pushing people away before they can get too close to see why you’re hurting inside. I find it easier to deflect while she prefers to simply shove and jab and bite until you give up trying. I empathize with her, and I only wish I could’ve done more to convince her that staying with the Warden, romance or not, would’ve been welcome. That she didn’t have to run away, to take on the burden of an (at the moment) unwanted child alone. She’s secretly so caring and kind, but she just doesn’t understand that people can be loving due to the abuse Flemeth put her through. I know she wouldn’t appreciate the physical contact, but I just want her to lie her head in my lap and talk about her feelings. Poor little witch never learned how to express herself in a positive manner… And yet I love her regardless. And when it comes to her role in Inquisition, I hate a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. On one hand, she showed just how much she’s grown to care for Kieran, and it makes my annoyingly-baby-loving-heart just melt into a gushy pile of love. The fact that she refuses to be the mother Flemeth was to her? I cried. (“I am many things, but I will not be the mother you were to me.”). On the other hand, I wish she wasn’t the “expert” on elven lore. I blame bad writing. But one thing Inquisition really got right? Yeah, I’m back on the Kieran relationship again. I just love it so much… Her desire to be a better mother than her mother was to her is one I hold dear as well, and the reason why she’s my favorite female companion in the entire Dragon Age series.

12. Top 5 favourite male companions?

5. Alistair Theirin: First of all, I unashamedly love Fiona and Maric. Just going to put that out there. I love and actually admire Alistair for a lot of his qualities. As someone who went through years upon years of horrible abuse from the people who were supposed to be taking care of him (Fuck you Eamon and double fuck you, Isolde), was sent to a Chantry against his will and forced to become a Templar, and someone who promptly quit the order after seeing what it did to mages, Alistair’s proven himself time and time again to be a resilient and compassionate person. I think that most of my love for him comes from the fact that despite seeing how much bad was in the world, Alistair still worked to be a good person and to create something positive in the world. I personally make him King in most of my worldstates, not because I think it’s where he “belongs” or anything, or because I somehow am delusional enough to think Anora would be a bad ruler, but because he’s shown to have a lot more compassion than any other ruler. He’s sympathetic to the plights of the mages and the elves, despite not (knowingly) having any connection to them. He’s a solid, overall good boy who covers up emotional pain with humor, and I love him one hundred percent.

4. Dorian Pavus: Dorian is one of the characters that I think gets a lot of fandom love for reasons other than my own. He’s beautiful, and charming, and unique, and a wonderful gay man in a video game (an unfortunately rare thing), but I love him because I can relate to him on a deep level. That fear of disappointing those you love because you’re not what they think you could be, that hiding away your issues behind a veneer of “it’s alright” is best because then you’re not a burden and people don’t see how damaged you are. It’s hard for me to open up to people, and Dorian really is just one of those characters I can’t help but love, despite the fact that he reminds me so much of myself. And, another thing I love about him is that he’s not pale. I know that can be seen as a stupid thing to love someone over, but coming from an Italian family, seeing a character from a place modeled after Rome not being pale makes me so happy. I, myself, am pale as hell, but knowing that finally, finally, we’ve got someone from a Southern-European modeled country that doesn’t look Scandinavian makes me so incredibly happy.

3. Thom Rainier: I think that this is going to be a common theme in my explanations, but I love Thom because he’s not perfect. As like with Dorian, Thom hides behind a facade that makes him feel like he’s something better than he believes himself to be. And he’s a character that fucked up in the past, and fucked up badly, and he bleeds for redemption. He suffers and works and suffers even more in order to prove himself to really be the man he’s become. Very rarely do we get treated to a redemption arc that makes characters actively work for their redemption, face the consequences of their actions, and stick to the principles they claimed they’d stick to. He’s self-deprecating, believing himself to be damn near worthless, his only reason for existing being to help others and work to repent for what he did in the past. Believing you’re undeserving of love is a thing I know a little to well, and having a character genuinely believe themselves to be so without being seen as attention-seeking was great, if not a call-out for my self-loathing ass. Thom is a severely underappreciated character in this fandom, and I really wish that wasn’t the case. He’s an older character, but honestly, he’s about the same age as other characters like Cassandra or Varric. Just because he isn’t conventionally attractive doesn’t mean he should be pushed aside for other characters. I love my big bear husband so much.

2. Anders: Oh, Anders. My lovely, beautiful Anders. My bisexual, mentally ill, selfless, revolutionary, darling Anders. I can’t help but love him. Of course, I love him both before and after Justice, but for differing reasons. In Awakening, Anders was simply someone who just wanted to escape, to be free for once in his life, and to enjoy what the world had robbed him of. There’s something heart-wrenching about seeing a character so obviously hurt being cheerful like he was in Awakening, especially when you see more into his backstory in Dragon Age: II. He, much like Alistair, used humor to distract people from his true feelings. He was a hopeful spot amongst some other companions who wore their pain on their sleeves. In Dragon Age: II, Anders became even more of a favorite for me, simply because I could understand a lot of his pain. I, too, am someone who exhausts myself caring for others, putting the needs of others far above myself. Of course, I know I could never even hope to have mental fortitude like him, but seeing someone so intent on tearing down institutions that have ruined so many lives helps me work to do so myself. Besides, I’m an extremely anti-institutionalized religion person despite being decently religious. Seeing someone who believes in the Maker but not the Chantry was refreshing. It was welcome and wonderful. And, as someone who struggles with mental illness (in my case, things along the lines of ADD, chronic stress, anxiety, dysmorphia, etc.) seeing someone who struggles from mental illness (”possession” that covers a whole lot of shit I’m not really one to put labels to) not overcome but co-exist with his mental illness and find love and purpose was really good for me. I don’t believe for a second that Anders was overly controlled by Justice, only pushed to do things he was to scared to do before Justice came along. In every worldstate of mine, Anders is spared and stood behind. His actions are justified and supported. Fuck the Chantry and Fuck Me Anders. (Sorry, I had to)

1. Zevran Arainai: Zevran was the first character in the Dragon Age series I fell in love with, so of course he’s at the top of this list. And my love for him isn’t just because he’s handsome (even if that is quite an attractive reason), but because he’s a good person who both tries to hide/downplay his goodness and does all he can to do what he knows is right. First of all, once again, like with Dorian, I love seeing Mediterranean-coded characters as non-white. Seeing someone come from a Spanish/Italian-coded country not look British is so beautiful. Of course, I would never say someone claiming that he’s Latino is invalid. There’s one hundred percent reason to believe that, and I support their headcanons. But to me, I relish in the fact that someone from a darker-skinned area of Europe is seen as a beautiful character. He was one of the first darker-skinned European characters I’d ever seen, and that certainly guarantees him a place in my heart. Moving on, I also see a lot of myself in him, though that isn’t exactly a good thing for him. Of course, bisexuality is a huge part of both our existences, and words can’t really express how much I love a canonically bisexual man. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, in all honesty. I thought it was a headcanon until I read that you could romance him as a male PC. So, of course I made my first character and romanced the hell out of him. Though, on a bit of a darker note, I could really sympathize with his reasoning for leaving Antiva. As someone who’s struggled with suicidal thoughts and certainly suicidal idealization (that whole “I wish I could just stop existing” bullshit), having someone not only deal with the problem of depression but actually get better was incredible. The idea that with enough love and compassion and understanding the pain would ease was a wonderful message I really took to heart. In addition to all of this, which is already a whole lot but I just can’t stop talking about him, Zevran is empathetic. He’s compassionate and understanding. He advocates where other companions stay silent. He’s got one of the most in-depth arguments against allying with the Templars, and his anger towards the Warden, while thinly masked as calm, when the mages are slaughtered in compelling and just compassionate. Not many “ordinary” people are willing to fight for those they don’t know or understand. But Zevran does. And when slavers attempt to sell people in the Alienage into slavery, Zevran does his best to convince the Warden to do the right thing, despite owing them a blood debt. He could be putting his life on the line once more if they don’t agree with him, but he does it anyway. And, you know what? Fuck it, he’s beautiful. He’s goddamn gorgeous and I want all 5′2″ of him.

20. Favorite fantheory?

Andraste was a mage. I absolutely adore this theory and I can’t help but throw my entire support behind it. I find no reason else why a somehow ordinary woman would be chosen by the Maker in the Fade (“World fell away then, misty in mem'ry, / ‘Cross Veil and into the valley of dreams / A vision of all worlds, waking and slumb'ring, / Spirit and mortal to me appeared.” -Andraste 1:10, “Long was his silence, ‘fore it was broken. / For you, song-weaver, once more I will try. / To My children venture, carrying wisdom, / If they but listen, I shall return.“ - Andraste 1:14) because she had a wonderful singing voice (magic is often referred to as a song, and this page on the wiki is quite informative) and could somehow make natural disasters occur in her favor to drive out Tevinter (“The air itself rent asunder, / Spilling light unearthly from the / Waters of the Fade, / Opening as an eye to look / Upon the Realm of Opposition / In dire judgment.” -Exaltations 1:2). Magic, in itself, is never said to be evil in the Chant, only that those who takes the Maker’s gift of magic and turn it against one another are evil (“Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. / Foul and corrupt are they / Who have taken His gift / And turned it against His children.” -Transfigurations 1:2) Personally, canon aside, I believe that if Andraste could see the current state of the Chantry, she would be appalled. Especially the Chantry in Tevinter, seeing as it endorses slavery (“At Shartan’s word, the sky / Grew black with arrows. / At Our Lady’s, ten thousand swords / Rang from their sheaths. / A great hymn rose over Valarian Fields gladly, proclaiming: / Those who had been slaves were now free.” -Shartan 10:1) and prohibits the mages from using their magic to their full potential (Once again, magic exists to serve, not to be enslaved). Sorry if this is a little messy, but Lord Do I Have Opinions.

uhhh wouldn't the multiple timelines thing for Persona become overkill? I mean, that was the thing in Zero Escape, which led to ZTD... Plus Persona's mythology is confusing enough with all the soft resets every game does *looking at how P5 basically ignored everything explained in P4 and the spinoffs* i feel like adding multiple timelines to all that would just make things worse

Yes and no. Multiple Timelines can be overkill as a downside, if not played well. ZTD seemed to focus more on advancing the story and the science behind jumping timelines. Persona would....be using it to expand it’s universe you could say. Focusing more on “what if” scenarios, like SMT If which lead to Persona or how P3P showed a new side of things. Atlus can make games that don’t require having to know knowledge of past games, you can dig deeper into the lore if you so wish but that’s only optional. I think the if Persona focuses on the journey rather than complex nitty gritty it’ll be fine.

In theory, they can make as many mainline Persona games they want, even soft resetting back to P3P and soft/hard resetting back SMT If...  without hurting new players. The reason being is that Persona does a good job keeping each mainline game self contained. I mean there’s an over arching plot and stuff, but those are mostly seen in spinoffs (at least for Hashino, Tadashi has it in his trilogy but it’s still possible to play his games out of order without having your head blown off over confusion...so like...*shrugs*).

The spinoff titles can be were the crossovers and/or more explanation on multiple timelines/universes can come into play. Those are Atlus’ more experimental products so they can go crazy if they want tbh. And these are usually the products people who are biiiiiiiig fans and do want to know more of the crazy lore, will buy.

So how about an example (under the cut cause it’s long).

 In theory Atlus could release a game called “Persona P” and a sequel to that being “Persona S.” The P and the S are obvs word, what those words are can be whatever fits the plot of said games (and maybe even foreshadowing the spinoffs). Tho it should be noted that "S" is drawn in it's latin form "Ƨ" (you can probably see where I might be going with this). Anyway say that Persona P was announced, it's announced just like a numbered mainline game, but, of course, without the number. The game comes out, plays just like a Hashino (or maybe post-Hashino) mainline game in both gameplay and length. Same thing happens when Persona S is announced. The odd thing about these games is that........you aren't sure when they take place on the Persona timeline, like are they after P5? During? Before? Of course Atlus has easter eggs that hint at the place on the timeline, but they're very well hidden. But......there's something not right about this game, as a person who has played the other games something feels off(as this is something a newcomer wouldn't even think of catching). On the TV (that's optional to see of course).....it's stated that Rise would take a break....but didn't this already happen in P4? And it's strange it happened on the same date as it did on P4....actually....the calendar is the same as P4 (and P5).....wait is this taking place in 2011? Or the 2020s? At a later date it's revealed that she'll quit being an idol all together. But that didn't happen in P4! Curious, you begin to try to find all the hidden nooks and crannies of the game. Talk to every NPC, on everyday since there's a chance one of them only states certain things on certain days. Over the course of talking to them you find out about Namatame and his affair, you find out about the murder and/or sexual assault that happened that lead to the arrest of an officer.....but no other killings. So wait the murders didn't happen in P4? So P4 didn't happen? Even more strange, after finish talking to these special NPCs,  their lines are usually followed by a statement in red text stating "It has nothing to do with your problems." Why does this sound familiar? Actually maybe we should talk to Igor....come to think of it Margaret is part of the Velvet Room in this game too.....you didn't think much of it since she's basically fulfilling Marie's role in P4G and isn't really your main VR attendant..... And it’s not like she left the VR like Liz did....wait was Liz mentioned to have left in this game? Or was it Theo?And....it’s funny, the last time Margaret was a support attendant was.....wait.....that's it....it was P3P! And that red text....wait it was just like what Fake!Vincent said in his cameo! Then Persona S comes out, similar things start to happen. Calendar dates are the same as P5. NPCs saying weird things. There's no sign of the Phantom Thieves anywhere.....actually there's no sign of any of the cases Goro caused. But from what you can gather this is 2016 just like P5 was...... Now Atlus has announced a new title, a crossover between P and S (either a fighting game, a Q game, or something else). One of the key themes (at least one I would choose) is mirrors and reflections. Through talking between the VR attendants and diving more into the lore we find out.....that this is a different timeline from the numbered games we are aware of. They run parallel to the numbered games. P is paralleled to 4, and 5 is paralleled to S/Ƨ. Now a new door has opened. The next crossover (spinoff game of course) stars P3, PP, and PS characters, we learn more on how just a change in MC in P3 really changed these timelines. This leads into the next crossover game, one big bombastic crossover of the Male and Female routes. Of course it's like world ending the same as EP and PQ when the timelines were manipulated in those games, of course these crossovers will end with them forgetting, but it's the journey and the fun of seeing all these characters interact.....That’s the main draw of these crossovers.

Or.....we don’t have the big crossover.......Maybe Atlus just......releases a new main branch “what if” series branching from SMT If (but with the Male MC instead)... and/or P3P just to experiment. Maybe it’ll lead to a big crossover, maybe not. Maybe they can use it to explore new possibilities that they weren’t able to before. Or maybe the new director was afraid of living up to Tadashi and Hashino’s legacy so they pushed the soft reset to P3P  or hard reset to IF.... so they can try something new while not having to worry about being tied down to “P6.” Maybe it’s all those things maybe it’s none of those things. The main point is-is that Persona has a lot of potential to do something other’s can’t or haven’t done. Maybe this can lead to a spinoff series for Persona similar to how IF/Persona was a spioff for the mainline SMT, but still have it connected in-universe (unlike Catherine which is....a similar concept but different since the Vincent that shows up in P3P is a fake, also hurry it up on my Catherine/Golden Theater sequel Atlus! ;w;). It’s just.....sooooooo many possibilities. ;w; And it’s just....kinda frustrating it’s not taken advantage of......

Mook’s Top 10 Games of 2016

Hi, i’m back! Sorry for the delay, I promise i’ll write more. Boom, ok. Done. Let’s talk about 2016:

Shit got weird in 2016. I probably don’t need to reiterate here, but I just wanted to put that out there. Let’s just try to remember that we have one planet, so let’s not wreck it too bad, ok?

That sounds like enough Debbie Downer talk for today, so how about we talk about some games? 2016 had some pretty badass ones, so im’a run them down here right quick. BUCKLE UP! HONORABLE MENTIONS

Devil Daggers

Overcooked

Furi

Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

Surprise! It’s a Top 14! I really enjoyed these titles, but 2016 is a cruel mistress and some awesome games must be left off of the top 10. Frantic symphony of Overcooked is some of the best couch co-op you can find theses days. Furi’s style and speed is a joy to experience, and it has pretty badass soundtrack to boot. Momodora was a short, but sweet tribute to castlevania/souls with great sprite work.

And then Devil Daggers....

Actually, I liked this game too much to cut it. Fuck it. TOP 11

11. Devil Daggers

This game is so damn cool. It doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel (It’s a 1st person Geometry Wars), but i’m a sucker for style and this game has loads. The almost PS1 era graphics give some extra oomph to the experience as you furiously dodge the spoopiest-skeley dudes. To me, this game really felt like some crazy gem you would dig up in the bargain bin of your ma and pa game store (not to sell the game short by any means).

The action is only enhanced with the leaderboards (I have a higher record than my co-host Josh, if anyone was wondering) and the accompanying replays that gave me a few ideas on how to survive just a few more seconds. It’s not the deepest game I’ve played, but this game is one that you can find yourself pouring a surprising amount of time into. 10. Dishonored 2 9. Dark Souls III

I put these two games together as my blurbs about them ended up being pretty similar. Both of games expanded on elements that I enjoyed in previous entries in the series (the combat/LORE!). Additionally, parts that I found clunky were streamlined in these entries (weapon repair/bone charm hunting). While these game were definitely improvements on their predecessors,it was hard not to feel like parts of these games were a little too familiar. Ultimately, Dishonored 2 and Dark Souls III were more of what I know I enjoy. Comfort video gaming at its best. 8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

While it is the final entry in a series that has gotten a little long in the tooth, Uncharted 4 finally lives up the lofty goals set by Naughty Dog; something that it’s predecessors could never quite achieve. The storytelling and characters finally take precedence over the latest McGuffin hunt, without sacrificing the jaw dropping set pieces, gorgeous scenery, and swashbuckling we’ve come to expect from the Uncharted series.This game is a wonderful coda to a great series of which Naughty Dog should be very proud.

7.  Titanfall 2

This game finally made the COD style shooter click for me. All the modern shooter needed was an incredible traversal system with giant robots. Who knew? The multiplayer is incredibly cinematic, and sets up great opportunities to do the coolest looking shit ever. Like, throwing ninja stars while jet boosting from building to building cool.

As for the campaign, Respawn delivers a well crafted story that feels like an action movie crossed with The Iron Giant. It’s not afraid to introduce unique mechanics and ideas that don’t stick around too long; it’s a move that keeps the game fresh and something I wish more games would try. A very well rounded game that is just a blast to play, and I’ll keep coming back to for a long time. 6. SUPERHOT IT’S ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE SHOOTERS IN YEARS.

SUPER

HOT

SUPER

HOT

5. Hitman:2016

I always appreciated earlier entries in this series from afar. The intricate level design seemed fun, but it wasn’t enough to draw me with sluggish control and muddy graphics. I’ve only really scratched the surface of this year’s Hitman, but it forced me to readjust my ordering of the list as I dive deeper.

First all, the environments look great are brimming with detail. However, the real beauty of this game is hidden in the intricate design. The clockwork constructions IO has put together are incredible to explore and dissect. I barely made it through my first missions, but as I learned more and more about each map, the game opened up for me in ways I never imagined. The ability to masterfully manipulate the mechanics and unique quirks of each level to pull off the perfect hit is gripping.

To be honest, I’ve really only spent major time in one of the games beyond the tutorial levels. There is always a new trick or zany disguise to pull off that keeps you replaying the same mission over and over in a way that is surprisingly engaging. The core mechanics in Hitman are excellent foundation to a game that has a ton of personality too. They play it straight on the surface, but you’re only a few cans of spaghetti sauce and a crowbar away from a really good time.

4. The Witness

This game shatters the previous standards for art direction in games. On a basic level, the game is gorgeous and is a joy to simply “take in” all the varied and colorful environments. However, this “puzzle” game shines when you begin to understand how much damn thought went into crafting this world. The game asks the player to constantly rethink the nature of the surrounding environments. The art is interwoven into the gameplay with stunning intellect.

Like the art, the gameplay in The Witness is constantly challenging your preconceptions. What starts out as simple mazes become dastardly puzzles, trusting the player to build a mastery that equal parts frustrating and brilliant. This game has found a way to trigger that Eureka moment for me that is thrilling. The Witness is a game that demands your attention and thought as a player, and the payoff for that investment is incredibly rewarding. 3. Hyper Light Drifter

The complete package offered by Hyper Light Drifter made it one of my absolute favorites this year. The haunting a mysterious art; the moody and evocative score; the subtle, yet powerful storytelling. These elements combined with snappy and stylish combat (especially after the 60fps patch) create a game that I just adored. The execution on everything, top to bottom, in this game is so cohesive. Everything comes together so perfectly, it transported me into a completely different world with ease.

Not bad for a Kickstarter game, huh Ray?

2. DOOM

For a guy who’s only experience with old DOOM is Chex Master Quest, I wasn’t sure of what to make of the first reports on DOOM. Was there going to be anything for someone who didn’t have any long lost childhood memories buried in a sarcophagus with Doom Guy? I feel foolish for ever thinking this.

DOOM is just fucking incredible. The combat has a thrilling speed that is so refreshing compared to the run-of-the-mill shooter these days. The design of the environments is masterful. The soundtrack is so damn metal, only serving to make the action feel that much more intense. The story is whip smart and is incredibly effective at delivering what the game needs to move the story while being endearingly cheeky just beneath the surface. What DOOM’s story lacks in quantity, it makes up for with the hilariously one-note Doom Guy and his 0 tolerance policy any and all demonic forces, no matter the cost to humanity’s efforts to use Hell Energy as clean/renewable energy (no, seriously). This game is just a nonstop thrill ride from beginning to end in a way that is almost peerless.

Rock on Doom Guy. Rock on. 1. Overwatch

I covered my thoughts on this game pretty well in my review last year, and not much has changed. This was my most played game this year, and it’s still a blast to play every night. New characters, maps and modes have only made the package better. This more I play this wonderful game, the better it gets. There simply isn’t a better choice for my personal Game of The Year.

Thanks for checking out my list fam. Time to start working on that 2017 list!

-Mook