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curio-queries · 2 months

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FRI(END)S : THE SONG

This post is part of a series of my thoughts on this release. It's time to finally get these out of drafts and posted before Hobi's release. Here are links to the other posts:

QUICKCOMBO: Continuation

QUICKCOMBO: Termination

The Song (this post)

The Music Video

The Promo

First, if you haven't heard the song yet, please give it a listen and make your own impressions.

Initial Thoughts

The night this was released, I was having some sudden internet issues and was slightly panicking about being able to work the next day so I was admittedly a little stressed by the time I got to listen even though I stayed up specifically for it.

Usually I would listen to it first on Spotify before watching the music video but I was able to get the mv to load first for some reason. My first impression on the song itself was actually a little bit of confusion as to how long the track actually would be given all the 'non-song' space in the mv.

When I did finally get Spotify to work, I definitely thought it was too short but I was so excited that I was vibing with it as much as I did. V's solo work is very hit or miss for me, with most of LayoVer being a miss. I don't think the album was bad, I just had a hard time with it since none of the tracks really appeal to me. But Fri(end)s? I liked on the first few listens. Which is kinda funny because I was actually wondering pretty early on if Fri(end)s would work as part of LayoVer...more on that later in this post.

I still think the song is too short. I realize that's the trend these days as it's more of a marketing tactic but that doesn't mean I have to like the trend. Especially with the extremely clear folding of the song into two parts, it's pretty obvious to even some casual listeners that there's something missing. Not enough to make it a bad song but it just feels slightly unfinished.

Performance

If you haven't already watched the Live Film, I highly recommend it.

youtube

I know it's kinda a flex in music communities to value live versions over studio releases but I rarely fall into that camp. (I honestly think it has something to do with a sensory issue I have and extra noise that is often present in such recordings...anyway back to V). This performance is so great! It perfectly embodies both Tae's personality and the energy needed for a song like this. I honestly just felt so good listening to him sing this because he did it in the exact same way I do when I sing along to music; adding extra little rifs and bits just for the fun of it and avoiding the typical notes that all of the members leave out of most performances.

I'm not qualified to comment on the musical technique needed for this song but there are definitely some fun challenges that make for a satisfying singalong once you've nailed them!

LayoVer

If you haven't listened to the complete album in a while, here's a link. Always a good idea to give an album a complete top-to-bottom listen every once in a while, especially this one with how Tae agonized over track sequence of his solo work as mentioned during Festa 2022.

So, if you just list the key words of the lyrical themes and musical elements of both Fri(end)s and LayoVer, you'd think they'd be an easy match but the more I investigated, the less I think so.

First, I'm not really a music researcher when it comes to credits or following specific contributors but from what I can tell, there weren't any of the same individuals listed between the two projects except Tae himself. Which honestly surprised me.

Just going off of memory, I thought it'd fit in smoothly either before or after Slow Dancing but after trying it out, it just doesn't land for me. It absolutely deserves to be its own single and I'd initially wondered if it had been ripped out of the album as the track to tide us over during this chunk of ms but I really don't feel that way at all.

It honestly reminds me a little of how JK released 3D as a separate track. That song (as much as I don't love it) does stand on its own without the support of an album. Maybe Fri(end)s was one of the other songs Tae found during his search for LayoVer but that team didn't have enough material for a cohesive album? He didn't want to lose it so kept it as a single to release later.

I want you all to know that I wrote the above before seeing this video...thanks for proving me right V!! 😆

youtube

More thoughts on some of the meaning(s) of the song in my mv post!

(Sidenote, if you haven't seen the full set of the gif at the top of this post, I highly recommend checking it out. It's gorgeous! Absolutely astonishing work @kimtaegis 😍)

#fri(end)s #v #kim taehyung #layover #Spotify #Youtube

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autolenaphilia · 5 months

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Blood (1997)

Blood is a 1997 first-person shooter developed by Monolith Productions. It’s built in the Build engine, like Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior, and Blood is regarded with them as one of the three most important games made in that engine. And of the three, Blood is the least popular, but also the best.

This has much to do with the superior characters, theme and atmosphere of Blood. Blood aims for a gothic horror mood, and nails it in the level and character design. Not that Blood takes itself seriouslyby any means, this is a dark horror comedy. The game takes great fun in its use of horror clichés, the zombies have the battle cry moan of “brains”, there are evil cultists who speak a made-up language in silly voices, it’s so fun. And it takes a certain glee in just how over-the-top its violence is, similar to the Evil Dead movies, which are referenced extensively. This kind of humor is right up my alley, and has aged a lot better than the misogynist and racist stereotyping of Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior.

All of these shooters used the capabilities of the Build engine to have their main characters talk and make situation-appropriate comments and Caleb in Blood is by far the most appealing of the three. Duke Nukem is a childish misogynist, Lo Wang is that and a racist caricature, my boy Caleb is a genuinely fun amoral and violent badass. And I do mean amoral, he is fighting the demonic forces of Tschernobog in this game for personal revenge and was once part of his cult, and he doesn’t care for the innocents tortured and murdered by the cult. The game is very explicit about this and it’s part of its dark tone. Not that Caleb isn’t funny. His one-liners, many of them movie quotes like Duke, are rather fun, and Stephan Weyte’s vocal performance is excellent. He laughs maniacally when blowing things up too sometimes, which is great. Caleb’s one morally redeeming trait is his love for his girlfriend Ophelia who promptly gets fridged (the one major note of misogyny in this game, minor compared to Duke Nukem 3D or Shadow Warrior).

This game is just not a triumph of atmosphere, but it has excellent FPS gameplay. Blood does similar interesting things with the Build engine as Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior did, the convincing faking of room-over-room, destructible and interactive environments and even secondary fire for weapons.

Caleb has one of the more interesting arsenals of a shooter game protagonists. You get a flare gun that sets enemies on fire, dynamite to throw and blow things up with, a napalm launcher that is basically an RPG whose explosions also sets things on fire, a spraycan and lighter combo that acts as an improvised flame-thrower (there is a setting enemies on fire theme here), a tesla gun that throws balls of electricity, a life leech which is a skull on a stick that can use your health as ammo and a voodoo doll that hurts everything in front on you when you stab it with a pin. The most normal weapons are the Thompson submachine gun and the double-barrel shotgun, clearly inspired by the super shotgun in Doom II. But the shotgun is so fun to use, since it’s a good shotgun, devastating at close range and useful at medium distances. And the thompson is a good FPS SMG too, with a fun alt-fire where it sprays bullets left and right for dealing with crowds.

And this works in conjunction with an interesting enemy roster. You have zombies who can only melee you and are fairly weak, but are fast and unless you use overwhelming firepower (like blowing them up with dynamite) will fake death and get up again. There are bulky fat zombies who can tank a lot of damage but vulnerable to fire. There are human cultists who are fairly easy to shoot down, but dangerous due to their long-range hitscan guns. Demon dogs that spew fire but are weak to electricity from the tesla gun. And several more, including living flying gargoyles. The variety of enemies and weapons create interesting combat scenarios where you have to keep moving to dodge attacks and switch weapons on the fly.

The level design can be a bit too maze-like at times, but it takes great advantage of the enemies and weapons. And the gothic-themed art design is great.

All this, the engaging action gameplay, with the convincing gothic horror atmosphere and the game’s dark humor makes Blood such a great game, and the best game on its engine. There is a 2019 remaster/recreation of the game and its expansions for modern versions of Windows by Nightdive Studios called Blood: Fresh Supply that can be bought on Gog.com. The GOG release also includes digital versions of the original DOS release of the collection One Unit Whole Blood I wanted to run the game natively on Linux, so I used that version, plus the sourceport Nblood. I had to build the port from source and also the instructions to get the cutscenes out of the GOG Version’s bin/cue files are a bit misleading*, but it was worth it. Running this game natively and with proper mouse aim is great. And Blood is a great shooter, one of the best in the era before Half-life, a game that holds up today.

*(the “game.gog” and “game.ins” files Gog gives you if you install their version are actually .bin and .cue files respectively (probably made from the original game disc), copy them, rename the file extensions to game.bin and game.cue., and then mount the .bin file as virtual CD and then copy the “movies” folder out of the virtual cd. I don’t think you would have much luck with game.ins/game.cue file alone as the instructions suggest)

#my writings #blood 1997 #game review

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beels-burger-babe · 3 years

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All is Fair in Dice and War

***Soooo, @bagelsinatoaster I love this request. However, you didn't specify which board game and as I am a huge nerd I decided to take some creative liberties and combine this with another idea I've been meaning to write which is: MC introducing the demon bros to Dungeons and Dragons. I certainly had fun with this and I hope you like it!*** Summary: Leviathan's world is flipped upside down when MC tells him there is a game that basically allows him to be the Lord of Shadows in real life!! He demands that his brothers join him as MC introduces them all to the chaotic shit show that is Dungeons & Dragons. For once, it was a peaceful day in the House of Lamentation. Lucifer was lounging in the living room with a cursed record playing softly in the background. For once, Satan had willingly joined him and was sitting by the fireplace, thumbing through a book on the human world. Belphie had been passed out on the couch when he arrived and was still laying there with an impressive puddle of drool collecting near his mouth. Even Asmodeus and Beel had joined in, with Asmodeus gently humming to himself as he painted his nails and Beelzebub happily munching on a snack as he enjoyed the sight of his family getting along. Yes. It was perfectly quiet and peaceful, and Lucifer didn't even have any traces of his regular migraine. But of course, nothing good lasts forever. Everyone jumped as the door slammed open and a wide-eyed Leviathan dragged you into the room. The two you very closely followed by Mammon loudly complaining. "Oi! You're gonna hurt them! Cut it out, Levi!" Lucifer sighed and closed his eyes, momentarily mourning the peace that he had just barely begun to enjoy, and closed his book. "Leviathan, let MC go. What are you freaking out about this time?" Lucifer regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. Levi looked at it with the expression he only ever got when his limited edition Ruri-Chan merch arrived; his eyes were wide and glittering with excitement while his face bore a grin so large that Lucifer was surprised it didn't rip his skin. The third-born was practically vibrating as he let go of your wrist and pushed you forward. "Tell them! Tell them about the game!"

You laughed at Levi's excitement and casually rubbed your wrist. "I was just telling Leviathan about a game that we play in the human world called Dungeons and Dragons-" "You get to make a fantasy world that everyone plays in, and everyone makes characters. You can be a wizard and cast spells against a huge monster! Or a war hero fighter that has been betrayed by his brother! Or a noble knight who is looking for his lost kingdom! And the best part is that it's real!" Levi interrupted, nearly jumping in place as stars danced in his eyes. You put your hands out towards him to try and calm him a bit. "Well, not entirely real. It is played in person, but it's a role play tabletop game, meaning it mostly relies on the players' imagination. That is unless you have thousands of dollars to spend on 3D maps and figurines of your characters." Levi's eyes grew even wider, if possible, as he started shaking his hands up and down. "I CAN HAVE A FIGURINE OF A CHARACTER THAT I MADE?! GAAAAAAAAAHH!" A pillow flew across the room and hit Levi square in the face as a now awake Belphegor glared at him. "Will. You. Shut. Up?" the Avatar of Sloth hissed as a dark dangerous aura grew around him. Beel gently patted his twin's head in hopes of calming him. Leviathan pouted as he noticed no one else seemed to be getting excited about it. "C-Come on guys! This isn't even a video game! It's a thing that we can all do together and personalize it to be something that everyone will like. It'll be fun! Right MC?" You nodded as you gently tossed Belphie's pillow back over to him. "Yeah. I love D&D. I played it all the time in the human world. There's action, suspense, and even romance if you really wanted it," a couple of the brothers perked up at that. "I could put together a one-shot for you guys to try it out if you'd like? I'll help you make your characters, and we can all get together for an evening and play it sometime in a couple weeks." The room went quiet as everyone thought it over. Most of them had no interest in the game itself, but if it was organized by you... "I'm in," Beel decided with a nod. "I think it will be fun. All of us trying something new; it could be neat." Satan casually flipped a page in his book, "The creative aspect of it is definitely appealing. We'd be the masters of our own fate, and that most certainly piques my interest." Asmodeus smirked as he put the cap on his nail polish. "And you said it could be whatever we want? My, one might say that this game could help our wildest fantasies come true~" he made sure to wink at you as he giggled. Belphie, who had only just got back his pillow, scrunched up his face in disgust and launched it at Asmo. "Don't make this weird Asmo," he looked over at you and shrugged, "So long as you do all the work in putting together the character thing, sure. Why not?" Mammon looked over at you from the corner of his eye. "Ya mean to tell me, that you can make it so I'm some awesome, rich, and powerful prince?" Asmo scoffed as he pushed the pillow off his lap. "Please Mammon, even the world of make-believe has its limitations." Mammon blushed as he growled at his brother. You just chuckled and teasingly elbowed his side. "Don't listen to him, Mammon. There is a set amount of how much money you start out with depending on your class and background, but I'm sure we can find something that will make you happy." The second-born blushed even more as he grumbled quietly under his breath. Lucifer tilted his head in thought. "I suppose that if everyone else is playing, naturally I must as well," he stood and began to make his way to his office. "I look forward to seeing what you come up with MC." The next two weeks were spent planning and carefully figuring out the details of the one-shot and the characters that everyone was going to play. Levi was, of course, the first one who came to you to build his character. The two of you spent hours going through the Player's Handbook and sourcebooks to find the perfect build to recreate the Lord of Shadows. In the end, you put

together a human fighter that you gave a couple magic items to make Levi's vision really come to life. It seemed basic, but for the Lord of Shadows, it was perfect. The moment the two of you finished, Levi dove to his computer and ordered a custom-made mini that looked exactly like his character. Satan was genuinely interested in the game, especially after he learned about all the lore and rules behind the different classes and races. You had just been chilling in your room one day when the door burst open. Satan stood there with wide eyes holding a copy of Volo's Guide to Monsters. "MC, why didn't you tell me there are cat people?!" You chuckled, knowing exactly where this was going. "They're called tabaxi, but yeah, they're basically cat people. Would you like to play as one?" He scoffed and snapped the book shut. "Is that even a question? Of course, I'm playing as one." After some discussion and bouncing back and forth between classes a couple of times, Satan settled on a tabaxi druid; that way he not only looked like a cat, but he could speak to them as well. After a few days of you spending time with his brothers focusing on getting their characters ready, Mammon came to you wanting the coolest, most epic character ever. At first, it was clear that he wasn't fully invested in the process, but as he saw the customizable options and all the cool stuff that his character could have, you got his attention. You ended up designing a golden teifling rogue (you tried to tell Mammon that teifling usually wasn't yellow, but he gave you such a sad look that you couldn't say no) that was decked out with piercings and gems all over its horns and tail. He tried to act like he wasn't that excited about it, but one day during class you caught him doodling what looked like a stick figure version of the character on his sheet with a big smile on his face. Asmodeus came in shortly after Mammon finished,

insisting on having the most charming and beautiful character there was. You tapped your chin at the request. "I mean, stereotypically bards are extremely charming and...well seductive...almost too seductive. But that's only thei-" Asmo had hearts in his eyes before you could even finish. "That's what I want to be!" You sighed and made a mental note not to include any dragons in the session as you marked Asmo down to be an elven bard and helped him create his character sheet. You hadn't heard anything from Lucifer for nearly that entire first week, until one day as you were lounging in the living room, he walked in holding a stack of resource books. "Ah, MC. I've been looking for you. I wanted to inform you that I will be playing a half-elf multiclassing as a paladin and hex-blade warlock." You blinked at him as he put all the books down in front of you. "O-Oh. Would you like help putting together your character sheet?" He just grinned and began to make his way out of the room once more. "I've already done it. I must admit that this was quite a bit more interesting than I thought it would be," and with that he was gone, leaving you to try and figure out what had just happened. With only a few days left until the one-shot, you had to go find the twins and get them to make their characters. Beel apologized like crazy for you having to track him in down in order to get his character made. The poor guy was in the middle of peak Fangol season and had completely forgotten. Once the two of you sat down in the kitchen with an empty character sheet in one hand and snacks in the other, Beel gave you his full attention. He put a lot of thought in his character and wanted to make it really good since he appreciated that you were doing something that they could all do as a family. He bashfully decided to play a halfling. Not only did the little creatures share his love for food, but he thought it would be neat to try being small for once. His class was also a surprise. After carefully flipping through all of the class options, he had eventually settled on a cleric. "They're the healers, right? This way I can help the others if someone gets hurt." You gave him a huge hug then and there. Belphegore, on the other hand, was not so easy to work with. "Belphie, come on. Just flip through the book and choose something!" He groaned into his pillow and rolled onto his side to glare at you. "I told you I would play if you did all the work for me. Me flipping through a book is work. It's not happening." After an entire hour of trying to get him to cooperate, you gave up. In retaliation you made his character a goblin barbarian, just to drive in the fact of how much of a brat he was acting like.

Finally, the day came for you all to play the one-shot, and much like you expected, it was complete and utter chaos. You had tried to maintain some structure and keep everyone on track, but it was hopeless. Levi and Satan were taking the game seriously and, Diavolo bless them, were the only reason their party was making any progress. Mammon was trying to pick-pocket every non-player character that they met while Asmo distracted them by flirting. This worked great for them until Mammon got caught and would've died from the resulting injuries if it wasn't for Beel. Speaking of Beel, the poor fella was trying his best to do well in the game but kept getting confused by all the rules and different stats and modifiers. Belphegor spent most of his time, trying to explain it to his twin, but in the end, Beel accidentally ate his dice and Belphie passed out on his shoulder. And then there was Lucifer. He had been mostly quiet the entire game. Surprisingly, he let Levi and Satan take the charge in any investigations and puzzle-based interactions, but he did so with a smirk. You had a funny feeling in your stomach that he was up to something, and you were right. It was the final boss. Satan and Levi were on the edge of their seats, having worked so hard to get the party to this point. You smiled, knowing that one of the best parts of D&D was finally taking down the big bad. In this case, you had prepared a beholder for them to fight. It would be no easy task. The fight should have required them to work together in an epic battle of wits, magic and melee attacks. Only, when everyone rolled initiative, Lucifer went first. The eldest smiled as his eyes sparked menacingly. "For my bonus action, I'd like to use my hex blade's curse on it, which allows me to add my plus four proficiency bonus to all damage, and makes any rolls of nineteen or twenty critical hits. I will then use my long sword with divine smite at third level to attack him and attack him again using my extra attack," barely giving you time to process what he said, Lucifer rolled his dice twice. "And that would be a nineteen and a natural twenty, meaning they're both criticals due to the curse. That should hit, yes?" "Wha-" You could only watch as Lucifer, now with twice the amount of damage due to his critical rolls pulled out a disgusting number of dice and rolled them all. And of course, with his luck, they all rolled high. "So that's 90 points of damage plus the extra damage from the curse and the bonus from my duelist ability per attack, brings this 102 points," he smugly perched his chin on top of his hands as the table gaped at him. You gulped and looked down at the beholder's character sheet, "Y-You just took o-over half of his hit points in one round..." His grin widened at the information, "What, like it's hard?" You never got the chance to finish the game, as Satan burst into his demon form and pounced on Lucifer, the eldest laughing like a mad man, while Levi tore up his character sheet in a fit of jealous rage. Levi never asked to play with everyone again after that. ***This was just so self-indulgent and I just- I loved it. It combined two of my favourite things and I have never been happier. This was more crack than fluff, but either way, it was fun and I hope you nerds out there enjoyed it 🥰 Thanks again for the request @bagelsinatoaster!*** Taglist: @mimik248 @roseytoesy @ester-is-here

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zaph1337 · 3 years

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Monster Hunter Rating 37: Red Khezu, the Charging Wyvern

TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD

I don’t normally talk about the monster’s qualities in the introduction, but I have to here to make sure that no one’s gonna get hurt because of this. This is a monster that’s veiny and blood red, and combined with Khezu’s design, it’s pretty disturbing. The weapons, however, are probably worse, as they have a cracked, fleshy aesthetic that looks like it could start bleeding at any moment, and I’ll put the trigger warning a second time once we get to talking about them in case it slips someone’s mind. Might seem overkill, but with a situation like this, you can’t be too careful, which is also why I’m gonna put this review under a “Read More” so anyone who doesn’t want to see it doesn’t get an eyeful while trying to scroll past it. Now, let’s talk about Red Khezu proper, shall we?

(How it appears in Monster Hunter Freedom 1)

(How it appears in Monster Hunter 4)

Appearance: See what I mean? This thing’s made to look like it had its skin ripped off, which is not a look you want to have unless your intention is to scar someone or their children for life. The MHF1 render conveys the skinned appearance better than the MH4 one, in my opinion, because it’s a deep red, like the kind you’d see in gore in PlayStation era games. The MH4 render reminds me more of a particularly red worm or lamprey...well, until you get to the body. Then it looks like someone plucked a chicken and painted it red. It probably looks more visceral in-game.

I think I prefer the standard Khezu design, to be honest. The pale complexion combined with everything else gives me Silent Hill vibes, and even though I haven’t played any of the games, I’ve watched videos on them, and I appreciate all they’ve done for the horror genre. Red Khezu, on the other hand, doesn’t give me that same impression, and I don’t know of any horror series’ I’m interested in where such a vibrant red on a fleshy-looking monster is part of the aesthetic. Still, it does its job well. 7/10.

Behavior/Lore: So, here’s something interesting: Red Khezu aren’t a subspecies. They’re what Khezu are supposed to be like; the Khezu everyone views as being “normal” are actually albinos who likely only got more populous than the red ones because they spend most of their time in caves, where anything that would want them dead likely wouldn’t be relying on visual cues to hunt anyways. That said, both types of Khezu leave caves to eat non-cave dwelling monsters and, surprisingly, mushrooms, which Red Khezu have been seen feeding on in the Swamp region. Unfortunately for them, being so fatty means that once they leave their cave, they put themselves at risk, ‘cause a lot of monsters want to eat them, including the Rath pair.

For some reason, Red Khezu are much more aggressive than the albino variety, and they even have increased muscle mass, which allows them to not only visit cold regions (which white Khezu can already do), but even stay in them during the winter months (which white Khezu can’t do). I don’t know why albino Khezu aren’t like this, ‘cause I can’t see how albinism would affect your muscle growth and temperament, but I don’t make the monsters, I just critique them.

I’m really glad that this is more interesting than “Khezu+.” The fact that Red Khezu aren’t a true subspecies is a neat idea, and considering that the Ecology page on the common Khezu doesn’t mention any omnivorous tendencies, it’s likely that Red Khezu even have a different diet than their pale cousins, which is something that I don’t think the previous G monsters had. While making them more aggressive than albino Khezu is to be expected at this point, it doesn’t take away from anything, so I’m not going to gripe about it. When you combine all of this with the qualities they likely share with albino Khezu, you get an interesting counterpart for what was already an interesting monster. 8/10.

Abilities: If you thought that keeping warm was the main benefit of having more muscle mass than a common Khezu, I have to question your educational history; Red Khezu are physically stronger than the albino variety, and their electrical organs are superior as well. Not only are their electric attacks stronger, they can also use electricity to incapacitate prey in ways common Khezu can’t. Also, their skin seems to be very elastic, as Red Khezu can stretch their necks out much farther than their pale brethren can. I think more needs to be stretchier than just the skin, but whatever. As a final note, for some reason they’re immune to fire, but this apparently comes at the cost of being weak to water.

Red Khezu do what I wish more subspecies’ do, which is take the basic abilities of their weaker forms and mix them up, not just make them more powerful. The new ways they can manipulate electricity and the extended reach of their more elastic necks likely make battles with them stand out more than the ones you have with some other G monsters. 7/10.

Equipment: Like I said at the beginning, TRIGGER WARNING FOR BLOOD. These weapons look just plain nasty, which, while potentially being part of their appeal to some people, will likely make others very queasy or worse. I’ll start with the least disgusting one, the Hunting Horn called the Blood Horn:

“Red Hunting Horn made from wrapped Red Khezu hide. Its color is very unsettling...” The color is unsettling? Not the fact that it literally has a mouth? Okay, in all fairness, the color of the wraps makes it more gruesome than the Khezu Horn, which just looks like it’s covered in bandages; these look like bandages that were soaked in something, and they were probably white before they were applied. Make of that little observation what you will. Now, here’s where things start getting nasty--this Long Sword from MHO:

...I can’t say I know what that implement is, but I do know that the Red Khezu skin is wrapped around it in a very unsettling way; until I saw the little bit of metal that was exposed at the sword’s base, I thought that those spikes were independently attached to the flesh instead of being the teeth of a full blade. And speaking of unsettling, the sheathe looks like it’s bleeding. That comparison to cracked flesh I drew earlier makes more sense now, don’t it? I’ve got one more weapon to show you guys, and it’s probably the nastiest one of the bunch: the Red Khezu Sword and Shield from MHO. If you’re already uncomfortable after looking at the above weapons, you might wanna scroll past this:

The reasons I find this the most gruesome of the weapons I’ve shown are A: the “sword” is a surgeon’s saw, which adds to the whole “twisted hospital” vibe that Silent Hill likes to use, and B: the shield literally has the Red Khezu’s “face” stretched over it, and the mouth is...what are those black things holding the mouth shut? They’re not sewing lines, ‘cause they’re way too big. Wait, the way the two on the left are angled, it looks like they’re 3D and not flat--are those things made of metal, like the shield? ‘Cause there are a few implications for that, and they’re all unpleasant. Moving on to the armor, the only renders the wiki had are the men’s sets from MHO. Here’s the Blademaster set:

This isn’t as vibrant of a red as Red Khezu normally are, but it does look like raw meat or exposed flesh, so that’s...cool? The fact that there’s nothing obscuring or darkening the face like in other games with Khezu armor makes it look kind of silly, though; it’s like a fleshy raincoat, which is equally parts disgusting and hard to take seriously. As for the Gunner set, it’s very different from the Khezu R Armor I showed off in the Khezu review:

To be fair, this does look a lot like the normal Khezu Gunner armor, so expecting it to look like the R Gunner armor is silly. There are a couple of neat things here--the arm guard has a spine embedded in it, and the right arm has a glove with claws (or at least long nails)--but for the most part this doesn’t stand out too much to me. It does look like someone cooked the meat for a few minutes, though, so it’s probably not violating any health codes.

Honestly, I prefer the standard Khezu equipment to this, but that’s mostly because there’s much more of it than Red Khezu equipment. Plus, outside of the ones from MHO, the weapons the devs recolored for Red Khezu don’t really look that unnerving. The red’s a bit too vibrant, so it doesn’t really fit the filthy hospital aesthetic that made Khezu weapons so eerie, and the armor looks gross, sure, but that’s all it has. Still, the MHO weapons are their own kind of disturbing, but the fact that the majority of Red Khezu weapons are in a game that most people don’t even consider a real MH game is depressing. 6/10.

Final Thoughts and Tally: After sifting through so many monsters that did so little, it’s nice to get something that stands out like this. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer normal Khezu over red ones, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like Red Khezu at all; I just think that the albino ones have more going for them. 7/10.

#tw: blood #Monster Hunter #Monster Hunter rating #zaph1337

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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years

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All About the Face

Eyes

What color are your eyes? Brown. Do you have big eyes or small eyes? I think they’re small. Do you or anyone you know have a lazy eye? I used to know someone with a lazy eye.

Do you need to wear glasses or contacts? Yep, I wear glasses.

Do you wear “regular-sized sunglass” or “big sunglasses”? I don’t wear sunglasses at all.

Do you pluck your own eyebrows or get them waxed/shaped by a professional? I tweeze them myself. I’ve only had them waxed once and that was when I was like 14. Do you wear eyeshadow often? If so, what colors? I haven’t worn eyeshadow in several years. Do you make wishes on eyelashes? Nah, but I did that when I was a kid. Have you ever pulled your eyelashes out before? Yes. I sometimes mess with my eyelashes and a couple will come out. How often do you have eye boogers/crusties when you wake up? There’s usually a little.

Have you ever had pink eye before? Nope. Name some sights that are appealing to you. Scenic views like of the ocean, mountains, etc. Oh, and Alexander Skarsgard, of course. Do you know anyone who is colorblind? Not that I know of. My chem teacher in high school was colorblind, though. Do you know anyone with two different-colored eyes? I don’t think so. Do you know anyone with a glass eye? Not that I know of. Do you know anyone who uses/wears colored contacts? Probably. Do you tend to look at people when you talk to them, or look away? I switch between both. I can’t hold eye contact the whole time or even for a long time at once before it gets awkward so I have to look away for a bit. When you cry, do tears come out? Yes. The only time they don’t is if I’m not able to cry or I’m all cried out. If I’m crying, though, then there’s definitely tears falling out

How many different parts of the eye can you name without using Google? A few offhand. Do you blink often? I guess? It’s one of those things you do absentmindedly. Would you be any good at a staring contest? No, I’m the worst. Like I said, I can’t do it for long before it gets awkward. Do you know anyone who is blind or legally blind? Yes. Can you do any weird or creepy eyebrow-wiggles? No. Can you make yourself go cross-eyed? No. Do you enjoy watching 3D movies, or do the glasses give you a headache? I find them annoying and it’s hard to wear the glasses over my own.

Are you able to see things from multiple points of view/perspectives? Yeah, I think I’m pretty good about that. Well, except for when it comes to myself and my issues... then I tend to just see one side and it’s negative. Do you get dizzy have blurred vision, or vertigo often? It’s been a few years since I’ve had my eyes checked and I feel the strain and some of the other symptoms that go along with needing a new prescription. Have you ever had to get something small removed from your eye or had any sort of eye surgery before? No. I do get styes now and then, though, which are just super annoying and painful. It’s a bump on my eyelid that lasts for a few days until its ready to drain and yeah, not fun. It goes away on its own, but I do some things to help the process. Do you wear eyeliner or mascara? I did when I wore makeup, which I haven’t for the past few years now.

Ears

Do you have differently-shaped ears? (ex: elfin ears) No. How often did you used to get ear infections as a child? That wasn’t something I dealt with very often. Have you ever failed a hearing test? No, I’ve always had really good hearing. Do you know anyone who is deaf? No, but I know people who are hard of hearing. Are your ears pierced? How many times/what parts? Yes, just my earlobes. Do you have good listening ears? I’m definitely more of a listener than a talker. Have you ever lost your sense of hearing before and had it come back? (ie: had your eardrum burst) No, thankfully.

Do your ears hang low? No. Can you wiggle your ears? Nope. How do you get the earwax out of your ears? I use Q-Tips. What are some sounds that would make you cover your ears? Fireworks, for sure. I usually wear headphones because I just find them way too loud. What are some sounds that are pleasant to your ear? The ocean waves crashing in and out, rain, certain ASMR triggers, piano pieces, the words, “I brought you coffee”... haha. Do you or anyone you know have an auditory processing issue? Not that I’m aware of. Are you guilty of frequent eavesdropping? Not frequent, but I’m guilty of it sometimes. Although, like I said I have really good hearing so I tend to hear things without even trying or even wanting to. Have you ever gotten anything stuck in your ear canal before? If so, then what? Ow, no.

Nose

Do you have a large, medium, or small nose? I think it’s small. Are your nostrils small or large? Small. Do you get seasonal allergies? I do. How often are you guilty of digging for emeralds? I just get a tissue and blow my nose if needed. What’s the highest number of sneezes that you’ve done in a row? I don’t know; a few. My dad often has sneezing fits that seem to go on forever. And he sneezes really loud, too. What are some smells that are unpleasant to you? Old food, garbage, shit, too much perfume or cologne, too much air freshener, Sharpies, seafood, skunks, alcohol, nail polish, nail polish remover, shoe cleaner, most cleaning products... What are some of the best smells, in your opinion? The ocean/beachy air, rain, patchouli, cedar wood, sandalwood, pine, coconut, lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, mint, coffee, garlic, my favorite foods, sweet smells, powder... Are there any unusual smells that you enjoy that most others do not? (ie: gasoline, Sharpies) I do like the smell of gasoline. What’s your favorite candle or air freshener scent? I like the autumnal scents from Bath & Body Works. Have you ever stuck anything up your nose before? If so, then what? No. Do you get frequent nosebleeds? Do you know what causes them? No, thankfully I’ve never had one. Do you have any nose piercings? If so, then where? Nope. Have you ever had a broken nose before? Nope. Have you ever lost your sense of smell before? How did it happen? Yeah, like when I have a horrible cold or allergies. Do you use any sort of nasal spray? Very rarely. When’s the last time that you had both nostrils close up on you at once? Almost a year ago when I got sick with a bad cold. Do you have a habit of being nosy and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? No. Have you ever snorted any sort of drug before? If so, then what? No. Do you snort when you laugh? Nope.

How often do you get sinus infections? Very, very rarely. It’s been years. How long does it take you to get through an entire box of tissues when you’re relatively healthy? I don’t use a box of tissues unless I have a bad cold.

Mouth

Do you have plump lips, thin lips, or one of each? Thin, but my bottom lip is a little bigger. Do you wear more lipstick or lip gloss? If you wear it, what shade do you normally choose? I haven’t in years. Do you use lip liner? Nah. I never bothered with lip liner. Do you remember those LipSmacker Chapsticks from your childhood? Which was your favorite one? Yes, I loved those. The fun ones like the ones that were supposed to taste like soda or candy were my favorite. Even better were the ones shaped like a soda bottle or various things. This store in the mall, Claire’s, has a ton of those. Years ago I had one shaped like a little Hershey’s strawberry syrup bottle, it was super cute. What brand of chapstick do you use as an adult now, if any? I like EOS. Do you have a tendency to pick at your lips or chew on them? Ugh, yes I do both. A lot. Who’s the last person you kissed? Joseph, many years ago. Do you lick your lips often? Yes. Do you make “the fish face” often in photos? No, I never liked that look. Have you ever had gingivitis in your gums? No. Do your gums bleed when you brush your teeth? No. How often do you brush your teeth? At least once a day. How often do you floss? I don’t. :X What brand of mouthwash do you use, if any? I don’t use any. How many teeth are in your mouth currently? I don’t know. Do you have any cavities? Yes. Have you ever had a root canal? Yes, a few times. What color are your teeth? White, but not pearly white. I could use some whitening strips. What brand of toothpaste do you use? Sensodyne. Have you ever had any teeth extracted? Yes. How old were you when your last baby tooth came out? Hm. I don’t recall. Do you grind your teeth at night in your sleep? Sometimes. Have you ever broken your jaw before? No. Have you ever swallowed something you shouldn’t have? No. Has your throat ever started to close up from something before? Noo, thankfully. That sounds terrifying.

Have you ever choked? If so, on what? Yes, I’ve gotten food and a pill stuck in my throat. How many times have you had strep throat? I think less than a handful of times. It’s been a very long time since the last time I’ve had it. What is something that causes your throat to itch? When it’s dry.

Have you ever lost your voice before? If so, when was the last time? Yeah. It’s been several years since that has happened as well. Like, over 10 years. Have you ever lost your sense of taste before? How long did it take to come back? It happens when I’m really sick. What are some of your favorite foods that taste delicious to you? Wingstop’s boneless lemon pepper and garlic parm wings, ramen, breakfast burritos or sandwiches, scrambled eggs with garlic, spinach, green onions, and shredded cheese, and scrambled eggs and biscuits smothered in country gravy with hash browns. Can you fold your tongue into a taco shape? How about a clover? Nope. Can you tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue? Nope. What’s the last thing you licked? The spoon I used in my coffee. Can you roll your R’s? Nope. Who is the last person that you stuck your tongue out at? I don’t recall. That’s not something I tend to do. Have you ever choked on your own saliva before? Yes. It seems like I choke on just air even sometimes. How frequently do you experience dry mouth? Ugh, that’s something I really struggle with. Have your parents ever threatened to wash your mouth out with soap before? No. Who’s the last person that you mouthed off to, and why? I don’t mouth off to people. Do you speak any other languages? A little Spanish. Have you ever worn braces or retainers? Nope.

Chin & Cheeks/The Whole Face

Do you need to shave your upper lip or chin? No, not at the moment. Do you shave your entire face? If so, how often? No. Do you have a moustache? No. Do you have a beard? No. Have you ever fractured your cheek bone? Ow, no.

Who was the last person to kiss your cheek? My mom. Do your cheeks get extra red in any of the following instances: sickness/fever, drinking alcohol, cold/windy weather, embarrassment, or infatuation? When I’m sick, hot, nervous, and when I used to drink. Do you have any relatives who are guilty of pinching your cheeks and making comments about how big you’ve grown? No.

Are you mature enough to turn the other cheek? Usually. And to just avoid confrontation and drama. I’ll stew about stuff on my own and be upset about things for awhile, but I’m not one to hold a grudge. When’s the last time that you said something cheeky, and who did you say it to? Something jokingly to my brother, probably. Has anyone ever slapped you across the face before? If so, what was the reason? No. Do you get a lot of blackheads or acne? If so, are there any special products that you use in order to combat this? No, I just get like a couple now and then. I struggled with acne back when I was a teenager and young adult, though. Do you wear blush or foundation? I rarely bothered with blush back when I wore makeup and I dabbled with foundation for a short bit. My main staples when it came to makeup was honestly just eyeliner and mascara, and maybe a tinted balm. What shape face do you have? Oval or heart shaped. Do you have any scars on your face? Yes, a few little ones. Would you ever consider getting a face lift or Botox? Nah.

[ohsh1t2wksl8]

#personal #text #survey #surveys #my face

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latin-dr-robotnik · 4 years

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What went wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces? (ft. beevean)

The following is a project I’ve been cooking for some weeks, trying to find out some reasons behind the general lackluster feeling that surrounds Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces. As you may have spotted already, this is not a solo project, since I’ve had the opportunity to talk about this very same topic with @beevean and she raised quite a couple of interesting points that I’m going to bring up as we go through.

Also, Spanish speakers: you can catch the Spanish version of this post here, it’s probably a more polished experience with additional text.

Long post below, so, bring up a ladder and a boombox, I’ll explain along the way. (there’s also a tl;dr at the bottom if you are that type of person)

Sonic Forces stands as a divisive point in the Sonic fandom, that much we all know, and we are not going to discuss the game’s general quality at all on this post. But we are going to take a solid look at Classic Sonic and, most importantly, its music, since I consider that’s the most clear symptom of a bigger problem with Classic Sonic in general, in this post-Generations Modern Sonic world.

A quick look at Classic Sonic

When Classic Sonic debuted in Sonic Generations (2011) as this new-but-also-old Sonic, gaming as a whole was still being bombarded with this “retro-revival movement” that brought back many classic franchises (like classic Mega Man with MM9 and 10 after a decade since MM8), and SEGA itself was in the middle of that train with the recently released Sonic 4: Episode 1 (2010). While Sonic 4 tried to marry Sonic’s current style with classic level tropes and even Genesis-inspired music in a seamless way (showing Sonic’s physical transition from his Sonic 3 days to Sonic Adventure as a smooth one), this new “Classic Sonic” guy in Generations suffered from a mixed message about his origins: is he Sonic from the past, from an alternate universe, or both? Is his music supposed to sound like arrangements of his classic 16-bits tunes or just modern-sounding remixes like the rest of the soundtrack? The fandom still debates about it to this day.

This all led to the introduction of a character that, although considered a “Sonic” like the other “Modern” one, could not establish his own identity beyond Generations’ anniversary-title plot threads. No unique music style, no unique traits, he was just a simpler Sonic.

Major manifestation of the Classic problem.

Fast-forward some years to November 2017, Sonic Forces’ release date. Besides gameplay, story and character criticisms, the music of Forces turned out to be quite controversial for a part of the fandom. Although I personally consider the Avatar songs as top-tier Sonic music, I share similar concerns as the rest about the rest of the game’s music, specially the Classic Sonic level themes.

With Forces, it seems the composers managed to solve some of Gens’ Classic Sonic music problems, as this time there was a better and more consistent attempt at making Classic’s music sound more at home with the “Genesis days” tunes, but even then the composers fell into other traps that ended up being more damaging to the final product.

Years later after the game’s release, I finally brought up this very same topic during a conversation with beevean (I encourage you that, if you find the following snippets interesting, read the entire conversation), and she had the following thoughts to share as to why Classic Sonic’s music was so... underwhelming:

the classic music in forces is the weakest part of the ost, some tracks are okay while others suck, and the main reason for this is that they hired the wrong people for the job

Okay, that wasn’t a fair cut on my part. She talks a lot more about each and every aspect behind the music, and about the people that composed it, she had the following to say:

Okay, about Forces’ music. First of all, the Classic tracks were handled by two people: Tomoya Ohtani, who also composed pretty much 90% of the OST and has been working solo since 2013 (relevant later), and Naofumi Hataya, one of the two geniuses behind Sonic 2 8-bit’s and Sonic CD’s OSTs (plus some miscellaneous work in Heroes, Colors, Generations, etc.). If you loved tracks like Sky High, Palmtree Panic or Stardust Speedway, you have to thank him.

This is already a reason as to why the Classic music in Forces doesn’t resemble the music in the Genesis games. While I can understand that it would have been impossible to hire Masato Nakamura again, Jun Senoue would have been good for the job, having composed music for Sonic 3 and most importantly Sonic 3D Blast. But apparently Senoue was MIA until 2019, so who knows.

I’d like to point out that Naofumi Hataya’s involvement will play a bigger role later in this post, as we keep searching for what went wrong and we look for a potential solution when adressing Classic Sonic.

Beevean continued with:

There are mainly two problems here:

1) some of the tracks just don’t fit their stage. I already mentioned that Ghost Town sounds way too happy for a city under attack by giant robots. Death Prison sounds vaguely Egyptian and the difference with the original, bass-heavy composition is staggering. Chemical Flow is the most generic thing and would fit everything and nothing, and again comparing it with the original iconic track is just sad. I think the reason Casino Forest and Iron Fortress are my favorite Classic tracks is that they go very well with their respective stages. This is a problem Adventure 2 had as well, associating a particular style to a particular character, and while I think Forces did it better, for me the priority should be fitting a level.

2) Ohtani was once a very versatile composer (the guy could go in one game from Wave Ocean to Crisis City, for example), but since Lost World, the first game in which he had the responsibility of an entire soundtrack, his style quickly became “anime”. Runners’ tracks? “This sounds like an anime opening!”. How do you recognize his only track in TSR? It’s the one that sounds like an anime opening and uses a synth.

And look, I love Ohtani, he has nothing but my respect, and he made some of my absolute favorite tracks in the series. But I do think they’re making him work too much - he’s the best when he can work with at least another person, and has the chance to span a little. I also think his style is incompatible with the Classic music, which was never anime: even at its mellowest in Sonic 1 it always had a little jazzy/new jack swing touch. Basically the only thing they got right in this game is having a wicked bassline :P

It ain’t *only* the composers’ fault

Following beevean’s words, I’d like to add my own take on the problem. You see, I do agree that the composers maybe weren’t up to the task of nailing the classic Genesis tunes’ vibe (Hataya got real close, though), but at the same time I do think they weren’t properly oriented or didn’t have enough time to keep reiterating on the frameworks they were working with. Like beevean said, some of the tracks improve quite a bit after leaving behind that mixed as hell “almost Genesis but not quite” soundfont.

The composers will work on what they were told to make and I have a strong, albeith unconfirmed, feeling that the Classic Sonic composers where asked to “make it sound retro” by someone higher up on the project management chain, and after checking on their progress, simply said “meh, it’s retro enough, no one will notice”.

The “make it sound retro” argument, in my opinion, opens up a big discussion about Sonic music, because there is no easy way to make it “retro” with Sonic. You just can’t pump out a few nostalgic chiptunes and call it a day. Sonic music may have originated back in the 16-bit days of the Sega Genesis, but his identity is so much more than just that Genesis FM sound. I personally believe, similar to another thing beevean point out, that Forces focused too much on sounding “retro enough” instead of fitting each track better to each level theme or even tap into what really made Sonic appealing on the classic days.

This last point is something that SEGA struggled a lot during the past decade, they introduced Classic Sonic as an entity separated from the current Sonic, yet they simply don’t give Classic Sonic enough development as it’s own character. He’s there because he’s there and we don’t know what to expect from him beyond “he represents the good old days”. But not even SEGA itself knows what that means.

So, what really makes up Classic Sonic’s identity?

For me this is the true heart of the post. Knowing full well what makes Classic Sonic should be the key to every project that features him.

There are lots of points to make about Classic Sonic’s identity and how to establish him should he return once again on a 3D Sonic title (not even using the “modern” anymore, and I personally wouldn’t like to see him again on a 3D title for another decade, if ever), but seeing as the main topic of this post has been music, I’m going to focus on what music style makes Classic Sonic shine.

I already said that throwing some generic chiptunes won’t work, but I DO think that Genesis-inspired tunes can still work, should they stick to what made the classics so great.

And what is that? Well, you have several options here: you can choose from more J-Pop and jazzy tunes to some sick R&B and New Jack Swing beats, all the way through to late 80′s Acid House and wacky 90′s Dance music, even cinematic-like scores and ambient sounds.

Personally, I think the heavy R&B (with its fair share of New Jack Swing) influences are a constant throughout Sonic’s first years, and that kind of sound is one that goes well with his cool attitude™. Spring Yard Zone has always been referred to as “16-bit Every Little Step”, while Sonic CD... well, and Sonic 3... well... JAM. Even Masa’s demos of Sonic 2 feature some sick basses that aren’t all that different from what I was thinking (Chemical Plant and Metropolis come to mind). Sonic CD (JP, also the work of Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata) in particular springs up to my mind as the purest representation on everything that Sonic was about on his old days, but “pure” doesn’t necessarily mean “refined”, so I think the Sonic CD style coupled with some more smooth Pop for emotional moments (straight from Nakamura’s school of smoothness) and harder 90′s raves for boss fights (think how iconic Stardust Speedway Bad Future has become) could make up the perfect blend for Classic Sonic to follow in terms of style points, but also considering the general themes of each zone (Wacky Workbench being this Dance-heavy zone was a stroke of genius if you ask me, the same with Spring Yard being a jazzy urbanscape.)

Sonic is a product of the late 80′s and 90′s pop culture, he has the moves of MC Hammer, Bobby Brown, and of course, Michael Jackson (also his shoes). As such, no generic “retro nostalgic” tune will fit with him, unlike many other gaming franchises. By embracing Classic Sonic’s wacky nature gems like Sonic Mania happened, and just like I pointed it out to beevean, if you were there the week that game was first announced, you probably saw how much people were gushing about Studiopolis Act 1 sounding so much like Sonic CD with that funky beat. People instantly knew that was the Classic Sonic music they wanted to hear.

And just to make this section even better, I recently asked beevean about her thoughts on what makes Classic Sonic’s music identity. I now urge you to go and read her full analysis because it’s so deep yet very accessible, as I’ll be collecting just a few parts of her response for this post. Trust me, that post is so useful, go and reblog it now, I’ll wait here.

About Classic Sonic’s music styles, beevean says:

So… which is the style that fits Classic Sonic better?

The big love letter to the Classic series that is Mania used CD as an inspiration, and while Mania’s OST is excellent and one of my favorites… I don’t automatically associate New Jazz Swing with Classic Sonic. Before Mania, it was only in one game, the odd one in the bunch too.

3D Blast is my favorite Genesis soundtrack, and as I said it combines the best of two worlds (plus it’s just full of bangers), but it influenced the next era more than the Classic one. The same could be said for the American OST of CD - and besides, tracks like this are nothing like Sonic anyway.

Sonic 1 is the first one and all, but that mellow style fits that particular game more than Classic as a whole, I think the closest OST to this style was Advance 1, actually - another slow-paced, simple game.

So the choice is narrowed down to the ultra-popular Sonic 2 and the refined Sonic 3 & Knuckles. And I’ll be honest, while I think S3&K has higher “highs” compared to S2… my brain immediately jumps to the latter. When I think of Classic Sonic, I think of Genesis brass (the real deal, not that fake synth they used in Forces), twang basses, a swingy rhythm (too many to choose lol), and tons of energy.

Only one Classic track in Forces came close to this description. The others sound more like either a pale imitation of Sonic 1 or modern tracks with a bad soundfont, and that’s when they’re not a complete insult (no i won’t link to it you know what i’m talking about :V).

Author’s note: it’s been, like, two months and she still refuses to talk about Faded Hills, lol

youtube

Author’s note: sorry, beev.

(TL;DR) Closing thoughts.

So, what did go wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces?

A lack of definition on what Classic Sonic even is about, carried from Generations, made the task of defining his style more difficult.

The composers weren’t up to the task, or they were simply asked to make Classic Sonic “sound retro”, generic sound be damned.

This also means management of the project wasn’t that interested in the Classic portion, or they ran out of time to make it better. This is something that the entire game seemed to have a problem with as well.

The music didn’t fit the stages, and even if it did, Classic’s identity was all over the place. He was there just to be there, and his music suffered from that (compare it to Mania).

Tomoya Ohtani (often credited as the maker of the arguably worst tracks of Classic Sonic in the game) has experienced a shift on his musical style over the last few years that led to his tracks start sounding very similar to each other, this, coupled with the fact he was working on the other 2/3rds of the game’s OST, caused his Classic tracks in particular to suffer.

Classic Sonic’s tracks didn’t take from the 90′s Pop and R&B influences that plagued the old games, and as such, the current Classic Sonic doesn’t have an identity as strong as the original 90′s Sonic. Beevean’s take on this point involves Classic Sonic tracks that feature strong, legit Genesis brass, with twang basses, swingy rhythm and tons of energy.

Once again, I’d like to thank beevean for providing such insightful information and opinions (you can clearly see we both tend to have different takes on what made Sonic back in the 90′s, but in the end agreed to a similar set of requirements to make good Classic music, like basslines and lots of energy), which helped this post a lot more than you can imagine. I wanted to post this back in late January, but the extra time allowed me to keep thinking, searching and listening, while also opened the door to ask beev again about her opinions. This is probably the first “big” article I’ve written this year, and I hope to return soon enough with more.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic music #welp that was a big post #during the last portion something else started picking my attention #the shift in cultural references for sonic starting with adventure #all the cool skater stuff and the like #i might look into that in the future #in the meantime i think my 'make it sound retro' argument could lead somewhere #because i'm sure ohtani and hataya could've made something way better #but something stood on their way #be it time or management i don't know #well that's it folks #thank you for reading

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 5 years

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Pixar Films

I dislike Disney as an entity; it is an evil corporate conglomerate that makes focus-grouped schlock to appeal to as wide an audience as possible at the detriment of story. That said, Pixar was once the greatest animation studio on the planet.

Keep in mind, these are movies for kids, so anything negative I say will almost certainly be rebutted with “you’re just old and you don’t like Disney because it’s popular and you’re a hipster and you’re not even the target audience anyway so shut up.” I’m just giving my two cents, whatever that’s worth.

I’m not gonna rate them on a number scale, I’ll just tell you how much I would or would not recommend watching them. Some are must-see-cinema, others are bland and skippable affairs that you should not feel obligated to watch just because it has the Pixar brand on it.

Let’s start from the very beginning (a very good place to start)

Toy Story (1995) Groundbreaking, the first feature length 3D animated movie, spectacular cast, great story, though a little wonky by today’s standards both in the visuals (though that’s just a product of the times) and in the characterization (Woody is kinda of a jerk in this one; he was worse during pre-production, so this is the tame version). Pixar started off on the right foot. Would Recommend

A Bug’s Life (1998) This has some flaws, but is still a really fun movie. Not as good as Toy Story, but infinitely better than Dreamworks’ knockoff Antz. Great ensemble, memorable characters and set pieces, really funny. Would Probably Recommend

Toy Story 2 (1999) An excellent sequel, they knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s surprisingly deep, exploring concepts like the inevitability of change; nothing lasts forever, you can’t keep kicking the can down the road forever. The journey is finite, but that doesn’t make it worthless. Would Definitely Recommend.

Monsters, Inc. (2001) To date, their best original movie, maybe even better than Toy Story 2. Everything about it is perfect; John Goodman and Billy Crystal have great chemistry, Steve Buscemi plays the perfect sleaze, Boo is just adorable, it’s an excellent movie. Would Definitely Recommend.

Finding Nemo (2003) This is a beautiful movie; they had to invent new animation techniques to make it look this good, new ways for light to bounce and diffuse through the fishy medium. Amazing story, absolutely heart wrenching at points, hilarious at others, without feeling tonally dissonant. Would Definitely Recommend.

The Incredibles (2004) Another home run, they’re just showing off at this point. This is a much deeper and arguably darker story than any of their previous films. It doesn’t pull any punches and explores adult concepts like mid-life crises, extramarital affairs, death (oh, so much death; red shirt mooks and civilians alike). This may be my favorite (definitely top 3; I’ll expand the list below). Would Definitely Recommend.

Cars (2006) A competent movie, though by Pixar standards it’s not quite up to snuff. Not bad, by any means, but this one is the most blatant cash grab of them all, just a commercial for hot wheels and die-cast toys. I have a soft spot for it because this is the one I’ve seen the most; my mom would turn on this DVD to keep my baby sisters occupied, so it was literally always playing in our house. That said, I’m not nostalgia blind; it has good parts, but it’s not great. Would Probably Not Recommend.

Ratatouille (2007) C’est Magnifique! Patton Oswalt does a fantastic job, I identify with Linguini on a spiritual level, the human characters are all perfectly demented and the rats are equally so. I love this moral; anyone can be successful, it’s about who you are not where you come from. Funny and relatable, an all around feel-good movie. Would Definitely Recommend.

WALL-E (2008) Top 3, hands down, this is a true work of art, a modern masterpiece. A film mostly devoid of dialogue, it expresses so much emotion from how the characters carry themselves and react physically to their surroundings. The body language, the color choices, the camera work (especially in the space dance sequence), just how RAW everything is, how grounded it feels, how fleshed out these little robots are.. I Cannot Recommend This Enough, Watch it Right Now. Now. Why Are You Still Reading This? Now! Go Watch it Then Come Back. Even if You’ve Already Seen it, Go Watch it Again.

Up (2009) Another near perfect installment under Pixar’s belt. They’ve really nailed the art of opening scenes; Carl and Ellie’s love story moves me to tears, it is so beautifully portrayed. Some of the characters can be a tad annoying and overly cutesy to sell merchandise, but the story never suffers from it. The villain actually feels like a threat, there are stakes, and the image of a house sitting by a waterfall and the story connotations thereof are indescribably bittersweet. Would Definitely Recommend

Toy Story 3 (2010) This is is sort of hit or miss. It’s a very well made movie, and an excellent CONCLUSION to the Toy Story franchise (Conclusion: noun, the end or finish of an event or process). I liked it, felt it really wrapped things up in a satisfactory way, but it’s not better than Toy Story 2 in my mind. I feel like this was a turning point for Pixar; after this, they were never quite the same, never really bounced back. May or May Not Recommend, I’m on the Fence

Cars 2 (2011) You don’t give the comedy relief their own movie. That’s storytelling 101; the comic relief bit-character can rarely stand on their own and meaningfully carry a story, though corporations are laughing all the way to the bank as I say this because these types of movies keep making boatloads of money even if they suck. Minions made bookoo bucks, the Pirates of the Caribbean series is still ongoing despite the loss of Bloom and Knightly (and bringing them back for the last one doesn’t really count because Depp is still the main character), Cars 2 is a corporate cash grab, and devoid of artistic merit; this is my first hard no. Would NOT Recommend.

Brave (2012) This is not a Pixar film, it is a Disney film that they decided to make under Pixar’s name instead because they knew Pixar had enough good will and positive connotations to get people into seats regardless of story. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great. That’s the story of modern Disney; not terrible, not great, just okay because that’s all it needs to be. People will watch it no matter what, so they put in the bare minimum amount of effort so nobody can say they suck at making movies again (because for the longest time in the early 2000s, they did suck; Dinosaurs, Home on the Range, Chicken Little). Would Not Recommend.

Monsters University (2013) Why did you do this, Pixar? Why did you take one of your best movies and do this specifically to it? Nobody asked for this, nobody wanted this. I can only applaud them for having integrity enough to NOT give people what they wanted; people wanted a sequel, and that would have bee terrible. You can’t follow up on Monsters, Inc, it had a perfect ending, it was hopeful and heart warming and definitive. A prequel is the only thing they could have made without messing up the ending of the original, so I’ll give them some credit for that. It’s not good. Would Not Recommend.

Inside Out (2015) Their best one since Toy Story 3. Not terrible, I actually liked a lot of things about this one. I like it when Pixar takes on more serious subject matter, and I thought they did a good job exploring how a kid would react to such a drastic lifestyle change. The cast was good, the animation was fun (inside Riley’s head; outside was generic and samey). Not bad Pixar, not bad at all. Would Probably Recommend.

The Good Dinosaur (2015) It doesn’t matter what i think because this movie still made hundreds of millions of dollars. Disney is losing no sleep over this. Would NOT Recommend.

Finding Dory (2016) Again with the continuations! This was better than Monsters University, but the original was still such a hard act to follow. It had potential, and I liked how it respectably handled mental illness in a way that was easy for kids to understand without dumbing it down and underplaying its significance in the lives of those who it effects. I think Marlin kinda regressed, having to relearn what he already learned in the first one. The hardest I laughed was during the climax, the truck chase scene, “It’s a Wonderful World,” just amazing. Would Probably Not Recommend

Cars 3 (2017) I hope Disney was happy with this end product. I hope the producers really enjoyed cashing their toy checks for this one. I thought it was worse than Cars 2, but I can see why some people might like it more. Either way, it’s worse than Cars 1, which wasn’t particularly great anyway. Would NOT Recommend.

Coco (2017) I’m on the fence with this one. It was beautifully made, and the songs made me cry, but it’s hard for me to look at this movie without judging it as a product made by a focus group of mostly white people. By itself it’s a good movie, but when you know how the Disney sausage is made it feels disingenuous and calculated. Might Recommend, But it Had Some Baggage

The Incredibles 2 (2018) I am Boo Boo the Fool, Pixar suckered me and I fell for it. I was legitimately enthusiastic for this one because the original is one of their best, and unlike Monsters, Inc it actually left room for a sequel. It had so much potential, and big shoes to fill, and it did so in the most generic Disney way it could. Like Brave it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. Middle of the road, some things were fun, others made little sense, it was “appealing” in that it literally appealed to as wide an audience as it could without alienating anyone by doing anything particularly risky. I liked Voyd, I liked how Helen became the main character, I liked the villain twist; I did not like how easy it was to make superheroes legal again. It felt like it was tacked on at the end, like he just says “and there we have it, they’re legal again, congratulations,” like he was announcing the winner of the Price is Right. Would Probably Not Recommend

Toy Story 4 (2019) I want to be clear that I made a point not to pay money to see many of the previous films on this list. If I thought they were going to suck, I waited until a friend bought it and saw it with them for free. This one, though, I was forced to pay for because my mom insisted on seeing it in theaters as a family. It wasn’t terrible. Wasn’t great. Wash, rinse, repeat. It was the same villain again; Stinky Pete, Lotso, Gabby-Gabby... I can’t wait for the fifth one where the villain is an old toy who is mad because they weren’t played with. Buzz was made much dumber for this one, and I felt they didn’t do enough with Forky. I was excited to see how they handled the existential aspects of the series; what makes a toy? How are toys sentient? Why are toys sentient? In the first movie Woody implied that there were rules that toys were honor bound to follow, so what is stopping Forky from blowing their cover on accident? None of these questions were answered. I liked Keanu Reeves, I didn’t like Key and Peele. Would Probably Not Recommend.

The mighty have fallen. It’s just sad.

”Onward” looks kinda dumb, like a kiddy version of the flop Will Smith movie “Bright.” I have no faith in this production company anymore, but I’m sure it will make hundreds of millions of dollars; the cast are fan favorites, including Disney’s favorite topical pet celebrities (because let’s be honest, Disney basically owns Tom Holland at this point. Whether they own Spider-Man or not, they own Tom Holland, he is theirs, his soul contractually belongs to them).

Speaking of souls, ”Soul” will probably go over well with critics, though I can’t help but notice that their main character of color is transformed into a non-human for most of the movie. Again. I’m also not a fan of this one-word naming convention Disney has fallen into in the last decade. “Brave” was originally titled “the Bear and the Bow,” but one-word titles seem to test well with kids. Hopefully this will pass, but I’m not holding my breath.

I’m swearing off Disney movies, firsthand. I might catch them second hand, through friends or other means, but I refuse to give this corporate conglomerate one more penny. They basically own Hollywood, so my money will eventually make my way into their pockets, I just want to put as much distance between them and myself as possible. No more Pixar, no more Star Wars, no more Marvel, no more Disney. I am one drop in the bucket, I will not be missed, and they will not be affected in the slightest by my absence, but I need to prove to myself that I have integrity enough not to keep funneling my hard earned cash into a trillion dollar snack company.

Disney movies are snacks, not meals. And I’m going on a diet.

Anyway, here’s my top three:

Monsters, Inc

The Incredibles

WALL-E

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bluebeezle · 5 years

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Tools and process

I’m getting some questions about my tools and process for the animation I did in my previous post, so I thought I’d copy and paste my thoughts here.

I used Adobe Animate, but honestly, I wonder if I should've tried another program this time around. The interface is intuitive, and I've programmed a lot of tools for it that speed up my particular workflow - Animate has a LOT of stuff going for it that I love, but I'm constantly fighting the brush. I'd share the tools I've written if I could, but they're property of Powerhouse Animation, since I coded them on the clock.

Then there's the pretty basic animation stuff. There were times I tried to work too fast and tried to go directly from rough animation to clean up, and the animation suffered for it. For best results, I started with roughs (basically stick figures and basic shapes) just to get the idea and the blocking down, then tie downs, where I nail down musculature, clothing, and most of the detail, making sure to incorporate the visual language/style this time around, and finally the clean up pass. On a lot of it I'd do one more pass for secondary motion, like hair and clothing, purposefully done at the very end, so I know how everything else is moving before I decide how the secondary motion follows. I love physics, so this part of the process really appeals to me. If the secondary motion is particularly complicated, like the cape and hair flapping towards the camera in the shot right after the first teleport, then I might break that pass up into its own three passes. So for best results, four passes most of the time, but you might need six.

I work on separate layers quite a bit to keep myself flexible, and tend to cheat and use symbols for puppet animation for subtle movements. Part of the reason for that is like I said, in Animate, you're fighting the brush, and the variable brush line weight wobbling is going to be a lot more noticeable with subtle movements. The efficiency-loving programmer in me enjoys this more than the artist in me does, but you can pull off some convincing subtle head turns and the like if you're smart about how you separate and move your art. This is After Effects, but the same principles apply:

https://youtu.be/EP8OaGisJr0

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The following is more Animate specific, so you'll have to forgive me, since I don't know where you're coming from with this...

When symbol tweening won't do the job, I'll do a warp transform on some art and do a shape tween, and pray to the Adobe gods that it works. This is how I get columnar assets like forearms or calves to rotate in 3D space. Doing this saves on line mileage, of course, but also guarantees minimal line weight wobble, as well. If you do this, remember to help yourself first - run Modify>Shape>Optimize on the asset you're doing this to BEFORE creating the warped keyframe, so there is less data for Animate to try to interpret, and it'll be more likely to give you results you want. If it's still not working, try splitting the asset up into separate layers that would be easier for Animate to shape tween. If it’s still not working, add some shape hints, but at this point you’re fighting an uphill battle. Then slap some eases on your tweens with Animate's many new strength options, and you're set. If this still doesn't work.... well, you're actually gonna have to be an artist and draw another drawing, then. The advantage of anime's slow-fast-slow action style (any animation really, but anime is especially infamous for the degree to which it plays with exaggerating time), though, is that usually you can draw a start and end pose, puppet animate those two drawings for easing out and into them, and then draw one or two fast inbetweens to close the gap.

Let me know if you have any more questions or comments.

#adobe animate #adobeanimate #animation

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elikinloch-blog · 5 years

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my first 3D design sheet was a grid which contained a variety of different shapes and a separate one to forms, patterns, textures etc.

to follow on from that we did a selection of different 30 second drawings using the shapes in our grids and rotated, stretched, mirrored them which helped towards my end as it showed different ways of how they could be presented and put out, reflecting on my piece.

my next step at making my ceramic piece was by making a design sheet for my final ideas after realising how i wanted it to look so i knew further how it would look in the end outcome.

the reason i didn’t choose my other two designs was for the reason that i felt as if this one was much more interesting and appealing and once fired and glazed would look much more eye catching and abstract.

the following week we began to make our pieces. to start off mine i firstly began to make pinch pots which were constructed by forming two bowl like shapes of clay of a similar size and using scoring and slipping to attach them to one another.

once they were attatched, i used a rubber kidney to smooth the rough line around the centre so it was blended better and also stuck it together with more stability and repeated this step, making a few larger pinch pots and a few smaller ones to give more variety to my end piece.

after that i used a sponge with a small amount of water on it to smooth over the entirety of the sphere, making it look more presentable.

as the sphere wasn’t perfect and had its inequalities i used a wooden paddle to gently tap around it, forming it into more of a clear sphere which was what i was looking for and i personally found out that it worked well and got the outcome u wanted.

after repeating my steps for my other pinch pots i poked a hole into the bottom of each one with a nail to make sure the air could exit and get in so once placed in the kiln, they didn’t explode and ruin.

next it was time to design and decorate each of my spheres which was one of my favourite parts of the process besides putting them together.

for my first sphere i used a plastic tool with a blunt end to carve a light flower into the top of it, knowing that this design would be a more simple one than some of the others so the decorations of each didn’t clash too much.

for my second i cut multiple holes into it and smoothed around the edges of them. with this one i also did a smaller version of it for different size variations.

after that, i created a few spirals out of clay as well as multiple very small rolled balls of play and used scoring and slipping to attach the spirals on, as well as the balls around it, adding more dimension and texture to it so it wasn’t as basic and added a little more to the piece.

with my next, i just added a small circle of clay onto the right of it, also using scoring and slipping to attach it on and carved in a few patterns around it with a blunt end of a tool.

once id used scoring and slipping once again i put them all together in the abstract order which i did in my drawing for the outcome and left it to be put into the kiln.

the next lesson, we practice glazing on our samples which we made beforehand to get a better outlook on how the colours will turn out after fired, which was helpful due to the fact i wanted to stick to my colour theme of blues, green and deep colours and doing to helped me realise what they would turn to be as they are completely different to when you put them on.

after we glazed the samples we wrote down on paper of which glaze and oxide we did on each of them and drew a small sketch of what they looked like so we didn’t get the colours mixed up between them.

the lesson after this, we evaluated the samples to see what went successful or not and if they went as planned.

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markhengis90-blog · 5 years

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myfriendpokey · 6 years

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my friend computer

a videogame is an excuse to use the computer. to use a computer is to gain additional sense organs, which also causes the ones you already have to work in a different way. a mouse pointer becomes an extension of your hand, and the eyes adjust to follow it - the cursor does some of the work in making the screen intelligible that the eyes were previously doing, leading to a shift in procedures of visual knowledge. this isn't unique to computers - there's the famous saying that if you have a hammer you start to look at things as if they were nails. a stick may not be terrifically different as an extension of an arm, and a mouse or lightpen may not be terrifically different as an extension of the finger, but slight diversions and losses or redirections of sensitivity modify the ways we use them, which in turn affects the picture of the world they send back. there's a kind of low-level appeal to expanding your perceptions in this way and it's fun to consider what else could count as a sense organ as well (plasticine, a swimming pool, a hamburger, a chair an advertising billboard). neal stephenson once compared the experience of using an operating system to aimlessly, pleasurably driving a car around: "For a short time he was extending his body and his senses into a larger realm, and doing things that he couldn't do unassisted." the point is not so much that the car or the computer offered an extension of the will as an expansion of the field in which the will operates: maybe you didn't particularly want to drive someplace before you had a car, but now that you do you might as well.

i've written before that i started making computer games as something to do while i waited for my limewire downloads to finish. but to be more exact: i partially downloaded things through limewire because it was an excuse to just tinker on a computer. it helped that it was a very computer-y form of tinkering: you typed, played with inscrutable connections, searched, compared, and if you were lucky - bop! you got a song. so it was an activity with a satisfying beginning, middle and end, and a mild sense of accomplishment. and maybe more importantly it was also an experience that could hypothetically be extended and repeated forever. you could compare to children's toys, which give you a shape with certain affordances that assist with private imaginative rituals but also makes those rituals take on a kind of definite, repeatable quality. and it's interesting to contrast that with my first impressions of using a computer, which were mainly that it have you a wide and enticing new toolset but nothing to DO.

here are some early memories of using computers.

- primary school: weekly computer module where we learned microsoft word, a program which would let you do something you already knew how to do (write sh*t), with no apparent reduction in labour (at least to a kid with bad handwriting and no experience of using a keyboard). the only truly new, non-superfluous use for it that i could see was in the "wordart" function, where you could write your name and then cause it to appear in giant metallic letters or something. this quickly palled.

- summer school: as a special treat one day they let us into the computer lab so that we could browse the internet. i think this was my first exposure to "online". you could search for whatever you wanted but i didn't KNOW what I wanted so i just typed in things like "nintendo" and spent the hour solemnly studying the same handful of official screenshots for banjo-kazooie that i'd already seen in game magazines.

- crimson skies: i played crimson skies for pc and beat the first level. the mission completion screen contains various visual trinkets that you can unlock as you do things. there was a big gold doubloon and i clicked on it to see a slightly larger version of the big gold doubloon. the only thing you could apparently do with it was click the button called "print", so i clicked it, and then asked my parents to set up the printer for me. once it was all done i had the same picture of a gold doubloon, but now it was printed on a sheet of paper. i was unsure of what to do with this, or what the process was intended to accomplish.

no point to any of this other than to record that, for me at least, the purpose of a computer was less visible than the series of affordances it offered, and the process of slowly assembling those affordances into semi-coherent directed processes - into "using" the computer - was a sort of piecemeal and provisional one, driven maybe less by any specific desire to do a thing than by just slowly building up a picture of what processes led into each other, which formed satisfying loops, could be closed and repeated. (the question of why this should be desirable or necessary is interesting and maybe linked to the old, similar questions about the movement of sexuality from a general sensory "polymorphous perversity" into codified acts and rituals with specific effects).

it's interesting to try and track the paths this same process took as computers became a wider part of everyday life in general, particularly among non-nerd types. the developers of the "after dark" screensaver compilation (the one with the flying toasters and such) still sound surprised by their success, by the enormous popularity of what they assumed would be a niche functional product. but screensavers and desktop backgrounds were also some of the first things i could feel satisfied playing around with on a computer - there were a lot to sort through, they were easy to swap in and out with each other, they had an immediate visual effect that could change the screen vibe in interestingly unforeseen ways. and as one of the easier to use, less process-intensive and more visual pieces of software available for the increasingly more accessible home computer, did they catch on just because they gave all those new users something to do?

of course, videogames also give you a very modular, visual, structured, self-contained thing to do. maybe too much so, in that the history of the form is also that of trying to find ways to evade or complicate structure, to avoid the sort of fatuous closure of the win/loss condition - basically to engage with the distracted movements of human attention in ever more subtle and responsive ways, although not always responsive in the technical sense (theme and meaning that could "respond" to being thought about by changing the ways in which the other elements are perceived, etc). which is fine, but i also think it could be interesting to pick up more deliberately modest ideas of what these things are and what they're doing. maybe as less a form than an echo of the need for form – a sort of primitive early attempt at constructing new use-patterns on computer that’s still present as model and habit, even if they’re clunky enough to necessitate a certain irony in their re-use. less a medium with consistent,coherent standalone internal properties than the ongoing process of trying to partition off a space for mediumicitywithin more general technology movements. something to be filed alongside screensavers and petz and pokemon dressup toys and websites with pictures of people’s families created for no apparent reason other than a vague idea that you could make a website, and upload pictures of your family to it, and have it look a certain way. not trying to get back to the prelapsarian fragment swamp of computer first contact, not resigned to a hammered-out enclave of acceptable use-practice, more using the conventions as these lightweight disposable tent structures that wrap around the process of the one as it turns into the other. sites under construction.

(images: Lemmings 3D; Shadow Hearts; Boppin’; Microbots)

#computerchat #gamechat

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ashxpad · 3 years

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Shooting with a 21-Year-Old Camera: The Fujifilm S1 Pro

I find it incredibly fun to use older, especially unique, digital cameras both as a challenge and for sheer enjoyment.

I think part of it is psychological. With archaic cameras sporting outdated technology we anticipate subpar results, and so we focus more on what we can control: composition, lighting (when applicable), exposure, and so on — the things we should always be focusing on.

Conversely, when we have a Hasselblad in our hands, we may let go a bit in the unconscious belief that the camera can make up the difference for our lack of talent or effort. Of course, we all know it can’t.

I won’t get into the boring history of why I own a lot of early to mid-2000s digital cameras, but at some point, I found myself the owner of a Fujifilm Finepix S1 Pro — the first in a five-model line of Fujifilm DSLRs that housed some incredibly unique sensor technology that it dubbed “SuperCCD.”

Apologies for the subpar product photos. I didn’t have access to my full setup.

In the S1 Pro, the photodiodes of the 3.1-megapixel SuperCCD sensor took the form of a honeycomb tessellation, oriented in a zig-zag array rather than a simple vertical/horizontal mosaic. Because of this, the distance between cells is smaller, making for about 40% more (square root of 2 = 1.41) sensor cell rows horizontally and vertically than a regular Bayer sensor.

The camera then uses an interpolation algorithm that supposedly results in a resolution equivalent to a 6.2 megapixel Bayer sensor. The 45-degree orientation also allows for improved capture of horizontal and vertical detail. This is good because most of the world, thanks to gravity, exists in horizontal and vertical planes — however, this happens at the expense of diagonal resolution, which is where traditional sensor layouts excel.

The honeycomb design of the SuperCCD sensors.

Released in January 2000, the Fujifilm S1 Pro is based on the Nikon N60 (aka F60) film camera body (with modifications by Fuji). It logically sports a Nikon F mount and can use AI, AI-S, AI-P, AF, AF-D, or G type lens — however, only AF and AF-D lenses will autofocus. AI and AI-S lenses can only be used in manual exposure mode as there is no meter coupling.

Most of these photos were shot with either the Nikon AF-D 24-120/3.5-5.6 or Nikon AF-D 50/1.8. While the 24-120 is not a quality optic, it’s a more than sufficient match for this sensor, especially stopped down a bit — and you can stop down to your heart’s content without hitting diffraction on this camera.

I had initially gone out shooting with some superior G-type lenses, however, accurate manual focusing is impossible for me through the straw-like OVF (wearing glasses doesn’t help either) and the focus confirmation dot is totally unreliable. Strangely, I had more issues manually focusing on distant objects stopped down than closer ones wide open — the photo above was manually focused with the Sigma Art 35mm wide open at f/1.4, yet the below photo (slightly out of focus) was at 24mm and f/8 with the Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR.

Shutter speeds top out at 1/2000th. There are several metering modes (3D 6-zone, 6-zone, center-weight), a pop-up flash and hot-shoe (Nikon TTL compatible), and ISO options of 320, 400, 800, and 1600. There is no auto ISO function, and you have to menu dive each time you want to adjust it.

File choices are JPEG or TIFF only — no RAW, unfortunately — recorded to either CompactFlash or SmartMedia. The camera certainly did not accept my 64 or 128GB cards, but I was able to dig up an old 1GB card that can hold a whopping 56 TIFF files in the highest quality mode available (“Hi RGB TIFF”).

This is easily the slowest camera I have ever used. The menu is the antithesis of intuitive; it’s mostly just a collection of symbols and abbreviations and my hat is off to you if you can guess their meaning without reading the manual.

Forget chimping. Just murder that idea and bury it. It takes a solid 31 seconds (yes, I timed it) for an image to populate the screen. Once it does, just about the only thing you can confirm is that a photo was indeed taken, though a histogram is available for more accurate analysis. JPEGs, however, are significantly faster to review.

In a way, if you choose TIFF over JPEG, using the camera is akin to shooting a bulked-up Nikon N60 loaded with a roll and a half of film — no image review, roughly 55 maximum shots, and no quick adjustment of the ISO.

The S1 Pro allows you to choose between either 3.1MP or 6.2MP output. To produce a traditional image file — which exists in rows and columns — the camera must interpolate by using adjacent photosites to generate data between existing pixels. After all, the recorded file can’t exist in the same zig-zag honeycomb pattern as the sensor. After each line is read out and the missing data is filled, you end up with twice the spatial resolution (6.2MP).

Compared to the Nikon D40, which uses a 6.1-megapixel Bayer sensor, the S1 Pro doesn’t quite reach the same level of pixel acuity. However, side by side with the 4.1 megapixel Nikon D2Hs, there isn’t much in it between the two. So, I think the real Bayer-equivalent resolution sits somewhere in the middle of 3.1 and 6.2MP — around 4-4.5 megapixels. As it would happen, this is exactly in line with the roughly 40% increase in sensor cell rows (3.1 * 1.41 = 4.37). It also depends on the scene — some benefit from the unusual sensor design much more than others.

CCD sensors are not forgiving of sloppy exposure. Pushing or pulling can quickly result in blotchy chroma noise, severe color shifts, and compromised roll-off from the quartertones into the highlights. It is not unlike slide film in this way.

The colors are phenomenally accurate and neutral out of the camera. “ORG” tone and color produce a lovely, neutral file that’s perfect for editing, and “STD” (standard) tone and color make for a pleasingly usable straight-out-of-camera file. Even with color set to “HIGH” and tone set to “HARD,” the images aren’t bombastically oversaturated and Disneyland like we often see with the “Vivid” setting in modern cameras. In fact, High Color/Hard Tone photos exhibit only a very modest bump in saturation and contrast compared to Standard Color/Tone. One thing is perfectly clear: Fujifilm was producing cameras with beautiful color output long before X-Trans.

All the images here were shot at ISO 320, 800, or 1600. ISO 400 is completely pointless given that it’s a mere quarter stop gain over base. It would be easier to just dial in a third of a stop of exposure compensation rather than clicking through the menu. I really wish there was a lower base ISO of 160, as well as intermediate options like 640 and 1280.

The camera’s high native sensitivity — combined with early CCD architecture — means that there is a noticeable level of noise even at base ISO. Thankfully, the noise is quite pleasing and mostly luminance up through ISO 800 — even 1600 has very minimal chroma noise straight out of the camera. Anecdotally, I’ve found this to be a running theme with CCD sensors — considerable noise even at base ISO, but the noise presents very favorably through most, if not all, of the sensitivity range depending on the camera. It also makes for astonishingly appealing black and white photos, especially given the finely grained texture from what is largely high-frequency noise. “Film-like” would be an apt descriptor for the results.

The considerable noise in this image is the result of bringing up an underexposed photo in post. Black and white helps cover the color shifts and chroma noise.

If you nail exposure in camera, ISO 1600 will produce remarkably great results with an unexpectedly low amount of noise for a sensor of this type and age — there isn’t much to speak of in terms of offensive noise and photos are completely usable without any noise reduction. However, at this point, you’ve lost a good bit of dynamic range and if you try to push the image in any way, blocked up patches of low-frequency chroma noise and banding immediately rear their head. There is essentially zero room for pushing the files at all if shot at ISO 800 or higher.

Quite impressively, there is almost nothing in terms of color shift throughout the entire sensitivity range — what is accurate or pleasing at base ISO will be accurate or pleasing at 1600. Again, this is something I have noticed on more than one occasion with CCD cameras — the Pentax 645D behaves almost identically throughout its ISO range.

ISO 1600, SOOC “Standard” color and tone, auto WB. Noise reduction and sharpening zeroed out in ACR. No adjustments aside from downsizing.

While restrictive by modern standards, a highly usable ISO 1600 in an APS-C camera in the year 2000 was exceptionally good. Fujifilm claimed the SuperCCD cameras to have superior sensitivity performance — the honeycomb photosites allow for more pixels to be packed within a given area and their shape more closely mirrors the circular microlenses that sit above them. I think Fuji’s assertation bears out in practice.

I would estimate roughly 7.5-8 stops of usable dynamic range, which is up against what I presume is an 8-bit ADC (analog to digital converter). Given this, along with the unforgiving nature of CCD sensors and processing latitude further limited by the lack of RAW, you need to be very deliberate with your exposure choices. Even in a scene of moderate contrast, you will almost certainly have either crushed blacks or clipped highlights.

However, like most CCD cameras, you do start to lose dynamic range quickly once you boost the ISO by a couple of stops. There also isn’t much in the shadows — modern cameras (CMOS) tend to have a lot of their dynamic range bunched up in the shadows, allowing for some truly incredible detail recovery. CCD sensors do not work the same way, and even with a full-blown RAW file, I doubt you’d find much usable information at that end of the histogram. You can mitigate this somewhat via ETTR (“expose to the right”), but with what is already a suboptimal amount of dynamic range, you’ll only have a small amount of latitude for ETTR, if any.

Oops, highway patrol got me. High contrast scenes like this are difficult – the whites are just on the cusp of clipping, but the blacks are gone in numerous areas.

While the camera’s light meter, particularly the 3D 6-zone multipattern meter, is exceptionally adept at balancing exposure in difficult scenes, the auto white balance is a duality: it’s either one of the most accurate I have ever seen or it’s the worst. Almost all the photos I took required zero tint adjustment and usually only +1 to +4 temperature adjustment. However, on three occasions the images were off by so much I’m still baffled as to exactly why.

The most egregious were photos taken about two hours before sunset in the shade — they were rendered extremely blue and about half a stop underexposed. The white balance went so far off the map that most of a plain white T-shirt measured blue values from 240 on up to completely clipped! I assume the culprit for this error is a combination of the camera’s CCD light meter design and spectral response — the infrared filter may be causing issues in certain situations too. IR filters can strongly affect the blue channel and it’s possible there was a bit of Rayleigh scattering at work.

The major issue is that without a RAW file, your options are extremely limited — those botched files required +76 temperature to correct. Such a massive shift in an 8-bit TIFF file results in horrendous noise — especially bad because the blue channel is always the noisiest — and extreme spectral shifts across the entire image. Strangely, a separate shot of a red step ladder taken five feet away at the same time required only -3 tint and zero temperature adjustment.

Using the S1 Pro reminds me of shooting with the original 18-megapixel Leica M9 and Leica M Monochrom cameras — both with Kodak CCD designs. Neither those cameras nor the S1 Pro has any tolerance for “underexpose to protect the highlights” or similar approaches in the same way that CMOS sensors allow — not unlike how slide film doesn’t take kindly to push processing. People who worry about how a camera handles being pushed five stops will need to adjust — it’ll help them in the long run so they can finally learn to stop underexposing so much.

Ultimately, while the files from the S1 Pro don’t contain anywhere near the latitude of even modern JPEGs, let alone the power of RAW, my biggest takeaway while using this camera was how much I adore and value transparency as a starting point out of the camera. In a way, the naturality of colors and tones from this camera makes it even more aggravating that the files can’t stand up to much manipulation — I would absolutely LOVE results like this out of my Nikon Z7, and every other camera I have for that matter.

My father assisting in the repair of a Pentax 6×7. In scenes like this, you just have to expose for your subject and let the extreme ends clip.

What I would love to see is a universal “Natural Color Solution” (to steal a term from Hasselblad) adopted by all manufacturers and implemented in their cameras as an option. If you want that “Natural Color” RAW file, you can have it. If you want the look that you’ve come to love from your manufacturer, you can pick that too. Aside from Hasselblad, I’m not sure what would be the risk for manufacturers to do this — other than that it would take some effort and time.

I would not call the Fujifilm S1 Pro a fun or pleasant camera to use at all. To be honest, I probably immediately deleted 99% of the photos I took while doing this review. And even among the ones you see here, there are more than a few that I am not happy with. Normally, I would not settle for posting simply passable images, but in this case, I think even the lesser photos here do have value by showing both the warts and the ornaments.

Have no doubt, this is a challenging camera to use. I’m sure my images would greatly improve with continued use, but how much I am not sure — I feel like you hit the ceiling quicker than you might imagine.

Perhaps I can follow this up with a retrospective review of 2005’s Fujifilm S3 Pro, which sports a new SuperCCD SR sensor with two photodiodes per photosite — one of normal sensitivity and a smaller one of lower sensitivity. Both are combined to produce enhanced dynamic range (and it works very, very well). The general principle behind such a design comes from the structure of the crystal coating in silver halide film. The S3 also has a 14-bit ADC and produces 14-bit RAW files! That’s just a few of the improvements, but I’ll tell you this much: the SuperCCD SR sensor does NOT disappoint.

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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30 Best Nintendo Switch Games

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After four years of the Wii U, we were eagerly anticipating its successor. While there were plenty of great games on the doomed platform, the Wii U just never caught fire with the public at large. But four years into the Switch’s lifespan, and Nintendo has turned things around dramatically.

Instead of winding things down, the Switch shows no signs of slowing down, with plenty of excellent third party games in its library, as well as more than a few innovative titles from the Big N as well. The platform has also been a great way to bring underrated Wii U gems to a broader audience of Switch adopters. With a rumored 4K upgrade on the horizon, there’s a good chance that the Switch may even have another four years ahead of it,

But for now, these are the very best games available for the portable-console hybrid:

30. Untitled Goose Game

2019 | House House

Anyone who’s even been to a pond can attest to one simple fact: Geese are dicks. Untitled Goose Game lets you finally live out the fantasy of being one of nature’s most annoying creatures, flapping, honking, and generally being a nuisance to the residents of a fair English town. The only thing missing is the goose poop covering everything in sight.

Untitled Goose Game is a short but sweet experience inspired by classic stealth games that adds just enough charm and innovation to make it one of the best indie games on the platform.

29. Dark Souls Remastered

2018 | FromSoftware

There’s not much more that can be said about Dark Souls that hasn’t been said about this revolutionary action RPG title already. Its tough-as-nails difficulty, foreboding atmosphere, and esoteric storytelling have made it a fan-favorite and critical darling.

The Switch port doesn’t change much. It’s actually a visual downgrade from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions without the benefit of 4K resolution, but being able to play Dark Souls on-the-go more than makes up for that. This may not be the best version of Dark Souls, but the gameplay still stands up, and like a lot of Switch ports, being able to finally play the game on a handheld makes it a worthy pick up.

28. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

2017 | Ubisoft

“What if Mario starred in an XCOM game?” might sound like the basis for some very ambitious fan fiction, but somehow Ubisoft pulled it off with Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. The Rabbids actually fit into the Mushroom Kingdom pretty well and the Rabbid impersonations of Mario and company are hilarious.

Even if Mario games aren’t typically your cup of tea, the tactics featured in this turn-based strategy title add a layer of difficulty rarely seen in the plumber’s resume. If you aren’t careful, the corrupted Rabbids will repeatedly hand you your ass on a platter.

27. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

2018 | Nintendo

The Captain Toad levels were the best parts of Super Mario 3D World, one of the few well-reviewed Wii U exclusives that haven’t yet made it to the Switch. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker delivered more of what people loved, this time for the 3DS.

Ignoring traditional Mario-style platforming for isometric puzzles that bar jumping, getting all the stars in every level of Captain Toad is genuinely challenging but rarely frustrating. Captain Toad also stands out as one of the better Wii U ports for the Switch, thanks to a number of new levels, although many of them are only available as paid DLC.

26. Starlink: Battle for Atlas

2018 | Ubisoft

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a fun space shooter bogged down by a confusing and frankly unnecessary toys-to-life gimmick. The basic premise equates to a sort of smaller scale No Man’s Sky, but with highly customizable ships and weapons.

The big draw for the Switch version is exclusive Star Fox content, missions that feel like the animal-themed space combat game people have wanted from Nintendo for years. They’re certainly better than Star Fox Zero. The retail version even comes with awesome Arwing and Fox McCloud toys.

With gamers largely burned out on the toys-to-life phenomenon, Starlink didn’t exactly light up the sales charts, but it did sell best on the Switch and is scratching that Star Fox itch.

25. Hollow Knight

2018 | Team Cherry

Nintendo basically created the Metroidvania genre, but the company has been remarkably stingy about releasing new 2D Metroid games. Thankfully, Hollow Knight is here to fill the void with its insect-filled underground world. While there have been many takes on the Metroidvania formula over the years, a Tim Burton-esque aesthetic gives Hollow Knight a unique edge over the rest of the field.

Of course, Metroidvanias are only as strong as their maps, and Hollow Knight’s giant, secret-filled levels are easy to get lost in for hours. And then there’s the Dark Souls-inspired combat, which requires both patience and skill to master. We can’t wait for the sequel.

24. Xenoblade Chronicles 2

2017 | Monolith Soft

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is not for casual gamers. The main story alone takes more than 60 hours to complete and you’re looking at well over 100 hours of gameplay if you dig into the side content. Its systems, particularly the Pokemon-style Blade system, aren’t very user-friendly and require time to truly understand. But for those who are willing to keep with it, or who enjoy complex stories and mastering all the intricacies of a JRPG, there are few games of this caliber available on the current crop of consoles. And none of them are on the Switch.

23. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

2019 | Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is arguably the very best game for the original Game Boy, held back only by the portable’s lack of buttons and color. The Switch-exclusive remake easily rectifies those issues, and improves on this classic with so much more, including customizable dungeons and a delightful new art style inspired by children’s toys.

The core Link’s Awakening experience remains as enjoyable as it first was back in 1993, with the deceptively small Koholint Island giving way to nine labyrinthine dungeons and some of the best puzzles in the entire series. This is a great example of a remake done right.

22. Stardew Valley

2017 | ConcernedApe

There’s something oddly relaxing about farming games that Stardew Valley taps into better than any other game in the niche genre. Maybe it’s the especially calming music, the charmingly well-written characters, or just being able to live out your agricultural dreams at your own pace. Whatever the exact reason, Stardew Valley has garnered millions of fans since its original release.

Part of the appeal is the regular updates. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, ConcernedApe will add new content to keep the game fresh. And while Stardew Valley is a fantastic experience on any of the numerous platforms it’s currently available on, being able to play it anywhere on the Switch arguably makes it the definitive version.

21. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

2019 | Nintendo

The Switch’s success has allowed many Wii U games to enjoy a second life. With their brief levels, Mario games have always been perfect for handhelds, and with its pitch-perfect controls and heavy nods to Super Mario Bros. 3, New Super Mario Bros. U is arguably the best side-scrolling Mario game of the last decade. The Switch port even includes all of the New Super Luigi U content previously only available as DLC and a new playable character, Toadette.

20. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2017 | Bethesda Game Studios

We probably didn’t need another version of Skyrim, and the Switch port doesn’t look that much better than the original 2011 release, but as with other ports of older games, the ability to play one of the greatest RPGs anywhere is a good reason to double (or triple) dip. And there are a few cool unlockables though amiibos, like the Master Sword.

It’s impossible to ignore such a classic RPG on the Switch, especially now that you can play it on your lunch break or on the bus. But seriously, Bethesda, you can stop porting Skyrim now. Get to work on The Elder Scrolls VI and maybe bring that to the Switch.

19. Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu/Eevee

2018 | Game Freak

The Pokemon franchise has been around so long at this point that the Let’s Go games are actually the second remakes of the original 1996 Red and Blue games. That’s okay though, as even the last remakes were released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. By 2018, it was time for a new coat of paint.

Let’s Go freshens things up with modern 3D graphics, wild Pokemon that are now visible in the overworld, and Mega Evolutions from more recent games. The biggest change is the most divisive: motion controls for catching Pokemon. It can be a little silly at first, but it actually adds to the game’s charm.

18. Luigi’s Mansion 3

2019 | Nintendo

Luigi has long played second fiddle to his more famous brother, but after three spooky solo games, he’s built up a successful franchise in its own right that ranks up there among Nintendo’s best. If the previous Luigi’s Mansion games had a flaw, it’s that they got a little repetitive. Luigi’s Mansion 3 thankfully fixes that problem with a massive 17-story hotel with plenty of puzzles to solve and ghosts to trap. And while Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a fantastic single player experience, what really gives it legs is its co-operative modes for 2-8 players, making it the best ghostbusting game since, well…Ghostbusters.

17. Octopath Traveler

2018 | Square Enix

Square Enix’s love letter to 16-bit RPGs might just be better than the classics. Octopath Traveler boasts an innovative battle system that tweaks the typical turn-based formula and unique “HD-2D” graphics that are unlike anything else in the genre. It’s easy to lose several hours playing in portable mode or at home on a big screen. And while the story drags a little bit at times, it’s still worth playing to the end to see how the tales of all eight protagonists play out.

16. Astral Chain

2019 | PlatinumGames

PlatinumGames’ streak of creating the best and most unique action games in the industry continues with Astral Chain. Everything that has made the developer’s past titles like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata instant classics is on full display here, from the massive set pieces to the bonkers anime-inspired story of humanity making its last stand against an interdimensional threat.

And while you’d think those previous efforts pushed combat in an action game to its limits, Astral Chain’s innovative gameplay finds way to introduce new twists to the Platinum secret sauce. Here, you control both your main character and a fully customizable tethered Legion to maximize combos. This is the perfect game to tie you over until Platinum finishes up Bayonetta 3.

15. Bayonetta 2

2018 | PlatinumGames

The first Bayonetta was a sexy, stylish take on action-adventure hack and slash games, with some of the smoothest combat around and a badass protagonist. Bayonetta 2 doesn’t mess with the winning formula but adds more combat options and some of the most ridiculous setpieces ever put in a game, like a battle on top of a moving fighter jet. If you’re looking for something a little less family-friendly on the Switch, look no further than this hectic action game.

14. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

2018 | Retro Studios

The original Donkey Kong Country trilogy is a highlight of the 16-bit era, but in hindsight, it was more beloved for its graphics than its gameplay. It was only once Retro Studios took over the series that the franchise began to live up to its potential, with super smooth platforming and levels more creative than even some of Nintendo’s Super Mario games.

While Retro’s first Donkey Kong Country game on the Wii was a little too punishing, Tropical Freeze got the balance between challenging and frustrating just right. The game was originally released on the Wii U, and the Switch port adds Funky Kong as a playable character. This is an excellent platformer to play with a friend, too!

13. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

2021 | Nintendo

Super Mario 3D World is a top-notch Mario game, so it was always a shame that it released on a platform as underwhelming as the Wii U. The genius of the game is how it so perfectly combines the best elements of 2D and 3D Mario games. Levels have clear beginnings and endings, and ultimately you just need to climb the flag pole at the goal, but there’s also plenty of room for exploration to track down every last green star. Plus, the cat suit is one of the weirdest and best power-ups in any Mario game.

Everything that made the original Wii U release a must-have remains the highlight of the Switch port, but the addition of Bowser’s Fury, a new adventure where Mario and Bowser Jr. must quickly complete missions before the arrival of a giant, enraged Bowser, makes this one well worth a double dip.

12. Pokemon Sword and Shield

2019 | Game Freak

Sword and Shield may not be the best games in the long-running Pokemon series. Arguably, the lack of some older Pokemon (even after two big expansions) is a pretty big mark against it, but the eighth generation still has a lot going for it thanks to more streamlined gameplay, a massive open-world, and the fact this is the first time a mainline Pokemon game can be played on a home console. That’s something that fans have been clamoring for since the series’ inception back in 1996.

So no, you can’t quite “catch ‘em all,” but you can still have a great time battling the gym leaders of Galar in the seemingly never-ending quest to become the very best.

11. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

2018 | Firaxis Games

Despite the Switch’s early success, it’s still home to relatively few third-party console exclusives, but Civilization VI alone almost makes up for that deficit. This is an uncompromising PC port with 24 different civilizations available from the get-go, and all of the features from the original version. It also works great with either a controller or touchscreen controls. If you’re looking for a 4X strategy game on the Switch, Civilization VI is the one.

10. Diablo III: Eternal Collection

2018 | Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo III is one of the best games of the last decade. The Switch port is late to the party, but if you really want to slay demons on the go and don’t have a laptop handy, this is the perfect way to play the classic action RPG.

The Switch version adds a handful of Legend of Zelda items, including a Ganondorf costume. It’s not an earth-shattering exclusive, but it’s an easy excuse to sink a few more hours into this game.

9. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

2019 | Nintendo

Nintendo is still mostly known for accessible games that appeal to a wider audience. But then there’s Fire Emblem, a series of hardcore tactical RPGs where every battle can mean permanent death for you and your allies. While still true to its roots, Three Houses takes some liberties with the typical Fire Emblem gameplay. There are still plenty of battles to be fought, but the first half of the game largely takes place at a monastery where you’re a teacher preparing your students for war. And the long-used “weapon triangle” has mostly been replaced with the need to equip the best weapons for each character, adding a new layer of strategy.

As if all that didn’t make for dozens of hours of gameplay, the ability to choose which of the titular three houses you belong to has radically different consequences for the game’s story. It takes a very long time to experience everything that Three Houses has to offer.

8. Super Mario Maker 2

2019 | Nintendo

Super Mario Maker 2 is the definitive Mario game, building on its already near-perfect predecessor with new power ups, a world maker, and assets from Super Mario 3D World. The star of the show is the almost endless supply of user created levels that constantly surprise with twists on other genres and some of the most fiendishly difficult levels ever devised. And if you’re the creative type, the course maker remains one of the most intuitive modes in any game, allowing you to design perfectly playable new levels in just a few minutes.

Even if making Mario levels isn’t you’re thing, Super Mario Maker 2 includes a surprisingly fun story mode of 100 original levels that stand toe-to-toe with anything else in the legendary franchise.

7. Hades

2020 | Supergiant Games

Rarely do story, gameplay, and atmosphere mesh together as well as they do in the rogue-lite Hades. You play as Zagreus, the prince of the Underworld, with the simple goal of escaping from the monotonous life you’re forced to lead under your apathetic father. You’ll die a lot during this quest, but each time you’ll get a little stronger and gain new abilities from the gods of Olympus that keep the experience fresh. Hades knows exactly how to leverage its setting, perfectly capturing each deity’s unique personality and abilities.

The rogue-lite gameplay is also well suited for short bursts of gameplay or marathon sessions, making it a perfect fit for the Switch, which is currently the only home console its available on. It’s easily the best third-party game on the system, and one of the best reasons to pick up a Switch if you haven’t already.

6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

2017 | Nintendo

Mario Kart 8 is the best kart racing game ever made. That was true with the original Wii U release and it’s true of the Switch port, which includes all previously released DLC and adds a few new characters and a completely reworked battle mode. Each and every track has its own challenges and the addition of anti-gravity racing is a nice update to the formula.

With tracks and characters from F-Zero, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing, Mario Kart 8 also feels like the most complete Nintendo racing game of all time. There’s really no reason for a Switch owner not to have this one in their collection.

5. Splatoon 2

2017 | Nintendo

Nintendo has never developed a multiplayer shooter like Call of Duty or Halo. Odds are it never will. But the Splatoon series is just as good as those shooters, especially the second installment. Like with the original, the focus of Splatoon 2 is to use a variety of paint-spraying weapons to cover as much of each level as possible. It’s actually a lot more fun and creative than most of the high-profile shooters out there.

Splatoon 2 adds quite a few new levels, weapons, and unlockables. There’s also a sizable single-player mode, and a ridiculously fun cooperative mode called Salmon Run. If that’s not enough content, Nintendo released the lengthy Octo Expansion DLC in 2018. A copy of Splatoon 2 could occupy a Switch gamer for months.

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

2020 | Nintendo

For a lot of people, Animal Crossing isn’t just a game. It’s life. New Horizons was always highly anticipated, but its release at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns made it a much-needed escape for millions of people. Birthdays, graduations, and weddings couldn’t be held in-person, so many were celebrated within New Horizons. Even President Biden and Hong Kong democracy activists set up their own islands.

Even without the specter of Covid-19, New Horizons would still be one of the best games on the Switch. Nintendo has been perfecting the franchise for two decades now, but this version of Animal Crossing is easily the best yet, allowing for near-limitless customization of your own little world. And yet you’re still free to play at your own pace, without any of the pressure of the outside world. The ultimate appeal of Animal Crossing continues to be that it allows us to live our ideal lives.

3. Super Mario Odyssey

2017 | Nintendo

Is Super Mario Odyssey the best 3D Mario game? It’s hard to argue otherwise. Odyssey borrows its level structure and progression system from the beloved Super Mario 64, which Nintendo had largely ignored for the last two decades. Several new twists on the traditional 3D platforming formula, like the ability to throw your new hat buddy Cappy at enemies to take control of them, make Super Mario Odyssey feel incredibly fresh. There probably won’t be another platformer this good on the Switch.

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

2018 | Nintendo

Super Smash Bros. has remained wildly popular since it debuted in 1999, and there’s always been a lively debate about which title is the best in the series. Melee arguably has the best mechanics, while Brawl’s Subspace Emissary boasts the most complete story mode. The Wii U game looks fantastic, but the Ice Climbers and Snake were sorely missed.

Ultimate tries to satisfy the fans of each game by including every character who’s ever appeared in the series (plus a few new ones), more than 100 stages from throughout the Nintendo universe, a deep adventure mode called World of Light, and interesting tweaks to even the oldest characters in the roster. If Ultimate isn’t the perfect installment of Smash Bros., we don’t know what is.

Further Reading: Super Smash Bros. Characters Ranked

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2017 | Nintendo

Breath of the Wild is the perfect marriage of traditional Legend of Zelda 3D gameplay and innovative new systems. The world and story are unmistakably Hylian, yet the game puts a major focus on exploration and experimentation to an extent never before seen in the series.

Yes, the number of weapons have been cut down drastically, but the handful of abilities — like freezing time and creating ice blocks — create even more ways to complete the game’s challenges and traverse its world. And you will want to explore every last inch of Hyrule’s beautifully realized world.

For almost two decades, Zelda games closely following the formula established by Ocarina of Time, one of the greatest games ever made. Breath of the Wild throws out almost all of the concepts that Ocarina pioneered and redefines Zelda as something more open-ended and exciting that will hopefully continue to evolve over the next few years.

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allison-rosewood-maximoff · 7 years

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Return to the Isle ( Part 4)

Title: Return to the Isle.

Author: Gráinne x

Pairing: Harry Hook x Reader

Synopsis: Part 4 to my Harry Hook Mini Series. Found Here. Reader eventually comes face to face with Harry Hook on the Isle of the lost.

A/N: I swear I don’t mean to be so late with these posts. But I’m just a lazy person. But here we go… finally. Lol I hope you enjoy let me know what you think and I’ve a feeling we might have two more parts to come. Love Always G xx 💜

Part One / Part Two / Part Three /

Y/N lay on Carlos’ bed sketching away, coloured pencils everywhere. Three in her hair, two in her hand, one her mouth it was just pencils everywhere. She could hear Carlos mumbling something about “it not being the right time” but Y/N was so busy with the new sketches she barely paid any attention.

Until Mal burst through the door, flashes from the cameras caught Y/Ns attention as she glanced up to see a flustered Mal. “Hey Mal” Y/N gleamed

Before she could answer the news caught Mal’s attention “Mal must be counting the days until the Royal Cotillion, when she will officially become a Lady of the Court.”

Mal grabbed the remote in anger cutting off the news.

Y/N glanced at Carlos worried. “Whoa, easy girl”

Mal still frustrated and upset lashed out. “What? You think this is so easy? You don’t have people taking your photo every time you open your mouth to say Boo! I mean it’s not like I could even say Boo. But you know what I mean… I’m sorry”

Y/N sat up right on the bed, sketches long forgotten. Something had clearly spooked Mal. “Don’t you guys ever miss screaming at people and just making them run away from you?” she asked.

Y/N stood from the bed and made her way over to comfort Mal, she wrapped her in a big hug and whispered in ear so only Mal could hear. “Yes”

Mal smiled weakly at Y/N knowing how much she missed Harry.

“You’re thinking of my Mother, and I was usually on the other end of that. So, not really no.” Carlos finished.

Carlos stood and made his way over to the two girls “Did you bring it?” Y/N confused looked at Mal, then at Carlos, back to Mal and back at Carlos again. “Am I missing something?” she asked pointing between Mal and Carlos.

Before either one could answer the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Definitely wasn’t anyone they were expecting.

Chad crept through the door expecting no one to be in the room, trying and failing to sneak into the room unsuspected. When he finally managed to close the door as quietly as possible he turned to face the room, where he was met with three very confused and annoyed faces.

“Hi.” Chad blushed “Just came to use your 3D printer won’t be a sec” Y/N put her hand up to stop Chad from moving any further “Hold on” “How’d you get a key to Carlos’ room?” “Oh I printed it off the last time I was in here” He smirked, proudly

Carlos looking torn between confused and unamused “Uhh…?” Chad picking up on the confusion finished the story “You guys were sleeping. Look I just…” “CHAD” Y/N shouted cutting Chad off mid-sentence. “You can’t go around breaking into other people’s rooms.”

“It’s just Carlos, your printer is so much better than mine, and you install these hacks and everything runs so much smoother than mine and –“ Carlos who was fuming at this stage pointed at the door “OUT NOW” Chad clearly not picking up on Carlos’ anger tried to stall “Fine, fine”

Chad sulked back heading for the door. Y/N glanced at Mal shaking her head. “Chad!” Chad faced the group hoping they’d let him use the printer. “What? Hmm?” “Leave the Key” Y/N said walking towards Chad, holding out her hand Chad sighed and placed the key in Y/N’s hand before sulking out of the room.

When Y/N faced the two she could see they were in a deep conversation. Y/N could hear Jane’s name and something about a potion and she immediately knew Carlos had asked Mal to make a truth gummie.

“Carlos. You don’t need a truth gummie to tell Jane how you feel” Y/N spoke “Y/N’s right Carlos because this gummie is going to make you say the truth all the time no matter what. And the only reason we’re asking is because if I took that gummie right now, I would get myself sent back to the isle” Mal finished.

“Which not that it doesn’t sound appealing…” Y/N broke off

Carlos stuck out his hand waiting for the gummie “I’ll take my chances” Mal shuck her head, disappointed “Okay” However, before Mal could hand it over Dude ate the gummie swallowing it whole. Carlos clearly frustrated shouted at Dude “BAD DOG” “Man that thing is nasty” Dude spoke

Mal, Carlos and Y/N stood with mouths open wide, shocked that Dude spoke. “And you.. You just got to man up. And while you’re at it scratch my butt.” Carlos looked at Mal fear in his eyes “You heard him scratch his butt” Carlos looked at Y/N pleadingly, Y/N threw her hands up backing away “Nope he’s your dog” “You’re just going to leave me with him?”

Y/N grabbed her sketches and pencils quickly rushing out of the room with Mal in tow “YUP” the two girls called out.

Y/N was so caught up in the romance novel that the loud bang scared her throwing her off the bed in fear. She peered over the edge of the bed curiously to see a sobbing Mal. “Mal?” Y/N asked curiously brushing her knees as she stood. “I don’t belong here” Mal cried grabbing clothes and bag quickly from under the bed. “Tell me about it” Y/N snorted. “I’m going back Y/N” Mal continued packing clothes, it was only until Y/N noticed the purple did she realise it was her old clothes, before she left the isle, before Auradon, before Ben.

“Seriously?” Y/N gulped, this was a chance for Y/N. To go back, to see Harry, to explain and to see Uma. Without another thought Y/N grabbed the bag from under her bed, already filled with the necessities. “Let’s go then” she stated.

Mal stared at Y/N and then at the bag. “You’ve been thinking about this for a while?” she pointed at the bag Y/N sighed nodding “Yes but who was I going to tell, certainly not Evie. Now c’mon let’s go. Grab your mother”

Mal pierced a few holes in a cardboard box and grabbed her mother from the tank which she resided in. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand” “Hey” Y/N whined “That’s my line.”

Y/N held on tightly to Mal as she drove the motorcycle to the edge of Auradon. She could see the Isle more clearly now. They were nearly home. Y/N handed Mal the spell book to get them across the water. “Noble steed, proud and fair, you shall take me anywhere” Mal handed the book back to Y/N as she placed in the bag. “Please work” Mal prayed

Y/N squealed as the motorcycle bounced a few times on the water before reaching the Isle and breaking through the barrier. The skidded to a halt in the lower town. “Hey” “Watch it!” A few of the towns folk shouted and grumbled at the disturbance. Y/N scoffed “BITE ME” Mal turned to face Y/N grinning from ear to ear. Y/N high fived Mal, they made it to the Isle again. Mal pushed off and drove towards the hideout.

Evie paced outside the door for a good few minutes. How could Y/N leave her here, how could Mal leave her here. She gripped the note tighter in her hands and pushed the door open to Ben’s office. “Ben?” Ben spun round to face Evie, face beaming. “Evie! C’mon in” he waved her in. Evie handed the note written in her sister’s hand writing to Ben “They’ve gone back to the Isle.” Ben sighed, sinking back into his chair.

“Ben…” “This is all my fault. I blew it with Mal. She’s been under so much pressure lately, and instead of being understanding I just went all Beast on her. I have to go there and apologize. I have to go there and beg her to come back.”

Evie sighed she knew Y/N really wanted to go back to the Isle she didn’t realise how much though. “Ben. You’ll never find her. I know Y/N has so many secret hideouts they could be in any of them. You need to know how the isle works and…” Evie trailed off as another idea hit her.

“You have to take me with you” Ben grinned “YES! Uh are..are you sure?” Evie nodded “Yes, Mal’s my best friend but Y/N’s my sister I need to find them both. Oh, we’ll bring the boys as well, because there’s safety in numbers. And none of us is too popular over there right now.” Ben hugged Evie tightly “Thank you”

Evie pushed Ben back to make sure he understood her properly. “Let’s get two things straight. You have to promise me that I won’t get stuck there again, or Y/N?” Ben nodded “I promise” “And there is no way you are going looking like that” Evie scoffed at his outfit. Evie grabbed Ben to get some Isle clothes that would help him blend in.

Mal and Y/N made their way to Lady Tremaine’s Curl Up & Dye to get Mal’s old hair back. “Place hasn’t changed” Y/N declared looking around the room as young Dizzy swept the floor blasting tunes in her kick ass headphones. “Nope” Mal nodded Dizzy eventually noticed the two standing in the doorway and as always, she was super excited. “Mal. Y/N.” She hugged the two “Is Evie back too?” “As if!” Mal snorted. Y/N elbowed Mal to shut up. “No Dizzy she hasn’t come with us. It’s just us.” Y/N smiled.

Y/N walked off taking a little tour of the place as Mal and Dizzy talked. She noticed the broken mirror which she and Harry broke when they took their paintball fight into the shop, Dizzy clearly liked the splats of colour as she added to the ones they created. Y/N’s heart twinged thinking about Harry. She was this close, finally back on the isle again.

“How far can I go?” Dizzy asked “The works? I mean whatever makes me feel like me again. But you know…” “Way worse?” Y/N butted in. Mal winked at Y/N “Exactly” Dizzy jumped with joy at the news “Yay”

Y/N sat on the chair filing her nails as she watched Mal get the whole treatment, first the hair, then her nails. After two and a half hours Dizzy spun Mal to face the broken mirror. Mal bent a little to look in the cracks. “There I am”

Y/N threw her feet off the table and stood up, “Eh Voila”

Mal handed Dizzy some money for her hard work. Dizzy was so shocked she smiled so brightly. “For me?” Mal nodded “Yea, you earned it.” Dizzy skipped over to the cash register to place it inside.

Y/N was grabbing her bags from the back when she heard the commotion. She made her way out from the back when a voice she longed to hear reached her ears. She knew Harry wouldn’t be able to see her from where she stood, but she could see him. “Fork it over ye runt.” Dizzy handed the money to Harry pouting. “Now the rest” Dizzy grumbled getting the rest out and handing it over too.

Y/N scooted around the pillars to avoid being seen by Harry. After all this time, and not being able to see him, and now she could, she didn’t know if she was ready.

“hmm.. Thank you” Harry grinned waltzing towards the door. “Still running errands for Uma, or do you actually get to keep what you steal?” Mal snarked. Harry stopped, and turned slowly to face Mal, grinning from ear to ear “Well, Well, Well. What a nice surprise” Harry ran the hook through Mal’s hair. “Hi Harry” “Just wait till Uma hears your back. She’s never going to give you your old territory back.” “Oh, well that’s okay! Because I will be taking it” Mal sniped back. “I could hurt you” Harry threatened “Not without her permission, I bet.”

Harry tutted and waltzed out towards the door again, a little glimmer in his peripheral caught his attention and he slowly turned to face it.

Harry’s breath got caught in his chest. Y/N was here too. Sitting on one of Dizzy’s chairs looking anywhere but at him. Trying to act like you didn’t care but he noticed your leg bouncing, the anticipation, the anxiousness it was killing you.

Y/N rose up from the chair and finally made eye contact with Harry, he stood there long enough staring, it was starting to bother her. She knew Dizzy and Mal was watching the interaction between you both, least you could cut the tension with a butter knife.

“Y/N/N?” Harry finally spoke. Y/N walked towards Harry holding her hand out, “Give it back” Harry looked confused. There she stood looking brilliant and fabulous as ever. Y/N grabbed Harry’s hand that held the money taking it with ease, he put up no fight. He was just glad you were back. “Here Dizzy” Y/N handed the money back over. Dizzy grabbed the money and ran to hide somewhere safe. “Your back” Harry spoke again. “Yes. Now leave… please” Y/N motioned towards the door. “But don’t you want to come back to Ursulas?” “Yes. No. Yes. No. I don’t know yet Harry” Y/N shouted

Harry huffed. He stomped his foot in frustration, “Well when you know, you know where we are.” Harry scoffed and stormed out. Mal who watched it all placed a comforting hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go?” Y/N shrugged “I don’t know, I guess I wasn’t ready to see him just yet.”

“Later Dizzy” Mal called out as she and Y/N left the salon. They made their way to the hideout. Mal threw a rock at the sign and lead Y/N up the steps. Y/N fell face first onto the sofa. She screamed into the cushions that only muffled her scream slightly. Mal sat on the end waiting for Y/N to come around. “What happened?” Y/N peered out at Mal from under the cushions. “I think I love him Mal”

Did you like it? Request Tags Here & Request Part 5 Here.

TAGS: @stevebuchananparker267 @green-days-american-idiot @tegan-eva @awkward--sloth @imnobodiesbitch @scxrletwitches @cubedtriangle @cece-daughter-of-pitch-black @jackyfrost01 @kristalhi @coffeeeaesthetic

EDIT: Part 5 - Something Evil This Way Comes

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