Everyone drop what you're doing; there's more Smash DLC! BACKGROUND:
Nintendo announced more DLC fighters for Smash Ultimate last September, and an entire six months after Byleth (the final character for the first Fighters Pass) came out, the hype train starts anew. The reveal of the first character of Fighters Pass 2 was slightly different, as the character's home game was revealed beforehand as ARMS. I enjoyed my time with ARMS (as I have written here) and love all the character designs, so I might be in the minority when it comes to my excitement over this announcement. There were a number of ARMS characters I would have been fine with making it into Smash, but I'm ecstatic to see my absolute favorite of the bunch make the cut. THE CHARACTER: Our main attraction is Min Min herself, and she is unlike any Smash character we've ever seen in terms of gameplay. Just like in ARMS, she can attack with her left and right arm separately, and they implement this into Smash by having A control her left arm and B control her right arm (which is close to ARMS's actual button control scheme). Instead of your usual neutral-b or side-b, Min Min has a second f-tilt, f-smash, back, forward, and neutral aerials; basically, the same moves you do when using A inputs, except this uses her right arm instead of her left. It feels super bizarre to actually use the B button for regular inputs (like short hop aerials). As one might expect from a character from ARMS, Min Min's attacks have insane range. Any attack that utilizes either arm extends pretty far, and the trajectory can be changed slightly (i.e. you can curve it upward and downwards). In addition, you can move freely during f-tilts (kinda like Mega Man's f-tilt), jump as the arm extends, and fire off both arms in quick succession by alternating A and B inputs. This last bit is particularly wild, because you can also throw out your arms in opposite directions (including when doing smash attacks). And speaking of smash attacks, she can use f-smash in the air. This shit is bananas. She seems pretty scary with her crazy range (and she definitely is if you're offstage), but her arm attacks are pretty slow and can easily be outmaneuvered by faster opponents. Consistently hitting opponents took me some getting used to, as my playstyle is more of the rushdown persuasion. Min Min works more like a zoner/spacing character, and I like getting up in someone's face. Plus, I am also bad at spacing and other aspects of neutral in most fighting games. Min Min's other moves reference her ability to throw out kicks in ARMS, and it gives her some short range options. She has solid options like her up-air, up-tilt, down-tilt, and more. Her up-smash is pretty unique in that it works as a reflector (a reference to how she can parry attacks in her game). These moves give Min Min a fighting chance in close range, but she definitely still excels at a distance. Her other B inputs function more like regular special moves. Her down-b allows her to swap out the equipped fist in her right arm (again, another reference to the original game). This allows her to switch between three fists, changing the properties of her B moves. Ramram, for example, is low-damage, but has great vertical range and comes out fast. Megawatt is slow but incredibly powerful. The Dragon is the middle option, but features a laser that extends the range of her smash attacks. Min Min's recovery is your standard tether grab (think Joker or Byleth), but when used on the ground, her up-b becomes this super jump that she can act out of (kinda like Banjo-Kazooie or Mr. Game and Watch). The grounded up-b is more of a mobility tool to get you out of tight spots, but I found the idea of the up-b being distinct moves depending on where you are to be quite novel. Another reference to ARMS comes in the form of Min Min's grab. Successfully landing a throw powers up her left arm, increasing its damage output and knockback. You can charge up Min Min's left arm in the same way in her original game. Overall, Min Min is quite the anomaly, with an unorthodox control scheme that immediately makes her stand out as different and pays due respect to her source game quite well. She seems to favor more patient, meticulous playstyles that focus on proper space control and punishing (or annoying shithead playstyles where you run away and punch wildly), and I imagine she will have a rather high skill ceiling with how peculiar she plays relative to the rest of the Smash cast. Personally, I'm quite thrilled to see my favorite ARMS character on here, and I love how differently she plays (even if I'm still not quite used to it). WHAT ELSE IS NEW: Per usual, you get additional Classic Mode routes, new DLC Spirits, and most importantly, new stages and music. The ARMS stage is Spring Stadium, and it's a pretty simple stage with one really fun gimmick: the spring platforms that launch you upwards. There are more stages from ARMS that I would have preferred over this, but I'm content with what they've done here. It's one gimmick is fun, and it doesn't have too many things going on, and that's good enough for me. The music selection for Spring Stadium features nearly every track from ARMS, which I am very happy about. ARMS's soundtrack is fucking fantastic, and having absolute jams like the main theme and the Ribbon Ring track in this game is a true gift. Not a lot of remixes, though, but I already love most of the original tracks, so this does not really upset me. There are also new Mii costumes, with the big additions being Heihachi from Tekken (a returning costume from Smash 4), and Vault Boy from Fallout. The latter is particularly interesting, as it marks the first time a Bethesda IP has been represented in Smash. Whether or not this is a sign of things to come remains to be seen. Lastly, they've added the ability to rematch Spirits in the collection menu. As you can guess, it allows you to relive Spirit Battles you've already cleared. They added a high score mechanic to it (with a higher score being awarded the weaker the Spirits you use), which is neat, but inconsequential. It'll likely not catch the interest of most players, but as one of the few lunatics who have collected all the Spirits 100%, this is yet another thing I will strive to complete. VERDICT: The Smash DLC hype train is back on track, and while ARMS may not be the strongest start to Fighters Pass 2 in the eyes of some fans, Min Min still brings something completely new to the table right out the gate with her radically different moveset. If they were willing to twist the conventions of Smash this much for this one character, I can only imagine what wild shit awaits us for the next five characters. I'm ready to start this hype cycle all over again! - end -
0 Comments
I've had plenty of ideas for the Five Comics series since this whole lockdown mess started, but I can't quite go back to that blog series just yet. I still have plenty of full graphic novels/TPBs to finish, and this week, I continue whittling down that backlog. BACKGROUND:
I haven't consumed a lot of Marvel Rising content (certainly not any of the cartoons), but I've read a bunch of the previous comics (some of which I have talked about on the blog). I like a lot of these characters outside of the Marvel Rising context, so I'm down to read this as well. THE WRITING: The day starts out relatively uneventful for Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl, and Inferno, as they take a tour around Empire State University and ponder about college. Things take a weird turn when they hear commotion in the streets. Turns out, Morgan le Fay is back, and she's using her sorcery in hopes of conquering that particular area of New York. Le Fay makes her way towards New Attilan (home of the Inhumans), and it's up to the ragtag team of heroes to stop her. Much like other Marvel Rising content, this comic doesn't lean too heavily on the serious side, and matches the more light-hearted tone of other recent comic series like The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. There's certainly some depth to the characters, but for the most part, it reads like a Saturday morning cartoon, focusing more on fun superheroics with some "moral of the story" type of stuff sprinkled in between. Aside from the four heroes I mentioned, other characters join the fray. Quake (who was in the earlier Marvel Rising series) shows up, as well as America Chavez/Miss America. Quake gets to have some character moments, but Miss America is more of a fun guest star than an integral part to the story. You also get brief appearances from some of the New Attilan Inhumans, like Iso and Mosaic, but they don't add much to the story, either (outside of reminding readers of Inferno's past). You get some internal dialogue from various characters revealing their mindsets, like Ms. Marvel's uncertainty of the future, Inferno's regrets, and even the basis of Morgan le Fay's cynicism towards humans. It's interesting stuff, but there isn't a lot of time to build on them, so a lot of the development that happens (if any) is brief. There is one thing that has me curious about this story, and it involves the character who follows Morgan le Fay around: Melanie. She's just this regular girl who stole a powerful artifact and sees Morgan le Fay as a role model. At the end, they seem to be building towards her remaining by le Fay's side, and I wonder if anything came of that in later stories. This book makes a lot of references to other comics, like events from the first Ms. Marvel series, the previous Marvel Rising books, and even has nods to series like Champions and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. It's pretty connected to the main continuity despite being its own thing that's marketed separately, and I suppose that is by design; the Marvel Rising line has a specific target demographic and getting that demographic to read the mainline comics may generate more sales. THE ART: I think the art is pretty good, but not spectacular. There isn't a meticulous amount of detail, but it's not overly simplistic and everything's still drawn well, and while there are plenty of striking colors, they lean more towards the softer, less aggressive shades/tones. In particular, I think the shading and lighting is impressively done, as they help add depth to the relatively simpler line art. It's solid, but it's not a style that stands out to me as unique or mind-blowing. VERDICT: Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table is a serviceable superhero tale featuring a respectably diverse cast of young heroes dealing with standard world domination threats, but it is far from the most compelling story any of the characters have been in. I think it's a great way to introduce readers (especially young readers) to these new characters, but I would recommend reading their respective solo series or checking out stuff like Champions for more fleshed out stories and character development. Read Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Marvel-Rising-Heroes-Of-The-Round-Table/digital-comic/787054?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS90cmFkZUl0ZW0 - end - More free-to-play games on the Switch eShop? Well, don't mind if I do! BACKGROUND:
This game was in one of the previous Nintendo Directs. It looked flashy and fun, so I kept the game in mind. There was also a beta for it some time ago, but I unfortunately missed out on it. I heard there were server issues during then, so I was a little concerned going into this. PLOT: A lot of the lore is presented on the loading screens (a practice that I am not personally a fan of). From what little I gathered, this world has ninja battle royales where children beat the shit out of each other, something called Ninja-Gum which is some sort of powerful material that aids in these battles, and there's something called the World Ninja Association that I believe sanctions these battles. There are also references to characters and places you never see in the normal game, and that's about it. Now, there is a Story Mode for this game, but it's unfortunately paid content. If you want to a proper narrative, you'll have to pay up. It is a shame, because this game gave me real Splatoon vibes: a kid-friendly cartoon world with some interesting backstory hidden beneath the surface. PRESENTATION: The Splatoon comparisons don't stop at the setting and premise of child warfare; the overall aesthetic reminds me of Splatoon as well. The cartoony appearances of the player avatars, their super stylish clothing, the incredibly bright and varied colors, the urban locations, and the upbeat tunes all are reminiscent of Splatoon. That's not to say Ninjala is a carbon copy, however; Ninjala is distinct enough in terms of its actual art style and fashion that it feels like its own thing. GAMEPLAY: Ninjala is sold as a battle royale, but it's not like typical entries in the genre. For one, there aren't many players in a match (only 8 at a time). Secondly, Ninjala isn't a shooter; it's an action game where you go right up to your opponents and try and whack the shit out of them with your weapons. I like to think of it as Dissidia, but for children. Combat is simple: you have your basic weapon attack (that you can mix up by teleporting behind your opponent), a heavy weapon attack, a projectile attack, and two specials skills (one "regular" skill with a normal cooldown, and a super move). There isn't a lot of advanced tech or defensive options, so engagements usually go in the favor of whoever strikes first. You have a few ways to get out of a fight, however. The few defensive options you do have are parrying (which activates a clash situation with the opponent), transforming into an inanimate object (which allows you to scurry away or hide), getup rolls in several directions when you get knocked down, and a short dash for dodging (which costs a bar of your energy meter). Parrying in particular is interesting, because successfully doing so activates a little quick-time event thing where you play rock-paper-scissors with your opponent. Whoever wins the clash gets to deal damage. It's like the wager mechanic in Injustice, where you have to guess what your opponent is gonna do. However, parrying isn't an option you can always use, because it costs all of your meter to activate. Though parrying is a fun mechanic, I don't find it sufficient in terms of defensive options. If you're in hitstun and you're out of meter to activate a parry, you're pretty much dead. You're also completely defenseless in the air if you get hit enough times. I would have greatly preferred if there were more options to accommodate situations (like an aerial breakaway or something). It doesn't completely ruin the game for me, but it starts to be a glaring issue when you find yourself getting ass kicked for the entirety of the match. The big hook of Ninjala's gameplay comes in the form of Ninja-Gum, which is the lifeblood of the world's combat. You can blow bubbles of gum during battle, and while that sounds stupid, there's actually a point to it. For one, that's how you use your projectile attacks. For another, pressing jump in midair with a bubble out activates this super dash that gets you around place really quick at the cost of some meter. Lastly, it's used to upgrade your weapon at a certain point, allowing you to increase damage output. Ninja-Gum is a rather novel concept for an action game and is pretty versatile, but I don't find it as ubiquitous as something like Splatoon's squid transformation mechanic. Sure, it's used in plenty of things, but it doesn't feel as essential as it should to the core gameplay. In my early matches, I got by just fine without ever using any of the gum mechanics. I'd love it if you could do more with the gum outside of the three things it can do in the game. As of right now, there are three weapon classes ("swords", hammers, and yo-yos), each with four variations. Each weapon class plays differently, and each variation comes with different loadouts (unique skills, projectile attacks, and passives). There's actually a nice variety to these loadouts, as they each have their own niche to them (some have homing projectiles, others have skills that are better for trapping opponents). They also have some unique designs. You can also equip your character with Shinobi Cards, which grant additional passive skills. These can be upgraded with Assist Codes using Ninja Medals, all of which can be acquired through normal play. Currently, there are only two modes of play in Ninjala: your standard free-for-all battle royale, and team battles. The objectives for both are the same: earn the most points. This is accomplished by picking up orbs (which also refill your meter), destroying drones (which increases your meter capacity), scoring KOs (by depleting an enemy's life bar), and scoring what's called IPPONs (which, to my understanding, is the game's way of saying "beat your opponent's ass so hard the get slammed into the wall). Bonus points are also awarded at the end of every round for players who destroyed the most drones and scored the most IPPONs. There are only two stages available as well, being the basic WNA Academy, and the more interesting Eagle City. The former isn't a particularly interesting map, but the latter is more exciting and actually takes advantage of the wall run mechanic with its verticality. Hopefully they add more varied stages in the future. While you can play these modes casually, there is a Ranked mode for the leaderboard chasers out there. I didn't really mess around with it, though. This is a free-to-play game, so bet your ass it's got microtransactions. In this case, the premium currency is called Jala, and its mostly used to purchase cosmetics at the in-game store (clothes and emotes, mostly). There's also the Ninjala Pass (the Battle Pass equivalent), which allows you to earn more and better rewards as you gain experience in regular play. Lastly, there's a loot box thing that uses Jala called the Gumball Machine, because of course there is. Thankfully, this game doesn't seem to be pay-to-win, so I don't find this particularly scummy. VERDICT: Ninjala is a fun spin on the battle royale with its in-your-face, agile combat and colorful Splatoon-esque vibe. I think it's a pretty solid game, but I feel like it would've crossed the threshold into "great game" territory if some of its combat mechanics were fleshed out and its modes expanded upon. Of course, the game is only in its infancy, and I can easily see this game improve as more updates roll out. It's pretty fun to jump in and play a match or two, but as it is right now, it's not really something I'm looking to play long-term. That said, any substantial additions and improvements can easily get me back into it. This game is free-to-play, so play it for yourself and see what you think. - end - The past two weeks in terms of Pokémon news have been full of ups and downs. Today, I talk about one of those announcements. BACKGROUND:
This was one of the announcements in last week's Pokémon Presents livestream. It was free, so I thought, what the hell? PLOT: You work at a café where the staff and customers are Pokémon. That's... pretty much it. PRESENTATION: What sold me on this game initially was its charming art style. This is easily in the running for "the cutest Pokémon has ever looked", and it's hard to argue against it when you see the Pokémon wearing scarves, the lovely, almost painterly backgrounds, and even the cleverly designed menu items of the café. The gameplay portion looks like a higher resolution Pokémon Shuffle. That game looked pretty good on the 3DS, and this is no different. The music fits the cheery but chill vibe you would expect from a café, with the tracks complementing the play-at-your-own-pace gameplay. GAMEPLAY: Café Mix plays like any regular old match-3 puzzle game at first glance: match similar icons together and clear them for points. That is where the similarities end, however. Unlike your Bejeweled and your Candy Crush, Café Mix's icons aren't fixed to a grid. Rather, they're like jelly beans in a jar, stacked on top of one another irregularly. Moving the icons is also unorthodox; unlike other match-3 puzzle games (where the directions in which you can move icons are fixed), this game is more freeform, allowing you to drag icons pretty much anywhere. What's more, the other icons behave differently, being displaced by your movements and moved around, so you can move shit around and send pieces flying in every which way. Clearing icons is simple: tap and hold on a Pokémon's face, and drag your finger around the board. Anything that matches will form a chain of icons, which will move as one unit and displace other pieces accordingly. Once you let go (or the hold timer runs out), the icons are cleared, and you get points. It feels pretty foreign, but I did enjoy swishing my finger like a maniac and feeling like I accomplished something. In the context of the game's setting, each level is an order (like a drink or a food item) requested by a customer at the café, and the puzzle portion is you gathering ingredients. These "ingredients" are just the objectives for each puzzle, and they range from reaching a certain number of points, or clearing a certain number of a specific Pokémon. You have a limited number of moves to complete these objectives, so you can't just draw circles randomly and hope you win. In later levels, the game introduces gimmicks on the board. These range from sugar cubes, honey, ice, and other food-related items. Clearing them from the board is usually part of the objective, and that is usually accomplished by clearing regular Pokémon icons next to them. This is where the freeform nature of the game becomes annoying; since the pieces aren't fixed to a grid and have erratic behavior caused by your movements, positioning your chain next to a gimmick you need to clear can be a pain in the ass. A lot of the strategy of the game is weighing which gimmicks to go after first and clearing as many as you can as efficiently as you can. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done given the finicky nature of the game. To help even the odds, the Pokémon are here to assist. You can select from a handful of Pokémon at the beginning of each level, and they each have their own special Café Skill. These skills are usually some variation of "clear shit from the board", and they can be used once you fill up the skill meter by clearing enough icons. A lot of the levels rely on the judicious use of these skills, so managing your moves to fill your meter and use these skills is part of the overall strategy. As of right now, there are 100 regular levels, each with unique layouts and gimmicks to them. As varied as they are, they don't really give you the freedom to clear them with the Pokémon you want. Often, the Pokémon that the game recommends you use is the only one equipped to clear it (by the mere virtue of their skill), and choosing otherwise is almost a guaranteed failure. It's kind of a shame that there isn't any room to experiment with different strategies involving different Pokémon skills. Progressing through the levels gradually expands your café, which adds new menu items (a fancy way of saying "introducing new gimmicks"), allows you to recruit new Pokémon, and occasionally acquire some items. The game tells you when you'll hit the next milestone, so it always feels like you're making some progress every time you beat a level. Recruiting Pokémon is a bit of a grind, as you have to acquire a set amount of stars (done by beating levels, which are the café orders these Pokémon are asking for) to unlock them. You have no real control over who you're serving next, so it might take quite a while before you can recruit one of your favorites. This is somewhat mitigated by occasional friendship bonuses (which increase the stars you can earn for completing a mission) and Party Invitations (which allow you to earn stars for two Pokémon at the time), but these are all random. The latter is also only accessible once a day. Once you beat all the regular levels (which will likely be expanded upon in future updates), you unlock Master Orders, which is essentially endless mode. Right now, there isn't a specific reward for completing these, so it's mostly just there if you wanna grind out stars or you just wanna play some more. And since this is a mobile game, expect all the usual trappings. For example, Café Mix has a stamina mechanic, but unlike other mobile games, this one is pretty lenient. Stamina is only expended when you fail a level, so you can keep playing as long as you win. You will eventually reach a point where you fail, however, and in which case, stamina refills every 30 minutes, with the max being 5 hearts. Not that great, to be honest. Of course, you have your microtransaction-based premium currency. Here, they're called Golden Acorns, and you spend them to either refill stamina, continue a level after failing, or purchasing special power-ups. Unfortunately, all those things are rather costly, and while the game gives these acorns out regularly (either by beating levels or clearing quests), they won't be enough to constantly bail you out of the many difficult levels there are. Now, you could buy some more using real money, but... why? Speaking of special power-ups, there are a good variety of these you can use. Some of them are activated before starting a level, while others can be used during one without costing you a move. The game also gives you a bunch of these periodically, which is nice, but given how bullshit some of the levels can get, you may end up wishing you had more. There's also a feature where you can add friends, and it's pointless. All it does is show you their stats, and it's one-sided (i.e. anyone you add won't know you've added them). VERDICT: Though I found Café Mix's art style really charming, its gameplay shifts too much between mildly amusing to frustrating for my liking. I found the unorthodox way the game works to be novel, but the game's difficulty progression immediately reveals its flaws. Even with the intuitive touch screen controls, there's only so much I could do, and I would like it if there were a greater sense of control to the game. And if my history with Pokémon Shuffle is any indication, it's very likely that levels added in future updates will just up the ante on bullshit, further adding to my frustration. I appreciate this game for what it is, but for now, I'm content with the time I spent with it. I don't think I'll be coming back anytime soon. Play the game for yourself and see what you think. It's available both on Switch and mobile. Here are some links: - end - It's not too often that I talk about succeeding volumes of a series I've already read. This week, I get to do just that. BACKGROUND:
I've already said all I can in my blog entry on the first volume of Scooby-Doo! Team-Up, so I won't repeat myself here. THE WRITING: Vol. 2 continues Mystery Inc.'s "ghost"-hunting shenanigans, but this time, the team-ups aren't just limited to DC Comics characters. Now, other classic Hanna-Barbera characters join the fray! The first chapter of this volume sees the gang transported to the past, into the world of the Flintstones. The second flips the script and is set in the far future where the Jetsons reside. The fourth is set back in present day, and the gang teams up with Jonny Quest's crew, while the fifth issue sees them work together with Secret Squirrel. These Hanna-Barbera crossovers feel like how I imagine an actual cartoon crossover episode would have played out back in the day. Scooby and co. do their thing and solve a mystery, while the characters from the other shows get to do their usual thing alongside helping them. Plenty of neat references and funny interactions happen all throughout. The other two issues follow suit from the first volume and features DC characters. The third issue is a Superman-focused one that involves a mystery on the Daily Planet, while the last issue sees the gang face off against Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. These stories kind of fit the same overall light-hearted tone and vibe as the stories from the previous volume, so again, I won't waste any time repeating myself. Outside of the new crossover territory, there isn't much else new to say about the second volume. It's more of the same mystery-solving shenanigans, and I'm completely OK with that. THE ART: There is no change in the style in this volume. The comic captures the classic look of the old cartoons well, and I'm happy with that. I will note that the artists retained a bit of the old look of the Jonny Quest characters, which I thought was neat. VERDICT: Scooby-Doo! Team-Up Vol. 2 expands the crossover horizons of the series by introducing adventures with other classic Hanna-Barbera characters, and as someone who used to watch those cartoons, I really enjoyed this idea. The stories themselves don't quite change anything structure-wise from the first volume, but that's OK; I wanted some Scooby-Doo cartoon bullshit (with a sprinkle of crossover) and that's exactly what I got. Like the first one, this book is recommended for anyone looking for a Saturday morning cartoon-type read. And if you have a nostalgic connection for old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, you might like this particular book as well. Pick up Vol. 2 on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Scooby-Doo-Team-Up-2013-Vol-2/digital-comic/263987?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end - For the first time in forever, I purchased a game! Today, I talk about that purchase, and how it's successfully managed to pull me away from Animal Crossing (sort of). BACKGROUND:
I saw a trailer of this game on Nintendo's indie-focused Twitter account (@IndieWorldNA), and watched it out of curiosity. What I saw immediately sold me, as the snippets of gameplay reminded me of a game series near and dear to my heart: Mega Man Battle Network. I couldn't buy it at the time, but a couple of months later, I was able to take advantage of a sale. PLOT: The game doesn't really present a story unless you finish a run, but from what I can piece together, there's this place called Eden, and people wanna get to it for some reason? I'm not sure. It's kind of a shame, because the characters have descriptions that hint at a deep backstory, and I wanna learn more about what's going on as I play. Unfortunately, you actually have to succeed to get any sort of full narrative, and this game is... not easy to beat. That said, there are many of these endings, each changing depending on the character you choose and the decisions you make. PRESENTATION: For most of the gameplay, the visuals take on a pixel art style that, while not that detailed, doesn't feel too "retro" to look at. I think it looks pretty good, especially when there's a lot of action happening onscreen. However, I don't think it quite reaches the heights of other indie games that also use pixel art visuals. The visuals in other places (like the full character art on the select screen) are the standouts in my eyes, having this somewhat anime vibe to it. I'm also a fan of the card icons and how simple they look. Speaking of characters, each of their designs are incredibly distinct and exude personality at first sight. Violette looks beautiful and elegant, Shiso looks edgy as fuck, and so on. I know little about these characters, but their designs are so well done that I already really like them off the bat. As for the music, the tracks are phenomenal. The battle themes match the fast-paced nature of the game well (and mesh with the current scenery, too), the less energetic music in between fights is great, and the boss themes are fantastic. My only gripe in this department is the deck UI. I find it weird that it occupies only a small portion of the screen. Other than that, I have no complaints. GAMEPLAY: As I mentioned earlier, what sold me on One Step of Eden is that its gameplay is similar to that of Mega Man Battle Network. The battles in both games take place in real time on this grid, where your character occupies one side and the enemies take the other. You can move one space at a time freely to avoid enemy attacks and to position yourself for your own offense. Boiled down to its basics, the battle system is quite easy to understand, but this game is far from simple. Enemies come in all flavors of infuriating, and they each have their own attack patterns. On their own, they're not that difficult to get around, but on later battles, there are a million of these assholes to contend with, and it becomes a frenetic dance to avoid getting your ass kicked. It takes a hell of a lot of trial and error to learn these patterns, but once I got the patterns down, it became quite satisfying to deftly avoid an onslaught of violence. Your main mode of fighting back comes in the form of spells. You start out with four default spell cards, and you can acquire more by winning fights or buying at shops. In order to play these spell cards, you need to have the Mana required to cast them. This Mana is a resource that regenerates slowly over time, and managing it in the heat of battle is a major key to success. The variety of spells is incredibly overwhelming, ranging from your vanilla damaging spells, to debuffs, to healing, and so much more. You kind of have to learn what they do as you go, but the game does provide a preview of the spell in action to help with that. Like any card game, building a good deck here is important. You'll want your spells to synergize with one another, and that's kinda hard to do given the cards you get are random. This can be mitigated slightly with the Focus mechanic, which increases the likelihood of acquiring spells of a certain family. There are 10 spell families, such as Anima (your vanilla elemental spells), Doublelift (which focuses on deck manipulation), Phalanx (defense-based spells), and more. Again, you kinda have to figure out what's what on your own, which sucks at first for the more complex spell families. You can upgrade spells you already have if you have an Upgrader item, and doing so adds modifiers to the spell (reduced Mana cost, increased damage, etc.). You can also remove cards from your deck if need be with the Remover item. These items are not free, however, adding a bit of resource management to deck building. In addition to spells, you can also acquire Artifacts, which are basically the passive buff items of the game. You get them either at the shop, through random drops, or when you gain enough XP to level up. Like spells, Artifacts have all sorts of effects (some of which can be bad), and the right Artifacts can synergize with certain deck builds. Choosing the right Artifact is equally important as building a decent deck. There are nine playable characters, with only one unlocked at the start. Unlocking the rest is a horrific ordeal, as you must defeat the hard version of their boss fight before you can play as them. It's worth it, however, as every character has a unique starting deck (which pretty much means they have their own play style). Each character also has a unique basic weapon, which is something they can use at any time outside of spells (provided you have the Mana). Saffron's, for example, is like the Mega Buster, and is a rapid-fire, low damage shot. It's different for every character, so that's another thing you have to learn. To up the ante, every character has an alternate loadout, with a completely different set of spells and basic weapon. Unlocking these is also a pain in the ass (you have to beat a run with them), but they give you even more ways to play. One of Saffron's alternate loadouts has a basic weapon that slows down time, for instance. I've talked a lot about the battle system, but how does it all fit? Whereas Mega Man Battle Network is a full RPG with all the usual trappings (exploration, dialogue), One Step From Eden says "fuck that" and goes all in on the action. To spice things up, the entire game is a rogue-like, which means randomness galore! Like most rogue-likes, no two runs of this game are exactly the same. Each battle is random, the level progression is different every time, even the boss order isn't fixed. As someone who loves this genre, One Step From Eden does rogue-like quite well. Each run has you go through eight zones, all of which end in a boss fight. In each zone, you have a choice of what path to take on next; do you endure a string of battles to get to a shop, or do you take a relatively safe route to get to a campfire and heal some of your HP? The freedom of choice is appreciated, as you can plan out your route depending on what state you're in (do I have low HP, do I have money to spend, etc.). The bosses start out relatively easy to manage, but in later zones, they have significantly more difficult patterns and will kick your ass. You can play around with the boss order to make things easier, however, as you can select the next zone you go to at the end, and each zone's bosses are fixed. You can knock off a boss you hate right at the beginning and save one you're confident you can beat for later on. Defeating a boss presents you with a choice; do you kill them, or do you spare them? Choosing the former guarantees an Artifact, as well as some money. The latter is more interesting, as the boss heals you and can randomly show up to aid you in future battles. These choices also influence the boss you fight at the very end, as well as the ending you get, so it's not a bad idea to experiment with this aspect. After every run (successful or otherwise), the XP you earned is carried over into an overall player XP bar. Leveling up your overall level unlocks brand new spells and Artifacts that you can (hopefully) find and use in future runs. It's a more streamlined way of handling the classic "permanent unlocks" system of most rogue-like, which often have way too many unlock conditions for various things. Although I've put a good amount of time into the game already, I've yet to scratch the surface of all it has to offer. Stuff like the Dark path of certain zones, an alternate game mode, and most of the endings are still beyond my reach or understanding. You have to be quite skilled at this game to see everything it has to offer, and that may deter many players from giving it a shot. VERDICT: Despite its rather steep learning curve and unforgiving difficulty, I found One Step From Eden to be an absolutely enjoyable and satisfying experience. It takes a unique battle system from an older game that I adore and makes it its own, leaning heavily into the fast-paced action, incorporating elements of deck-building card games, and embracing the mercurial nature of rogue-likes. Picking up this game is going to take considerable patience (and likely time), and if you have neither, you many not enjoy this game as much. That said, I was initially put off by the game not teaching me much at the start, but after letting the game kick my ass and learning from it, I now find One Step From Eden to be one of my favorite rogue-like experiences out there. It felt so satisfying to finally have that "aha!" moment and figure out how to succeed, and I think it's worth putting in the effort just for that feeling. I feel this way for difficult games in general, though I understand that many people aren't like me in that regard. If you want to get a sense of the battle system, I would still recommend that you try out the Mega Man Battle Network games (or even the Star Force series). But if you're like me and there's a Battle Network-shaped void in your soul, this game is one to get. It may not be a full RPG, but my hunger for a game that had the same battle system was more than satiated with One Step From Eden. Here's the game on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/960690/One_Step_From_Eden/ Listen to the awesome soundtrack on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4oOPQkqP2RiEVu2KkSTJkg?si=UaaXeWoISTOpoM6IlM-WxA - end - Nintendo completely blindsided me by shadow dropping a completely free new game from outta nowhere. Let's check it out. BACKGROUND:
I did not know this existed an hour ago (as of this writing). That's how sudden this is. I literally just saw the tweet Nintendo put out and went oh, god, then scrambled to my Switch to download the game. PLOT: Believe it or not, this game does not have a story. PRESENTATION: There isn't a lot to look at. The one character (and the UI in general) has this children's book vibe to it: thick lines, flat colors, simple overall style. The backgrounds are a bunch of what seem to be random real-life photos. There's not much in the way of music, either, other than the tones that play according to your movement. GAMEPLAY: The idea of this game is to hold one Joy-Con on each hand and swing your arms as if you're jumping rope. That's it. That's the game. The bunny on the screen is there as visual confirmation that your movements are being registered. Swing your arms the right way and it should jump. There's a counter on the top telling you how many jumps you've done. Of course, you could just do away with the jumping and just swing your arms like a moron, but there's literally no reward for getting a lot of points. It's just there to track your progress, so you might as well do it for real. Speaking of progress, you can set a daily goal of how many jumps you wanna do per day. 100 is the default, but you can go up to 900. For reference, I went for 300 today and I'm thinking of setting my goal to that. Set it to what you feel comfortable with and adjust if you need to tone it down (or pump it up if you're a jump rope fiend). There really isn't much to say other than this. I guess you can change the bunny's outfit? That's about it. VERDICT: Jump Rope Challenge is exactly what it says on the box: you jump some (imaginary) rope. If you're looking for some blow-your-mind fitness game concept like Ring Fit Adventure, this ain't it. That said, this incredibly simple game is a fantastic way to keep active while trapped in self-isolation. Give it a go if you're looking for more ways to get the blood pumping. My go-to physical activities are walking and biking, but since I can do neither freely in this quarantine age, this may help keep me active when the most I can do these days is walk the dog for fifteen minutes around the street. I also like jumping rope, but have been historically terrible at it, so I kind of get to do it here without the embarrassment of constantly tripping myself up. I should point out that this is likely not a good substitute for proper exercise routines or actual strenuous activities. It'll probably work best as part of an overall routine as opposed to the one physical thing you do all day. Also, please try to eat healthy if you can. And don't sit around all day. - end - No, I'm not reading someone's actual diary. This is another graphic novel that I have picked out for this week. BACKGROUND:
This is another blind read-through. None of that prior knowledge shenanigans for this week. THE WRITING: The comic follows the life of Amy von Brandt, a 14-year-old kid studying in an all-girls school. Her experiences are that of your stereotypical teenager: petty disputes with friends, thinking about boys (yuck), and dealing with school and home life. Nothing too outrageous. Amy herself goes through a lot internally. From feelings of isolation from everyone else, to dealing with her grief, and feelings of infatuation and heartbreak, she definitely goes through a rollercoaster of emotions. Of course, the matters that cause her to feel all this may seem trivial and childish to those of us who are older, but despite that, there's still some depth to how she processes these emotions in diary form (even if her moment-to-moment expressing of them isn't). Though not the focal point of the story, I found her occasional moments contemplating the loss of her father (who had died years ago) rather profound. My experience is similar in that I lost my own dad at around the same age, so this aspect really resonated with me. While the main character of the story is very much Amy, two other characters stand out as significant in her life. The first is her mom, who is dealing with grief in her own way (again, something I'm familiar with), but is otherwise your regular caring mother. The other is Kat, Amy's best friend, whom she spends most of her time with. The book focuses a lot on Amy's relationship with the latter, as their friendship dynamic is upended when Kat starts dating, and again when Amy herself finds a boyfriend. This, I do not relate to. Outside of that, you get short slice of life scenarios, like Amy getting in trouble at school, or casual conversations with her mom. Again, nothing too exciting, but I found some of these moments relatable. Though this is a book supposedly aimed at kids, I was pretty shocked at some of the more mature terms used in the writing. It's not expletive-filled or graphically obscene, but there were a couple of instances where I found the choice of words.... questionable. THE ART: The art style is pretty simple: cartoony vibe, clear black outlines, flat colors, minimal shading, not too much detail. Though it won't impress in intricacy or uniqueness, it's still quite well done for what it is. The way the faces are drawn definitely remind me of old cartoons I used to watch, but I can't quite name one that is really reminiscent of this comic's style. Where this book really shines is in its overall presentation. Most of the story is told in comic form, but there are plenty of sections where it shifts to writing, as if you were actually reading someone's diary off a notebook. The book uses these in place of your usual caption boxes, and it works really well. You even see doodles, highlights, scribbles, and taped pieces of paper in these sections, further adding to the stream-of-consciousness vibe of a diary. Another thing I found noteworthy was this comic's unique way of depicting its panels. As opposed to the usual rectangular panels dividing the comic into neat little sections, the panels aren't clearly marked. Instead, the divisions are simply where the background colors end, which is a contrast to the interior art (which has outlines for nearly everything). This leads to some interesting "panel" shapes, as some of them become more irregular to account for elements in the scenery, or are done in a way that adds depth to a scene (e.g. extending the floor). There are even instances where the shape is changed to fit in within the context of the scene (e.g. heart shape for lovey-dovey moments, blurry edges for flashbacks). It's not a prominent aspect in the overall visuals of the comic, but I found it quite interesting. VERDICT: Amy's Diary contains pretty much what you expect from the chronicles of a 14-year-old: teen drama, puppy love, and all the slices of young life you could want. There's a few profound moments here and there, but overall, it's definitely a read aimed at preteens and older. It won't rot your brain if you're my age and you read it, but don't expect it to blow your mind. Also, if you're particularly averse to teen romance stories, you might wanna steer clear of this one. Here's the book on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Amys-Diary-Vol-1-Space-Alien-Almost/digital-comic/733806?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS90cmFkZUl0ZW0 - end - I am about... 500 hours deep into Animal Crossing. My life is going nowhere. Existential crisis, aside, I've been meaning to talk about the 1.2 update (which came all the way back in late April), but since the events are tied to real time, I had to wait this long before I can put it out. Anyway, let's discuss what came with this big content update. BACKGROUND:
We got a taste of what post-launch updates for ACNH would be like during the beginning of April, as the 1.1 update brought us Bunny Day. While I personally found it to be a pretty benign event where you got to craft some new DIY items, others felt quite annoyed by it, given that the eggs (the limited-time crafting item that spawned during the event) were actively intruding in the base game experience. I do agree that this aspect was mishandled, but Nintendo showed that they were listening on some level by adjusting the spawns in the middle of the event. Of course, Bunny Day was merely a holiday event, and we were clamoring for proper, more perennial additions to the game. We ended up getting exactly that a couple of weeks later. WHAT'S NEW: Leif The sloth gardener returns to New Horizons as a random weekly NPC, and he has stuff to sell! Leif's main trade is shrubs, which are an entirely new type of plant you can, um, plant on your island. There are six varieties, but they only bloom on specific months, so for most of the year, you're stuck with regular-looking bushes. I thought this was a neat addition that gave you more options in terms of decorating your island, but that's about all it does. In addition to shrubs, Leif also sells flower seeds that aren't already available at your Nook's Cranny. This is great if you're looking to plant some new flowers or stock up in order to breed hybrids, but again, there's not much to it. Lastly, you can sell any weeds you've collected to Leif for twice the price. It's not really significant (going from 10 Bells per weed to 20 isn't a spectacular markup), but hey, it's one way to make money. Overall, Leif is a pretty neat addition, but once you get to the point where you're OK with the shrub/flower situation on your island, it becomes pretty much pointless to check his wares. If they can find a way to expand his shop somehow, that would be neat. Redd The sneaky fox piece of shit also makes his return to Animal Crossing, and this time, he arrives via a shitty boat! Redd's appearance marks a significant expansion for the museum, and that is the addition of an art exhibit. On your first encounter with Redd, he sells you a piece of art, which you can then donate to Blathers. This prompts a renovation that adds a new section to the museum building that you can look at and start working towards completing. The museum is one of my favorite things about this game, plus I love collecting things, so this addition made me very happy on two fronts. After you've expanded the museum, Redd enters the random weekly NPC rotation, occasionally docking on your island's secret beach to sell you his wares. On his ship, he sells you four assorted pieces of artwork, as well as two random furniture pieces. Buyer beware, however, as this motherfucking fox bastard sells you fake artwork, and you have to use your discerning eye (and the Google Images result of the actual artwork) to determine which is real and which is fake. Buying fakes isn't all that bad, though, as while they won't be accepted in the museum, you can still display them as furniture in your house. That said, there's a chance that what he's selling is ALL fake, which is a terrible idea, in my opinion, especially considering he used to have one guaranteed genuine art in previous games. As fun as Redd's addition to the game is, he exposes a fundamental flaw in how Animal Crossing's random weekly NPC system works. For one, this son of a bitch rarely shows up, so good luck completing that art exhibit this year. Secondly, people started to realize how ridiculous it is that only one random NPC can show up per day when there is precedent for more than one showing up in the game already (the prime examples being Celeste and Wisp, who can show up any day of the week). I wish they could adjust how NPCs work, because not only is it sad that I've only seen Redd a total of four times since he was added to the game, but also because the current patterns are horrible (there are five guaranteed NPCs per week, which leaves two weekdays for five other NPCs to fight over) and make the game feel predictable. Nature Day The first event of 1.2 was Nature Day, which ran from the 23rd of April (Earth Day) to the 4th of May (Star Wars Day, but that's irrelevant to this conversation). Unlike the in-your-face Bunny Day, Nature Day's activities did not interfere with your regular gameplay, as all it does is give you a special Nook Miles Plus task at the beginning of the day that has a 5x multiplier. As you may expect, these tasks are nature-themed (plant shrubs, water flowers... you get the idea). The only proper reward you get from doing these tasks is the hedge DIY recipe, which allows you to build hedges as if they were fences. Again, anything that gives you more options to decorate your island with is a worthwhile addition. Other than that, though, you can freely ignore Nature Day, unless you want to earn extra Nook Miles. Overall, it's not a particularly outlandish event, but it does give you a cool reward. And given how much the game shoved eggs down your throat during Bunny Day, having this event be more on the sidelines was probably for the best. May Day During the first week of May, you can use a special May Day ticket to fly to a special Mystery Island. Unlike the typical Mystery Island that's usually filled with disappointment, this island is special in that it's a minigame! The May Day island is one big hedge maze, and the goal, like any other maze, is to get to the other side. The catch is that you have a limited amount of resources to navigate the obstacles, and you must gather and craft the tools you need in order to chop down trees, smash rocks, and make it to the end. It's not a particularly hard maze (even if you do get stuck, you can reset via Rescue Services), but I did find it fun. What waits for you at the end? Well, it's none other than Rover, a classic Animal Crossing character who was weirdly absent in New Horizons until now. After some cryptic dialogue that maybe hints at his return via future updates, he gives you a special furniture item: Rover's Briefcase. Seems lackluster a reward for going through a maze, but it is a neat decoration item, and I have it displayed in my house. The only real shame about this event is that you can't repeat it; once you've done the maze and left, that's it. I suppose there's no point if there's only one reward and there's only one maze layout, but it would have been cool if they had a week's worth of mazes. International Museum Day During the second half of May, you get to celebrate International Museum Day (which falls on the 18th in real life and marks the start of the event in-game). Blathers gets in on the fun via what's called a Stamp Rally, where you walk around each exhibit (fossils, fish, and bugs; none for art) to find stamp booths. Interacting with these stamp booths nets you a stamp, and if you talk to Blathers after finding all three stamps in a given exhibit, he rewards you with a plaque item (representing the particular exhibit) that you can hang on your wall. While the Stamp Rally is a neat way to encourage players to walk around and take a look at the museum, it's not really that engaging a task. The booths aren't hard to find, and other than a quippy fun fact, it doesn't really tie into the museum in any meaningful way. I'd have loved it more if the booths had more substantial trivia to them (I love learning about animals), or if there were an actual challenge to collecting the stamps (like a pop quiz or something). The real puzzler about this event is that this one is repeatable. That would have been cool, except you get the exact same rewards every time. The game tries to play it off by saying that they change the stamp booth locations everyday "to make things interesting," but that really isn't enough of a motivation to go do the Stamp Rally again. I checked the museum almost everyday during this, and there's only so many places the booths can be. I'd say this event was fine, but it definitely overstays its welcome. I would have forgiven the repetitiveness of the Stamp Rally if this event lasted only a week instead of until the 31st. Wedding Season The last event of the 1.2 update is a month-long affair, and it celebrates wedding season. Apparently this is a thing in Japan? I'm single as fuck, so I know nothing about these sorts of things. This event takes advantage of Harv's Island (the photo studio of the game) and has you play wedding decorator for lovely alpaca couple Reese and Cyrus (again, classic Animal Crossing characters). It essentially gives setting up photos on Harv's Island an objective; as opposed to decorating purely for fun, you have to impress Reese by setting up a wedding room according to her tastes on that particular day. Reese's tastes change everyday; one day, she'll want you to recreate a wedding ceremony. The next day, she'll want you to recreate the reception. To aid you with your decorating, Cyrus has made special wedding furniture for you to use. You can even use your own furniture to add a unique flair to your setting. Once you're done decorating, you snap a photo, then you show it to Reese, who judges your work. As far as I can tell, she bases this on how many furniture pieces fit the color scheme she was looking for, so it seems pretty open-ended. If she is satisfied, she rewards you with wedding furniture of your own that you can use back on your own island. In addition, she gives you Heart Crystals. These Heart Crystals are a limited-time currency, and you can spend them to buy even more exclusive wedding-themes items by talking to Cyrus. For this event, it actually makes sense for it to be repeatable each day throughout the month, as you earn Heart Crystals every time you participate, and you slowly unlock more items to spend said Heart Crystals on. Plus, Reese actually mixes things up everyday by asking for different themes for the decorations, so it's not the exact same mundane task every time. And there's actually more than one reward, since there's a good selection of wedding items, ranging from furniture, wallpapers, clothing, and even rugs. While I do wish Reese had a little more variety when it came to her requests (it only really cycles through a handful), I thought this was a fantastic event. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, and the actual task is plenty engaging and encourages creativity. I've used Harv's Island only twice since I got the game, and this event really showed me its appeal as a freeform dollhouse where you can set up all sorts of silly photos. And I don't even like weddings! VERDICT: Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings plenty with its 1.2 update, from permanent gameplay additions to a good variety of limited-time events. Though these additions did well to make every day I logged in more interesting, they also revealed some flaws both in the handling of some events and in mechanics tied to the base game. These criticisms aside, I still very much enjoy playing the game daily, and the update mixing things up really added to that. All I hope is that for future updates (which I have little doubt are coming), Nintendo learns from the missteps and adjusts some things moving forward. I would also love some quality-of-life updates, because as great as this game is, it really needs some work on the user experience department. - end - I'm taking on the fourth and final game added to the emulator services in Switch Online's May update. Shall we? BACKGROUND:
This is yet another game I have never heard of until its addition to the Switch Online service. Hooray for new experiences! SUMMARY: Operation Logic Bomb is a top-down shooter (or what would be referred to these days as a twin-stick shooter). As the name implies, you move your character in this top-down perspective map, and you run and gun to victory. It's a pretty standard take on the classic subgenre, so if you've played a similar game, this one won't feel foreign at all. You play as Agent Logan (I read this off the description in the menu; the game does not tell you this), who, based on the weird opening cutscene, seems to be some sort of cyborg (?). In any case, he's in this unnamed facility and he's out to stop... robots, for some reason? The game doesn't really present its story all that well, which is a shame, because there are interesting bits and pieces in there (like the fact that the enemies are from another dimension and are trying to take over by assimilating the current dimension). I also enjoyed the parts where you had to watch surveillance footage of the facility to see what happened, but I wish they could have leaned more into that and actually told more of the story through it. The maps aren't that large, so there isn't a lot of exploring to be done, but the game does have a sort of backtracking element to it where you have to revisit areas after acquiring some items. It's nothing too elaborate, but I do appreciate the fact that I had to explore the facility a little bit as opposed to simply just going from room to room. Exploring is pretty easy given that the rooms aren't that large and you eventually get a map of each area, but there are definitely a few confusing moments here and there. For one, the game doesn't tell you that you have to view surveillance footage in order to progress. In other instances, the solution to unlock the next area isn't immediately obvious. I didn't find such moments to be that common throughout my playthrough, but the few instances I did get stuck felt mildly annoying. At the start, you only have access to two weapons: a rapid-fire machine gun, and a slightly slower spread shot. They get the job done for the most part, but as you go along, you'll run into electronic devices you have to shoot down to advance, but they'll be out of reach if you use your regular guns. You'll acquire more weapons that help you take out said devices, such as a laser gun whose shots bounce off walls, a flamethrower, and even a tracking missile. They're also quite useful in actual combat, so they're more than just glorified keys. You'll also pick up a pair of sub-weapons, like a holographic decoy that lures enemies, and a timed mine that actually works more like a claymore and releases a devastating explosion in one direction. These things also have applications outside of combat, but those instances are rare, which is kind of a shame. The variety of enemies in the game is kind of disappointing, with the game using only a handful of enemies all throughout. Even the bosses aren't that unique, with a couple of them essentially being repeats having only slightly different attacks. The game doesn't make up for it with clever placement or tricky attack patterns, either, as one could easily cheese a lot of enemies with deft positioning. That said, taking damage is rough, as health refill stations are a) rather uncommon, and b) single-use only. Other than that, there isn't much to say, I feel. The graphics and sprite designs are good, but not remarkable, and the music didn't really stand out to me. VERDICT: Operation Logic Bomb is a decent top-down shooter, in my opinion. It has a small but fun arsenal, a smattering of Metroidvania elements to its level progression, hints of a neat sci-fi story, and is generally a fun time when you're mowing down enemies. That said, it falters with occasionally obtuse level design, lack of enemy variety, and a lack of proper presentation of its story. I enjoyed it for what it is, but it didn't really blow my mind. It is a pretty short game, so give it a whirl if you're curious. - end - COVID-19 has brought so many industries to a screeching halt, but somehow, some way, pro wrestling managed to keep going (despite it being a terrible idea). I haven't been really in the mood to watch anything at all since lockdown started (be it TV or movies), so I sadly fell out of watching what few wrestling PPVs they were (I only watched bits of WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, and AEW's Double or Nothing). But they announced a Takeover, and I never miss those, so I watched it as soon as I had the time.
I have my usual blow-by-blow of each match on the card below. Spoilers, obviously. I take my momentary reprieve from the increasingly depressing news cycle for my weekly read, and it's one that I've been looking forward to reading for around four years now. BACKGROUND:
I've likely explained how I've enjoyed Black Panther and been fascinated with Wakanda since I was a child, so I will not elaborate on that further. I'll also not bore you with how excited I was to see T'Challa show up in the Civil War movie and eventually get his own solo movie. All I can add here is that I have actually read a few issues of this series before, and I enjoyed what little I've read. This is the first time I'm getting to read the first volume in full, and I couldn't be more excited. To address a possible elephant in the room, I did not select this book as my weekly read purely to take advantage of the Black Lives Matter movement. Not only have I legitimately wanted to read this book for a while now, I have nothing to gain by doing so (no one reads these things anyway, and even if people did, I earn no revenue for viewership), and I certainly am not one for ostentatious displays of performative "wokeness" on the Internet. That said, I found it imperative to find a way to show support to the cause on the blog in some form, and I think this is a good way to do so. Also, before you chastise me, my selection goes deeper than "Black Panther is black," as I will elaborate below. The reason I picked this book in particular is because I would like to highlight two of the creators behind this comic, both of whom are black and renowned in their respective fields. Ta-Nehisi Coates is the writer, and Brian Stelfreeze did the bulk of illustrations. One of the best ways to support black people is to highlight their creative prowess and to support their livelihood, so I encourage all to check out their other work. THE WRITING: Wakanda is at a breaking point after being ravaged by outside forces such as the Black Order and a massive flood caused by Namor, and the nation is as unstable as it's ever been. A terrorist group (known only as The People) appears, rallying a contingent of Wakandans against the throne in an effort to violently topple the ruling class. All the while, T'Challa finds himself struggling to keep the peace, as the Dora Milaje disband and his efforts to resurrect Shuri continue to fail. This book is just as much about T'Challa's inner turmoil as king as it is about the irreversible change Wakanda is about to undergo as a nation. The motivation of the antagonists is built upon one thing: many Wakandans see T'Challa as a failed king, and they hope to usher in a new age for Wakanda where it is ruled by its people rather than a monarch. This planned coup is far from malevolent in terms of motivation (there are plenty of arguments against T'Challa that makes sense, like his seeming inaction towards the uptick in large-scale criminal activity), but there is no mistaking that The People's means don't quite justify the means. Their leaders, Zenzi and Tetu, have superhuman abilities, and have been using them to manipulate and kill in service of their goal. In later issues, there are hints that the pair have allied themselves with decidedly more nefarious individuals. T'Challa is very much still a hero, but the book does not shy away from his flaws and his humanity. The conflict on who he has to be (a king) and who he really is remains a persistent theme throughout the book, and he becomes the embodiment of "heavy is the head that wears the crown" as events transpire and he makes errors in judgment in response. Add to that his grief and regret over losing his sister and this might be the most the Black Panther has had on his plate emotionally for quite a while. Speaking of Shuri, she isn't as dead as she seems! Turns out, her soul is currently wandering in the Djalia, an astral plane where all of Wakanda's past can be explored. She is joined by a mysterious individual (who takes the form of her mother Ramonda) and together, they go through seemingly-forgotten eras of Wakanda's history and learn old lessons that still ring true in present day. Other characters who get ample screen time are Aneka (the former captain of the Dora Milaje) and her lover Ayo (also formerly of the Dora Milaje). They have a pretty interesting role in the story, as they directly oppose the throne and take matters into their own hands, fighting the battles T'Challa couldn't. But, having been trained to serve the throne without question, they are understandably conflicted with the actions they're taking. They represent the struggles of Wakanda's people quite well, as they fight an uphill battle while their ruler is otherwise indisposed. Another character I'd like to highlight is Changamire, a Wakandan philosopher whose ideals fall in line with those opposed to the throne. While The People serve as the physical opposition to T'Challa, Changamire is the ideological foil, arguing that, as an exceptional nation, Wakanda has an obligation to transcend the morality of any other monarchy (something he feels that Wakanda has fails to do). I found his insights equally (sometimes more) engaging as T'Challa's internal dialogue. Though this story is set entirely in Wakanda, there was still room for characters outside of that sphere. There are one-off appearances from the likes of Luke Cage and Misty Knight, brief interactions with Storm (T'Challa's former queen and lover) and Tony Stark, and even a battle against the Fenris Twins (probably one of the last villains I expected in a Black Panther book). The most prominent non-Wakandan characters are Manifold, who helps T'Challa on several missions, and Ezekiel Stane, who, much like Obadiah before him, is still an evil tech businessman. In terms of world-building, the only new addition is the Midnight Angels, which are these prototype battle suits Aneka and Ayo use to fight. They're pretty cool. Other than that, this is pretty much the same Wakanda. To non-readers who only saw the movie, a lot of stuff in the book will seem foreign to you. You will likely hear of stuff like the Hatut Zeraze (the royal secret police), the Necropolis, and Black Panther's supernatural abilities (including, but not limited to summoning dead spirits) for the first time here. In addition, the book also makes plenty of references to past comics, such as Doctor Doom's invasion of Wakanda (Doomwar), Namor's attack (I believe that was in Avengers vs. X-Men), Thanos and the Black Order attacking, and more. It's a lot to take in, but a lot of it is ancillary and not a prerequisite for enjoying the main story. This edition also contains the very first issue Black Panther appears in, which was in Fantastic Four #52. In it, the Fantastic Four are invited to Wakanda by Black Panther himself, but they aren't prepared for what happens when they get there. It's pretty wild to read now, given how established the Wakanda mythos is at this point, and comparing/contrasting what stuck and what was changed since then is a fun exercise. It also has a subplot involving the Inhumans characters who also debuted in the Fantastic Four comic), which was wild. It's definitely worth reading on top of the actual book. THE ART: I quite enjoy the art of this book. While the line art itself is pretty solid, it achieves an impressive amount of detail and texture simply with clever shading, especially with faces and bodies. The palette choices are varied as well, and especially shine in the more surreal settings or in flashbacks. In terms of design, Wakanda is captured perfectly as a blend of sci-fi, futuristic designs and aesthetics that hearken back to older eras. This is evident in a lot of aspects, from building designs to the outfits and appearances of characters. It really feels like the artists made great efforts to strike a balance between cool sci-fi shit and paying homage to traditional African culture. Also, the Midnight Angel armor looks fucking awesome, and I really hope we see it in the movies in the future. VERDICT: A Nation Under Our Feet is perhaps one of the most compelling Black Panther stories in recent memory, with a fully human T'Challa taking on the burdens of leadership as Wakanda teeters on the edge of collapse. There's plenty of the usual superhero ass-kicking, but I was certainly more captivated by the intriguing commentary presented through the story about the divide between the ruling class and the general population, and other pertinent topics. In a tumultuous time where plenty of countries are undergoing serious social and political upheaval, this felt like a timely read, and I highly recommend it to anybody who enjoyed the Black Panther movie. Here's the comic on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Black-Panther-by-Ta-Nehisi-Coates-Vol-1-Collection/digital-comic/786087 - end - This week, I'm checking out the second of three Super Nintendo games that came via last month's SNES Online update. BACKGROUND:
I was quite certain I had never heard of Wild Guns until I saw some gameplay footage. It looked vaguely familiar; I must have watched a Let's Play on it somewhere... SUMMARY: Wild Guns is a mix between a third-person shooter and a light gun game (think Time Crisis, House of the Dead... games like that). You control a reticle that denotes where your bullets will hit, but at the same time, you're also moving your character who is onscreen, and you must avoid enemy fire by running, jumping, and rolling. It's a little tough to get a hang of aiming (you have to be stationary to move the reticle, and you can't shoot while moving) as you try and maneuver around an onslaught of bullets, but once you adjust, the game becomes even more fun. I found evading attacks equally satisfying as blowing up enemies, and there are few feelings quite like avoiding a particularly tough attack pattern, responding in kind with your own bullets, and tearing a bulky enemy to shreds. You can choose one of two characters (Annie or Clint) and go through six stages, each split into two regular levels (both of which end with a mini-boss) and a third boss level. Each level isn't particularly long, but with various things happening onscreen all at once, it's not gonna be a pushover to beat. On occasion, you can take part in bonus stages, where you try and score as many points as you can in various shooting gallery challenges. Like most arcade or arcade-style games, the points are largely inconsequential (unless you're a leaderboard chaser), but you do get extra lives this way, so it's not a complete waste of effort. While games like these are often an assault on the senses, you are not completely defenseless. The game routinely warns you of incoming enemy fire, allowing you to react accordingly. A lot of the enemy patterns, while overwhelming when there are multiples to contend with, do have tells or are otherwise slow enough to react to, so it's not insurmountable as long as you keep enemy numbers as low as possible. Of course, you obviously have the ability to shoot back. Your regular shot is pretty average all around, but it gets the job done, and can even shoot down enemy bullets. You also have a melee attack to take out enemies that get to close, as well as a limited amount of screen-clearing bombs. Power-ups can also be acquired on occasion, allowing you to change your shot type to one of four weapons: a rapid fire machine gun, a shotgun with good damage and decent spread, a grenade launcher that inflicts major pain, and even a useless peashooter that does absolutely nothing. In addition to shooting the shit out of your enemies, you can also throw back the dynamite some enemies throw at you, and stun enemies momentarily with a lasso. I got by simply running and gunning, but I found these mechanics rewarding to use when the opportunity presents itself. The most fun mechanic in terms of offense is tied to a special meter at the bottom of the screen. Hitting enemies fills that meter up, and once it's full, your gun becomes the Vulcan gun, which is not only the most powerful gun in the game, but grants you invincibility as well. It doesn't last forever, though, as the once-full meter will now deplete, and you will return to normal once it's empty. The game's setting immediately stands out as unique with its blend of sci-fi machinery and the Wild West backdrop. There's just something really entertaining about insane-looking robots tearing up saloons and mine shafts that I can't quite place; perhaps it's the anachronism itself that amuses me. Even without the game presenting much of a story, I was immediately interested simply due to the setting. The game's unique setting is brought to life fantastically by its strong presentation. There are plenty of impressive-looking sprites, detailed backgrounds, and exciting music. What's more, there's a lot of polish to the visuals, with fluid animations, fully destructible environments (I was blown away by how many background elements you could actually destroy), and even little things like the occasional facial expression from your character icon. There are even palette swaps for the characters on the select screen! The game has three difficulty options: Easy, Normal, and Hard. I beat the game on Normal and played a couple of stages in Hard, but I couldn't discern the difference between the two. Nevertheless, it would probably still be wise to stick to Easy if you haven't played a game like this before. In addition to the main campaign, there's also a versus mode where you can face off against either the CPU or a second player in a high score run. You play through the three bonus stages (the ones you can encounter on the normal playthrough), and the player with the highest score wins. Speaking of second player, you can play through the main game with a friend! I haven't tested this myself, but judging by how the versus mode works, it's probably just the same game except there's another person running around. VERDICT: I found Wild Guns to be a short, but incredibly satisfying shooter experience. It's got a fun setting and great visuals, plus its blend of shooter genres is both engaging and provides a decent challenge. I haven't played a game like this in quite a long time, and it really scratches that Time Crisis itch for me despite having drastic gameplay differences. This is definitely up there as one of my favorite SNES games now, and I recommend it to anyone looking for an old-school arcade shooter experience. I imagine it's also a great two-player couch co-op game, so if you've got a buddy and a spare controller, it's worth trying out. - end - It's already June and everything's still a mess. Join me as I try and find some momentary reprieve from the nightmare that is 2020 and take on another comic. BACKGROUND:
I'm quite familiar with the story of The Wizard of Oz, thanks to the millions of adaptations and parodies out there that I've seen before I even got my hands on the book. However, this is certainly the first time I've seen a manga rendition of it. THE WRITING: If you somehow don't know the story of The Wizard of Oz, it's about a girl named Dorothy who, after being swept away by a tornado, is transported to the magical land called Oz. In order to get home, she must travel through the yellow brick road to see the wizard who lives in the Emerald City. On the way, she encounters all manner of strange characters, makes new friends, and faces off against some dastardly enemies. It's a classic story, and if you've managed to live this long without having even seen an adaptation (which I find unlikely), you should definitely give it a read. The manga plays out mostly the same, but with a good number of changes from what most people may be familiar with. Dorothy still lives with her aunt and uncle at a farm with her dog Toto, but it's not explicitly stated that they are in Kansas. Various characters like the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion each have names (Hayward, Nicholas, and Leon, respectively), which is rather different compared to the more classic takes on the book. Most notably, Dorothy's companions get expanded backstories outside of their stated desires. Hayward, for example, has a whole backstory depicting his somewhat familial relationship with a pair of crows (personified as humans) whom he is supposed to be defending the fields from. Nicholas's nature as a tin man is also expanded upon, with his fate being tied to the Wicked Witch of the East. Interspersed with the main plot is an enigmatic subplot involving what seems to be characters that have yet to appear in the story (if the events of original book are to be followed). The dialogue is intentionally cryptic, hinting that there's more to Dorothy's journey than meets the eye, and that there may be someone pulling the strings. It's got a whole fourth wall-breaking vibe, but the first volume doesn't do anything with it other than introduce the intrigue. I'm curious to see how they build off of it in later volumes. Other than those changes, most of the elements of this story will be familiar to anyone who's read the original book or watched the movie. Stuff like the Wicked Witch of the East getting squashed by the house, the yellow brick road, and the silver shoes are still very much present in the story. This adaptation has the same light-hearted vibe as the more familiar adaptations, and there are plenty of jokes and silly moments between the various characters in the story. That said, the notable changes made in this story also add a new layer of depth to classic characters, as well as a whole new layer of mystery to the entire story. THE ART: It's The Wizard of Oz in manga form. What do you want me to say? Jokes aside, the art looks solid. Decent detail, expressive characters (with plenty of room for silly expressions), and neat character designs (some of which are a complete departure from what the originals look like). It definitely looks distinct to what usually pops in your head when you think "Wizard of Oz," but some design elements have been retained that it doesn't feel completely alien. VERDICT: Captive Hearts of Oz is an interesting new take on a 120-year-old classic, freshening the age-old tale with bold new takes on iconic characters, a mystery that promises to subvert expectations, and a wildly different art style compared to what people may be used to. If you like The Wizard of Oz or are open to exploring book adaptations in general, I think this is worth checking out. If you're thinking about giving this to a young child to read, I would not advise it. The subplot might end up confusing them, and they're honestly better off reading the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Go to this Comixology link for Captive Hearts of Oz Vol. 1: https://m.comixology.com/Captive-Hearts-of-Oz-Vol-1/digital-comic/482607?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end - |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2024
Derryck
|