Nana MarfoA student with a passion for game development and all things Japan. Archives
September 2020
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Life Is Strange:First Impressions28/5/2018 So, I don't want to make it a habit that I write First Impressions for games, but I felt with this game being heavy on the story, and episodic, this was one that needed it. I kept hearing about this game, and it's prequel, Before The Storm, but I really got to try it until now. Anyways Rules: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. This one in particular is very story heavy, so be warned going into the review. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3.I am covering the PC version. Also, I know this game covers sensitive topics, which I may talk about, but besides maybe teens smoking, I will not show as a screencap. Enough Lead-In. This is my 1st impressions of Life Is Strange. Story If you have played this game, you know this is the real reason you play the game. Maxine(Max) Caulfield is a photography student who has been having visions of the forest and lighthouse breaking within her town of Arcadia Bay, which is based on a real life place called Tillmook Bay in Oregon. She finds herself in the bathroom having to stop a shooting of student and best friend Chloe Price. If you have played or seen Before the Storm, you will know who this character is. From her we find out Max is able to rewind time. The person who attempted to shoot Chloe was one Nathan Prescot, who we don't learn much about, but Chloe tried to use him pay $3,000 that she owes to her dealer. Max has to deal with Victoria, self righteous stuck up bitch who we have to throw paint in order get into the dorm. It turns out that Max has been in Seattle for 5 years, and Chloe is kinda pissed about that. She then takes her to the Light house and Forest, and she realises she has to stop a storm that is coming to the Bay. Overall, I think the story works as both a standalone, and setup for the bigger picture. While the game is story-heavy, I feel that it's not overwhelming. Max and Chloe are great characters, and they are really relatable. I feel though that Chloe will become the Main Character, and Max will represent the player's viewpoint, which while it works here, may become disjointed. Gameplay For the sake of the saving the full overlook for the full review, I will just go over the basics. Max can't do much besides walk and run, and her photography side is underplayed. Max can interact with certain objects, which I have to say is very clunky. You have to hover over the object, but that can be a problem when you have multiple objects, then press the look button over the mouse. It's becomes frustrating at points. The last thing I will talk about it the fact that Max can REWIND TIME AT ANY POINT IN THE GAME. This is not a game breaker...YET. It is however interesting to uses time to see the different outcomes. Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts The game looks great with a combo of realistic models, and cel-shading. The animations on the other hand... are really jarring. The faces barely move. And they did use Mo-Cap for this, and this in some cases is worse than what I've seen from Mass Effect Androimida. But I can't not let that get in the way of an amazing soundtrack! Very Atmospheric, almost all of it is acoustic, and the vocal Songs really suits the characters. Shoutout to this song in particular: Max, you have really good taste. The voice acting also does really lift the the presentation value. I really like Hannah Telle as Max and Ashly Burth as Chloe. Overall, I think that Episode 1 is a really good start to Life is Strange. I am intrequited to see how it goes on from here. Thanks for reading, have yourselves a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care.
Written by Nana Marfo Life Is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm(C) Square Enix/Dontnod Entertainment
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NM Gameworks #10.5: Game Updates25/5/2018 So, we have reached 10 Gameworks. Fitting since I started blogging about a year ago. I want to thank everyone who has read my blog, liked it, shared it, made their friends read it anything of the sort.I also want to thank you all of helping me reaching 130+ view in a day on Sunday. Anyways, on to the usual. Project Table Ball is proceeding smoothly. So far I have been learning how to use ProBulider instead of Blender Designed levels.What you see below is a very rushed ProBulider test level. Also the thing that you see there that the ball is going to collect? It's a USB! The game will be themed around "Things you would find around the table". Since I live a house with a lot of computers(How do you think I got into games and tech so much) I decided to do that. Different Spirits is kinda on my backlog ATM. I have been taking a course that is helping my game story writing skills, in order to improve my script. Besides that, I am now starting a quick summer hobby project(unpaid, sorry), to render a still from this project, and I am now hiring! I am looking for a: -Character Modeller -Environment Designer If you have any experience at all in these fields, please email me at marfo343@gmail.com. I have started working on a quiz game(because of the fact I need learn it for my computing coursework). I have also be learn Mechaim in Unity, and I am refining my Axl Character Controller(might use it for a game prototype)
But That's it for now! Going to level with you all, June is going to be a crazy month. Open Days, exams and of course, E3. Don't worry. I'll get through it. I always do. Either way, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you liked it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo
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I'm back! Exams are over, and during that time, I thought about Pix1001's question of the month: if you could live in any video game settlement (ie a town, village, city, etc), where would you choose to live and why; and what role would you play in it? This took me a while to think about, but I would say Destiny Islands for the Kingdom Hearts series. God damn it, I render this place a lot don't I? Anyways, while I may not have fond memories of KH1(That game is too damn hard), I have fond memories of this place. I love the ending of KH2, and growing up here would be awesome! Plus, I would love to train to be a fighter with my friends!
I also really want to see Aqua and Ventus make this their new home in KH3. Here's a covosation I came up with for both Aqua and Sora(based on the middle pic): Aqua:“A nice place you have here, Sora.” Sora:“Yea, it’s my home.” Aqua:“Then… can I make it my new home? I really want to forget about my old one…” Sora:“Make new memories with us. Aqua, I’m sure you’ll fit right in here.” I really don't have anything else to besides: I'M BACK! Did you miss me? I would have added the Paige clip if I could... Either way, Thanks for Reading, have yourself a great day/night, share it it's not too much trouble for you and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Question by Pix1001(Check her out, she has some great fashion with gaming blogs) Kingdom Hearts(C)Square Enix
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The Unique Blogger Award5/5/2018 So thanks to a new friend called LightningEllen, I have found some filler for my blogs! Thanks for tagging me(sorta). So lets's begin! Games With Coffee Questions What qualities do you admire in a villain from your favourite game or series and why? In Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort is the best villain. Calculating with a master plan, and even shades of ruthless, killing his friend. Xemnas get a shout out for being menacing as all hell, and being voiced as Peter St.Paul. If you can choose any charater from any video game to become for a day, who would you choose and what (with their special abilities)would you do in that timeframe? I would go with Noctis and just hunt everything. Warping everywhere would be fun as all hell. In your mind, what constitutes a mature, distinguished gamer? A person that respect all people options, but acknowledges why certain games are bad. OverThinker Y Questions Who is your LEAST favourite game character of all time? This can be someone you love to hate, or someone you just think genuinely sucks. That's a GOOOOD question. I would say Amy Rose from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. She's just annoying, always chasing after Sonic. Girl, you he doesn't like you, so leave him to STOP EGGMAN! You wake up and find yourself in a game. Which genre of game world could you thrive in, and which would not be a good fit at all? I would NEVER survive in a shooter. However, give me a stick and rock, and I will thrive in a surival game. DofE was hell. Pick your favourite track from a game soundtrack and write some terrible lyrics for it! I.. can't think of one. Skip! That Green Dude questions Your in trouble and need backup.Which video game character would you call for backup? Sora! He's young, he's a badass and he's very relatable. What is your favorite fighting game? Super Smash Bros/Super Smash Flash. Really fun to play and please get Lightning in Smash 5! And Smash Flash! Who is you favorite content creator on YouTube and why? Johnny of SomeCallMeJohnny, The Super Gaming Bros. and BrainScratch Commantaries. He reviews games, and is very fun to watch, and is his work ethic is something I need for myself. The Gamer Diaries Questions If you could own one video game vehicle for you own use, what would it be? The Reguila from Final Fantasy XV. Car, Plane, Monster Truck, and it looks amazing! In your opinion, what video game character has the best fashion sense? (I ask the most insightful questions) The Best FF girl has the best outfits(and has worked with a famous designer(screw you Noctis and Jasmine)). Lightning's Savoir armour is glorious. I love that design so much. She also has the dress, which is really cool. Noctis gets a shout out for his trendy outfit. What game do you think has the best cut scenes? Final Fantasy XIII and XV have CG cut scenes. Need I say more? KH2 gets a shout out because I love the ending of that game. NerdSpeaker Questions
What did you want to be when you grew up? If you even consider yourself grown up? I wanted to be a doctor. I kinda wish I stuck with that, as my parents are kinda of against me being a game dev. Still, better than nothing. Name the most recent game or movie that made you want to give a standing ovation when the credits rolled. SpiderMan Homecoming. I love me some SpiderMan, and this really felt like a Peter Parker that wanted to prove himself. If you were forced to listen to the same three songs on repeat when working out at the gym, what would they be? Windmill Isle from Sonic Unleased, Sazh's theme from Final Fantasy XIII and Blinded by Light in Final Fantasy XIII. Who is your real life role model and why? Sayuri-Sensei, the girl behind Glass Wing and From Soy Sauce. She inspires as a fellow game dev to make games. If you could have an adult pair of cartoon jammies, which character(s) would you want on them? Vanille and Hope. Those two are so cute together! That's it! I would like NinVIII to do this challenge. Besides that, I changed my donation page to Buy Me A Coffee. Easier to manage. Thanks for reading, have a great day/night,share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Tagged By LightningEllen(Check her out she does some great reviews) Sonic(C) SEGA Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts(C)Square Enix |