Nana MarfoA student with a passion for game development and all things Japan. Archives
September 2020
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Hey all! This is another deep dive post. This may seem a little bottom of the Barrel, but I have wanted to do a post based another From Soy Sauce video for a while. So, as the title suggests, I have been heavenly inspired by Japan. This is going to get a bit personal, so I make you cry, sorry? Anyways, as most of you know, my favourite franchise is Sonic the Hedgehog, a series of games created by SEGA. A common sterotype of Sonic fan is that they are autistic... which in my case is semi-true. While with me, you might not be able to tell at first, sometime it kicks in randomly, and I hate that(also hence why I say semi-true). Because of this(and the fact that I take things to heart a lot), I became an easy target for bullies. This honestly continued up until I was 14, but I began to play games more and more, and now, as I have just turned 17, I realised now that Japan has influenced me more than I thought. Now I don't think I'm a full weeb... yet, but every game series and game that I hold close to my heart I can think of that is not a Indie game has Japanese links to it. Even Life is Strange and the Tomb Raider Series, games that seemly has no ties to Japan, are published by Square Enix, a Japanese company. A lot of you probably know that I am a black man living in London. However, the only real European things I think define me are cycling and Formula 1, and even then they are becoming more are more global, plus the only things I can take from them are designs. However, if you recall my first games works post, I only had Glass Wing Retold as a non Japanese developed game. This is not to say I am fully out of touch with my culture. I love playing music that is "from my motherland" as my parents say, and London has a lot great architecture I want to reflect in my games. However, instead of playing Call of Duty on a PS4 and watching The Flash, I would play Sonic Lost World on my Wii U, and watch a show called Kamen Rider. For those of you that don't know(which I assume is everyone) Kamen Rider is a Henshin(Transforming) Heroes show that revolves the concept of a single(well, usually with one or two other) fighting an evil force. This is what gave me the idea for Different Spirits, among other game ideas I have to talk about. It only got worse as I grew up. Towards the end of secondary school, I began to get into anime, and it one of the reasons I made this blog, as well as wanted to share my game ideas. Even then, I watched Pokemon when I was younger, and I didn't know that was anime. Man, I hate how dumb I can be some times. So, why the comforted part? Well, I don't have many people that I can talk to this about, combined with the fact that I am not really good at talking to people and making friends... yea I think you get the idea. While I am getting better, this is why I the people I meet online are so important to me. Just being to share my thoughts with people are important. That's something I have to cherish. Also, and I know this is REALLY stupid and cheesy,but sometimes it's good to imagine myself in that world and think about the hardships they face, it helps take my mind off the real world. I think you guys get the idea by this point. Japan has changed my life, but I feel the most I have show for it is Unity-Chan Dash, and anyone could make that game if they knew Unity well enough. I understand there is still a lot I have to learn about this country, and yes I know off all the bad things that Japan did in the war,and the country has a lot of problems, but in the end, their art has inspired me, and sometimes, isn't that all that matters? As such, I'll end with a quote from Sayuri-Sensei: Unvetted Art from the heart is the truest form of human honesty. Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care.
Written by Nana Marfo Tomb Raider/Life is Strange/Kingdom Hearts(C)Square Enix Full Metal Alacamist(C) Aniplex/Square Enix Aho Girl(C)Kodansha Comics Kamen Rider(C) TOEI
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Update: The film will show in the UK, starting with a UK premier on October 13 at the Glasgow Film Theatre as part of Scotland Loves Anime. Check your local picturehouse/film theatre for info on where and when, as nothing has been formally said by Funimation. Update #2: Check your local cinema for more info, it will be airing Dec 4th and 5th in the UK. Hey all! I have to say My Hero REALLY upped it's game between the season 1 and the first half of season 2. But I thought as a buffer post(since I am at the halfway point of Season 2), this would be good to look into. I also do plan to look at One's Justice at some point, maybe halfway into Season 3, but for now let's look into My Hero Academia: The Two Heroes. OK, let me start off by being really petty. I do not like Funimation's policy for this movie. It's only showing for a week(Sept.25 - Oct.2) in the US and Canada, THAT IS LAME! As someone in the UK, I really wants to watch this film, and I think it could win some awards, because this anime has shown it has masterpiece potential. However, it has a VERY limited and restricted run, so we don't know how this be handled in the EU. Beside that, the film looks very interesting. A look into the early years of All Might A big thing here is that All Might is getting some more back story. On I island, a place filled with over 10,000 scientists, All Might introduces the students to David Shield, his a scientist that developed his first costume, and from the trailer he seemed to be his sidekick for a while. This is interesting as the anime has not really gone into detail about how the hero All Might started out, it has been more about him in his prime and him after his injuries after the Toxic Chainsaw fight. I am really interested to know about young All Might. Deku meets Melissa: A girl just like him Honestly though, this could be good in Deku's development as Melissa is David's daughter, and she thinks her existence could help heroes. This could make Deku rethink what he wants to do, as Deku was like Melissa, and he has the brains to make this stuff. It would also be refreshing to have Deku compare himself to the way he was before, as well as to Melissa, and this could be some interesting self-refection. Deku's Crowning Moment A lot of the series seems to be focused on Deku preparing for a moment where he can show he is a hero like All Might, but we haven't seen that yet. I know there is a big fight in season 3 where this happens, but this where he steps up for the first time alone, rather than with his friends. This is great, as we look to finally see Deku begin to transition from Izuku Midoriya: student, to the Deku: The symbol of Peace. I don't really know where else to put this, but the theme for the movie, Long Hope Philia is beautiful, and I want that to the song to symbolise around this time next year, when I finish school. But, that's besides the point. Overall, I think besides the stupid airing restrictions, everything about this movie is screaming greatness. Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it, and take care.
Written by Nana Marfo My Hero Academia(C)Studio Bones/Shonen Jump/Funimation
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Hey all, it's been a while since I did a game jam, and to be honest, I have been neverous about doing one since the my first one. But after my work experience Failbetter Games. Since I only had around 48 hours to create a game, the key was once again to create a simple game, but which was based around the theme Awesome Per Minunit. I'll be honest: THIS WAS THE HARDEST THING THAT I HAVE EVER DONE. Not even because of the game itself. The mindset needed to create games in 48 hours requires an iron mind. Still, I personally found OK, since I came up with a simple idea that was based around the words "injection of pace", which I felt suited the theme. The game it's self is called "Ball Chaser". The game is very simple, collect blue spinners and get to the end. This was fun to make but even though I was able to split the hours over 3 hours, this was mentally draining, as I made everything(besides the ball(Unity Standard Assets) and the font), and like I said before, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I feel like I could have done better in some parts, but for my first 4 hour game jam, I think I did well.
Anyways, you can download the game here. That's it for now! Next time, I'm going to do something a little different with a certain anime... Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care. Written By Nana Marfo
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Recovery of an MMO Junkie:Review14/8/2018 So, after a LONG wait(because school and other thing like to get into the way) I finally finished this anime! But what does this rom-com gaming anime do well? Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. So, where does Moriko Morioka go from episode 1? This is my review of Recovery of an MMO Junkie. So after her embarrassment in the convenience store Moriko runs in the man again, and we learn his name is Sakurai Yuuta, who is actually the character Lily in Fruits De Mur, a character that Moriko has been getting too attached to and I think in the online world, nothing much happens. We learn of a few characters in the game, but outside of Sakurai and Moriko, we only know the shopkeeper Koizumi Fujimoto, who is Kanbe and to be fair, he does make a good plot device, as Moriko... "deceives"(massive air quotes here) the party into saying she is a University Student, and that she is really a man. When she is found out, she really is apologetic, but knowing about Sakurai and Lily, says not to ask Lily for advice. There is also this 21 year old girl who is plays as Lilac in the MMO, but we know nothing about and she may well rename nameless, more on that later. Anyways, Moriko goes to have drinks with Koiwai Homare, Sakura-chan's(the nickname Koiwai gives Sakurai) friend and former work colleague of Moriko. However, Moriko gets a make-over thinks that the drinks is a day early, and Sakurai runs into Moriko after getting said make-over. After this and a chance encounter with Moriko as a character from another MMO, Sakurai realises that Moriko is Hayashi. When he reveals that he is Lily to Moriko and after another encounter thanks to Koiwai they decide to start dating...but you are also not sure if they are a couple. Overall I enjoy this story a lot, if feels like it could be very real, and I know people who have met the Signifcant Others through MMO's. Not personally mind you, but still. There is not a lot to say when it comes to the characters of the series. All of the online characters are really fun to be with and serve their purpose, but outside of Kanbe, Lily and Hayashi, we know nothing about them in real life. Sure, Himerelda is Pokotaro's wife and a women in real life, but we know nothing else. Nico, we know nothing about, and that is going most likely going to stay that way. Hell, she doesn't show up that much in the series. Still they serve their purpose well, I just wish we knew the connections they had in real life. Koiwai is a very interesting character. There is not a lot of backstory to Koiwai, and he acts younger than Sakurai in my opinion, despite him being older. Still, he works as a good plot device acting both a block to Sakurai's chances, and then setting those 2 up at the end. Speaking of, Sakurai is only character that has some backstory revealed to us. He is the adopted son of rich parents, and after they died, he bought his own place and used MMO's have as a way to escape. He is a great character, and I think he's very relate-able. But I relate to Moriko the most, as her feelings and emotional state his I feel hit a personal note with. Somewhat self-depressing jokes aside, we get a lot of hints that Moriko was overworked at her old job, including the idea that "she chose the NEET life". The dream while she was knocked out in episode 2 gives us a great indication. She played another MMO during this time, where she played with an character called Molly, and she often played with a guy named Hearth, who was actually Sakurai. I didn't mention this in the main story as I feel it's there to re-amply the fact that they know each other more than they think, and it works, I just didn't want the review to feel repetitive. Still, I get a lot of her problems and I think that she is a great character for it. Overall, I thought this was a great anime. However, the future doesn't look too bright for this amazing show. Kazuyoshi Yaginuma(anime director) was let go by Signal.MD because of Nazi comments, and the Manga by Comico has been cancelled to Rin Kokuyō's(the creator) health declining, meaning if they make a season 2, their is limited content to make it from. Still, even if the show doesn't get a second season, I can't lie and say that this anime wasn't very enjoyable. Also, the OVA is AWESOME! Watch it, I could not stop Laughing.
Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Recovery of an MMO Junkie(C)Signal.MD/Comico P.S I send my well wishes and support to Ms.Kokuyō, and I really hope she gets better.
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Hey all! This question of the month this month suits me very well! This month's question was asked by That Green Dude: Many of us say that we would like to live in a video game world but surely we would have a family. My question is, which video game characters would be a part of your family in a gaming world of your choice? Honestly, I sometimes wish I had a video games family, because my real family can be frustrating to live at times. But I have few ideas(some of which are more obvious than others).so let's jump into it! Mother:Aqua from Kingdom Hearts All the renders are family photos! Like the idea? Anyways, she is pretty much the mother of Ventus and Terra, so why not have her as my mother! I think she fit in perfectly for this role. Kind, caring and very sweet. Father:Ryu from Street Fighter Who wouldn't like a a fighter as a father! Ryu is very respectable, and also as man on the road of battle, he would be the best at giving life lessons! Secound Mother: Orbea Yung Fang from Fantasy Didn't expect that huh? My aunt/former tutor is a bit like a second mother, so I thought role would be fit well here. I think of fang a bit like a cool mum. She is very fun to be with, and also a very strong leader. Big Sister: Lightning Farron from Final Fantasy XIII Being, the oldest in my family, it's sometimes hard to ask for advice. And while Lightning is best Final Fantasy girl, I would love her as my sister. All the stuff she's been through would give me a great adviser. And that's all I got! On a very unrelated note, and this NOT sponsored at all by the devs, please support Echo: Our Voice on KickStarter. While the game is funded, but I really want to see what the devs can do if they reach their stretch goals. I played the demo and almost instantly backed enough to get the early bird digital edition. And yes, I will review the game when it comes out. If you decide to back, or have backed already, on behalf of Nobody Studios, thank you. Anyways, that's it for now! Oh, I almost forgot the big family photo! Just imagine me as Sora! Thanks for reading, have a great/night. share if you enjoyed it and take care.
Written By NanaMarfo The owner of the Fang model does not wish to be credited. Lightning and Aqua from Chrissy-Tee Sora from KylieStylish Ryu from KSE25 Street Fighter(C)Capcom Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy(C)Square Enix' Echo:Our Voice(C)Nobody Studios
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Sunshine Blogger Award4/8/2018 Yay! I got chosen for something! That beings said, thank you to TheGamingDiaries for nominating me! So here are the rules:
Name 5 things that make you happy. Blogging, Gaming, going on walks(gets me off the laptop), Twitter and Making Games. Favourite video game character? I have a lot, because I hate picking just one. Sonic has always been my favourite since my earliest days of gaming because of his cool attitude. Sora and Kairi are great because they are so kind and courageous. And I can't make this list with out putting in Lightning Farron, she is just amazing.... sorry I got a bit dreamy there. Some old renders for you all! What was the last game you played? Tomb Raider 2013! I really enjoyed that game, if you want my full thoughts, read here. What? Gotta to get self promo when I can, If you could experience one game again for the first time, what game would you choose? This is a very GOOOD question. I would say MegaMan X1, now that I know a few strategies. I also have to cheat and say any of the older Final Fantasy(s). As much as I love XIII and XV, if I was born in the 1990s, maybe I wouldn't be so indifferent to Final Fantasy VI and it's sluggish as hell pace.I'm a hour into the game and it is too slow for me. Are there any games that you wish had got a sequel? Sonic Colours. I love this game and while Lost World is a great game. I just feel Colours is more at home with what the Sonic Franchise is. Favourite way to play: PC or console? Right now PC. I have enjoyed playing games on my HP Omen for about a year now. Home console or handheld (or in the case of a switch – docked or handheld)? Home Console. But with the switch? Handheld If you could have a video game character as a sidekick who would you choose? Cammy White! She is Street Fighter best girl after all! She's so awesome... damn it I got dreamy again. Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon? Crash and his good GBA games. Never played Spyro. Pikachu or Eevee? Pika! I don't too much about Eevee. Games based on films or films based on games? Films based on games! I haven't seen the new Tomb Raider film, but the games story allows for a good chance at an adaptation. Anyway, time to nominate some bloggers! Ellen of LividLightning(because why WOULDN'T I nomimate her) Elle of Elle May(I just met her, and she's already helped me so much) Pix of Shoot The Rookie(I took part in her Video Game World Cup event) Nin of NinVIII(Known him for a while now, and he's awesome!) Megan of A Geeky Gal(I've been reading her blog for a little bit, and I really want to collab with her at some point!) I know it says 11 people, but I don't know that many people. My Questions are:
Anyways, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, have a great day/night.
Written by Nana Marfo Classic Lara belongs to KonradM96 All Copyrighted Content(C)Their respective owners
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Tomb Raider(2013):Review2/8/2018
So, this game was recommended to me by my good friend HellyonWorks. If you don't know her, I urge you to really check out her art, and give her a commission sometime. The odd thing is, I knew of Tomb Raider: but it was through the Angelina Jolie movies. I barely remember theme, but I can say they got Lara's personality spot on. But this is a very different game to the one older fans may know.
Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. While not super story heavy, 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 reviewing the PC Version. So, what does the reboot have in store for us? This is my review of the rebooted version of Tomb Raider.
Story
Tomb Raider begins with Lara Croft(now a lot younger) heading on expedition into the Bermuda Triangle, and her and her crew considering of Sam, her best friend, Reyes, a mechanical expert, Jonah, a New Zealand cook, Roth ,Lara's Father figure, Grim, the ship captain and Dr.Whitman, the tag along, head to the Bermuda Triangle, and their ship(The endurance) get wreaked, leaving Lara captured and having to find a way to her crew. After this they try to escape twice and fail, Lara realises 2 thing: Himiko is controlling the storms and Whitman is a traitor. This is very obvious, but to play up the Drama, Sam is the soul needed to revive Himiko. This involves Lara running into a man named Matius, the main villan who we only see a few time, and only wants to review Himiko for the sake of reviving Himiko. Anyways, Matius is defeated, Himiko is destroyed and Lara is prepared to look for the truth. More on that when I get to Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, you can really tell this is a younger Lara Croft who is not experienced at staying out in the wild. There is also a lot of death in this game, but the only one that meant a lot was Roth. Grim we only see once before his sacrifice, and I didn't mention Alex(since he is really insignificance), but his is at least somewhat meaningful, since he wants to be a hero, so he sacrifices himself on the endurance shipwreck. However, Roth means a lot to Lara. Remember, he when he dies, Lara has lost both her father and father figure. I felt very sorry for Lara. Speaking of, compared to the older games(or what I have see of them), she is much more emotional and I think this makes her a better character compared to the old Lara, just because it gives a lot more range than just her being a badass. Though I do need to play the older games.
Gameplay
We have a lot to get through, so buckle up folks. The basic mechanics now involve your bow and arrow, instead of dual pistols. This was my go to weapon, and this because you can get some great upgrades through the salvage system. Salvage can be collected from fallen enemies, but for this and other skills you have to buy this with skill points, which is earned by killing enemies. Honestly while I should be mad about not having this from at the start, I'm not, because of the fact this game takes place in the wild, you have to learn all these skills. Though skill points do take a while to stack up.
Another thing I like is that you don't have buy the extra weapons from a shop, you get them early in the game, and upgrades come through finding parts, or entering secret tombs or challenge tombs. These are small puzzles that shouldn't be too brain taxing, and you will need them for a 100% run of the game(which I wasn't going for, so I missed a lot of them). There are a lot of documents to find, if 16 hours of main story content is not enough for you, but I am satisfied.
You can still climb walls, they have marked paint, and with your axe you can climb certain rocks and attack enemies in close range.However, I don't like the melee system in this game, it feels very sluggish. I get that's the point(more focus on the shooting gameplay), but I think some good melee is also helpful in the wild.
Still, the guns you get are really nice. A shotgun(my go to in a shooter...when I play them), assault rifle that gets a grenade launcher, and a pistol, with the option to have a sliencer on it. You get FIRE arrows and GRENADE ARROWS. That's awesome. There is a focus on using stealth to get past, and enemies are very aggressive when you go all gun-ho, so go all out with caution. Finally, their are costumes(which are DLC) that while purely cosmetic, give a different look to Lara depending on what one you are wearing.
Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts
This game looks amazing on PC, though GeForce Experience messed up on giving me the best graphical settings. I will warning you though, the game has a lot of blood and gore, though it makes sense here, considering that this game wants to be more darker than the others. Like I said before, I love the cutscene cinematography in this game. However, in game, there is a lot of quick time events and situations where you are given partial control of Lara. This happens WAY too many times for my liking. The soundtrack is amazing, but I wouldn't find myself listening to any of these in the street or while working on a project. Still, it works, it's just fitted to the atmospheric. A bit odd. Overall, I found this to be a great game bar none. Older Tomb Raider fans may find this a bit alienating, as a lot of new elements may leave them alienated, but for new fans, or some one looking for a great game to play, I recommend this game to you. You can get it on Steam, PS3, Xbox 360, or the Definitive edition on PS4 or Xbox One.
Sorry that this took so long! The games I'm currently playing are Action games or RPG, and that does not mesh well with school! I do plan on finishing more games this summer!
Either way, Thanks for Reading, have a great night, share if it's not too much trouble for you, and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Tomb Raider(C) Square Enix |