Nana MarfoA student with a passion for game development and all things Japan. Archives
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Konohana Kitan: First Impressions4/9/2018 Oh Boy, now I'm really entering weeb territory. This is my first dive into furry territory, and it was only a matter of when because... you know... Rules: 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. This my first impressions of Konohana Kitan. So Many People! Those are the first words of our main character, Yuzu, who is going to work at the Konohanatei host spring hotel. This is also her first time in the city, and she is being accompanied by Bikuni, who seems to be basically her mother figure, more on that later. The intro theme is really nice, and a bit different to what I'm use to. Kokoro ni Tsubomi is very relaxing, something I would expect from an ending song in anime, but here it works given the theme of the show. The visuals are nice, but I don't really remember them, and I can't find a video to them. Anyway, we meet Kiri, the assistant of Tsubaki, who takes Yuzu around to see Natsume and Satsuki, although Satsuki is seemly hostile at first. We also meet Ren, a girl who is very passive aggressive little fox. Yuzu, wear her down. I think she's the Tsundere type. As is Satsuki, as Yuzu finds out when she paired up with her. They end up dealing with someone who wants to give them Konpeitou, a kind of rock candy, and with Yuzu, being the kid, thinks she actually needs to knock stars down to get them. Yuzu promises to work hard with all of them... and this is just the first part of the episode. The second part of episode show Yuzu with this girl named Sakura... and show off the bueatly of this anime. The art style used for the backgrounds is amazing! Though the character designs are a bit standard. With this anime in particular, all the characters are girls, and why New Game, one of my fav, has this happen, here it's more alarming here because I think this is going to be my first yuri experience. Not to say that New Game didn't have implyed yuri, I just think will be more evident here.(Warning: The Image below may not be safe for work) Overall, I really enjoyed this episode, and I do want to see what happens next with this anime.
Off topic, but this is my last blog post before school starts up again. I do hope that I can keep up consistency, but we will see. Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Konohana Kitan(C)Funimation
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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
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NM GameWorks #13: Voices of Ideas21/7/2018 Hey all! We Have A LOT TO COVER today, so let's just dive into it! It seems recently I am able to take ideas from controversial subjects, and turn the negatives into positive. I can see this as a good thing, but I can also this is bad as I can do it with sensitive subjects. But that's besides the point. Anyways the idea came from the divided reaction over the She-Ra redesign. I knew nothing of She-Ra till this, but I find it interesting that women are going off at men (in general) that people that are mad the the design isn't sexy, saying that.. I'll just link to a tweet here(sorry if it's a bit TMI). Anyways, let me get to the point. I thought about 2 options. The first was giving Clare(my female lead from Different Spirits) a lean body bulid, and I have thought about giving Clare muscles(or as Eriquack calls it, making a Character swole), just to highlight the fact she is not weak. Credit to gravitureboxing on DeviantArt for this image. This is just stuff I think would be a good reference for anatomy. Speaking of, I am trying to rewrite Clare, but I have got nothing thus far. I am also writing a blog on the idea behind Different Spirits, but that may be a long way off. The other idea would to have a game with a Character that looks like She-Ra(anatomy wise), but at same time, is very quirky and different to how you would think she would act. A good thing about this is that the story would not have to be SUPER DEEP which is what I feel I am doing with Different Spirits,as that is more a love story based on teen love and whatnot. It just needs to have the message: look at emotions, not just looks. That's all I have on it for now, but let's go into progress on Unity-Chan's Dash! The Big thing is the Character Controller is ready! It is still a bit slippy, but I believe it is better that what we had before. However, to accommodate this, some level design has been adjusted. I am also happy to say that she has a voice! The Amazingly talented Amanda Fredette agreed to help me out on this! Thanks so much for voicing my character!
Besides that, I am working hard on a demo reel which I am calling "Nana's Fighting Street". Hopefully there will be a lot to show soon! That's all for now! I want to wish everyone competing in the Blogger Blitz 2 good luck! But, as we always do on here, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if your enjoyed it, and take care. Written By Nana Marfo. All content(C) There Respective Owners She-Ra(C)Mattel
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So, now that exams are over, I figured it was time to get back to anime. And why not start with first impression of an ongoing one? Even thought I am a season behind. 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, how does this compare to Season 1? This is my first impressions of My Hero Academia: Season 2 We begin with a recap of cap of the previous season(despite hero notebook being a entire recap episode) and Deku remind us that this is the story of he became the greatest hero. The opening had to grow on me a bit, but I can say Peace Sign is a really good song, but I prefer the madness that was the first opening. There is some of that here over-the-top flare here, but the visuals are really downplayed for the most part. A bit of shame really, but it's still a good opening just not as good as the first one. The city and UA in general is still recovering from the attack. However, All Might has written a letter to a his old teacher basically summing up his events from the 1st season, and saying the day may come that he may need his help. While the school was closed for a bit to allow it to recover, things are quickly back to normal, including an re-coupurating Erazerhead. Before this, the teachers have a meeting on these event and the League of Villans, and I find it interesting that All Might sees Tomura as a "Man-Chlid", which makes sense as he does not seem to understand the difference between right and wrong. But back to the sport festival. This is an even bigger event that the Olmpics now that over 80 percent of the population has a quirk, and there is a lot of pressure to do, and Uraraka can see that. Anyway, we learn Uraraka's motivation to be a hero, which is to get money to help her a parents. I like this, as it gives a deep motivation,but at the same that is more down to earth that Iida or Deku. However, Deku has bigger fish to fry, as All Might comes to terms with the fact that he is running out of time as the Symbol of Peace, and this is this means Deku has to prep himself, as he needs to show that he can become the new Symbol of Peace. Talk about pressure, GOD DAMN! The ending has really good visuals, but And So,we Aren't Alone Anymore does not fit the show for me. It feels like something created for a high school anime, which I know this is rooted in, but because the hero focus, it makes this sort of ending theme feel off. Overall, I did really like this episode, but I feel it is more of a contiuation than a new Season opener. I do still really think this going to be better than Season 1. Also, Hero Notebook is Skippable, but good if you want a deeper look on things from Deku's Perspective. Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care.
Written By Nana Marfo My Hero Academia(C)Funimation/Toho Animation
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Hey all! I wanted to another deep dive into a topic, and one that I kept seeing around, but I know this one is dancing on firecrackers. Either way, let's get into it. Just as quick not, I will be using Final Fantasy XIII and the Kingdom Hearts games as examples to prove my points, and I do have some bias towards these games. Now with the self promo out of the way, what happened that promoted this? Scarlet Johansson, some I know for playing Black Widow in the Avengers and Major in a film I still need to see, Ghost in the Shell, was announced to be play a transgender man. Now, I don't not want to turn this into LGBT people need to play LGBT people. I am not a person to put movement into my artform and never will be. But hear my argument out: can't we relate to these characters emotionally, instead of looking at them from face value or gender? What I mean by this if we look at a character, and take what they look like away from them, do we have similar thought. Do we feel the same feelings towards something or someone? I know this is flawed, but to be honest that is what I did for most of my childhood. I have 2 examples to give here, one from me and one from a friend: How I emotionally relate to Ventus from Kingdom Hearts As you can see, this kid looks nothing like me. However, his stories in Birth By Sleep really hit me in the feelings. He really want to make some new friends and has a lot of issues trusting his current friends. I am bit anti-social myself, and do tend to get anxious(which does prevent me from making friends), but like Ventus, I really do want to make some friends. I am slowing getting better , but Ven here has helped me find someone to relate to. Also, is it weird I tend to relate more to video game characters than real people? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care at this point. I am too deep in the video game rabbit hole. How LightningEllen relates to Lightning Ellen was another motivator for me to write this. In her article for AmbiGaming, she writes: I grew alongside Lightning’s character as she grew throughout the FFXIII trilogy. It’s a special experience I’d never thought a video game series could give me. In a way, Lightning Farron turned into the overprotective big sister I’ve always wanted. Sure, I know she’s not real, but she is an inspiring force who has helped me become someone greater. Now whenever I feel stressed, depressed, hopeless, worthless, and helpless, I just have to look at the pink-haired warrior goddess, and I suddenly find the strength to keep fighting for a better future, no matter how bad things get. Read the full article for more context, but I can see Ellen that has a very deep connection with Lightning. I can also imagine her as my big sister.... but wait till the Final Fantasy XIII review(Hopefully soon). I want to my characters in Different Spirits (Partially Ethan and Clare) in this way so people can connect to these characters in the same way I do.
Anyways, that's it for now! Before I go, I do want to stress that I do have a donation page, and I use everything for this website. If you enjoy this content, want a free wallpaper, or just want to help out, please donate via Buy Me A Coffee. Thanks for reading, have great day, share if you enjoyed it, and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Extract taken from The Importance of Imaginary Role Models written by LightningEllen for AmbiGaming Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts(C)Square Enix
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Disclamer,: I have signed an NDA with the company FailBetter Games, therefore I will NOT be talking anything to do with Sunless Skies. This is purely to do with what I did at the company. For all of you that don't know, FailBetter Games are a studio based in London, who have created the games Fallen London and Sunless Sea. They are currently working on Sunless Skies, but probably due to copyright and NDA reasons, I was told to make my own game TO SHOW OFF IN FRONT OF THE TEAM. OK, now I'm somewhat scared and happy! I used the week to learn a lot about the studio. The company is very much focused on telling stories using games. The vibe is very chilled, and this means that they are able to focused on art of making games. I asked around on what everyone does from marketing, to narrative designers to programmers. I really enjoyed this experience, I just wish more companies would do it. Anyways, back to what I did. I had a lot of time on my own to make a game, and I think it came out well. The game is a 2.5D platform where you can run and jump. I wanted to add a slide mechanic but it failed. The control is JANK, because I used 2 different scripts for animation and movement. However, for a game made in a week, and my second game completed,this was not half bad. The company I made everything besides the textures, the models, the animations and the font. It was a great experience, and if you want to play the game, you can... now! I do plan to add more levels and fix the JANK controls(Just stating that so I don't a million complaints about how crappy the controls are), so please look forward to it! The Level right now should not take you more than 3-5 mins to complete. Also, I have as pay what you want, but you don't need to, and personally, till the game gets more updates, I don't think you should, I just could really use the money. Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks again to the people a FailBetter Games for a great week! And to all of you, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if it's not to much trouble for you and take care.
Written By Nana Marfo Unity-Chan(C)Unity Technology Japan
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Hey all! Gaming Diaries came up with a good question of the month: It is coming into wedding season, if the shops and people I know are anything to go by. So in that spirit, you and a plus-one are attending the gaming wedding of the year. Which video game character do you take to the wedding and which character gives you advice on what to wear? I can tell LightningEllen is rubbing off on me because the answer to the second part of the question is Lightning Farron from Final Fantasy XIII. Thought there is some reasoning to it, and that is Lightning Returns. She wore a lot of costumes in Lightning Returns (Ignoring the ones that blatantly fan-service), so I think she would work out great here in picking what to wear! As for who I would take... hmmm... Sora! This would be just to get him to realise some feelings... 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 Question of the month by TheGamingDiaries (She did a really good piece on Media VS Gaming) Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy(C) Square Enix
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So, this was annocenced at E3 and has released as 100% FREE game. But is it worth your time? 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. Been a while since my last review, huh? This is my review of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. Story We begin with a 10-year-old boy named Chris Eriksen, who loves to tell stories about him being Captain Spirit, in his room on a Saturday Morning.. He lives with his Dad named Charles, who likes to drink, even in front of his kid. He also seems to very violent with Chris, as we see a bruise on Chris arm, something that his dad may have given to him. From the go, you can tell that the loss of Chris's mother has shaken Chris's dad, meaning that he's now a drunken alcoholic. However, I still get the feeling that he cares. From here, Chris is told to wake up his Dad when he has finished watching the game, so they can go shopping for a Christmas Tree. After you wake up Dad, you speak to a women named Clare Roberson, and afterward in a gut punching confrontation with the dad, you learn that Chris's mother died in a Car Crash. Yep, that it. The story is a bit disappointing this time round, but it makes sense. This is a demo, and they want to give you more of a taster of the world is like. The world revolved are Chris and what he chooses to do, but if you are rushing through the game, you may find it is a bit minimal for a game like this, so I while liked it, it also felt a less enjoyable than Life is Strange Ep.1. Gameplay As with Life is Strange Ep.1, the game is mostly choice based. You can walk around your house but unlike Life is Strange, the game is more open world. All of the tasks in this game are optional, and while this works, this is alienating for player who are playing this game and have played Life is Strange 1. I can't speak for Before the Storm, I haven't played Before the Storm. Still, I like the choice. You feel like a kid on a Saturday Morning. The big change between Life is Strange 1 and Captain Spirit is the superhero actions. Instead of being able to rewind time, with a press of a button Chris can do superhero actions. In my opinion, this really sells the fact that we are a 10-year-old. Using the power of IMAGINATION is always cool, and I can't wait to see what they will do with it in Life is Strange 2. Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts The game looks great! The graphics seem slightly touched up from look of the first game. I am also really happy to say the facial animations are much better than the first game, but I feel they still need some work. One thing, I can never fault Dontnod for though, is their music choices. Death with Dignity is a perfect fit for this sort of game. Overall, I can say I enjoyed this game. While the story may not be there, the new gameplay features and music were enough to draw me into the game. If you are an fan of Life is Strange, or plan to get Life is Strange 2, get this, it is 100% FREE! However, I will say don't get if your a newcomer to the franchise. Play the original first. Either Way, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care!
Written By Nana Marfo The Awesome Adventure of Captain Spirit/Life Is Strange (C) Square Enix/Dontnod Entertainment
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Hey all! Let me start by say I have been running dry on things for a GameWorks post. I don't think one will come this month(like I said busy month for me). However, as you may know or not know, I have been getting into Street Fighter. Then I had another Idea for an entry into the Pix1001 #VideoGameWorldCup... Striker(and my pick for captain): Rainbow Mika I was thinking about picking Cammy, and even though she is best Street Fighter girl(Sorry Chun-Li), Mika seemed like a better choice. SUPER energetic, which would help on the fast break and SUPER encouraging, hence why I chose her as Captain.The team needs someone to look to for inspiration, and Mika is there.
Anyways, that it! I might do something like this for the Tour De France... maybe... Either way, Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care! Written by Nana Marfo Idea by Pix1001 All Images(C)Their respective owners.
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10 Questions for Jupiter Hadley26/6/2018 So today I'm doing something very different, but at the same time, it is an evolution of an Idea that I have had for a while. For those that don't know, I wanted to start a podcast that would look at people and their gaming interests, as I thought it would be good to know people as people, and not some big star on the internet. However, I felt there was not enough interest in the idea in terms of people wanting to interviewed. However, I decided to use the questions I had come up with(and a few more related to that person) to interview Jupiter Hadley. She does a lot of indie game work, including an Indie Games Podcast and looking at game jams. She even looked at my game in the Big Festive Jam, and while I'm thankful, I also am a bit embarrassed. If you read my devlog about the Big Festive Jam you know why I have those feelings. Anyways, you can check it out below(along with all the other games from that Jam!). What was your first game? Do you have any fond memories of it?
The first game I remember playing is the Legend of Zelda on the NES. My dad paints houses for a living - something that you mainly do in the summertime. In winter, I remember him plugging the old NES into his TV in his room. My sister and I would sit on his bed, watching him take on the entire game. My dad knew where all the hearts were - all of the objects. He would beast throughout the entire map. We would normally be handed unplugged controllers. When I was a bit older, I remember getting to take on ‘the castles’ in the game. These were the temples where the bosses where. There were other games I played around that age - we had a PlayStation and I remember playing Centipede, Frogger, Mortal Kombat, racing games and more - but they weren’t the games my dad had played. It seemed much more significant getting to play Legend of Zelda. When I was a bit older, I started playing the Sims 1 on PS1. I have lots of fun memories of playing Sims 1 and Sims Bustin Out - especially Bustin’ Out, with my friends. When was you first exposure to the wider gaming community (when you looked more into other games that you were not into at first)? Well, that all starts with Minecraft. I started playing Minecraft as my brother had played it. The server he played on had an active gaming community that played League of Legends and World of Warcraft. I ended up playing League of Legends but didn’t really enjoy it. I was also introduced to some indie game developers, who introduced me to the community around making your own games. I didn’t really look into a wider gaming community - they sort of found me. What was the first game you truly fell in love with? This is a complicated question. I sort of divide my gaming life into “before indie games” and “after indie games.” I really loved Cooking Mama on the Nintendo DS but I never had my own DS so I always had to borrow it off my sister. I really enjoyed cooking all of the strange things within the game. There was also a fashion game I would play on her DS where you could run a clothing shop and go to fashion shows that I was really fond of. I remember being very sad when my data got deleted. The first indie game I fell head over heels for was Fran Bow. I would say, Fran Bow is my deeper, more passionate love. I backed the game when it was on Indiegogo - I watched the developers make it and I followed the entire process. I felt like they were making a game for me, you know? And when it was released, it was more than I ever expected or could hope for. Fran Bow is a game that years later, I still get passionate talking about. It’s a game I actively recommend to people. A game I feel deeply in love with. Which game jam did you first do a video on, and your top 3 games from that Game Jam? The first game jam I ever covered was the Ludum Dare 28 back in 2013. I can’t really pick favorites from that jam - most of the games don’t exist anymore and I only played 220 of them. And, it was so freaking long ago…. Least Favourite game jam, and the worst 3 games from that jam? This is another complex question that I can only half answer. My least favourite game jams are the ones that don’t have any entries. It makes me sad when no one (or barely anyone) enters a game jam that someone set up. My least favorite games entered into jams are ones that don’t follow the theme or spirit of the jam and are spammed into any jam going on at the time of release. Thats just a bad thing to do. What was your favourite Game Jam(s), and name the best game and the worst game from that jam? I love ProcJam - the Procedurally generation jam with games and other things entered into it. I wrote an article on ALL of my favorite creations, but my favorite game from it would be Herbarium - a procgen game about finding the uses and abilities for flowers so you can make various potions! I also love the GM48 - which is a quarterly game jam using the Game Maker Engine. The themes for that jam are always awesome. The last one I covered - GM48: One Tool, Many Uses - my favorite game was Ghost Snap where you can take pictures of ghosts in a cute dungeon! The Adventure Jam and many, many smaller jams like the Familiar Game Jam are also wonderful. So many great jams. What makes you prefer indie games over AAA ones? I really love the community around indie games. I love how kind, helpful, and caring the individuals are. It's a bunch of people just trying to live their dreams. As for the games themselves, I love the uniqueness that comes from indie games. I get to play things I have never seen or dreamt of before. It’s not like all of the pew-pew gun games you see in AAA - it's more like these little unique projects about rice cookers coming to life, subliminal messages through TV Channels, a small game about comforting a friend, or the pure joy of becoming a baby bird. What’s not to love? Do you think Indie Developers will have to adopt certain AAA practices, DLC, Lootboxes etc.? Hmmm, I think that some developers will adopt those practices, especially as more and more indies are coming from an AAA background. DLC is already something I am seeing pop up in various indie games - most recently, SnoutUp made a DLC for his free game, which has nearly paid for itself (for the cost of the DLC). I think that as indie games become bigger and more polished, you will see less and less of a difference when it comes to how they make money. Where do you see the indie game industry 10 years from now? I hope to see more solidified game jams, instead of loads of little ones. I hope to continue to see all of the unique games that are being made. I want to see more funding for them - more funding for creative projects, and less guns. I want to see more games that are fun or are made about the world that we currently live in (two very different types of games I know). I hope that there won’t be so much engine talk (X engine is better than Y or You’re not a real game dev if you use Y engine). Why do you think people should make games? I feel that people should make games because they want to make games. It’s that simple. Make the games you want to play, share a bit of your soul with the world, create something and let others see it. One of the things I found intresting and I thought was the community point, because if you look on itch.io and Gamejolt there is a TON of just random games. And I do think that engine talk needs to go away. Anyway, Jupier, thanks for answering these question. And to the rest of you, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Check Out Jupiter Hadley: Twitter: @Jupiter_Hadley Youtube: Jupiter_Hadley Instagram: @jupiterhadley SoundCloud: Jupiter Hadley Itch.io: jupiter_hadley Patreon: Jupiter_Hadley
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#VideoGameWorldCup: My Choices17/6/2018 Hey everyone! Pix came up with a amazing idea, so I decided to take part! At this time, I have 2 suggestions: Striker: Zero Suit Samus Do you see this girl's legs? And the Jet Heels? Those would help her out on the football field. The combo of speed, power and agility would make a great forward. Just don't let the power suit come on at half time. Then everything I said does not apply. MidField:Sonic SPEED. That is key to sonic in the Midfield. Sure, he would make a better forward, but I feel as if his speed would work better in the midfield. Because of the fact he would he able to transfer the fastest between defensive and offensive positions.
Anyways, that's it for now! Tell me who you think would fit in the comments! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care! Written by Nana Marfo Idea by Pix1001 All Images(C)Their respective owners.
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E3:My Best Games(Conferences Only)13/6/2018 Hey all! This is a bit different from what I do, but it's E3! I am going to go through the games/DLC that I am looking forward to! None are in any order of importance besides the last one.. THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT. So, without further ado, here we...GO! Unravel 2 I have never played Unravel, but this looks very interesting. A co-op puzzle platformer with Yarn as a gimmick? Neat! The game is out now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Sea of Solitude Game of EA's Conference. A girl named Kay is suffering from such from extreme loneliness that it turns her into a monster. The game deals with dark human emotions, and I hope they are not very "in your face" about. Also is Kay voiced by Willa Holland? The game comes out early 2019. Ori and the Will of the Wisps I have not played "Ori and the Blind Forest" but this is very intriguing. I like the look of the game, and it seems like a nice platformer. It launches in 2019 for Xbox and PC via the Windows Store. Sekro:Shadow Die Twice This is a new game by the creators of Dark Souls, along with Activation. It looks like Onimusa to me. Might not keep a close eye on it, but it looks good to say the least. The game is out in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. The Awesome Adventures of Capitain Spirt This is by the Life is Strange devs! And it looks awesome! I can't wait to play this. We're a young kid with superhero powers, and in a lone parent home. The game is out on June 26 100% FREE for PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. Expect a review! Devil May Cry 5 I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING. I haven't played any of the games, but thanks to a friend for letting me know this game will centered around Nero, the protagonist of DMC4. Seriously, I thought this was DmC2 for a second, but between this and Megaman 11, Capcom is earning trust back! I will give it a try for sure. The game is out Spring 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition I have been really into my JRPG's as of late, and this seems interesting, since I have never tried a Tales game. There will also be content "Never seen before in the west". Again, interesting. The game is out this winter for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Shadow of the Tomb Raider GAME OF MICROSOFT'S CONFERENCE. Man, I love the way the gameplay is looking! Gwen, thanks for getting me into Tomb Raider. The game is out September 14th for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Cyberpunk 2077 Nothing Much here, but I liked what I saw in the traller. Game has no release window for the moment. Babylon's Fall This looks pretty good. Platinum Games is a very competent developer, so I can't wait to see what happens. The games is out in 2019 for PS4 and PC via Steam. Beyond Good and Evil 2 This game was shown last year for Ubisoft at a much better press conference, but they started with it this time, and it looks very interesting. I know a bit about the original game, so I have some knowledge of what could happen. Daemon X Machina My goodness this game looks good. I don't know too much else, but this game looks amazing. The game is out 2019 for Nintendo Switch. Super Smash Bros Ultimate Nintendo know how to pull out the stops. How about EVERY CHARACTER FROM SMASH EVERY GAME. AND DAISY. AND RIDLEY. Man, I need to get consoles! The game is out December 7, 2019 for Nintendo Switch. Team Sonic Racing This wasn't very prominent , but I think it looks like Sonic and Sega All-Stars without the Sega All Stars.As an avid Sonic fan, consider Me interested. The game is out this winter for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. And now, Ladies and Gentleman... my Game of E3 is... KINGDOM HEARTS III Before I go into why I need to get 2 things out of the way(Traller Spoilers below!!!): I can't stop smiling at Kairi! She is best Girl! Anyways, we got so much! Sorry for spoiling a bit, but I love everything about this game so far! It was also just everywhere, one traller at Microsoft, one at Square Enix presentation and one at the Sony Conference, I love it! The game comes out January 29, 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One(Nomura can we get a PC version? PLEASE??). 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 All Games(C)Their Respective Owners.
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New Game! Season 1:Review3/6/2018 Kept you waiting huh? Anyways, we are back on New Game! If you recalled the first impressions, I loved the first episode! But was it an enjoyable game through and through? 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. Also, just a quick heads up, I won't be looking at the OVA in this review. I just learned about as I was writing the review, and I don't want to rush it into this. I will look at it sometime in the future. This is my review of:New Game! Season 1. The story revolves are Aoba learning to work in a game development environment. The story feels more like we are getting an inside look at how Eagle Jump is developing Fairies Stories 3. We also meet Nene Sakura, Aoba's best friend and as well as the part time debugger for Eagle Jump for Fairies Stories 3. I have heard that this anime is a "Cute Girls doing Cute Things" Anime. I can see why because this anime(Like a lot of anime that I have watched(I swear it's a coincidence, I don't know too much about them.)) focuses on the characters and the character interactions. I love the bonds between the characters, despite Aoba and Nene being new, they really feel like a family. It's nice to see in both the heartwarming and funny moments. I would say out of the Leaders(Ko, Rin and Hazuki) Ko has to be my favourite. (Warning: The Images Below may not be safe for work) She is the leader of the character team, and her personality is very bubbly and outgoing. According to Hifumi , she did not used to be like that. She was a lot like her. But she wants to change to become a leader. I really think that's admirable, and I understand her struggle as some who is admittedly shy in real life. She is the AD for the next game, so I want to see where that and her relationship with Rin goes. As for Rin herself, we don't learn too much about her. It's forgiveable in the grand scheme of things, as we learn a lot more about her relationship with Ko than anything else. She is the Art Director, going to be producer for the next game. I want to see if her laid back personality will suit the producer role. Hazuki is very interesting, but she is also the worst character in my opinion, just because we know next to nothing about her. She is not... boob dragon(I refuse to type her name) bad, as she has some interesting traits, and has genuinely funny moments(search Lap Pillow Rejection and Hazuki's age), but I feel she wasn't needed. Umiko Ahagon(please don't shoot me) is part of the programming team, and she likes her FPS games and military gear. She likes playing Airsoft in her spare time. She was skimmed over in the first episode, but after episode 7 she is a lot more involved with the team. She leads the debugging team including Nene, who I won't say too much about. She is very kind and heart warming, and that about it. We do get a lot of hints about how they became friends, and to be honest, I think it works! Doesn't waste too much time, and makes the family vibe stronger. Anyways, lets get to the main 4. The one I found the least relevant to me is Yun. She had a story on going with her weight, which didn't mean much. She often clashed heads with Hajime, a person from the motion team that is working with the character designers. She is a ton of fun. The episode where she goes meow is awesome! I admit development wise, she means less that even Yun, but because she is a really fun character, so I am willing to forgive that. Hifumi is has been on the character team for the longest time out of the 3 (Aoba, Rin and Hifumi), and she has a arc to where she wants to be able to overcome her shyness, and it's very heartwarming. She has a pet hedgehog named Sojiro, and she confines in him somewhat. It's cute to be honest. However, Aoba is best girl and I will not take anything other comers here. She is the one learning what it means through and through to become a part of a company. She is very committed to her job, and is provides the fun when needed. She is just 18 when starting out, and she is now possibly going to take Ko's place as character designer. I really want to see where that goes. She also really want's to become a adult, and these are all really relate able in the grand scheme of things for me. Going to see her game announced and released were life changing experiences for her. Speaking of, a minor nick-pick I have is that they tend to use one part of the Autodesk name but not the other. Again, I know licences are weird, but come on! Surely it can't cost that much to get a licence for a part of the name? It would, now that I think about it. Use Blender next time, everything is free. The anime looks like a standard anime, which is fine for me. The game is handed with the 3D instead of 2D, as well as the Autodesk May- Saya interface. The ending theme, called NOW LOADING! is great and I love Aoba's theme entitled CONTINUE..?
Overall, I would recommend this anime to both new comers and long-time anime fans. While I do agree that it is a "Cute Girls doing Cute Things" anime on the surface, looking deeper, there is a lot I love here. This is my favourite anime I have watched so far. In other news, thanks for the love on the Life is Strange and Bahamut blogs! We are now close to 300 views in a week! Thanks for Reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo NEW GAME!(C)Kadokawa Pictures Inc.
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This is a anime I have wanted to watch for the LONGEST TIME. I kept seeing clips on YouTube, and I was interested. Though a word of warning, this is not available on Crunchyroll/Funimation. While I am all for supporting the creators, I do watch Kamen Rider via fan subs(It's the only way), so I don't mind bending the law here.However, it is on YouTube via fan subs so be aware of that. Rules: 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. Oh Boy, this one seems not safe for work. 3. I am watching the subbed version. Anyways, this is long overdue. This is my first impressions of: Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle. 5 years before the start of the show, the Empire of Arcadia was overthrown in a coup d'etat, starting the era of the Atismata Empire with the help of a mysterious Black Machine Dragon. Yea, despite this series being rooted in an chivalrous setting, they still use mechs (called Machine Dragons). As such, here is a screenshots from Hyrule Warriors Gundam: The theme song and OP are great. Hiryuu no Kishi is a great jam. I love the beat and how it fits both ages. The lyrics and intro graphics feel right at home as well. We then meet our main character, Lux Arcadia. He is a handiman and former Prince of Arcadia. While on a job, he slips into the bathroom of an ALL GIRLS SCHOOL. This is random as all hell, but then again this anime we are talking about, so I guess a nothing new there? Oh yea, and this is what they call the Academy(the people that hired Lux), a Drag-Knight academy(the people who ride the machine dragons) that was made after the coup d'etat. (Warning: Below image may not be safe for work) Anyways Lux finds himself having to win dual between himself and the girl with the emblem tattoo, Lisesharte Atismata. She is the princess of the current empire. He has to win in order to get into the school(he was invited to go there by the Headmaster.) Before he meets Airi, his sister and Nokuto Leaflet, a year 1 student that likes starting all her sentences with "Yes." However, Lux's Machine Wyvern struggles against Lisesharte's Machine Tiamart. (Warning: Below image may not be safe for work) After both of them fight off a Gargoyle, the episode ends with Lisesharte(now allowing Lux to call her Lisha) showing Lux the tattoo. But not before we see Lux's black sword device. The episode is mostly focused on the first fight scene, and I have the say the action value here is great. I haven't really seen Gundam, so my first exposure to this style of fighting is good! Overall, I did really enjoy this first episode. I have heard this anime is a mix of a lot of Genres, so I can't wait to see more! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if it's enjoyed it, and take care.
Written By Nana Marfo Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle(C)MVM Films
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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 [email protected]. 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
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Hey everyone! I planned for this a bit different of a devlog, but I had some thoughts. I honestly don't I will finish Box Movers. The game was fun to work on, but after a while, became a chore, and I don't want to release a sub-par project because I have to. I also had second thoughts because of the fact it was not an idea I had come up with on my own. I thought about this quote from Shigeru Miyamoto: A delayed game is eventually good but a rushed game is forever bad. This is also why I have been hesitant of doing game jams recently, but after exams are over, I plan on going back to them. However, I didn't not work on the game. I have music for it! And you can listen to it on my Soundcloud! Not only that, but I have been working on a new game! The game is a platformer/arcade type game.A big inspriation behind the game will be old-school Sonic games. That's all I can really say for now.
That's all for now! Yea, I know very short, but this is my last blog before my exams(hence why I have been inactive), but I am going to do a lot more when I get back. Either Way, thanks for reading, have a great day/night and take care. Written By Nana Marfo |