The Writer's Circle

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Wed May 10, 2017 9:56 am

Not enough falcon punches.

SupaWaluigi · Post by **SupaWaluigi** » Wed May 10, 2017 10:16 am

Kriken wrote: ↑
Wed May 10, 2017 9:56 am
Not enough falcon punches.

Haha, I was expecting someone to pick up on this!

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Tue May 16, 2017 7:57 pm

Pretty dissatisfied with my writing for the longest time. Can't bring myself to continue SoN.

The next story is going to be the one. Going to start putting a lot of effort in again, and then some. I might even do some planning (finally hitting me on a personal level that it might be important).

Edit:

Going to try my hand at writing game reviews again in the meantime.

Edit 2: Forget what I said about the next story being the one.

DarkRula · Post by **DarkRula** » Tue May 16, 2017 10:55 pm

Planning in terms of getting a general idea of the whole story before writing or something else?
I used to never have a plan beyond the next part for my stories [well, the fan-created stuff] and aside from the Pokemon one - which I still feel isn't exactly that strong - none of them ever got finished, and the one original story I was writing I got stuck with due to a lack of planning. The two stories in which I started with virtually no planning but then started to really plan ahead later down the line really started to show better writing. One of those is a fan-created crossover [in which I only have two episodes left to finish until complete] and the other was an original creation story I removed from my site so I could rework it with a full plan to make it much better, which is going to be my second self-published book.

Post by **OrangeRakoon** » Thu May 18, 2017 1:52 pm

Kriken wrote: ↑
Tue May 16, 2017 7:57 pm
Going to try my hand at writing game reviews again in the meantime.

Looking forward to this

Aren142 · Post by **Aren142** » Thu May 18, 2017 5:28 pm

I've written plenty without planning and it gives you more freedom to change how events will develop as you write it, but I can't say the stuff I've produced from it has been particularly good. My problem is I don't know how to plan because I can't actually get a plot idea. I can come up with characters, worlds and concepts. I just can't put them together into a series of events.

SupaWaluigi · Post by **SupaWaluigi** » Thu May 18, 2017 6:55 pm

For me planning certainly helps, but at the very least just make a load of notes in a clear way you yourself understand so that you can remember all the ideas you have had. It may work differently for writing short stories and novels, but this is how I plan and make notes for my scripts (again, using F-Zero I'm currently working on as an example):

I would also say the most important part of planning is your Story Outline, as that, of course, outlines how, where and when your narrative elements occur.

I'm sure you all already know this but I thought this may help. (Also don't steal any of my ideas for F-Zero

)

Aren142 · Post by **Aren142** » Thu May 18, 2017 7:23 pm

When I have tried planning in the past, the place I start is usually the "end goal". Which is like the final resolution where the goals of the protagonist ad antagonist clash and the matter is finally settled to some degree of absolution. Then work on everything that builds up to that like requirements. This is where most of my recent ideas have fallen flat, either the protagonist or antagonist doesn't have a goal or don't strictly want something and are more driven in response to the actions of the other which involves them for some reason or another. So I can't build an end goal to work towards. I mention this because looking at the notes for your F-Zero thing, I'm not actually seeing where yours leads up to. I get that you've got a plot of a Grand Prix to build around, but looking at the main protagonist and antagonist and don't see what either want or why. Does Captain Falcon want to win for the prize money, the fame, more personal reasons like making someone proud or doing what someone else can't for them? Does he instead want to bring prestige back to a sport in disrepute or clean up the gambling scene and think these things can be achieved by him winning? Looks like the antagonist's goal is just money which is fair enough, but what for? Extravagant lifestyle, women, charity? And how do his pursuits of corruption contradict Captain Falcon's goals? Does he have secret investment in a specific racer, so wants that one to do well? If there's no direct conflict of interests, doesn't actually make him an antagonist, just a dick. Also personally curious how a specific person winning a race can bring down the leader of an organisation since I assume the final race is the final boss fight. Just things to think about that could help you.

SupaWaluigi · Post by **SupaWaluigi** » Thu May 18, 2017 7:49 pm

Okay, I like the questions you are raising so it may help if I expand further upon some elements:

Dramatic Focus – The races throughout the Grand Prix will act as the main action set pieces, dramatizing them by emphasizing the speed and danger of the sport to an exaggerated level, whilst the dramatic focus will be centred around Captain Falcon uncovering the nefarious underworld behind the Formula Zero Racing Organisation and the main man in charge of it, Theodore Remington. The drama behind the relationships struck up between Captain Falcon and other racers, such as Jody Summer and Doctor Stewart, will also continue throughout the film.

What’s at Stake – In terms of for the key characters, what is at stake is the impact the F-Zero Grand Prix has on drivers and the dangers of extreme high speed racing, raising questions within them about whether what goes on behind the sport as an organisation will affect themselves, the reasons why they race and whether they are put in more danger. In terms of the story, what is at stake is the future of the F-Zero tournaments after Captain Falcon fully uncovers the truth behind it, and whether the connections it has with the criminal underworld will truly be broken.

Story Outline:
Opening: We are immediately put into the action of a race taking place on the final lap of the Big Blue Circuit. We are introduced to the sport of F-Zero, seeing the futuristic vehicles and the extreme high speed nature of the sport. There is some major rivalry between two characters, Samurai Goroh and Captain Falcon, who is fully revealed by the end of the race. Having won the first race in the four-race Grand Prix, Theodore Remington, Head of the Formula Zero Racing Organisation meets with Captain Falcon to congratulate him.

Hook: Whilst working on his own racing vehicle in his pit garage, Captain Falcon hears news that a fellow F-Zero driver has been found dead. Already having suspicions that the Formula Zero Racing Organisation is corrupt in some way, he heads out to where the driver had found dead to find any clues or leads to confirm his suspicion. Whilst there, he encounters renowned Doctor and F-Zero driver, Robert Stewart, who has been asked by the Internova Police Force to try and determine how the victim died. Although Captain Falcon is unwilling to have Doctor Stewart work with him at the site, they both conclude that the driver did not die of natural causes. However, they realise that as F-Zero drivers themselves, they cannot draw attention to the fact that they are investigating this death, so must continue their participation in the Grand Prix.

Complication: Captain Falcon finds himself in a high-rise bar with an attaché case filled with the prize money after winning the second race on the Port Town circuit, whilst Doctor Stewart continues research and analysis of the evidence found at the drivers death elsewhere. Amongst the patrons of the bar, Jody Summer, another F-Zero driver enters and tries to befriend Captain Falcon, discussing the race they just had and the death of the driver heard in the news earlier. Doctor Stewart returns, telling Captain Falcon that the driver did not die of natural causes but was instead murdered, as evidence suggested he had been shot. Suddenly, Pico, an alien F-Zero driver, barrels towards them, tries to kill Captain Falcon, steals the attaché case and smashes out of the window. Captain Falcon and Jody Summer swiftly pursue, whilst Doctor Stewart stays behind to check if any of the customers were hurt. Once Falcon and Jody catch Pico, he does not reveal why he killed the driver earlier, nor who his employer is, leaving Falcon with no solutions or evidence to who truly is behind all of this.

Crisis: Whilst Captain Falcon prepares in his pit garage for the 3rd race on the Sand Ocean circuit, he is met by fellow racer and self-proclaimed rival, Samurai Goroh, and his gang. Samurai Goroh lets slip that Theodore Remington hired Pico, and that he himself is also an accomplice to Remington, and reveals they’re plan for another F-Max-like incident in the final race. He then orders his gang to attack Captain Falcon and leaves to prepare his own vehicle and enter the start of the race. Although putting up a good fight, Captain Falcon is defeated and captured, resulting in him having to miss the race. Samurai Goroh wins the race himself, however during the race, both Jody Summer and Doctor Stewart realise that Captain Falcon is not racing among them, and go to investigate his whereabouts.

Climax: After successfully finding Captain Falcon, the three of them rush to the setting of the final race, the Mute City circuit, however arrive too late as the race has already begun. Using their own vehicles, they all take to track and each must race through to the front of the racing pack so that they can create a rolling road block and gradually bring all the drivers to a complete stop. Once successful, Captain Falcon charges towards where Theodore Remington’s executive audience stand is to confront him. However, when he arrives, Remington is nowhere to be found having gone into hiding. Samurai Goroh is arrested for plotting with Theodore Remington and the violence he has inflicted on fellow racers. Having fully thwarted the plot to create another fatal crash within the race and with the head of the Formula Zero Racing Organisation now gone, Captain Falcon, Jody Summer, and Doctor Stewart wonder about how they have only partially revealed the criminal underworld behind the sport, and what the future now holds for the F-Zero Grand Prix and themselves.

In effect, at it's core, it's kind of a detective story. Our Protagonist, Falcon, slowly uncovers these crimes and plots that lead back to the F-Zero Grand Prix, and as various background details on his character (which as of yet, still need to finalised) all play into his motivation. The antagonist, Theodore Remington (still not fully sold on that name by the way), is like a dictator. He has full control over the sport, and sure his motivations may be the same old cliche of money and power, but it's the duty of the good clean racers who uphold the sport to make sure it is clear of any wrongdoing or evil.

The planning at this stage may not be fully clear at this time (coming from me it usually never is

), but it definitely helps in layering plots and narratives, so that the core narrative truly has weight to it by the end of the film/book.

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Sat May 20, 2017 11:25 am

Game Review #1

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for the Gameboy Advance

My very first foray into the Castlevania series was as a young teenager, purchasing a grubby second-hand GBA cart with only the series iconic title barely legible on the sticker. A tear obscured several letters, including the subtitle in its entirety. This was during a time when I didn't have ready access to the internet, and so for a long time I had no idea what the game was actually called. For a long time I could only refer to it as 'Castlevania GBA', and had no knowledge of other titles on the platform.

This was not Aria of Sorrow, but the first Castlevania game for the GBA: Circle of the Moon, released in 2001. It must have been 10 or more years since I played it, but even back then it had a dated old-school feel to it. The colouring, while not unpleasant, was somewhat dull. The controls, while fully functional, were not as fluid as Castlevania titles I would play later on. Knowing now that it was released during the console's early days, all this makes sense. It turned out that this title was also not developed by the team that was usually in charge of the more modern Castlevanias (Symphony of the Night onwards). Regardless, the game was a huge success, especially for the series, selling over a million copies. And while I would later place a few Castlevania games over it, I enjoyed it enough to want to play more games in the series.

Along with positive reviews, it led to me getting Dawn of Sorrow on the DS, which I absolutely adored at the time. I would later regard its budget-anime art style as rather inferior compared to that of the rest of the games, but back then I viewed the opening animated cutscene as gorgeous - a wonder on the DS. In every other aspect, I enjoyed it more than Circle of the Moon. The graphics were brighter, more vibrant. It had a booming, catchy soundtrack. And the controls were much crisper. No need to double-tap on the d-pad to start running, you could hit speed as soon as you landed on the ground, and move more freely in the air. It made the combat feel fast-paced and engaging.
And that wasn't all. The game's gimmick, the tactical soul system, was more immediately accessible and appealing than the DSS card system in Circle of the Moon. Monsters you destroy will sometimes leave their soul behind for you to absorb, obtaining their powers. This aspect of the game seemed really cool to me, and it still is. You also had access to different main weapons, not just the whip. The characters were likable and varied in their design, whereas in Circle of the Moon they were barely a focus.

The story had more of a presence. You played as Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula, who has to stop cult leader Celia Fortner and her lieutenants from killing him and establishing a new dark lord. Meanwhile, Soma has to fight off the pull of the dark power inside him, because while he is technically Dracula he doesn't want to assume the role of the bad guy and give up his humanity. Circle of the Moon is pretty much the find-Dracula-and-then-kill-him affair and not much more than that, although it is interesting that you have a rival that appears randomly throughout the game and makes you wonder about what it's going to lead up to.

You may be wondering what this has to do with Aria of Sorrow, but I felt like I needed this background to the core of the review. I only played Aria after I had played so many other Castlevania games, including a few that have come after it and build on what it did. I now know that Dawn of Sorrow followed the same formula, tactical soul system and all, just with added bells and whistles. Order of Ecclesia, the last DS game in the series, though quite different and more linear than other Castlevanias at the time, features a basically refined version of the tactical soul system, and like Soma Cruz the heroine in this game can equip a wide array of main weapons. And it has the same fluid movement that makes these newer games such a joy to play.

But it's the similarities to these newer games - especially Dawn of Sorrow - that kind of dulled my experience with Aria. Dawn of Sorrow is not only very similar (think Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2), but to my memory is also a slight improvement. The graphics and sound are superior too, especially the latter. Granted, the GBA is notorious for its relatively poor sound quality unlike comparable systems such as the SNES, but the actual compositions in Aria are somewhat lacklustre compared to those in Dawn. Meanwhile, the Pokemon games show that the GBA is still capable of beautiful and tuneful music despite hardware limitations.

However, I know that if I played Aria of Sorrow back then, right after Circle of the Moon or in its place, I would have adored it as I did Dawn of Sorrow for all the same reasons. For the joy of the movement, the fiendish difficulty and variety thanks to all the weapons and soul powers, the cool characters, story and aesthetic. One thing Aria definitely has over Dawn is the beautiful gothic art style more typical of the series, which lends each character a uniqueness and charm to their design, as opposed to the generic anime art style in Dawn. To be fair I really didn't mind the anime style too much, but I imagine the change came about in an attempt to broaden the series' appeal since it had been flagging for some time. I don't think it worked nearly as well as it did for the 3DS Fire Emblem games, and the series' art would return to its gothic roots in Order of Ecclesia.

Like in Dawn, the story in Aria follows Soma Cruz, who until the true ending of the game is unaware that he is Dracula-reincarnate. This is technically a spoiler, but it is heavily implied throughout the game, even the earlier segments, so it's not much of a surprise. If you've read about the game before or played Dawn of Sorrow, it's likely not going to be a surprise at all. Soma and his friend Mina are transported to Dracula's castle, and are told they have to find a way to escape because it's dangerous to stay there for too long. Along the way he meets a number of mysterious characters - some good, some bad - who have come to the castle because of the prophecy surrounding Dracula's reincarnation.

The exploration in Aria was very satisfying. There is no hand-holding when it comes to finding out where to go next. Abilities that allow you to go to a previously inaccessible area are dotted around the castle and tend to be found after you beat a boss, but you are not given any clues as to where to go next. But unless you are playing the game in very infrequent sittings, you will probably remember parts of the game where a newly acquired ability will help you progress. Sometimes this will just lead to a new item, such as a weapon or piece of armour, which isn't a bad thing. Especially if you're not a Castlevania veteran, because the boost these bits of equipment give can really help out.

This game can be difficult with a heavy focus on combat, and I haven't even tried out the hard mode yet. I tried to play some sections while watching youtube videos but I found I needed to give the game my full attention to stop a ridiculous string of deaths and a frustrating trek back from the last save point. While I enjoy the difficulty - it wouldn't be Castlevania without it - I felt as if there were too few save points. Or at least that finding them in a pinch was annoying. The castle maps you pick up along the way give no indication as to where they are. That might have been a welcome inclusion, because on so many occasions I spent so much time exploring an area (or maybe even two) only to get whittled down by a slew of enemies and desperately needing a save room to heal - and then I die and lose all that progress, despite probably unknowingly passing one. Of course, you may not agree with me if you're a more patient and tactical kind of player or simply just a lot better at the game than I was.

Thankfully, boss rooms are always right next to save points. You'll want to challenge them at full health and with a save to fall back on, because some of them will take one or more deaths until you suss out their attack patterns and learn how to respond adequately. It was during these battles that I experimented with different weapons and soul abilities the most. Sometimes I opted for a weapon with a greater reach over a stronger one for safer attacks, or I swapped out a general-use projectile for more niche weapons such as a mine that deals continuous damage to ensnare grounded and slow-moving bosses. It was fun finding out new strategies and effective weapon/soul combinations.

Overall, Aria of Sorrow is still a decent game, but would I say it's essential to play it? No, not really. Not unless you were a big fan of the series, or if you're craving more similar action after finishing Dawn of Sorrow. While I said Aria should get credit for paving the way for the aforementioned game and then later titles such as Order of Ecclesia, Dawn is similar enough and arguably better. You would not go wrong with playing whichever one you can get more easily get, and why not play the one that generally looks and sounds better? Aria was near enough a classic game in its time and was criminally overshadowed by other 2D sidescrollers such as Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission, but times move on. Still, it's a neat game, and along with Dawn it's a good entry-level title for new players.

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Sun May 21, 2017 4:09 pm

Game Review #2

Pikmin for the Gamecube

Pikmin was one of the most enjoyable videogame experiences for me, even as I only recently played through it, 16 years after its initial release. Typical of many mainline Nintendo games released on the Gamecube, it has aged remarkably well. This is partly down to its somewhat simple cartoony style, with the creatures known as pikmin almost entirely one colour themselves - apart from their eyes and the flowers on their heads. The enemies in this game are a bit more detailed, but the environments are nothing too fancy.

You play as Captain Olimar who has crash-landed on an uncharted planet filled with deadly predators and a gas that is poisonous to his kind - this gas amusingly being oxygen. The crash scatters parts of his ship to far regions of this world, and so he has to find them in order to take off again. On top of that, he only has 30 days before his life support system fails. Thirty in-game days. If this time passes and you don't have enough parts to fly the ship - that is, the 25 parts that are essential - then it's game over. You have to go back to your last save, and even then you may realise you actually don't have enough time left to get the rest of the parts and thus have to start all over again. It's brutal, and I love it.

On this mission you command the help of pikmin, small bipedal creatures who for some reason view Olimar as a leader. They help the captain carry located ship parts and fight off wild creatures. They can also carry these creatures and flower 'pellets' back to their little ship, known as an onion, to create more of themselves. It's very strange, describing it, but it's also all very adorable. The cutscene that closes off every day, with Olimar marching the pikmin back to their onions with the fanfare playing in the background, warms my heart every time. Even when I'm worried I may be behind schedule on the ship parts.

By default, pikmin follow you around, but you can dismiss them and then summon them to follow you again with a whistle. You can even control the radius of the whistle so that only some of the pikmin follow you. You can throw them to reach higher areas to carry stuff down, or so they land on an enemy's back in order to wear them down and attack them without being eaten. With the c-stick, you have additional control over the horde of pikmin, while moving Olimar with the main analogue stick. They remain following you even as you move them in this way, and they can be directed to avoid obstacles or to surround enemies to fight and objects to carry.

There are three different kinds of pikmin, each with their own attributes. Red pikmin are strong and immune to fire; yellow pikmin are faster, lighter, can be thrown higher and carry bombs; and blue pikmin can move through water without dying. Additionally, there is a more powerful form of pikmin across all types symbolised by the plant on their head - leaf, bud, flower. The later the stage of plant, the faster the pikmin can move and carry out tasks such as breaking down walls. This is achieved in a number of ways: leaving pikmin in the ground to naturally grow flowers before plucking them, finding 'nectar' among grass, or beating it out of certain enemies. Pikmin lose their flowers if they are knocked off enemies. While this game may seem simple at first, there is actually a lot of depth.

I had a lot of fun strategizing for the most efficient play, having different groups of pikmin put to different tasks simultaneously - breaking down walls to make travel easier or possible, carrying creatures back to create more pikmin, and of course killing nearly everything in sight, because they'll interfere with your part retrieval otherwise. Admittedly the strategy for a lot of enemies is just throwing a ton of pikmin onto them, and then recalling them when the enemy is about to shake them off, but for some surrounding them is a better strategy. And then there are the 'boss' creatures that may require an altogether different kind of approach. One had me sacrificing pikmin to clog up their cannon, causing them to overheat and expose their weakpoint.

As each day passes, Olimar puts out a diary log, sometimes giving you some useful tips about the game or going into frustrations about the expedition. I liked how as I struggled in fighting one boss creature and finished the day without beating it, Olimar describes the creature in his log, ruminating on how to perhaps defeat it. Depending on how badly you're doing the entries may start taking a more desperate and even darker tone. A common complaint about Pikmin is the 30-day limit, which was removed entirely from Pikmin 2. I actually felt as if it enhanced the experience, or that at least it made the game feel completely different. It certainly didn't feel like a 'limit' on the experience I had.

This limit forced me to play well, or at least attempt to. It challenged me. The strategizing I talked about earlier was immensely fun, and throughout the game I was thinking of better and faster ways to do things. To balance amassing pikmin, a time-consuming but necessary exercise, with achieving my main goal. Throughout most of my playthrough, I matched day number with parts collected, and only towards the end did I start to pull ahead. But even then, I was on edge because the game was getting more and more challenging and I knew it could spring some especially hard-to-get part on me. It was exciting, and cathartic when I finished the game with a few days to spare.

Failing and having to start the game all over again might be frustrating, but this game was perhaps meant to be played that way. A failed run or two to get to grips with things before finally being successful. The game itself is only a few hours long, so it's not as if it's that much of a setback. There are 3 save files to work with, so if you wanted to you could be cautious and have multiple saves dating back. It's also not as if you're losing much when you have to restart - there's no customisation or personalisation, no side quests or thorough exploration. You're just collecting parts and growing pikmin.

For those who like strategy games, especially ones of the real-time variety, I highly recommend Pikmin. I do still recommend it regardless, because it remains a very charming and unique game. Don't let the 30-day limit put you off. Stick with it and then feel accomplished.

DarkRula · Post by **DarkRula** » Sun May 21, 2017 5:07 pm

That's a lovely review of Pikmin. I love it. It says everything it needs to while also giving clear opinions.

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Sun May 21, 2017 5:18 pm

Thanks =D

Post by **OrangeRakoon** » Tue May 30, 2017 9:32 am

The castlevania review is good too - I thought it was a good way of setting the environment for the review with the talk of your experience with other Castlevania games first (and in fact that was probably the most interesting bit). It was almost like a retrospective.

kerr9000 · Post by **kerr9000** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:53 pm

Ever thought of making a blog for your reviews Kriken ?

I stick a lot of reviews I do on my own blog, its kind of fun to have one place where they all are and you can point people towards.

DarkRula · Post by **DarkRula** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:33 pm

Just out of interest kerr, how many views do you get on your blog in a month?

Aren142 · Post by **Aren142** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:25 pm

My brain had a poop last night and words came out. It's not much but haven't written for so long that it's just good to finally get something down. It's not got a defined end point, just sort of stops at where I got to because there's no context for it in my mind, definitely feels like part of something bigger, I just don't know what. Which is kind of why I'm sharing it, see what people think of it.

The tangy taste of blood fills my mouth. I cough and splutter, trying to clear it out. What replaces the blood is no better. The air is thick; warm with a hint of smoke. My left eye flickers open to be greeted by blinding light. My other eye is sealed shut by a crust of what I assume is dried blood and the pain deters me from trying to force it open. I can’t make anything out, it’s just a blur of strange colours. I drag an arm up to reach for my face. I can’t feel my glasses, just blood, dirt and cuts. I put my hand down on the ground beneath me. The stone crumbles slightly from my touch. I try to force myself up, but every inch of my body screams in agony. I manage to get into a sitting position and prop myself up with my hands. It has taken all my strength to get this far. I cough some more and try to take deep breaths. Inhaling this thick air does nothing to help me. It’s only as I desperately gasp for air that I realise I can’t hear anything. My heart pounds against my chest. I cry out, but I don’t hear what I say if it’s anything coherent. The whole experience strains my throat. My entire body is failing me.

What even happened? Everything’s just a dazed mess. I can make a guess, but I don’t understand how I’ve found myself in such a situation. I’m not sure where I am and can’t make out anything well enough to figure it out.

I think I see something moving. I don’t know. It seems like everything’s shaking when I try to focus my sight. I try calling out again. The thing I can see is definitely moving. It’s getting bigger, closer. The blurry shape of a person finally registers in my mind. A hand grips onto my arm, but does little to reassure me. The person is right in front of me, but I feel so distant. I can barely see them and can’t hear them if they are saying anything. The hand nudges me slightly as I stare blankly at the person. I can briefly focus enough to detect movement around the person’s mouth. They’re trying to talk to me and, I think, expect a response. I try to say that I can’t hear anything, but, when I can’t hear my own voice, I have doubts over what noises I’ve managed to muster. I weakly raise a hand to point to my ear and shake my head slowly so not to aggravate the pain.

I see nodding. The message has been understood.

DarkRula · Post by **DarkRula** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:54 pm

That's quite a good set-up for a story. I like it. Great description of the senses as well.
As for where it can go, there's the expected and unexpected.

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:26 am

Thanks for the comments. I've had review blogs in the past. No current plans to share my reviews outside this forum at the moment though, so I'm not bothered.

Game Review #3

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for the Nintendo 3DS

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Sun Aug 20, 2017 2:01 pm

Her Mind: Chapter 1

Rik · Post by **Rik** » Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:54 am

Meant to spend a lot of this summer writing but between work and other stuff just haven't managed to sit myself down and go for it till now. Been working on my dark fantasy idea from last page and finally worked out generally how I wanted it to start as well as expanding the main cast a bit since some new characters kind of just formed themselves while I've been daydreaming about it. Also changed the first chapter a little and have a tentative(/kind of cliche) title, so:

The Crimson Night - Chapter One

Chapter 2

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:49 pm

Her Mind: Chapter 2

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Tue Sep 05, 2017 6:46 pm

Lucky Zerucky in 2017: Chapter 1 (The Day his Heart Stopped)

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:09 pm

Game Review #4: Majora's Mask 3D

I got to tell you, my hopes were not overly high for this game. Ocarina of Time 3D for me was a lazy and uninspired remake that was basically an enhanced port the original game. Granted, they made the Water Temple way more tolerable, but I don't really feel other big bones were thrown our way. They don't even make cutscenes skippable. I think it's crazy that in this day and age there are still games with unskippable cutscenes. Just make it a multi-button combination if you're afraid of people accidentally skipping them.

As it happens, Majora's Mask 3D also doesn't allow cutscene-skipping (by conventional non-speedrunner methods at least), but that's okay. I don't care that much about it anyway. They made fundamental changes to the game instead. Ones that almost change the very nature of this game. Changes that are even arguably bad... But this is an improvement over Ocarina of Time 3D, because at least this time they had the balls to do something different.

From the start you can feel that the game is different. It had been some time since I played the original, but some parts of the environment seemed drastically different in aesthetic - and then when I came to the first significant trial of the game (catching the members of the Bomber gang) I couldn't help but notice that they had changed the location of some of them. I found this intriguing, given my experience of Ocarina of Time 3D. It doesn't seem that big of a deal in the scope of videogame remakes, but it told me early on in the game that the developers no longer saw the classics as sacrosanct. Stuff could be done better. Stuff can just be done differently, for the sake of a fresh experience.

Super Mario 64 DS is a good example of a remake that shook up the formula well. The original is still arguably better for its control and technical aspect, but the DS version is still worth playing for the new look, characters and THIRTY new stars with several new bosses. Aside from the base game it also had minigames and multiplayer modes. Yet it is still unmistakably a remake, just like Majora's Mask 3D.

Probably the most contentious change to Majora's Mask on the 3DS - and I'm pretty sure it is the most contentious unless I'm missing something - is the ability to create permanent saves without going back in time (which resets progress). On the N64 and subsequent ports, the 'quick saves' worked like they do in many traditional games - once you used it, it was gone, and you had to save again before quitting the game for a new save. Basically, you couldn't just reset the game if you made a mistake or too many mistakes and go back to a specific save point.

In casual, early or first playthroughs, it can be difficult to complete main quest segments such as dungeons in one three-day cycle (which is what you're limited to before being forced to go back in time). This can apply even to segments preceding the dungeon, with some cryptic progression points. It can be even more obnoxious if it's your first Zelda game, or if you didn't find out you can halve the speed of time - doubling your time limit. Now, this might have been an intentional design choice: to make it so you would have to carry out repeated playthroughs of some segments of the game, until you can do them fast enough or have all the pieces of the puzzle (figuratively speaking). It also adds tension to the game - when you're running out of time and you don't know if you're going to beat the boss in time. If it looks like it's going to go down to the wire. But it could also be interpreted as a lazy way to lengthen playtime. It's not necessarily fun having to retrace your steps.

Another way it could be looked at is that these two versions - original and 3DS - are simply products of their time. In fact they literally are, of course, but what I mean is perhaps the old way the game was played, with the greater time penalty, was more suitable for that era. It doesn't seem like a drastically different time, the late 90s, but there were much fewer forms of easily accessible entertainment, especially digital and media. Since then the floodgates really opened and piracy is rife. Nearly everyone has decent internet access. Life is generally a lot busier too. There was more time to dick around and look thoroughly for solutions in games, and more of a reason to since there were fewer great and easily accessible games. The 3DS version not only lets you keep permanent saves throughout the three-day cycle, but it also lets you move time forward by the hour by playing the ocarina. No more waiting around a long time for specific time events to occur.

Both playstyles have their merits, but in terms of playing the game for fun I'd have to go with Majora's Mask 3D from now on. It's interesting comparing this take to my thoughts on Pikmin 1 and 2, where I prefer the original as it has the strict time limit and penalty for messing up. But that is because, outside of the quirky log entries at the end of each day, Pikmin is not a hugely personal game. There are no major narrative elements you would have to sit through time and time again. It has an oldschool feel where when some big enemy appears to crush you, it is just viewed as a matter of course. Not like in 3D Zelda where the creature would flop about dramatically with big text to announce its name. The pikmin creatures have no names or personalities. Cold as it sounds, they are just tools, so losing them all doesn't make my heart bleed.

But funnily enough, though that is probably the most controversial change, it's one of the least surprising. Of course they were probably always going to introduce permanent mid-cycle saves. Modern gaming demands it. A TON of little changes are made to the game, everywhere. I don't even understand the decision-making behind a lot of them. Just to make the experience fresher? I kind of like that, though. It feels like it's in the spirit of the game, which remains to be one of the most distinct of the series. It was strange and mysterious in many ways. It was so different to Ocarina of Time despite borrowing so much, and that was the intention.

Then there are big changes. Every temple boss battle has been changed. Notably the second phases of two of them - maybe more, I can't remember - are completely reworked. I won't say how for spoilers, but that in one of these cases (the water temple's) it was done very well and in another case (stone temple), I still don't know what to think about it. That one frustrated me, but I don't know how much of it was bad game design and how much of it was just me being bad. But it was pretty clear, despite my somewhat foggy memory of the original, that it was an idea of Grezzo (the co-developer and driving force of these 3DS Zelda remakes) and not Nintendo. It was bizarre and struck me as a cool idea, if not entirely well-executed. Interestingly I feel like Grezzo's effort has brought the bosses in MM closer to those of the rest of the series, with a specific weak point you have to hone in on. In the original game, they were more like standard action game bosses with the sole weak point being their whole body.

To clarify my opinion on Ocarina of Time 3D, I still think it was a worthy instalment for introducing a new generation to the game, and in a well-preserved form too. Its merit is that it's exactly the same game, faults and all, but with better graphics and a smoother frame rate (especially compared to the European release), and it's still a great game. I was just disappointed that, for me, a fan of the game, the biggest selling point was a fresh coat of paint and the '3D' feature which I did not care for at all. It offered nothing truly new as like great remakes Zero Mission and SM64DS. It was just a pretty nostalgia trip with the distracting thought of: 'when is there going to be something new?' all the way through.

Meanwhile, Majora's Mask 3D transforms the games in ways that I find largely agreeable or understandable. It has everything Majora's Mask the original had, and then some new content. They still didn't dare to add a completely new dungeon, but at least they added a sidequest and made big changes elsewhere. And, while this isn't exactly to the merit of the recreators Grezzo, I feel like Majora's Mask has aged better as a game. Ocarina of Time is an epic but it's also a model of the standard Zelda formula. MM has way more personality and charm, with a darker tone and interesting time mechanic that they made more manageable. It's the cooler of the two games, and perhaps the one that had the most to benefit from a revamp.

Kriken · Post by **Kriken** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:57 pm

Her Mind: Chapter 3

The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

lmao

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Re: The Writer's Circle

Chapter 2

Re: The Writer's Circle

Game Review #4

HM Chapter 3

Who is online