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A Picture is worth 1,000 Words: RC's Arlington Tweet Re-visited

2021.09.14 18:11 AvidTreesFanA Picture is worth 1,000 Words: RC's Arlington Tweet Re-visited

​ https://preview.redd.it/f569bz1uihn71.png?width=898&format=png&auto=webp&s=c2f542f01b6aec88eb7978e36ae22a6d5ea2aad1 RC next to a cryptic treasure chest. https://preview.redd.it/e7b73xwqihn71.png?width=932&format=png&auto=webp&s=31e187bf3badcac09cf0667e0a089c09df1c2a7d https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/nbk1qi/i_just_visited_arlington_va_gamestop_where_ryan/ Sadly Superstonk will not allow me to list the link for this dd but click on their profile below to access it u/Red_Anon_Hodl https://preview.redd.it/kd26957iihn71.png?width=931&format=png&auto=webp&s=18a12bf7830ec5863b961201786980f5131a9e24 https://preview.redd.it/2qf04s4hihn71.png?width=935&format=png&auto=webp&s=512a3293b69662315daf9e1820fb43e5c442f6bf https://preview.redd.it/5wcrzutfihn71.png?width=922&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a86fd4d2fbc2e07bde944f3e69a53e08c6f8773 https://preview.redd.it/dncnq3teihn71.png?width=928&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b996488c55f90a35643d11bbb6af4c19c0ebc48 https://preview.redd.it/nd9nyomdihn71.png?width=927&format=png&auto=webp&s=dcda0f538fa87b8567151b89ede4eee4d5526ad4 https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/henderson/henderson-oks-land-deal-with-developer-convicted-of-tax-fraud-1590994/ https://preview.redd.it/byjmpupaihn71.png?width=922&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5b11afdff25c742c77f243d80e7680394d29b6a https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/business/20tax.html https://preview.redd.it/jdplh7r8ihn71.png?width=933&format=png&auto=webp&s=bbb19638c70c360fd440438de389e34ea5f20ef5 Watchdogs 2: The SEC (watchdogs) are not doing their job, so GME bulls (including retail) are rising up to create a financial revolution. Watchdogs 2 is a game that chronicles a technological revolt; placing specific emphasis on emerging technologies; and the effect it has in leveling the playing field for the average individual. Kind of like how many apes have been able to access the market by way of their phone; connecting millions of people to participate in the markets. https://preview.redd.it/vfgchfw5ihn71.png?width=742&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1c986862fbe7aa2eccee9be528d3473e9a526c0 https://preview.redd.it/hknayi05ihn71.png?width=702&format=png&auto=webp&s=b8ed70fa1f48e937a87e234eea921155cf62e12b Also, RIME's description mentions 'time manipulation'. https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/xbox-one/products/rime/10140246.html?condition=Pre-Owned https://preview.redd.it/panyj834hhn71.png?width=953&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff77c9a75a68f6c0750ef1aa7c5023a5a9f8049b A spaceman suit seen on the front of Risk of Rain 2. RC is next level. https://preview.redd.it/ig5cfy2tghn71.png?width=938&format=png&auto=webp&s=649b42340287466dd14517825a5001cbed0e9971 Saints Row 3 and Saints Row 1: , Saints Row 1 + 3 were developed by the company Deep Silver. Deep Silver is owned by Koch Media, founded by Franz Koch (former banker and founder of Koch International) and current CEO Klemens Kundratitz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Entertainment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Media The most important piece of information on this page is: Another game publishing label, focusing onsimulation games, was announced in March 2015 Here is a 2019 article that highlights that Koch Media plans to ensure classic brand comebacks such as Time splitters and Shenmue III. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-11-14-how-koch-media-is-ensuring-classic-brand-comebacks-are-worth-the-wait https://www.gamereactor.eu/koch-media-hit-by-simulation-feve You may be familiar with Farming Simulator, Cooking Simulator, Goat Simulator, Flight Simulator and a range of other simulation based games. Is it possible that Gamestop/RC is working with Koch Media (using their VR technology) to recreate classic gaming experiences such as Time-splitters and Shenmue to life through Virtual Reality? (who could ever forget playing Time-splitters at the arcade? Shenmue has a huge fan base). Regardless, Koch Media is the largest distributor of Virtual Reality games, and there is an interesting history to simulations (and geometric fractals) that can give us even more context. A basic fractal simulation principal is The 'Koch Curve' developed in 1904: https://javalab.org/en/koch_curve_en/ Other mathematically determined fractal simulation principles: https://javalab.org/en/category/math_en/fractal_en/ Yet another reference to simulation theory and simulation based games. I think I'm observing a theme around simulations. How about you? Scribblenauts: Well, all of us love making crayons jokes, making crayons drawings, apes are always making jokes regarding eating crayons, scribbling charts. Also a reference to astronauts because we are going to the moon. Sea of Thieves: Naked shorts are thieves, pirates, plunderers who steal from other ships (companies) at sea and sink the ship afterwards. Sega: Genesis Collection: The creation of a new financial system, a new world: aka Gmerica. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Hedgies 'raid the tombs' of their competitors. It is in this shadow that we have all been made aware of the history of the financial world; how we got here. It can be observed in all of modern history, from Jeff Bezos to Ken Griffin to Carl Icahn; all the way back to John D. Rockefeller's monopoly on the oil industry. Shadow Warrior: RC is cryptic, he has been encouraging us to be cryptic (because of Reddits censorship, which is why all my posts are half JPEG's now (a picture is worth 1000 words). All 3 of theses 'shadow' games are telling apes to be stealthy, employ different strategies to beat the algo and censorship. Shadow Tactics: To be silent, and to keep your enemy guessing you must operate somewhat in the shadows, you cannot reveal your strategy until you know you've won. Again, encouraging apes to use 'shadow tactics' to continue sharing information under the radar to avoid censorship. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn: Gamestop has been reborn. As have many other companies who have been 'brought back from the dead' (as MSM would have you believe they were failing businesses; when in reality they were profitable and were misrepresented by hedge-fund owned media to ensure fulfillment of their thesis investments). Sims 4 + Star Wars dual pack: I believe this is a reference to simulations once again. I believe RC is trying to tell us Gamestop is working on VR in a big way (possibly a VR star wars game as there was already the light saber VR star wars game created). It really is funny to think about how this whole MOASS situation will cement Gamestop as the largest gaming company in the world; right as we (as humans) are figuring out Virtual Reality technology. This means that Gamestop will most likely corner the VR market. Sims 3: Another reference to simulation theory/the 'simulation'. The Matrix is the most popular simulation theory movie, directed by the Wachowski's). You can see my post below that Decrypt's the release date of Matrix: Resurrection and explains why the Wachowski's are possibly working with RC on a Matrix MMORPG (which would be insane if it was exclusive). The Wachowski's had an active interest in blockbusters success due to their exclusive distribution relationship with Warner Bros. who made an exclusive deal with Blockbuster in 2010. Wachowski-Blockbuster connection here: https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/pke1z2/deep_dive_decryption_september_9th_release_of_og/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 Sine Mora (literally translates to 'sin lives' in Portugese or 'without delay' in Latin): 'Sin Lives' within the stock market as we have been able to connect many financial institutions to evil acts such as ponzi's, frauds, naked shorting, mob and intelligence involvement. The number of decent people who have had their lives completely destroyed by the scumbags that operate in the financial world will be avenged by apes. The Sinking City: The Traditional Financial system and current financial order is sinking, indexes will sink when Gamestop squeezes. The upcoming crash will cause asset prices to sink (except for GME). This also evokes a picture of time and age, wearing down that which was once relevant. a 'sinking city' is collapsing on it's foundation, getting closer to a 'sunken city' every day. South Park: The Fractured But Whole: Referencing his Mr. Hanky tweet from 2020; and the 'they killed Kenny! You Bastards!' meme. Both are from South Park. A show that has been critical (through comedy) of the ridiculous planning of our financial system. If you haven't watched the South Park episode 'Margaritaville' I would highly recommend it. Snow Runner: Another simulation based title from Koch Media which offers complete VR functionality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAU8AhLvA68 https://press.kochmedia.com/nl/SnowRunner---Get-a-taste-of-future-Seasons-content-with-the-Year-2-Pas It is a game where you must 'overcome extreme open environments' as a truck driver. VR. the whole tweet is referencing VR. Gamestop will be making a huge play on the VR market. Mark my words. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Hedge funds almost died during the January Squeeze but, because financial institutions paused buying, It provide them with another chance at life. the MOASS will threaten many of these hedge funds and financial institutions. Sniper 3+4: Yet another reference to a title released by Koch Media. https://www.gamespress.com/gameplay-fully-unveiled-in-latest-sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2-tra Koch Media will release the next edition of Sniper Elite, offering full VR functionality. Sub Nautica: Another title that offers VR functionality: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/993520564054974/ Hedgies are going under, buried in debt, drowning under water in their short position. Their portfolio's are under water. It is common to reference people who are in debt as 'under water'. Slime Ranchers: Could be referencing the term 'muckraker', which is a movement of investigative journalism that was pioneered by writer's such as Ida Tarbell (who wrote A Complete History of Standard Oil in 1904; exposing John D. Rockefeller's anti-trust/anti competitive practices) during 'The Progressive Era'. This movement has been revived by those of us apes exposing financial crime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muckraker Apes are muckrakers. So let's keep raking the muck, so we can see underneath. Many may not understand how relevant Ida Tarbell and the muckrakers are. Bezo's was/is trying to do with Amazon; what Rockefeller did with Standard Oil (and Carl Icahn and KKR tried to do before Bezos but I will explain this in a more comprehensive DD). Skylander's Imagination: The stock will shoot to the land of the sky. Gamestonk's price will go higher than anyone could imagine. Valhalla is also referenced in Norse mythology as the 'land in the sky'. Spyro: Re-Ignited Trilogy - Another reference to a game that has been 'Remade' or upscaled from past console releases. Again, this is very similar to what RC has tried to do with Gamestop, 're-ignite' the brand of Gamestop to it's former glory. Every single game that is on this shelf references a specific situation that is taking place around this Gamestop saga; the Gamestop situation destroying the legacy financial system. There is one more title which can be seen only partially on the left side of the picture; this took me a while to figure out: It's a copy of Batman Arkham: VR : https://preview.redd.it/m9uo3brlehn71.png?width=240&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d23a45b6060016d35695071ad3baf99a56a4c8a https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-4/products/batman-arkham-v10132350.html?condition=Pre-Owned Batman Arkham VR was released 2016. The cover uses the same design used on the cover of the movie 'Ready Player One'; which was released 2018. (more on Ready Player One in another dd but it will be revisited). Why is this post part screenshots? The reason I have screenshotted my recent posts is after heeding RC's message. He's been trying to tell us to communicate through pictures (since algo's can censor text entry information by value instantly using wide filter settings, but can't apply this same technology to jpegs). The only way to move information without it being censored is through pictures; algo's are not advanced enough to scan JPEG data to infer word value at the current time. Use pictures to make sure you cannot be censored by Reddit admins. reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/pl7sjg/gamestop_builds_new_app_to_host_2021_conference/ The above post confirms that Gamestop is using VR for there Q3 employee conference. I believe this will be a product test run for a virtual world. I believe no other company is better positioned than Gamestop to be the premier name in Virtual Reality gaming. I think this entire tweet was always a way to tell us that Gamestop was/is moving into VR heavily as it develops into an enormous emerging potential market capitalization. I am incredibly excited to see what RC and the team can accomplish and feel a long-term play at the virtual reality space would be a terrific direction to take the company. They could outfit their performance centres with VR facilities and be one of the first movers into the metaverse space (especially with NFT's/blockchain specialists on staff; this would make sense). Checkmate; just wait for my next DD..... We are in the endgame. Power to the Players. submitted byAvidTreesFantoSuperstonk [link][comments]

2021.09.14 17:31 AvidTreesFanA Picture is Worth 1,000 Words: RC's Arlington, VA Tweet Revisited

submitted byAvidTreesFantoGME [link][comments]

2021.07.11 01:17 New_Faithlessness980Batman and Superman: World’s Finest

Previous: ‘The Batman’ (https://www.reddit.com/RewritingTheDCEU/comments/o7pmby/the_batman/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Thank you all so much for the support for my first two stories in this DCEU Series. I had so much fun with both stories which were polar opposites in terms of tone as well as themes/ideas. ‘Superman: Man of Steel’ deals with the ideas of one man’s journey to find purpose in a world where he might feel rejected from one mistake, while still remaining truthful. ‘The Batman’ deals with loss and tragedy as well as the blurred line of what’s good or evil in a harsh environment. Question for you guys. Are you ready to see both ideas clash together? That’s right! The Dark Knight and Man of Steel are going to meet face to face for the first time. And yes, Lex Luthor is going to be the main villain in this iteration.
Zack Snyder’s ‘Batman v. Superman’ is divisive among many avid fans, but I believe it had a lot of potential to be great. So this rewrite will be based off of the ideas Snyder wanted to use for the film but execution wise, I’m making it better. Also, this will take inspiration from the animated ‘World’s Finest’ episode as well as the ultimate edition of ‘Batman v. Superman’. It will also draw from storylines such as ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ and ‘Superman/Batman: Public Enemies’. It will also consist of elements of rewrites of the film, mainly by Phoenix Studios. Even though this is a crossover, this will mainly be the story of trust and Batman’s redemption/road to recovery from the events of ‘The Batman’ which took place 2 months prior to this film.
WARNING: THIS IS A LONG ONE. SO BEAR WITH ME!!
RELEASE DATE: Spring 2008
RATED: PG-13
DIRECTOR: Brad Bird
WRITTEN BY: Jeph Loeb
MUSIC BY: Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Newton Thomas Sigel
CAST:
Jon Hamm as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman
Billy Zane as Lex Luthor
Charles Dance as Alfred Pennyworth
Anne Hathaway as Lois Lane
Evan Peters as Jimmy Olsen
Alec Baldwin as Perry White
Sally Field as Martha Kent
Denzel Washington as Lucius Fox (dies on impact)
Callan Mulvey as Garfield Lynns/Firefly
Lance Reddick as General Swanwick
Holly Hunter as Senator Finch
Jaimie Alexander as Diana Prince (cameo)
Andrew Garfield as Barry Allen (cameo [footage])
Sam Worthington as Arthur Curry (cameo [footage])
PLOT
The film opens with a flashback. But it is not of the Wayne Murders. It begins instead with the murder of Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of The Joker from the tragic events of ‘The Batman’ as well as Batman rushing to save him. This time, it is shown in the same poetically stylish way Thomas and Martha’s death was shown in the original film. We cut back and forth to Robin’s death and his funeral. The flashback ends with the exploding bomb that blew up the Joker’s hideout which wakes up Bruce on his bed which was just a bad dream.
CUT TO METROPOLIS. THE BLACK ZERO EVENT
We cut to the Black Zero event from ‘Superman: Man of Steel’ from Bruce’s point of view which will remain exactly the same from the original film except for one change. Lucius Fox is also caught in collateral damage and dies on impact. He grieves the loss of his friend (as risky as it is to kill off Lucius in his second appearance, I think he’d be a really great contributor in Batman’s character arc in this film). After Lucius dies by being crushed by the collapsing building, Bruce saves a couple of people mainly an orphan girl like in the original ‘Batman v. Superman’ film.
Cue the title - “Batman and Superman: World’s Finest”
CUT TO 5 MONTHS LATER
THE INDIAN OCEAN
We get the same version of the Kryptonite discovery as shown in the original film. But this time, the divers aren’t just regular divers. They are employees of the organization known as ‘LEXCORP’, a company that is owned by businessman Lex Luthor, who hasn’t made his appearance yet but had subtle hints to. We see the employees go to the ocean, gorgeous scenery, Kryptonite is pulled out. Next scene.
CUT TO GOTHAM CITY
We then cut to a scene where two cops are stumbling upon Batman rescuing the victims of human trafficking from the original film but instead, it is in Batman’s perspective when he interrogates the sex trafficker. He is shown to be a lot more brutal and darker than we last saw him. His methods of interrogation border on torture as he continuously slams his victims’ heads against the walls and unnecessarily breaks a bunch of their bones. Batman has heard rumors about the discovery of Kryptonite. He wants to know where he can find it which is why he is interrogating the traffickers in the first place. Even though the criminal reveals that the shipment Kryptonite is arriving in Metropolis within 1 week, Batman burns him with a bat-brand and tells him he got off lucky.
CUT TO THE BAT-CAVE
Bruce returns to the Batcave and informs Alfred that he has a lead on the Kryptonite. Alfred becomes concerned for the Dark Knight’s mental stability and gets into the same argument about the morality of killing Superman that he does in the original film. After the argument, he walks over to Robin’s encased suit and broods over the loss of his son. Bruce’s grief is fueling his misplaced sense of justice.
CUT TO THE DAILY PLANET IN METROPOLIS
We see Perry White telling both Lois and Clark to show Jimmy Olsen the ropes with the former going first. Perry instructs both Clark and Jimmy to go to a campaign speech by Lex Luthor that afternoon.
CUT TO METROPOLIS SQUARE
As both reporters join the crowds in Metropolis Square, Clark and Jimmy will start chatting and he asks if he’s nervous, because he could tell by his face and mannerisms that he is. But when Jimmy gets comfortable, he tells Clark he’s a huge Superman fan and shows him the Superman watch he bought online which makes Clark smile. We then get our first true look at Lex Luthor appearing on stage. Practical, charismatic, and formal (unlike Jesse Eisenberg), he is going to be running for the mayor of Metropolis and he is piggybacking off of the collateral damage done during the Black Zero Event to market himself as an patriotic savior of the people. Beside him suited up is none other than Bruce Wayne. It is revealed to the audience that ‘LEXCORP’ and ‘Wayne Enterprises’ have partnered up recently to donate millions of dollars to the ‘Rebuilding Metropolis Project’ in the wake of the Black Zero Event. Entrepreneurs like Lex and Bruce are the true heroes since it’s through both their efforts and donations that the innocent civilians of Metropolis are able to recover from vast casualties from the hands of Superman.
In short, Lex is protecting the people from their self-proclaimed protector. People buy into his propaganda and meanwhile there are some who are fine with a the Kryptonian around, there are others whose views are twisted into distrust and discrimination from Lex’s words. Clark and Jimmy will look at each other with disturbed concern as the crowd’s uproarious applause at Luthor’s discriminating speech pushes them to leave. As Clark is about to leave, we notice Bruce is giving Clark an intense devil’s eye with the Man of Steel returning his rude scowl before being dragged away by Jimmy. Bruce gets invited to Lex’s limo. The recent in rebuilding Metropolis has been a major success and he offers a toast to a fruitful alliance in the future. Lex proposes a new idea to Bruce saying:

• LEX: “This project will help ensure national security against all alien and meta-human threats. Having one alien is bad enough, but just how many are out there? How many are hostile towards regular human beings? Do they pose a threat to society? How can we be sure our world is safe?”

This project will help ensure all national security for the people of Earth. Bruce asks if vigilantes are also a threat to society with Luthor responding that he isn’t sure because he doesn’t want to take any risks. Bruce says he’ll consider the offer and will think over the idea.
We cut back to the Wayne Manor at night. Bruce will have a nightmare like in the original film but the dream is different. Instead, a scene will play out resembling one from ‘The Boys’ where Homelander slaughters an entire crowd of innocent people with his heat vision, but it’s Superman who’s doing it. This wakes him up and he calls up Lex saying that he’d do the project. From a cooperation between both Wayne Enterprises and LEXCORP, they will develop a surveillance satellite program named ‘Brother Eye’, which is designed to locate any meta-human on Earth by detecting their energy signatures and then discretely keeping tabs on both their locations and activities. Lex strongly believes that with ‘Brother Eye’, humanity can be a united front against all foreign threats like Superman and many hidden meta-humans. After a montage of engineers building the satellite, Bruce and Lex share a glass of wine in his office. This is where he will show some vulnerability and reveal his dark past as a child who was abused by an alcoholic father. This also correlates to his fear of aliens and the reason why he trusts Lex so much. It’s to a point where you don’t exactly sympathize with the antagonist but to completely understand them. And this scene is the perfect opportunity to have the audience empathize with him. He’s not a bad guy yet, he’s just afraid of Superman and rightfully so. And just like in the original film, he tells Bruce that his painting of angels and demons should be flipped upside down. We cut to some clips where the sex trafficker that Batman arrested pleads with the cops to put him in solitary confinement since he knows the bat-brand is a death sentence. Sure enough, the trafficker gets killed by fellow inmates on his first day in prison.
CUT TO THE DAILY PLANET
When it makes front page news, we cut back to the Daily Planet where Clark gets a window of opportunity to headline it. He becomes troubled and begins doing research on Batman as well as investigating to the best of his ability just like in the ultimate version of the original film. He then convinces Perry to let him do a story on the Batman but instead, Perry (being Perry), immediately shoots it down and tells him to work on headlines regarding Lex Luthor’s campaign speech. Clark gets discouraged but Jimmy is able to help him with his positive attitude. He gives him a talk about he believes his heart is in the right place during this troubling time and that he’s going the right thing for shining a light on Batman. To help him out, Jimmy decides to help him by volunteering to cover the story on Luthor so Clark can focus on Batman. Clark is thankful and this scene shows the bond that will form between the two.
After a long day, Bruce takes his Batmobile out to Metropolis. Tonight is the night the sex trafficker said Kryptonite was getting was being delivered and Bruce plans to steal it. At the docks, a ship called ‘White Portuguese’ will stop there and the crew will be lead by one of Luthor’s henchmen, Garfield Lynns, a.k.a. Firefly, a pyromaniac who uses a pressure suit equipped with a jet pack and a flamethrower to become an arsonist and a professional criminal in Gotham City. The chase scene with Batman vs. the Kryptonite smugglers will remain the same, but Batman is a lot less destructive and careless as he was in the film. He also won’t be killing people, flipping cars or shooting missiles. As soon as Batman shoots a homing beacon onto the truck before Firefly grabs him and lifts him up. Batman and Firefly will have a fight similar to the ‘Arkham Games’. As soon as Batman yanks him into the ground to finish him, he pulls out the bat-brand to burn him, a hand grabs Batman’s shoulder from behind we hear a voice say:

• VOICE: “That’s enough.”

The camera pan out and what do you know? It’s Superman. Batman grabs his wrist and tosses him, throwing him across the alley which catches the Kryptonian by surprise. Firefly escapes, Batman is about to stop him, until he gets rammed by Superman, who pins him there with his hand at his throat. Batman tries to escape and attempts to strike him in all of his pressure points which have no affect on him. We then get some dialogue:

• CLARK: “I heard you were a monster. But I didn’t think you were stupid.”

With his X-Ray vision, Superman pierces through Batman’s cowl and discovers the true identity of the Dark Knight.

• CLARK: “Bruce Wayne?”
• BRUCE: “You peaked.”

He lets go of Batman’s collar and drops him on the ground.

• CLARK: “You may have your way of doing things in Gotham. But this is my city. A word of advice: the next time they shine your light in the sky, don’t go to it. The bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy.”

While the Man of Steel turns to fly away, Batman stands back up to his intimidating height. His posture demonstrating a pure challenge to his authority. We then get this iconic line:

• BRUCE: “Tell me. Do you bleed?”

He launches into the sky.

• BRUCE: “You will.”

END OF PART I
Hope you enjoyed Part I, which introduced Lex Luthor and LEXCORP, established where Batman and Superman are, and explored the consequences of Superman’s actions. Part II will be released soon. What did you guys think? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments down below.
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2021.05.02 22:18 Underwhere_Overthere2014 Retrospective

I did this 2007 Retrospective (other related links inside) last week – as 2007 was the first full year after the launch of two seventh generation consoles, I thought it’d be interesting to do it with the eighth generation as well. As mentioned in the previous post, 2021 parallels 2014 (and 2007) to some degree – with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One officially launching in November 2013 and the Wii U launching in November 2012, 2014 was the first full calendar year after the launch of two major consoles.
I’m going to do a write-up for most of the notable games released in 2014, though some will be left out due to the 40,000 character limit. The 2014 window is based on North American release dates.
2014 featured a number of high-quality indie games: Shovel Knight, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, etc. This was at the point where so many indie games started to release that it was difficult to keep track of them all. In previous years Valve was a lot more selective about what went on their platform, but by 2014 the floodgates had opened, and 1771 new games were released on the platform, while just the year prior only 565 new games had released on the platform (and in 2020, there were 10,263!). Not to mention, a lot more indie games started coming to eighth generation hardware compared to the previous generation, though a lot of these titles came to consoles long after their initial Steam release.
Kickstarter was also becoming a big thing around this time – Kickstarter first launched in 2009, and by 2014 saw a number of hit games that were crowd-funded on the platform – Shovel Knight, Divinity: Original Sin, Freedom Planet, Wasteland 2, Broken Age: Part 1, etc. Early Access on Steam was launched in 2013, with the intention to allow players to experience games before their official 1.0 launch and give feedback.
Twitch had launched in public beta in June 2011, and by February 2014 was considered the fourth largest source of peak Internet traffic in the United States. February 2014 was when the legendary “Twitch Plays Pokemon” social experiment occurred – it was a playthrough of Pokemon Red controlled by users inputting their desired button inputs in chat. An AI program would register the button inputs in sequential order. The concept was developed by an anonymous Australian programmer. It took 16.4 days to complete and featured 658,000 participants and 36 million total views. This inspired other Twitch Plays variants, and Pokemon Crystal was put up as the next Twitch Plays game on the channel the day after Pokemon Red was completed.
Amazon acquired Twitch in August 2014. Twitch – as well as Let’s Play channels – have become very important to players and developers alike, and it’s allowed small time indie developers to see their games attain a wider audience. Five Nights at Freddy’s is an early example of an indie game popularized on Twitch and Let’s Play channels. PewDiePie’s Let’s Play of Skate (2010) in 2014 also prompted EA to print more copies of the game. Built-in video recording on the PS4 and XBO also allowed users to more easily share footage of gameplay.
Toys-to-life were a bigger thing in the mid-2010s, with Disney Infinity 2.0, Skylanders: Swap Force, and the introduction of Amiibo all releasing in 2014, with Lego Dimensions releasing in 2015. The first Skylanders game from 2011 gave rise to the toys-to-life gimmick that ultimately culminated in other major companies trying to mimic its success, though toys-to-life have since tapered off in recent years. That said, Nintendo is still releasing new Amiibo figurines on a fairly regular basis.
Microtransactions and free to play games were also making their way into PC and console games in greater numbers around this time, with Hearthstone being the most notable game released in 2014 that was free to play and included microtransactions. The trend of microtransactions really began earlier in the decade – for context, Team Fortress 2 – first released in 2007 – dropped its $20 price tag and went free to play in 2011, and RuneScape (2001) first introduced microtransactions in 2012. Though microtransactions existed in games even earlier than 2011, they did not have a pervasive presence in AA/AAA games like they do now.
This year was also dominated by ports and remasters. Many of the top scoring games – like Grand Theft Auto V, Diablo III, and Rayman Legends – were ports of seventh generation games to eighth generation platforms. A big part of this was in part due to the lack of backwards compatibility on the PS4 and limited backwards compatibility of the XBO. To be clear, I won’t be talking about any ports or remasters released in 2014, unless it is a full-fledged remake like Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, or a substantial collection like Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
In addition to the standard set of consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, the Ouya and Oculus Rift Development Kit 1 also released in 2013, with Development Kit 2 releasing in 2014. The Ouya was a Kickstarter-backed cloud streaming service that ultimately failed to take off, selling only 200,000 units in total and being discontinued in 2015.
The Kickstarter-backed Oculus Rift would see much greater success and would kickstart the modern Virtual Reality scene. Oculus was purchased by Facebook for $2 billion in March 2014. 2014 would later see several VR releases and announcements: Sony announced “Project Morpheus,” which would be their own VR headset and would eventually release in October 2016. Samsung announced the Samsung Gear VR. Google released their cardboard DIY stereoscopic viewer for smartphones. Commercially available VR headsets would trickle out throughout the years, with the Oculus Rift releasing for commercial use in March 2016 and Sony’s PlayStation VR releasing October 2016.
This list will not include games released in 2014 that received DLC the same year.

1. World of Warcraft – Warlords of Draenor
2. Diablo III – Reaper of Souls
3. The Last of Us – Left Behind
4. Street Fighter IV – Ultra
5. The Binding of Isaac – Rebirth
6. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two
7. Europa Universalis IV – Conquest of Paradise & Wealth of Nations
8. Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault
9. TowerFall – Ascension
10. Killzone: Shadow Fall – Intercept

• Dark Souls II – Dark Souls II is probably the most divisive game in the Souls fandom, and the only SekiSoulsBorne game not to be directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. However, with critics the game scored actually slightly better than both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls before it (91% versus 89% for the other two). Dark Souls II was controversial for its significant downgrade of graphics shown in pre-release footage versus the final product, plus technical issues in the PC version of the game. The chief complaint was that the world didn’t feel connected – the levels were more segmented, and the ability to warp to any bonfire from the beginning ruined the prospect of interconnectivity. Three DLCs were released that same summer, and reception among fans was much more positive than it was with the base game. While initially released only for PS3, X360, and PC in 2014, PS4 and XBO remasters were released the following year.
  
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Inquisition was actually intended to be the second game in the series rather than the third, but looking to cash in quick on the success of Dragon Age: Origins, publisher EA forced BioWare to ham out Dragon Age II in only 14 to 16 months – a similar scenario happened with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Inquisition was a large-scale RPG more akin to the original than the controversial second game. The game featured a semi-open world, dialogue choices, and a choice between three classes of characters. Like many games around this time, it featured a tacked-on online mode for up to four players.
  
• Destiny – Destiny was the first new IP from Bungie since 2001’s Halo. Shortly after the release of Halo: Reach in 2010, Bungie went to work on a new IP. Under agreement with publisher Activision, the development of this new IP would be owned by Bungie and not Activision. Although originally slated for a September 2013 release, Destiny would be delayed a whole year to restructure the game around a more open-ended approach. Destiny received a 75%-76% average depending on platform, with criticism aimed at the bare-bones story and grindy and repetitive post-game content. Future DLC and updates eventually expanded the game, and the sequel was much better received, though the first game’s initial launch in 2014 failed to live up to most people’s expectations.
  
• Titanfall – Titanfall was the first game from Respawn Studios, a studio composed of former Infinity Ward (Call of Duty) co-founders and other staff after both co-founders were fired by Activision, which was reportedly a way to deny them their bonuses and the creative control they were seeking. Several lawsuits followed, and Respawn Studios was formed soon after the firing, who then partnered with publisher EA. Rather than using market research to dictate the direction of the game like many big companies, Respawn Studios instead focused on open collaboration and ideas the team found exciting to eventually come up with the concept and core mechanics behind what would later become Titanfall. Titanfall combined parkour, mechs, and AI units in an online multiplayer game. Unlike its successor, Titanfall had no real single player campaign – just a few missions that helped the player learn the mechanics of the game.
  
• Far Cry 4 – With the third game releasing in 2012 and Blood Dragon in 2013, Far Cry at this point became one of Ubisoft’s biggest series. Far Cry 4 followed a similar structure as the previous mainline game, with the key differences being the inclusion of online co-op in the campaign and the more vertical and mountainous environment of Nepal. Far Cry 4 was one of the few games to make use of the DualShock 4’s touchpad, which was used as a weapon wheel.
  
• Watch Dogs – Watch Dogs received a tremendous amount of hype when it was first revealed at E3 2012. Although the game received good reviews, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. The original Watch Dogs was set in a fictionalized version of Chicago, in an open world environment with a day and night cycle and a dynamic weather system. The player character was able to hack the city’s infrastructure – jamming cellphones, accessing private information of citizens, controlling the traffics lights, etc.
  
• Alien: Isolation – Seventh generation Alien games were mostly action oriented, with none of them performing particularly well outside the 2011 side-scrolling DS game, Aliens: Infestation. Isolation was designed to be more like the original film and emphasize the survival horror elements. The story centered around Amanda Ripley, the daughter of the protagonist from the original film, 15 years after the events of that film.
  
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Call of Duty went into the far future with this title, introducing a number of changes to the formula. It was the first Call of Duty game to be developed solely by Sledgehammer Games (though they co-developed Modern Warfare 3 along with Infinity War). This was the same year Activision announced Call of Duty would go from two year development cycles to three years, to ensure high quality games.
  
• Assassin’s Creed Unity – Taking place during the French Revolution in Paris and being billed as a four player co-op “next gen” exclusive, Unity saw a lot of hype leading up to its release. Previous Assassin’s Creed games had PvP multiplayer, but this was the first entry with cooperative missions, though there were still some story missions that were single player only. Black Flag from the previous year had seen high praise, but Unity was criticized for its plethora of technical issues, weak story, and inability to play some missions solo. To this day Unity is still the lowest rated Assassin’s Creed game on consoles (not counting re-releases).
  
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue – Rogue was a sequel to Black Flag, which released the year prior. As Unity was released on the PS4/XBO/PC, Rogue was released the same day on PS3 and X360, before later being ported to PC, PS4, XBO, and Switch. Despite being the less anticipated of the two, Rogue received slightly more favorable review scores.
  
• Wolfenstein: The New Order – The New Order was the first game from MachineGames. The developer was formed in 2009 and originally set out to make their own IP. However, MachineGames owner ZeniMax Media acquired id Software around the same time and acquired its IPs, including Doom, Quake, Rage, Wolfenstein, and more. ZeniMax Media suggested MachineGames choose an existing id Software IP, and with id Software’s blessing, MachineGames went to work on developing a new Wolfenstein game in 2010. As the name suggests, the beginning of The New Order was set in an alternative 1946 where the Axis powers won World War II, and later flashing to 1960 in a resistance effort against these powers.
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Taking place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Shadow of Mordor was an open world action adventure game. The plot was a revenge story against the forces of Sauron, following a ranger named Talion. A core feature of the game was the Nemsesis system, which had enemy AI remembering the prior actions against the protagonist and react accordingly. The game’s 2017 sequel expanded on this system.
  
• South Park: The Stick of Truth – In 2009, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone contacted Obsidian Entertainment with the desire to make a South Park RPG. Both men were fans of Obsidian games and RPGs in general. The pair wanted to be more involved in the development of the game, as previous South Park games had received subpar performance from critics and fans alike. The Stick of Truth adhered to the show’s art style and was inspired by other popular RPGs, namely The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Earthbound. Some of its more controversial subject matters were censored in certain markets, with Parker and Stone instead narrating what happens in the scene. The game released first on PS3, X360, and PC in 2014, and later came to PS4, XBO, and Switch in 2018.
  
• The Evil Within – This was a survival horror action adventure game from Tango Gameworks. Tango Gameworks was formed by former Capcom designer Shinji Mikami, who directed many highly successful games, like Resident Evil 1 & 4, Dino Crisis, and Vanquish. The Evil Within played similarly to Resident Evil 4 and in many ways felt like more of a successor than Resident Evil 5 did. The game received pretty good reviews overall, but the technical issues, instant death traps, and convoluted plot were its main points of scrutiny among critics. The three DLCs that released the following year did make more sense of the base game’s story.
  
• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – Not to be confused with 2015’s The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes was marketed as a prologue chapter and sold at a budget price ($20-$40 USD depending on platform and distribution method), taking place nine years before The Phantom Pain. The main story could be completed in two hours, though the package as a whole had about 20 hours’ worth of content.
  
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel – Originally released on PS3, X360, and PC before being ported to the PS4 and XBO in March 2015, The Pre-Sequel, as the name implies, was an interlude chapter between Borderlands 2 & 3, taking place immediately after the events of Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 3.
  
• Lightning Returns – The final chapter in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, released only for X360 and PS3 (and later PC).
  
• The Walking Dead Season: Episodes 2-5 – A point and click adventure game from Telltale Games, who had worked on other games in the genre, like Sam & Max and Tales of Monkey Island. These games were said to follow the comics rather than the show. The episodes of Season 2 were periodically rolled out from December 2013 to August 2014. Telltale Games released episodes in four different series in 2014.
  
• The Wolf Among Us: Episodes 2-5
  
• Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1
  
• Game of Thrones: Episode 1
  
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
  
• Disney Infinity 2.0
  
• Thief
  
• Lords of the Fallen
  
• Just Dance 2015
  

• The Elder Scrolls Online – With the success of Skyrim, an MMORPG The Elder Scrolls game was given huge expectations. This Online iteration promised a large map spanning across various locations in the continent of Tamriel. Unlike the mainline games, it was developed by then new studio ZeniMax Online Studios. The game received mixed reviews and failed to live up to its high expectations, but development has regularly continued over the years, and the game is in a much better state now.
  
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – A free to play online digital card game received high praise, scoring an 88% on PC. The game was praised for its simple rules but complex interactions, polished presentation and attention to detail, and balanced gameplay. The game is also available on iOS and Android, and it has since dropped the subtitle.
  
• Divinity: Original Sin – Original Sin was crowdfunded on Kickstarter and received praise in all areas an RPG should excel in. This was the last game in the Divinity series (2002) featuring composer Kirill Pokrovsky, who sadly passed away the following year – he had been the composer for all Divinity games up to that point. An enhanced edition and console ports were released in 2015.
  
• Elite: Dangerous – This is the fourth entry in the Elite series and the first sequel in 19 years, as well as the first game to include MMO gameplay. Players would explore a realistic open-world representation of the Milky Way Galaxy. The game was brought to consoles in later years.
  
• SMITE
  
• Age of Wonders III
  
• Galactic Civilizations III
  
• Wasteland 2
  
• Assetto Corsa
  
• Black Desert Online
  
• WildStar
  
• Out of the Park Baseball 15
  

Sony usually has a pretty sizable offering of games each year, but 2014 was one of their off years. Among the games that did release in 2014, none of them were massive hits like The Last of Us from the year prior or Bloodborne from the year after.
2014 was the Open Beta launch of PlayStation Now in North America on PS3, PS Vita, and PS TV, which wouldn’t come to other markets until years later (2017 in Japan). PS Now later arrived on PS4 in early January 2015. Initially the service was $19.99 a month, only featured games on older PlayStation systems, had a much smaller selection of games, and users were unable to download any of the games and instead had to stream all of them. Sony has since gotten more competitive with their offering on PlayStation Now.

• inFamous: Second Son – Designed from the ground-up for the PS4, Second Son was the third mainline game in the series (fourth when counting the small-scale standalone title Festival of Blood). Second Son takes place after the second game’s good ending and features a new playable protagonist, Delsin Rowe. The decision to follow the good ending from the second game came from trophy data, which found that 78% chose the good ending. Second Son was set in Seattle, which is near where developer Sucker Punch is located. Sucker Punch worked directly with Sony and lead system architect Mark Cerny on Second Son, and pitched suggestions on what they wanted to see in the hardware of the console and the DualShock 4’s touchpad.
  
• inFamous: First Light – A standalone title released just five months after Second Son and following Fetch, a supporting character from the previous game. Director Nate Fox said it was an easy decision to make First Light, since everyone knew what to do development-wise and the tools were already in place. Although the game didn’t perform quite as well as Second Son, many critics praised the character of Fetch and preferred her over Delsin.
  
• LittleBigPlanet 3 – Media Molecule, the developer of the first two mainline games, went on to create Tearaway and Dreams, and development of LittleBigPlanet 3 was handed over to Sumo Digital. At launch, this was the buggiest game I had ever played – the game had a myriad of problems that soured the game and put many fans off the game. While the game has its problems even today, it’s in a much better place than it was before, although its legacy is tarnished by its poor state at launch. That said, LittleBigPlanet 3 did introduce some cool things to the series: 16 layers instead of three, three new playable characters, and new tools like the grappling hook. Just like with LittleBigPlanet 2, levels, outfits, stickers, and items were all ported over from the previous mainline games.
  
• Driveclub – From now defunct developer Evolution Studios, who had previously worked on MotorStorm and the early WRC games, Driveclub was a racing game with greater emphasis on online play and customization options, allowing players to modify their car, club, and driver. The game surpassed 2 million copies only nine months after its initial launch – however the online servers were shutdown on March 31, 2020.
  
• MLB 14: The Show – Also on PS Vita.
  

The PS4 and XBO probably shared more games than any previous generation, but Microsoft’s positioning of the system at E3 2013 led to a lot of animosity around the brand. Anyone on Reddit in 2013 knows what I’m talking about. Some of these unpopular features included: Internet required to play offline games, no traditional sharing of used games, and Kinect 2.0 bundled with every console, driving up the cost of the system and causing privacy concerns for users. Microsoft did backdown from these changes later on, but the brand still suffered a lot of damage. One of the biggest perks over the PS4 at the time was the (limited) backwards compatibility with both original Xbox and Xbox 360 games. In addition, Microsoft enabled external hard drive support for expanded storage options in June 2014, while the PS4 did not see this update until March 2017.
The idea behind bundling the Kinect 2.0 with every console was wider implementation of the Kinect capabilities into games – if everyone had it, developers would feel more incentivized to use the hardware. However, only six months after the console’s launch, Microsoft announced they would start selling the Xbox One without the Kinect for $400 USD – a $100 less than it launched at, which put the XBO at the same price as the PS4. Microsoft no longer officially supports the Kinect and even rolled out updates that removed Kinect-related features for the system. Like the X360 generation, the XBO was mostly front-loaded with its offering of console exclusives, with a few, like Titanfall, simultaneously releasing on PC.

• Forza Horizon 2 – While 2013’s Forza Motorsport 5 was an Xbox One exclusive, Horizon 2 actually came to both XBO and X360. Horizon took place in a fictional racing competition set within Southern France and Northern Italy and featured three times more drivable area than its predecessor. Horizon 2 would receive a standalone expansion pack to promote the release of the movie Furious 7 in February 2015, titled Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious.
  
• Sunset Overdrive – Developed by Insomniac Games, who had created games like Ratchet & Clank and Resistance for Sony platforms, Sunset Overdrive was a new IP set in a fictional, cartoony dystopian world. Players would explore an open world and engage in parkour, acrobatics, rail grinding, wall running, etc., with fast-paced combat encounters.
  
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection – Featuring Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 (and more later on), The Master Chief Collection was a huge value for the series that had defined the Xbox platform. The package also included updated audio and visuals. The release was plagued with server-side connectivity issues for online play at launch, though the campaigns worked as intended.
  
• Kinect Sports Rivals – The third game in the Kinect Sports series, Rivals was the first game in the series developed for the Kinect 2.0.
  
• Fantasia: Music Evolved – A Kinect-based rhythm game.
  
• Dance Central Spotlight – A Kinect-based rhythm game.
  
• D4
  

Nintendo was struggling to gain an audience with the Wii U, and 2013 was the first year in the company’s history that they posted a loss. A lot of people weren’t even aware of the Wii U’s existence. However, on the gaming side, the Wii U had a great quality and quantity of first and second party games releasing in 2014. That said, the third party support was weak, and third party developers began to realize this wasn’t a system worth investing in. For example, the Cold, Cold Heart DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) was originally meant to release on all four platforms the base game had been on: PS3, X360, PC, and Wii U, but “due to lack of demand” the Wii U did not receive this DLC.
Amiibos were also introduced in 2014 and sold like gangbusters – many stores were out of stock of Amiibos. There were 18 separate Amiibo figurines at the end of 2014 – this number has grown to 182 at the time of this writing.

• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – The fourth console entry in the series, the Wii U iteration was the largest package to date and featured more modes than even Ultimate had at launch. In addition to the large cast of characters, stages, and modes, the game featured eight player battles for the first time, Amiibo support, and post-release downloadable content. Perhaps best of all, Smash 4 eliminated tripping. Like the 3DS version, the Wii U version had its set of version-exclusive stages. Smash 4 also allowed players to customize their fighters with different moves that could be earned through playing the various modes. Custom characters could be transferred between the 3DS and Wii U. This feature did not return in Ultimate.
  
• Mario Kart 8 – Mario Kart 8 introduced anti-gravity racing that allowed racers to drive on walls and ceilings. Although all Mario Kart games have performed well, #8 received exceptionally high praise, though one point of contention was its downgraded battle mode. Instead of traditional battle courses seen in earlier games, battles in this game were instead done on the race tracks, though the Switch version released three years later addressed this issue and implemented specifically designed battle tracks. Two DLC packs were released in late 2014/early 2015 and brought with them a lot of Nintendo characters from other series, including The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and F-Zero (such a tease).
  
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – Tropical Freeze was the second Donkey Kong Country game from Retro Studios. This new title added two new characters, Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong (and later Funky Kong in the Switch version), water levels (seen in the original trilogy but not Returns), and online leaderboards for the time attack mode.
  
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Captain Toad had been featured as a side character in Mario games since 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy. 2013’s Super Mario 3D World was the first time gamers could play as the character, through a handful of slower-paced puzzle-focused diorama-like levels not connected to the main quest. Captain Toad was chosen as the character for these levels due to the idea of his heavy backup preventing him to jump, allowing the team to develop levels that would fit on a single screen. The concept of the Captain Toad levels in 3D World reminded Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto of one of his earlier gameplay ideas inspired by the Rubik’s Cube, and so he suggested the 3D World team make a separate Captain Toad game in late 2013. Captain Toad took many of the assets from 3D World and repurposed them. The game retailed for $39.99 USD.
  
• Hyrule Warriors – A hack and slash title that played similarly to studio Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series.
  
• NES Remix 2 – Along with the original, this was one of the few Wii U games that wasn’t ported to the Switch. The concept of the NES Remix games were to take old NES games and add new challenges to them. For example, in Stage 1-4 of Super Mario Bros. 3 you are tasked with collecting 10 coins as you descend in the tanuki suit. NES Remix 2 featured 12 NES games and 169 challenges. The sequel is widely considered to have better games featured, but not necessarily better remixes.
  
• Pushmo World – Developed by Fire Emblem/Advance Wars/Paper Mario developer Intelligent Systems and known as a Pullblox World in Europe, this game was the third of four entries in the “’mo” series of games, along with Pushmo, Crashmo, and Stretchmo. It was also the only title on a console. Players would navigate a single screen puzzle, pushing and pulling blocks to make their way to the exit. The game featured 250 levels, a level editor, and a Miiverse online service.
  
• Bayonetta 2 – The original Bayonetta was published by Sega, with the development team headed by PlatinumGames and directed by Hideki Kamiya, who previously directed Devil May Cry, Bayonetta’s most obvious inspiration, and other well-received titles like Resident Evil 2, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami. While the original Bayonetta did sell millions of copies, it failed to meet sales expectations. Nintendo stepped in with funding to make Bayonetta 2 a reality when Sega refused to do so, and so Bayonetta 2 became a Wii U exclusive. Since the original was not available for any Nintendo platform previously, the original Bayonetta was packaged in with every retail copy of Bayonetta 2.
  
• Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric – In May 2013, an exclusive partnership between Sega and Nintendo was announced, with the intention to bring three new Sonic games to the Wii U – this seemed like a big announcement for a system that didn’t receive a lot of third party support. However, these three games ranged from mediocre to awful, with Sonic Boom being the worst of the three, and possibly the worst Sonic game ever, averaging a 32%. This title was actually developed by Big Red Button and aimed at Western audiences, and it served as a prequel to the TV series of the same name. The game was panned for its repetitive level design, bad camera, dull combat, poor frame-rate, and numerous bugs.
  

• Bravely Default – Bravely Default began as a sequel to 2009’s Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, a retro-inspired throwback title inspired by the NES and SNES Final Fantasy games. Producer Yomoya Asano instead decided he wanted to try something new, but would still stick close to the traditional style JRPG like The 4 Heroes of Light. The game was highly praised as a throwback JRPG, though criticism was aimed at the large grind seen in the later stages of the game.
  
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS – This was the first Super Smash Bros. game on a handheld device, and it featured much of the same content seen in the Wii U version, though with downgraded visuals. The 3DS version featured version-exclusive stages and a version-exclusive modes – Smash Run and Street Smash (the Wii U version instead had Smash Tour). The 3DS version sold almost twice as much as the Wii U version, on account of the 3DS selling way more units than the Wii U in general. For many players unwilling to fork over another $300 USD, the 3DS version was the only place to play the new Super Smash Bros.
  
• Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – A remake of the 2003 (2002 in Japan) third generation games, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire retained the 3D visuals introduced in Pokemon X/Y and introduced content not seen in the original games, most notably the post-game Delta Episode, though many fans were upset that the game failed to include the Battle Frontier first seen in the enhanced remaster, Pokemon Emerald.
  
• Pokemon Art Academy – A Pokemon-themed educational drawing game and a spin-off of the Art Academy series.
  
• Pokemon Battle Trozei – A Pokemon-themed puzzle game and a sequel to the 2005 DS game Pokemon Trozei!
  
• Mario Golf: World Tour – This was the first Mario Golf game in a decade, with the 2004 one releasing on the GameBoy Advance. This new Mario Golf game featured a single player campaign and an online multiplayer mode, the first in the series’ history.
  
• Yoshi’s New Island – The development of this game was handled by Arzest (though I have to believe Nintendo came up with the title), who would later go on to create Balan Wonderworld. The game averaged a 64% and was criticized for its visuals, soundtrack, and pacing. New Island also featured a tacked-on multiplayer mode, with six short-lived time-based score mini-games.
  
• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy – The sixth entry in the series and the final part of the prequel trilogy.
  
• Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney – This crossover features the court room cases seen in the Ace Attorney games and the puzzle solving from the Layton games.
  
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe
  
• Kirby Fighters Deluxe
  
• Dede’s Drum Dash Deluxe
  
• Steel Diver: Sub Wars
  
• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
  
• Tomodachi Life
  
• Fantasy Life
  
• Azure Striker Gunvolt
  
• Mighty Gunvolt
  
• Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
  

• Velocity 2X – A hybrid between a vertical shoot ‘em up and a side scrolling action platformer. The developers, FuturLab, signed with Sony to create more titles for the PS Vita after the success of the first game, Velocity. It was the highest rated PS Vita game of 2014 with a 90%.
  
• Hohokum – Also on PS3/PS4. Described as an art game, the player controls a snakelike creature to explore 17 whimsical worlds. Developer Honeyslug Games collaborated with Richard Hogg (illustrator and designer) and Santa Monica Studio (God of War) for this title.
  
• Tales of Heart R – A complete remake of the 2008 Japan-exclusive DS game, featuring full voice acting for the main scenario, new playable characters, 3D graphics, and 10 new cut-scenes.
  
• TxK
  
• Freedom Wars
  
• Toukiden: The Age of Demons
  

• Shovel Knight – Shovel Knight was an early Kickstarter success and is seen as one of the primary faces of indie gaming. Channeling the nostalgia of the NES era, Shovel Knight takes inspiration from classics like Duck Tales, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Mega Man, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, and Super Mario Bros. 3. Shovel Knight would see many updates through the next six years, including three new campaigns similar in length to the base game, a Super Smash Bros.-style mode, additional challenges, and local co-op support for the Shovel Knight campaign.
  
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 & 2 – The developer behind Five Nights at Freddy’s, Scott Cawthon, released a large number of games in the years prior to Five Nights at Freddy’s. In the early 2010s, Cawthon submitted several games to Steam Greenlight. Some games, most notably Chipper and Sons Lumber Co., received heavy criticism for having characters that moved and interacted like animatronics. Although initially discourage, Cawthon eventually decided to make a game themed around animatronics, and thus Five Nights At Freddy’s was born, with a sequel releasing later that same year. Five Nights at Freddy’s as a series may have more games than any other indie series – if not, it’s definitely still up there.
  
• The Vanishing of Ethan Carter – A first person exploration game taking place in 1973 that follows a paranormal investigator in a search for a missing boy named Ethan Carter. The studio behind the game, The Astronauts, was formed in October 2012 by three former People Can Fly employees, the developers behind Painkiller and Bulletstorm. The team decided early on that they wanted to make a story-heavy game rather than another a first person shooter.
  
• Transistor – From developer Supergiant Games, who eventually went on to create Hades, Transistor was the second of now four games from the studio. Like all its other games, Transistor is played from an isometric view with real-time combat, with a strong emphasis on story. The game would go on to sell over a million copies a year and a half after its initial launch.
  
• Child of Light – A small scale side scrolling RPG following Princess Aurora, who grows from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 throughout the course of the game. The game came from Ubisoft Montreal, with its presentation inspired by games like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy VIII, and Limbo, and its art style inspired by Studio Ghibli and Yoshitaka Amano. Its battle system uses an active-time system similar to the Final Fantasy and Grandia series.
  
• Crawl – A local 3v1 dungeon crawler, where three players possess traps and enemies in an effort to defeat and take control of the human player. Each run is about 30 minutes long and allows players to upgrade their chosen monsters and weapons and skills as the human character. The match ends with a boss fight, allowing the three non-human players to possess different parts of the boss. There’s also some single player content that tasks you with defeating waves of enemies. To this day it’s still one of the most unique PvP games I’ve played.
  
• Duck Game – A local, online, and combo multiplayer arena fighter featuring tons of maps, weapons, and quacking.
  
• Trials Fusion – A 2D physics-based platform racing game, featuring online and local multiplayer support and a track editor, developed by RedLynx in collaboration with Ubisoft Shangai and Ubisoft Kyiv.
  
• Kero Blaster – From the developer of Cave Story, Kero Blaster was a linear run & gun drawing inspiration from NES classics like Mega Man and Contra.
  
• Never Alone – Never Alone was a local co-op-focused side scroller. With one player controlling the girl and the other the fox, the two players worked in tandem to overcome the icy and treacherous Alaskan climate. Never Alone is based on Inupiat folktales and was developed by Inupiat people.
  
• Freedom Planet – A 2D platformer heavily inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog games.
  
• The Banner Saga
  
• Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
  
• Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
  
• This War of Mine
  
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War
  
• Super Mega Baseball
  
• Legend of Grimrock II
  
• The Talos Principle
  
• Nidhogg
  
• Octodad: Dadliest Catch
  
• Knight Squad
  
• Cannon Brawl
  
• Lethal League
  
• Kalimba
  
• Crypt of the Necrodancer
  
• Kentucky Route Zero – Act II
  
• Year Walk
  
• Goat Simulator
  
• OlliOlli
  
• The Swapper
  
• Race the Sun
  
• Broken Age: Part 1
  
• Sportsfriends
  
• Chariot
  
• Mercenary Kings
  
• Luftrausers
  
• Mini Metro
  
• Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones
  
• 1001 Spikes
  
• Kalimba
  
• Pix the Cat
  
• Toybox Turbos
  

2014 may not have had quite as many blockbusters as others years, but it saw a lot of indie games, the introduction of PlayStation Now, new, successful takes in existing series like Alien, The Lord of The Rings, and South Park, and a plethora of open world action adventure/RPGs that would define the generation.
submitted byUnderwhere_OvertheretoGames [link][comments]

2021.01.08 22:42 KikiFlowersA Retrospective on Super Robot Anime.

(Note: All Streams links are for sites in the US, they may or may not work if you live outside the US and you will probably need a subscription for the various services as well)
What the heck is a Super Robot? Is it like a Gundam? The answer to that isn't too hard. A 'Super Robot' typically is more colorful, like a superhero would be, with a simple plot to follow. Bad guys from another dimension, beneath the Earth, Hell, Space, whatever, come to Earth to invade and destroy it. The robot's origins vary from show to show, but usually the origin is it was built on Earth to fight these evil bad guys, with the pilot typically being a young adult male, who is either related to the robot's creator(Mazinger Z), is part of a team(Voltes / Combattler), or somehow stumbled into it(magical key, or something else). This side of mecha has essentially died out, with new super robot shows being few and far between.
While 'Real Robot' plots are typically more complex,typically involving other humans as the enemy, rather than aliens, the robot is in many cases special, not because it's one of a kind, but because of its pilot. It typically involves more politics in it, with the characters being more reserved or in some cases whiney at first, but as the series progresses grows up. Pilots are typically older teens, to young adults who have stumbled upon the mech(Macross, Gundam, etc) and are now part of a war to save the Earth. What real robot does differently here is that while the robots are the main focus, typically it's more of a character drama. This is the most common mecha series you will see today.
This list will be separated by two categories oldschool(60's and 70's) and newschool(80's and beyond) and it also won’t cover everything because there’s no way I could get through this list then.
With Getter Robo Arc due out in the Summer, I figured this is a good time to get new fans into it. So to start: Getter Robo is a 70s manga written by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, with an anime coming not long after the manga. It has all your typical super robot elements that you'll find in stuff like Gurren Lagann. However what it does differently from other shows of its time and later ones is that while all 3 Getter Machines combine, they can transform into 3 different forms, with Getter 1 being the most recognizable. If you're not a fan of anime from the 70s, you can watch 'New Getter Robo' and get a similar plot, however instead of the 'Dinosaur Empire' you get Oni. For other Getter entries we have two OVA series from the 90s called Getter RoboArmageddon and Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo, both with bangers of openings. Despite the influence of Getter on mecha as a whole, it only had one animated sequel, while Mazinger was infinitely more popular in comparison.
Honestly if you just want to watch Armageddon and Shin vs Neo, you can, you don't really need to watch the original Getter to know what's going on in Armageddon, because it's a seperate continuity to the original Getter series, while also a different one to the Getter manga. Shin however is a sequel, and you would be lost if you don't watch Armageddon first. That being said these both are masterful OVAs and still hold up wonderfully. There's also Getter Robo Go, a show that I have no idea on, but it was what helped revive Getter. Getter as a whole is important to mecha, since many of the tropes you see now originated there, even the Gainax pose originated from Getter Robo.

Where to watch Getter Robo?

Like a lot of these on the list, nowhere. Retrocrushdoes however have New Getter Robo available for free on their website.
Mazinger is a show that many older Spanish-Speaking fans may remember, if they grew up in the 80s and lived in Latin America, Spain, really anywhere they spoke Spanish, there's a good chance you saw this on TV. This was owed to the fact that Latin America has a massive amount of Japanese Latin Americans, which may help to explain why they got so many anime properties through the 80s. Anime had an incredible following outside of Japan, with Spanish-Speaking audiences, it was to the point where there were three dubs for each kind of colloquial Spanish. There's even a Mazinger Statue in Spain.
This is one of the biggest influences to modern mecha anime, rather than simply being remote controlled, suddenly the robot was piloted and it made everything cooler. Secondly you have the gratuitous use of stock footage, which you'll notice in a lot of things, Kouji flying the Pilder into Mazinger's head, Mazinger rising from the pool, etc. And then of course, you have the team up movies, which paved the way for what Sentai does on a yearly basis, these movies featured Mazinger Z(and later Great) teaming up with Devilman, Getter Robo and later Getter Robo G. The plot to these movies were simple enough, bad guys show up, Mazinger can't beat them alone and [Insert Go Nagai Character] shows up to help beat up the bad guys. Like the Sentai team up movies, you don't need to watch any of them if you don't want to, none of this is ever referenced in the shows,
Some of the mech designs, such as The Aphrodite A are...pretty silly, it fires missiles out of its breasts, but is otherwise useless. The idea of a 'Female Support Robot'(Like Aphrodite) carries over into every Mazinger series, even appearing in SKL, with a more Lady Devilman-esque design.
If you choose to watch Z, be warned that it's 92 episodes long. There's a manga, but it's untranslated as far as I'm aware(probably also extremely hard to get). If you just watch a few episodes of the original and move on that's fine, you're not missing a ton. Mazinger's popularity led to Toei quickly greenlighting a sequel, Great Mazinger, which has a similar plot, but instead of dealing with Dr Hell and Baron Ashura, our new MC, Tetsuya has to deal with the Great General of Darkness and his evil plans. It's about the same nonsense from Z, same for Great's sequel Grendizer which had the titular robot transform from a UFO into a robot. Mazinger saw just one more sequel after this, 'God Mazinger' which had zero connection to anything and had only 23 episodes.
From there, the franchise just fizzled out, it remained popular in Super Robot Wars, which led to Mazinkaiser(Note both this clip and the next one are from Alpha), debuting in '4th Super Robot Wars'(remade as F / F Final for PS1 and Saturn), this game also marked the debut of Shin Getter Robo. But anime wise, we wouldn't get anything until 2002's Mazinkaiser, which marked the return of the franchise after being dormant for decades. This in turn led to three new projects, Mazinkaiser vs The Great General of Darkness, a remake of the original Mazinger movie, Shin Mazinger Z, which was supposed to get a Great sequel, but due to poor sales never did, and finally Mazinkaiser SKL one of the craziest OVAs out there. Seriously, SKL is fucking crazy, watch it, you need zero knowledge of Mazinger for it. It's incredibly edgy(literal edge too), but worth it.

Where to watch?

Everything but Mazinger Edition Z is unavailable for legal streaming. It's currently available on Retrocrush and Crunchyroll

• Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 - Zambot 3 is basically the Evangelion of 70s robot anime. It starts off as a typical super robot series, but asks the question of “Why are children always picked to pilot giant robots?” This is one of the more important shows for its time, presenting a serious story rather than just the usual goofiness that came with the genre. In turn, Zambot 3 was also the first real robot anime showing for the first time a horrifying depiction of war, while also showing the consequences of war, it’s not all “I beat up your monster and get to goof off now!”, serious things happen, this is where the “Kill ‘Em All Tomino” nickname comes from. Without Zambot 3 there is no Gundam, no Evangelion, none of that.

This is also where the head design for Gurren Lagann originates from

Where to stream Zambot 3?

Nobody has it, if you’re that interested in it, you’ll need to find other methods to watch it.

• Honorable mentions go to Gaiking and Steel Jeeg, which were more of the same super robot formula from Toei and Go Nagai, not much that they did different from Mazinger, but both got remakes in the 2000s, but neither is available legally and Gaiking has some pretty bad fansubs last I saw.
  
• I also highly recommend giving Robot Girls Z a try, if you've seen some of these 70s anime, cute girls dressed up as Mazinger, Great Mazinger and Grendizer, with others dressed up as other Nagai-Related mecha. It's a massive parody of the shows it references, with cameos by the pilots themselves. It's also available on Crunchyroll!
  
• Tetsujin 28 Go
  

The Great Granddaddy of all giant robot anime, 1963's Tetsujin 28-go, is what started it all. Tetsujin was developed by the Japanese in the final phase of the Pacific War(our World War 2) by the Japanese, to take down the Allies, but due to an allied bombing construction never finished, its creator Dr.Haneda died before he could complete Tetsujin and take on the Allies. Tetsujin was not the first of its kind though, Dr.Haneda had built 27 other robots, which were all destroyed from the bombings, save for #26 and #27 which fell into the hands of criminals. These villains used the remote controlled robots to commit a string of crimes throughout Japan. However there was a 28th Robot, which was still out there somewhere. Which is where Shotaro the son of Dr Haneda comes in. Shotaro with the help of Dr.Shikishima, a colleague of Dr.Haneda, prevents Tetsujin-28 from falling into the hands of these bad guys.
I can't really find much information on the original Tetsujin, aside from this description of the original series, but needless to say it helped to pave the way for future giant robot anime. Although older fans will know it better as 'Gigantor', which was imported to America by Fred Ladd, better known for dubbing Astro Boy into English.
Tetsujin had a remake in the 80s titled 'New Tetsujin-28', wherein instead of being to fight the Allies, Tetsujin was being constructed to fight aliens. Once again Fred Ladd was involved in getting this show in the US, under the name 'The New Adventures of Gigantor' . The franchise as a whole never proved popular enough to milk, like so many others and was revived in 2004 for a 26 episode remake, focusing on Shotaro attempting to control Tetsujin, while fighting other creations and scientists from the Tetsujin project. This remake was pretty good, from what I remember, although they did censor it quite a bit.

Where to watch?

You can't, nobody has the legal stream rights, to any of them. Fansubs are available though, I can't vouch for accuracy.

• Honorable mention goes to Giant Robo, another series that helped to pave the way, but it was a Tokusatsu, until the, The Day the Earth Stood Still OVA series from 92-96. It is however still highly influential and should be mentioned.

• Transformers - Transformers is....complicated. G1 was a joint production between Hasbro and Takara. The toy line and animated series were based off of the Microman, Diaclone and Microchange toy lines, each of these presented certain concepts that would later form the actual series. You know all the plot of the series, so I won't repeat it, but it was one of the first to have the robots be the actual characters, rather than just mindless machines, meant to be piloted. This concept would be seen again throughout the Braves series. I say the series is complicated, because some shows are American productions, while some are Japanese. The Japanese ones (Victory, Headmasters, Masterforce, Scramble City) aren't available for legal purchase anywhere outside of Japan, to complicate matters, these are their own separate continuity.

Where to watch Transformers?

None of the Japanese only sequels are available for streaming, but G1 is available for stream purchase through YouTube and Amazon Prime. There are rumors that Hasbro may be planning to make their own streaming service or possibly partner with Paramount's service, which could see the release of everything in that case, but it’s still only a rumor.

• Go-Lion / Voltron - There's not a ton to actually say here, transforming lion robots combine into one giant robot, it's the same formula Voltes / Combattler did and the same formula Sentai does. Go-Lion wasn't anything special, it was an alright series, but for many Americans it was their first taste at serious animation. American kids were still watching The Smurfs and whatever shlock Hanna-Barbera had put out that year. Yes it was incredibly toned down for American Audiences(because of different standards), but it also had a serious plot, it wasn't just another copy paste cartoon, it was everything a kid could want. It was so popular in the US that Toei created more episodes for it and sold the full rights to World Event Productions, meaning every new Voltron has nothing to do with Go-Lion. Voltron's popularity inspired a sequel 'Vehicle Voltron'(Armored Fleet Dairugger XV), which didn't do so well. To the point where the 'Gladiator Voltron'( Lightspeed Electroid Albegas) spinoff got scrapped.

The openings for both of them are pretty good though.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll has the full Japanese version, subbed and for free. While the VOLTRON Channel has all 52 episodes of Go Lion subbed and for free, as well as 4 seasons of Voltron, but they're still posting episodes.

• Gunbuster - You've seen me write about it, Studio Gainax's progenitor to Evangelion, you can see the influence of Getter Robo and Aim For The Ace! in Gunbuster, but you can also see many themes and character designs that would make their way into Evangelion, albeit more refined. Gunbuster is one of the best Super Robot series out there and it only gets better with time.

Where can you watch Gunbuster?

The Six-Part OVA series in unavailable for streaming, but you can watch 'GUNBUSTER The Movie' through HiDive, but you need a subscription for it.

• Dancouga - Super Beast Machine God - Possibly one of the best Combiners, Dancouga is a mid 80s series with the story elements being heavily influenced around Christianity and Taoism, with the theme of gods being prevalent throughout. What Dancouga does differently than something like Go-Lion or Combattler, is that Dancouga doesn’t form until the later half of the series, with the Cyber Beast Machines being capable of holding their own in combat. This is what Dancouga does differently, it treats the monster of the week as something more than a quick fight, while giving you a blasting soundtrack along the way. The mech designs were handled by none other than Masami Obari, who is well known for his style of mech design. He's best known for his mecha designs, but King of Fighters fans will recognize him as the Director for the new anime short.

I will say that the first half is very slow, given that you don’t see Dancouga get formed until midway through the series, but it is so worth getting through that to see Dancouga form for the first time. Due to the success of the TV series, it was followed up with 3 OVAs that served as continuing the adventure of the Cyber Beast Force in a rebuilding world and trying to get rid of remnants of the Zorbados Empire. The OVAs are some good content too, so I highly recommend them.

Where can you watch Dancouga?

The TV Series is available for free streaming on Retrocrush and Crunchyroll, unfortunately they don’t have the OVAs, so you would need to find a different method to watch them.
As you enter 90’s Super Robo Territory you begin noticing one thing: Sunrise is the dominant studio now. Toei’s reign as the top studio ended, in part due to God Mazinger going nowhere and the franchise being iced for a decade and some change, in other parts because they began producing other content. Sentai was going strong, Kamen Rider had ended with Black RX, while Dragon Ball had just entered into the Z Storyline and was becoming massive, so they no longer adapted whatever ideas Go Nagai was throwing at them. This also began the steady decline in the Super Robot subgenre, in favor of more Real Robot style shows. The 80s was when Real Robot became popular, but the 90s cemented that.

• King of The Braves GaoGaiGar - Starting off with the pinnacle of the Brave series for a reason here. GaoGaiGar is different from the rest of the Brave series, in that while Gai does merge with Galeon(something the Brave series has done before), the transformation to GaoGaiGar is more mechanical in nature, Gai requests 'Final Fusion' it gets approved and the Gao Machines, fly off to give us an awesome stock footage transformation sequence. This series features your typical Super Robot elements, Combining Mecha, Screaming, Amazing attacks and of course bad guys from another world. GGG was basically the last hurrah for the team working on the Braves series, since this was the final one. Unfortunately despite the love for the series now, the ratings just weren't good and the toy sales sucked. Initially Sunrise had planned a sequel called 'The Saint of Braves Baan Gaan', but that got scrapped, reused for a video game and the general concept re-tooled for Gear Fighter Dendoh.

GGG was popular enough to warrant three sequels though, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final; or The King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final Grand Glorious Gathering, for the TV Recut. Betterman which shares a continuity with GGG, but very little else. Finally you have King of Destruction: GaoGaiGar VS Betterman, Light Novel, as well as an Web Manga adaptation, which like the series is not available legally. But it has been fan translated, so far up to Chapter 5.7. GGG Is influenced by a lot of things, notably Kamen Rider, while also inspiring many series, but we'll be here all day if I list everything.
GGG is one the best examples of Super Robot, it's also one of most hot blooded ones, with so much screaming(Warning this is loud and contains spoilers), that it's a shock that these voice actors didn't damage their vocal chords.

Where can you watch GaoGaiGar?

Unfortunately your legal options here...don't exist. Media Blasters had the US rights for some time, but due to poor timing, the dub(it was pretty bad) never finished. Up until Daisuki closed, you could have watched it on there and buying the DvDs is out of the question, due to the fact they were never completed by Media Blasters, so sailing the seven seas is your best bet here. As a note to the series though: It can be a difficult one to get through at first, due to how formulaic it is, Mamoru and friends do kid stuff, get caught up with the Monster of the Week, Guy shows up, requests Final Fusion and beats up the monster. Once Spoiler shows up the plot begins to really pick up. This is a show you can show to your kids, without worrying about it being 'too mature' or anything, this was aimed at kids after all.

• Big O - Older fans like myself may already know of it, since it aired on Toonami once upon a time. But for those that don’t know of it, it was a 1999 tech-noir super robot style series and one of the most creative mecha series I’ve seen in general. The series was animated by Sunrise, who helped to animate Batman: The Animated Series and you can definitely see the influence of Batman within this, from the noir setting, to the designs, but the primary influence is obviously 60’s Kaiju movies, which feels like a massive tribute to the Kaiju genre in general. The show proved so popular in America that Toonami commissioned Sunrise to make a season for them, which even today is something you almost never see happen.

Where to watch?

Big O is available on HiDive, but it's only season 1, because Cartoon Network / Warner Bros helped to fund the sequel, but as they don't own the rights to Season 1, it will probably never appear on HBOMax and as a result Sentai can't get the rights to Season 2
Gear Fighter Dendoh - Dendoh is an interesting show, it’s been in a few SRWs and the series concept is cool, but the story itself is bland. The concept was originally the next Braves series franchise entry, but with GaoGaiGar not doing as well as Sunrise had hoped, the concept was reused for some video game entries and Dendoh. Dendoh definitely has some Braves theming in it, mixed with Gundam theming(Masked person), it doesn’t do anything special, but it doesn’t do anything bad either
Dendoh is notable for being directed by Mitsuo Fukuda, along with his wife Chiaki Morosawa, who handled most of the writing. They later created Gundam SEED for Sunrise, while Fukuda previously created Future GPX Cyber Formula, a futuristic racing anime.

• Slight mention here to Z-Mind, a 1999 OVA series that takes 80s Super Robot designs, brings them into the 90s and gives us a pretty okay story. It’s short, but also pretty obscure. Also obviously not available legally streaming, let alone on physical media, unless you find the one person with an old copy.

Gravion - Gravion takes on some of the concepts from the 70s and 80s and mixes them with gorgeous designs and doesn't do much different with them, but it’s still a fun watch and I highly recommend watching it and the sequel Zwei. Besides the mech designs, I love the characterdesigns, the maid thing just works here, I don't know why, but having an army of maids(even as mechanics) is so funny that it works. Be warned though, Gravion is definitely ecchi as fuck, even if it works for this.

Where to watch?

Like so many others, no legal options exist.
Terrestrial Defense Corp. Dai-Guard - This is one of the most creative series out there, it’s a realistic take on the super robot tropes, three office workers become pilots for a giant robot that is slow and hard to control and have to use it to fight alien invaders. While also dealing with their actual jobs, damage claims, lawsuits, even the military wanting to take back Dai-Guard. Overall it’s a fun take on a classic subgenre and if you’re looking for something new to watch, watch this.

Where to watch?

Retrocrush has it streaming, subbed and dubbed.
Marriage Between God & Soul, Godannar! - Godannar is an odd series, like I said with Z-Mind with how it took older tropes and designs and brought them into the 90s, Godannar does similar, but with 70s tropes and 90s mech designs, being modernized. It’s very comedic and some of the designs are odd, but overall it’s a good show. The mech designs remind me of Brave series designs, while the story makes me think something from the late 70s or early 80s, just not as much filler with it.

Where can you watch Godannar?

Nowhere. It was on HiDive, but it appears the streaming rights expired and Sentai didn’t renew it. So as a result you have no legal means to watch it unfortunately.
Aim For The Top! 2, AKA Diebuster - There’s a lot to unpack here, because it is an amazing series. Diebuster is the sequel to the original Gunbuster. However unlike a traditional sequel, we don’t really know when this is set, let alone if it’s even in the same universe as Gunbuster, but that’s the charm of Diebuster. You don’t need any knowledge of Gunbuster, it helps, but it’s not absolutely needed. The first thing you’ll notice about Diebuster is how upbeat it is, just from looking at the animation, you notice how bright everything feels, how bubbly Nono feels. And this is because of Director Kazuya Tsurumaki, better known for directing Fooly Cooly and you can tell this has FLCL influence just from looking at the animation. Tsurumaki was essentially Anno’s protege, as he worked under Anno for Evangelion. Like Gunbuster which was essentially the prototype to Evangelion, you’ll notice how Diebuster feels like a prototype to Gurren Lagann, with many of the same themes and ideas returning in Gurren Lagann.
Diebuster is an absolute masterpiece, it is just as good, if not even better than Gunbuster. The opening and ending themes represent this series so well, while the music throughout it was excellent. The tone of the series early on is different than Gunbuster's, with Gunbuster you always had that looming sense of dread in the background, but while we see space monsters here, they're not much of a threat, thanks to the Topless(Buster Pilots), but you also get the feeling there's more going on than what you're seeing early on.
The mech designs feel more “super robot” in style than Gunbuster, which felt like a 1980s version of Getter Robo, rather than combiners or tiny mecha with staves, we have actual Buster machines and pilots who aren’t perfect, they’re meant to be “The Top”, but from the few we meet, it’s not exactly fun being a Topless pilot. To me Nono felt like the perfect character for a sequel, she’s different, but determined to be a Buster Machine pilot, she’s similar to Noriko, in that she has to awaken power from within herself to become what she wants to be. Nono’s journey has a lot of parallels to Noriko’s but a different, sadder ending. This is from the golden era of Gainax and before Gurren Lagann. I cannot recommend this enough.

Will there be a sequel to the sequel?

Yes! Gaina, the former Fukushima Gainax is currently working on Gunbuster 3, which will connect both Gunbuster and Diebuster somehow. Release date is unknown, but “Uru in Blue”(The Royal Space Force sequel) is targeted for 2022, so it would be 2023 at the earliest. But this is not factoring in that COVID may have delayed production on Uru in Blue, depending on how far in production was.

Where can you watch Diebuster?

Retrocrush has it for free and I really wish I had checked there before I pirated it.

• Gurren Lagann - What can you say about this that hasn’t been said? It combines elements from the real robot subgenre, mixed with super robot styling, mixed with a whole lot of stuff to produce something amazing. The only negative thing you can really say about this is that the ending wasn’t as good as some hoped it would be, but not everybody gets a happy ending. It was still one of the best things Gainax produced aside from Evangelion and Gunbusters 1 / 2. This show was the absolute pinnacle of Gainax, but it was sadly downhill from here.Gainax produced quality shows for years after, but this was their last mega hit.

Where can you watch Gurren Lagann?

More like, where can’t you watch it? Funimation, Netflix, Crunchyroll, VRV, they all have it. This is one of the few shows on this list that is easier to watch legally, than it is to pirate.

• Dancouga Nova – Super God Beast Armor- Basic sequel(nothing to do with the original though) to Dancouga from the 80s, nothing special, designs are great, but it feels like they were trying to cash in on the success Gravion had, and failed. Honestly the OP is the only memorable thing about it.

Where to watch?

Nobody has it legally streaming. There are subs out there, but they're not very good and I can't guarantee accuracy.

• Genesis of Aquarion - Shoji Kawamori being bored after doing Macross Zero went for something completely different and this is the result. Aquarion, a super robot combining series, that takes massive cues from shows like Getter Robo, with a modern touch. Aquarion was pretty good and I highly recommend it, although the sequels aren’t nearly as good.

Where to watch?

Funimation has it streaming. They also have Evol and Logos available as well.

• Captain Earth - This is probably the last new super robot series to be made, to date, but it’s a decent series. Typical plot of “aliens invade, big robots beat them up”, it doesn’t do anything different or special, but offers a lot of amazing transformations and all of the characters feel strong. Plus those pilot suits.

Where to watch? HiDive and VRV.

Slight mention here to the Super Robot Wars animes. Due to the popularity of the Original Generation series, we got Cybuster, The Animation, Divine Wars and The Inspector. Obviously you can’t adapt the main games story, because they don’t make sense outside a game, but these were pretty alright, they adapted the OG games into anime.

• I feel I should mention Martian Successor Nadesico. It's real robot, but it has some super robot in it and becomes extremely meta later on. There's a movie sequel, but avoid it, it's bad.

Mecha as a whole has been on the downswing for the past decade, because of how expensive it is to make. There’s a reason most of it comes from Studio Nue, Sunrise and Satelight, they have the money to hire animators who can animate a fight scene with robots and make it look good. Halfway decent CG costs money, compared to how it was when it was hand drawn, which made things easier, with the switch to digital animation, it becomes more costly as a result. We have new Getter Robo coming, Gunbuster 3(eventually???), probably a new Aquarion sometime soon and we'll probably get a handful of originals this decade. It's not so much dead, as it's too damn expensive to milk like in the 80s.
submitted byKikiFlowerstoanime [link][comments]

2020.12.15 21:03 unnecessarycomicsAll 19 upcoming TV shows based on DC comics!

I know this is a long post, and it took me a lot of time to write, so I hope you will show this some love. If you are not a fan of reading this much, you can watch it in video format on our newly started YouTube channel: The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/-e3Vy4G92A8 If you decide to watch this, please do not forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more such content! We are looking for some love and support from fellow comics lovers to grow.
With all of the great DC TV shows that are currently on the air, it seems to take the strength of a Kryptonian to follow everything, and I am not just talking about the infinite number of storylines concurrently existing within the Arrowverse. Of course, that being, how many people do you know who can say they have seen every episode of Doom Patrol as well as The Flash? However, what really concerns me, especially these days, is keeping track of the upcoming release dates for these series.
Just keeping tabs on the premiere dates of these extremely popular TV shows alone would normally be a much simpler task, yet, with halts in production in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and other behind-the-scenes blunders, there is no telling when any of these series are scheduled to return or even if they are destined to return at all. In hopes to give fans at least some explanation of what to expect, we are taking a closer look at the current status of all of your favorite TV shows ripped from the pages of DC Comics, and some you have yet to see.
The following is a comprehensive one-stop-shop of what, when, and where you can expect the next (or first) chapter of the best DC-inspired shows to unfold on TV or on various digital platforms. All the release dates of these series are subject to change so be sure to check us out on our Instagram page for any updates. The link is given below!
With gritty shows like Titans, obscure-but-refreshing series like Doom Patrol, and impactful limited dramas like Watchmen, DC has become a powerhouse for bringing comic book characters to TV. Despite Marvel has had success with several shows, DC TV (via the Arrowverse primarily) has still been ruling the game for almost a full decade. However, as the brand is getting closer to celebrating its decade-long run, Warner Bros. is entering a new phase for how to make DC TV shows across their platforms.
There's already a long list of DC TV shows currently on the air, and that list will only get bigger in the near future. Several more shows set in the world of DC Comics are on their way from The CW as well as streaming services HBO Max and DC Universe. Soon, DC Comics will have most of its biggest characters represented on the small screen at once.
The biggest corner of DC TV is of course the Arrowverse on The CW, which consists of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman. Together, the five interconnected shows are packed with popular and obscure heroes and villains from the DC Universe - but those aren't the only DC shows from that network, of course. The series that started it all, Arrow, is over after the conclusion of its 10-episode eighth season, but that doesn't mean the Arrowverse is going to start shrinking. The CW still has more in the pipeline. DC Universe's live-action universe kicked off with Titans and grew to include Doom Patrol and the Swamp Thing series. DC Universe does have other projects still in the works, as does HBO Max. Here are all the upcoming TV shows based on characters from DC Comics across all major platforms, along with their release dates.

1. Pennyworth, Season 2: Epix in December 2020

Not long after Gotham, the Fox hit following the rise of the city’s greatest supervillains during Bruce Wayne’s childhood, went off the air, fans craving even more Batman prequel series were treated with this show following Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) as 1960s special forces soldier years before working as the Waynes’ live-in servant. The critically acclaimed, thrilling period drama, Pennyworth has been renewed for a second season of Epix.

1. Batwoman, Season 2: The CW on 17th January 2021

The biggest changes to the Arrowverse will be seen on Batwoman, whose lead actress, Ruby Rose, chose to leave the series after just one year playing LGBTQ+ comic book icon Kate Kane. The decision came after surgery for an on-set injury caused the already demanding role to become especially challenging for the former Orange Is the New Black star. The second season, airing on The CW in January 2021, will introduce Javicia Leslie as the titular vigilante, becoming the first black actress to play the role.

1. Black Lightning, Season 4: The CW on February 8, 2021.

Speaking of lightning, the Arrowverse debuted its first series led by a black superhero in 2017, following the adventures of a school principal with a plethora of bio-electric abilities, and its most “electrifying” season yet is on its way. Black Lightning, starring Cress Williams as the aging titular superhero who comes out of retirement per his daughter’s inspiration, will see its Season 4 debut on The CW in February 2021.

1. The Flash, Season 7: The CW on February 23, 2021.

The first spin-off and second building block of the Arrowverse’s construction, in which a young forensic scientist working for the Central City Police Department gains the power of super speed after a fateful lightning strike, was renewed for a seventh season in early 2020. Grant Gustin is set to return in the title role of The Flash, which has been the highest-rated series on The CW since its 2014 debut, to reveal the answers to fans’ most pressing questions in February 2021.

1. Superman & Lois, Season 1: The CW February 23, 2021

The series premiere of Superman & Lois hits The CW in February 2021. Hoechlin's Superman first appeared in Supergirl season 2, and Lois Lane was introduced to the Arrowverse in last year's Elseworlds crossover. The show will see DC Comics' most popular power couple navigate through their new lives as working parents. Superman & Lois will be the first live-action series about Clark Kent since Smallville.

1. Supergirl, Season 6: The CW, spring of 2021

Originally debuting on CBS before it joined her Arrowverse family at their home on The CW, Melissa Benoist’s run as the tough as nails Kara Danvers (Clark Kent’s cousin) has been a success of Kryptonian proportions. There is no confirmation for when Supergirl, and Benoist’s improved costume from Season 5, will return for its sixth season, but it is expected to premiere sometime in spring of 2021.

1. Titans, Season 3: HBO Max, spring of 2021

After a stunning first two seasons of intense thrills and stunning twists on the digital platform DC Universe, Titans will have the more recently launched HBO Max to call home for its third season. Despite facing a long delay in production, the series, following a group of younger vigilantes has been renewed, but without a set premiere date at the moment.
The team of teenaged superheroes includes Batman’s former partner Robin (now Nightwing), the shape-changing Beast Boy, the mystical Raven, and the energy powered Starfire. The team battled a number of enemies in its first season. They were joined by other supporting characters from the comics, including Hawk and Dove, Wonder Girl/Donna Troy, and even Bruce Wayne himself in the second season. If you want to know more about this series, do not forget to check out our video on what’s hot and what’s not with DC’s Titans.

1. Legends Of Tomorrow, Season 6: The CW in summer of 2021

The Arrowverse installment with the most versatility (on account of its dizzying rotation of different locations and time settings) would have to be Legends of Tomorrow. The diverse group of ragtag heroes will continue to embark on more adventures traveling through time to save reality itself from its worst moments in the summer of 2021 for its sixth season on The CW.

1. Stargirl, Season 2: The CW, summer of 2021

Making its debut on The CW in the summer of 2020 was Stargirl, which was also a historical moment for introducing the much-overlooked Justice Society of America (not to be confused with the Justice League, which was actually created later) into the Arrowverse continuity. Stargirl is a series about the teenage superhero of the same name in DC Comics. Courtney Whitmore is a high school student who discovers that her step-father was a sidekick to an actual superhero. After going through his belongings, she finds the Cosmic Staff, a powerful weapon that imbues her with powers. The endearing smash hit, starring Brec Bassinger as the young, but extremely powerful, title heroine, will return for its sophomore outing in the fall of 2021.

1. Peacemaker: HBO Max, August 6, 2021

Peacemaker is another upcoming DC Comics show arriving on HBO Max, based on an upcoming Warner Bros. film. That film is The Suicide Squad, which will feature, among many other folks, John Cena playing the role of Peacemaker. While the movie won’t be out until August 2021, the early behind-the-scenes reaction to this violent superhero was so good, HBO Max commissioned a series centering just on Peacemaker. James Gunn, who wrote and directed The Suicide Squad, will write all of the episodes of Peacemaker, and will also direct the pilot episode.
The latest DC TV show HBO Max announced to be in the works came as a surprise. Gunn has also confirmed that other characters from the film will appear on the show. What Gunn won't confirm is whether this means Peacemaker will survive The Suicide Squad.
11.Zack Snyder’s Justice League: HBO Max on 5 September 2021
This is one of the most anticipated HBO Max original series of all. Co-writer and director Zack Snyder had to leave the production of the live-action Justice League film before it was completed due to a family tragedy. Reshoots and rewrites of the movie were done without his supervision. As a result, the 2017 film released to theaters was not what Snyder had envisioned. After a huge amount of pressure from fans, Warner Bros decided to give Snyder another chance to create his version of the film.
The result will be called Zack Snyder’s Justice League (also known as The Snyder Cut). Lots of stuff that was filmed for the original movie, but was later cut, will be put back in for this version. New visual effects will be added, and even some new live-action scenes will be filmed. This won’t be just a re-edited movie. Zack Snyder’s Justice League will first be shown as four one-hour episodes on HBO Max, before being recut into a massive four-hour film.
12.Young Justice, Season 4: HBO Max, late 2021
Making the transition from its DC Universe home to HBO Max is another series following the adventures of a group of powerful young heroes, but this one is animated. After a long hiatus following its cancellation in 2013, the beloved Young Justice will come back for a fourth season and promises storylines of a more mature nature for the fans who have aged during the series’ absence.
While the first two seasons of this youth-based superteam were first shown on Cartoon Network, the third season debuted on DC Universe in 2019. Now, the fourth season has been greenlighted and it will make its debut as an HBO Max exclusive in 2021.

1. Green Lantern: HBO Max, late 2021

If you can forget that awful 2011 live-action Green Lantern movie, you might want to get excited about this upcoming DC Comics show on HBO Max. Green Lantern is the “space cop” of the DC Universe. He protects the Earth, and the universe, from cosmic threats. He does this with his green-charged Power Ring, which can create almost any shape or object he desires. Not much is known about the show, other than the fact that Berlanti, the architect of the Arrowverse, says it will be 'our biggest DC show ever made'. Since numerous heroes have held the mantle of Green Lantern in the comics, it's unclear which character will be the show's protagonist or if it'll focus on the Green Lantern Corps as a whole.
Stargirl showrunner and longtime DC creator Geoff Johns is also working on the 1-hour drama. Currently being referred to as “a Green Lantern inspired series,” the show will span several decades and feature Sinestro as one of the confirmed characters. Additionally, it will explore two specific stories about the Emerald Knights on Earth. With HBO Max aiming the show to debut in 2021, more news will likely emerge throughout the rest of next year.

1. Doom Patrol, Season 3: HBO Max, late 2021

After debuting its first season on DC Universe, and it’s second on both DC Universe and HBO Max, Doom Patrol will return for its third outing in 2021 as an HBO Max exclusive. Centered on the DC superhero team, the series is based largely on the comics run written by Grant Morrison. This team of misfits with superpowers includes Robotman, who has a human brain inside a metal body. There’s also Crazy Jane, who has 64 personalities, each with its own superpower. You can go ahead and watch the first two seasons now on HBO Max. It’s great stuff!

1. Harley Quinn, Season 3: HBO Max, late 2021

One of the best DC Comics shows on HBO Max is an animated series. Harley Quinn is a very R-rated show, featuring the Joker’s popular sidekick. Kaley Cuoco voices the titular anti-hero, as she works alongside her best friend Poison Ivy to fulfill her dream of becoming a member of the Legion of Doom. The series will encompass multiple characters from Batman's rogues' gallery, and even the Caped Crusader himself, voiced by Diedrich Bader. It should be noted that the cartoon is packed with violence and explicit language, so this is not a show for children. After debuting on DC Universe, you can now watch the first two seasons on HBO Max. The third season will make its way onto the service in 2021.

1. Justice League Dark: HBO Max, Late 2021

J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot team are in charge of developing this show for HBO Max. It’s based on the Justice League spin-off comic, featuring a team that battles more supernatural foes. In the comics, the team has included characters like John Constantine, Deadman, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and even Wonder Woman. There’s no word on which of these characters might appear on the show.
Aside from a planned 2021 premiere date, details are being kept under wrap - including who will be part of the line-up for the HBO Max original. However, similarly to Green Lantern, Justice League Dark will have a movie quality to it as HBO Max content chief Kevin Reilly has confirmed the big production commitment they’re making to these shows. Other than Abrams developing it, no showrunner or writers have been announced. Once more details are officially revealed about the show, it might also give a better picture of what Abrams has in mind for a Justice League Dark universe including shows and films.

1. Strange Adventures: HBO Max, 2021

This series is yet another one that’s produced by Greg Berlanti. Taking its name from one of DC Comics’ classic Silver Age titles, Strange Adventures will be an anthology series featuring a wide range of DC Comics characters. HBO Max will become the home of Strange Adventures. Strange Adventures was a science fiction comic book series that was first released in the 1950s. The comic included stories about heroes like Adam Strange, Animal Man, Atomic Knights, Deadman, Darwin Jones, and Captain Comet. According to creator Greg Berlanti, HBO Max's take on Strange Adventures will cover 'cautionary tales from a world where superpowers exist'. The series will be comprised of single-episode stories about characters who live in the DC Universe. Adam Strange is said to be involved in some way, but he won't be the Krypton version of the character.

1. Aquaman: King of Atlantis: HBO Max, Early 2022

Not only is James Wan, who directed the 2018 live-action movie adaptation of Aquaman, working on the sequel and developing a Trench spinoff film, but the Australian filmmaker is also executive producing a 3-part animated series for HBO Max titled Aquaman: King of Atlantis. This show will be a three-part animated series that focuses on the undersea superhero. Aimed at kids, the series will focus on Aquaman’s first days on the job as king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Each episode will have a unique storyline that features Arthur Curry as Atlantis’ greatest protector. The premiere episode will follow Arthur’s first outing as Aquaman with the help of Mera and Vulko. Ocean Master is confirmed to appear in the series as well as “unscrupulous surface dwellers” and “elder evils from beyond time.” No cast has been announced so far but Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, and Sam Register are the showrunners. HBO Max currently has Aquaman: King of Atlantis set to premiere in 2022.

1. The Batman Spinoff Series: HBO Max, March 4, 2022

With Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman being set outside the DCEU, the filmmaker is expanding his universe to HBO Max. Reeves is developing a spinoff series that will follow the Gotham City Police Department. Set during the first year of The Batman’s appearances in Gotham City, it will focus on its police department, as its officers have to deal with the masked vigilante, among other things.
HBO Max has given a series commitment to the Gotham-based drama, which will continue one of the plots The Batman is introducing when it comes out next fall. The story follows the “anatomy of corruption” in Gotham City that Warner Bros. is now telling across multiple platforms, with HBO Max being one of them. This marks the first time the studio has ever done a spinoff from any of their DC movies as a TV series. Similar to Gotham, the show will be set before the events of The Batman. It's likely that HBO Max is targeting a 2022 release date for the spinoff show, a few months after The Batman has hit theatres.
That’s our look at the current list of upcoming DC Comics shows on various platforms. What do you think? Does our list of upcoming DC TV show release dates have you even more excited for their return (or debut), or does it just make your watch schedule all the more overwhelming? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check our Instagram page for additional information and updates on these truly super superhero series, as well as even more schedules of what to expect soon on the big or small screen. Please show your support by subscribing to our channel and sharing the video with your friends!
This wraps up our post for now! If you liked the content or our efforts, don’t forget to hit that upvote button and support us by subscribing to our YouTube channel! Since we're just starting out, it would really mean a lot to us if you guys show a little support. New content comes out every Friday!
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submitted byunnecessarycomicstoHBOMAX [link][comments]

2020.12.15 21:01 unnecessarycomicsAll 19 upcoming TV shows based on DC comics!

submitted byunnecessarycomicstoDCuniverse [link][comments]

2020.12.15 20:36 unnecessarycomicsAll 19 upcoming TV shows based on DC comics!

I know this is a long post, and it took me a lot of time to write, so I hope you will show this some love. If you are not a fan of reading this much, you can watch it in video format on our newly started YouTube channel: The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/-e3Vy4G92A8 If you decide to watch this, please do not forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more such content! We are looking for some love and support from fellow comics lovers to grow.
With all of the great DC TV shows that are currently on the air, it seems to take the strength of a Kryptonian to follow everything, and I am not just talking about the infinite number of storylines concurrently existing within the Arrowverse. Of course, that being, how many people do you know who can say they have seen every episode of Doom Patrol as well as The Flash? However, what really concerns me, especially these days, is keeping track of the upcoming release dates for these series.
Just keeping tabs on the premiere dates of these extremely popular TV shows alone would normally be a much simpler task, yet, with halts in production in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and other behind-the-scenes blunders, there is no telling when any of these series are scheduled to return or even if they are destined to return at all. In hopes to give fans at least some explanation of what to expect, we are taking a closer look at the current status of all of your favorite TV shows ripped from the pages of DC Comics, and some you have yet to see.
The following is a comprehensive one-stop-shop of what, when, and where you can expect the next (or first) chapter of the best DC-inspired shows to unfold on TV or on various digital platforms. All the release dates of these series are subject to change so be sure to check us out on our Instagram page for any updates. The link is given below!
With gritty shows like Titans, obscure-but-refreshing series like Doom Patrol, and impactful limited dramas like Watchmen, DC has become a powerhouse for bringing comic book characters to TV. Despite Marvel has had success with several shows, DC TV (via the Arrowverse primarily) has still been ruling the game for almost a full decade. However, as the brand is getting closer to celebrating its decade-long run, Warner Bros. is entering a new phase for how to make DC TV shows across their platforms.
There's already a long list of DC TV shows currently on the air, and that list will only get bigger in the near future. Several more shows set in the world of DC Comics are on their way from The CW as well as streaming services HBO Max and DC Universe. Soon, DC Comics will have most of its biggest characters represented on the small screen at once.
The biggest corner of DC TV is of course the Arrowverse on The CW, which consists of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman. Together, the five interconnected shows are packed with popular and obscure heroes and villains from the DC Universe - but those aren't the only DC shows from that network, of course. The series that started it all, Arrow, is over after the conclusion of its 10-episode eighth season, but that doesn't mean the Arrowverse is going to start shrinking. The CW still has more in the pipeline. DC Universe's live-action universe kicked off with Titans and grew to include Doom Patrol and the Swamp Thing series. DC Universe does have other projects still in the works, as does HBO Max. Here are all the upcoming TV shows based on characters from DC Comics across all major platforms, along with their release dates.
1.Pennyworth, Season 2: Epix in December 2020
Not long after Gotham, the Fox hit following the rise of the city’s greatest supervillains during Bruce Wayne’s childhood, went off the air, fans craving even more Batman prequel series were treated with this show following Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) as 1960s special forces soldier years before working as the Waynes’ live-in servant. The critically acclaimed, thrilling period drama, Pennyworth has been renewed for a second season of Epix.
2.Batwoman, Season 2: The CW on 17th January 2021
The biggest changes to the Arrowverse will be seen on Batwoman, whose lead actress, Ruby Rose, chose to leave the series after just one year playing LGBTQ+ comic book icon Kate Kane. The decision came after surgery for an on-set injury caused the already demanding role to become especially challenging for the former Orange Is the New Black star. The second season, airing on The CW in January 2021, will introduce Javicia Leslie as the titular vigilante, becoming the first black actress to play the role.
3.Black Lightning, Season 4: The CW on February 8, 2021.
Speaking of lightning, the Arrowverse debuted its first series led by a black superhero in 2017, following the adventures of a school principal with a plethora of bio-electric abilities, and its most “electrifying” season yet is on its way. Black Lightning, starring Cress Williams as the aging titular superhero who comes out of retirement per his daughter’s inspiration, will see its Season 4 debut on The CW in February 2021.
4.The Flash, Season 7: The CW on February 23, 2021.
The first spin-off and second building block of the Arrowverse’s construction, in which a young forensic scientist working for the Central City Police Department gains the power of super speed after a fateful lightning strike, was renewed for a seventh season in early 2020. Grant Gustin is set to return in the title role of The Flash, which has been the highest-rated series on The CW since its 2014 debut, to reveal the answers to fans’ most pressing questions in February 2021.
5.Superman & Lois, Season 1: The CW February 23, 2021
The series premiere of Superman & Lois hits The CW in February 2021. Hoechlin's Superman first appeared in Supergirl season 2, and Lois Lane was introduced to the Arrowverse in last year's Elseworlds crossover. The show will see DC Comics' most popular power couple navigate through their new lives as working parents. Superman & Lois will be the first live-action series about Clark Kent since Smallville.
6.Supergirl, Season 6: The CW, spring of 2021
Originally debuting on CBS before it joined her Arrowverse family at their home on The CW, Melissa Benoist’s run as the tough as nails Kara Danvers (Clark Kent’s cousin) has been a success of Kryptonian proportions. There is no confirmation for when Supergirl, and Benoist’s improved costume from Season 5, will return for its sixth season, but it is expected to premiere sometime in spring of 2021.
7.Titans, Season 3: HBO Max, spring of 2021
After a stunning first two seasons of intense thrills and stunning twists on the digital platform DC Universe, Titans will have the more recently launched HBO Max to call home for its third season. Despite facing a long delay in production, the series, following a group of younger vigilantes has been renewed, but without a set premiere date at the moment.
The team of teenaged superheroes includes Batman’s former partner Robin (now Nightwing), the shape-changing Beast Boy, the mystical Raven, and the energy powered Starfire. The team battled a number of enemies in its first season. They were joined by other supporting characters from the comics, including Hawk and Dove, Wonder Girl/Donna Troy, and even Bruce Wayne himself in the second season. If you want to know more about this series, do not forget to check out our video on what’s hot and what’s not with DC’s Titans.
8.Legends Of Tomorrow, Season 6: The CW in summer of 2021
The Arrowverse installment with the most versatility (on account of its dizzying rotation of different locations and time settings) would have to be Legends of Tomorrow. The diverse group of ragtag heroes will continue to embark on more adventures traveling through time to save reality itself from its worst moments in the summer of 2021 for its sixth season on The CW.
9.Stargirl, Season 2: The CW, summer of 2021
Making its debut on The CW in the summer of 2020 was Stargirl, which was also a historical moment for introducing the much-overlooked Justice Society of America (not to be confused with the Justice League, which was actually created later) into the Arrowverse continuity. Stargirl is a series about the teenage superhero of the same name in DC Comics. Courtney Whitmore is a high school student who discovers that her step-father was a sidekick to an actual superhero. After going through his belongings, she finds the Cosmic Staff, a powerful weapon that imbues her with powers. The endearing smash hit, starring Brec Bassinger as the young, but extremely powerful, title heroine, will return for its sophomore outing in the fall of 2021.
10. Peacemaker: HBO Max, August 6, 2021
Peacemaker is another upcoming DC Comics show arriving on HBO Max, based on an upcoming Warner Bros. film. That film is The Suicide Squad, which will feature, among many other folks, John Cena playing the role of Peacemaker. While the movie won’t be out until August 2021, the early behind-the-scenes reaction to this violent superhero was so good, HBO Max commissioned a series centering just on Peacemaker. James Gunn, who wrote and directed The Suicide Squad, will write all of the episodes of Peacemaker, and will also direct the pilot episode.
The latest DC TV show HBO Max announced to be in the works came as a surprise. Gunn has also confirmed that other characters from the film will appear on the show. What Gunn won't confirm is whether this means Peacemaker will survive The Suicide Squad.
11.Zack Snyder’s Justice League: HBO Max on 5 September 2021
This is one of the most anticipated HBO Max original series of all. Co-writer and director Zack Snyder had to leave the production of the live-action Justice League film before it was completed due to a family tragedy. Reshoots and rewrites of the movie were done without his supervision. As a result, the 2017 film released to theaters was not what Snyder had envisioned. After a huge amount of pressure from fans, Warner Bros decided to give Snyder another chance to create his version of the film.
The result will be called Zack Snyder’s Justice League (also known as The Snyder Cut). Lots of stuff that was filmed for the original movie, but was later cut, will be put back in for this version. New visual effects will be added, and even some new live-action scenes will be filmed. This won’t be just a re-edited movie. Zack Snyder’s Justice League will first be shown as four one-hour episodes on HBO Max, before being recut into a massive four-hour film.
12.Young Justice, Season 4: HBO Max, late 2021
Making the transition from its DC Universe home to HBO Max is another series following the adventures of a group of powerful young heroes, but this one is animated. After a long hiatus following its cancellation in 2013, the beloved Young Justice will come back for a fourth season and promises storylines of a more mature nature for the fans who have aged during the series’ absence.
While the first two seasons of this youth-based superteam were first shown on Cartoon Network, the third season debuted on DC Universe in 2019. Now, the fourth season has been greenlighted and it will make its debut as an HBO Max exclusive in 2021.

1. Green Lantern: HBO Max, late 2021

If you can forget that awful 2011 live-action Green Lantern movie, you might want to get excited about this upcoming DC Comics show on HBO Max. Green Lantern is the “space cop” of the DC Universe. He protects the Earth, and the universe, from cosmic threats. He does this with his green-charged Power Ring, which can create almost any shape or object he desires. Not much is known about the show, other than the fact that Berlanti, the architect of the Arrowverse, says it will be 'our biggest DC show ever made'. Since numerous heroes have held the mantle of Green Lantern in the comics, it's unclear which character will be the show's protagonist or if it'll focus on the Green Lantern Corps as a whole.
Stargirl showrunner and longtime DC creator Geoff Johns is also working on the 1-hour drama. Currently being referred to as “a Green Lantern inspired series,” the show will span several decades and feature Sinestro as one of the confirmed characters. Additionally, it will explore two specific stories about the Emerald Knights on Earth. With HBO Max aiming the show to debut in 2021, more news will likely emerge throughout the rest of next year.
14. Doom Patrol, Season 3: HBO Max, late 2021
After debuting its first season on DC Universe, and it’s second on both DC Universe and HBO Max, Doom Patrol will return for its third outing in 2021 as an HBO Max exclusive. Centered on the DC superhero team, the series is based largely on the comics run written by Grant Morrison. This team of misfits with superpowers includes Robotman, who has a human brain inside a metal body. There’s also Crazy Jane, who has 64 personalities, each with its own superpower. You can go ahead and watch the first two seasons now on HBO Max. It’s great stuff!
15. Harley Quinn, Season 3: HBO Max, late 2021
One of the best DC Comics shows on HBO Max is an animated series. Harley Quinn is a very R-rated show, featuring the Joker’s popular sidekick. Kaley Cuoco voices the titular anti-hero, as she works alongside her best friend Poison Ivy to fulfill her dream of becoming a member of the Legion of Doom. The series will encompass multiple characters from Batman's rogues' gallery, and even the Caped Crusader himself, voiced by Diedrich Bader. It should be noted that the cartoon is packed with violence and explicit language, so this is not a show for children. After debuting on DC Universe, you can now watch the first two seasons on HBO Max. The third season will make its way onto the service in 2021.
16. Justice League Dark: HBO Max, Late 2021
J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot team are in charge of developing this show for HBO Max. It’s based on the Justice League spin-off comic, featuring a team that battles more supernatural foes. In the comics, the team has included characters like John Constantine, Deadman, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and even Wonder Woman. There’s no word on which of these characters might appear on the show.
Aside from a planned 2021 premiere date, details are being kept under wrap - including who will be part of the line-up for the HBO Max original. However, similarly to Green Lantern, Justice League Dark will have a movie quality to it as HBO Max content chief Kevin Reilly has confirmed the big production commitment they’re making to these shows. Other than Abrams developing it, no showrunner or writers have been announced. Once more details are officially revealed about the show, it might also give a better picture of what Abrams has in mind for a Justice League Dark universe including shows and films.
17.Strange Adventures: HBO Max, 2021
This series is yet another one that’s produced by Greg Berlanti. Taking its name from one of DC Comics’ classic Silver Age titles, Strange Adventures will be an anthology series featuring a wide range of DC Comics characters. HBO Max will become the home of Strange Adventures. Strange Adventures was a science fiction comic book series that was first released in the 1950s. The comic included stories about heroes like Adam Strange, Animal Man, Atomic Knights, Deadman, Darwin Jones, and Captain Comet. According to creator Greg Berlanti, HBO Max's take on Strange Adventures will cover 'cautionary tales from a world where superpowers exist'. The series will be comprised of single-episode stories about characters who live in the DC Universe. Adam Strange is said to be involved in some way, but he won't be the Krypton version of the character.
18.Aquaman: King of Atlantis: HBO Max, Early 2022
Not only is James Wan, who directed the 2018 live-action movie adaptation of Aquaman, working on the sequel and developing a Trench spinoff film, but the Australian filmmaker is also executive producing a 3-part animated series for HBO Max titled Aquaman: King of Atlantis. This show will be a three-part animated series that focuses on the undersea superhero. Aimed at kids, the series will focus on Aquaman’s first days on the job as king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Each episode will have a unique storyline that features Arthur Curry as Atlantis’ greatest protector. The premiere episode will follow Arthur’s first outing as Aquaman with the help of Mera and Vulko. Ocean Master is confirmed to appear in the series as well as “unscrupulous surface dwellers” and “elder evils from beyond time.” No cast has been announced so far but Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, and Sam Register are the showrunners. HBO Max currently has Aquaman: King of Atlantis set to premiere in 2022.
19.The Batman Spinoff Series: HBO Max, March 4, 2022
With Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman being set outside the DCEU, the filmmaker is expanding his universe to HBO Max. Reeves is developing a spinoff series that will follow the Gotham City Police Department. Set during the first year of The Batman’s appearances in Gotham City, it will focus on its police department, as its officers have to deal with the masked vigilante, among other things.
HBO Max has given a series commitment to the Gotham-based drama, which will continue one of the plots The Batman is introducing when it comes out next fall. The story follows the “anatomy of corruption” in Gotham City that Warner Bros. is now telling across multiple platforms, with HBO Max being one of them. This marks the first time the studio has ever done a spinoff from any of their DC movies as a TV series. Similar to Gotham, the show will be set before the events of The Batman. It's likely that HBO Max is targeting a 2022 release date for the spinoff show, a few months after The Batman has hit theatres.
That’s our look at the current list of upcoming DC Comics shows on various platforms. What do you think? Does our list of upcoming DC TV show release dates have you even more excited for their return (or debut), or does it just make your watch schedule all the more overwhelming? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check our Instagram page for additional information and updates on these truly super superhero series, as well as even more schedules of what to expect soon on the big or small screen. Please show your support by subscribing to our channel and sharing the video with your friends!
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2020.12.10 18:51 FurkanE17My '2020 Gaming Year in Review' + goals for 2021

Welcome to my '2020 Gaming Year in Review' post. This is the fifth instalment of this Year in Review series of mine, going all the way back to 2016, a time that feels so long in the past now. This year, this post will probably be shorter than in years past (he says, before even beginning to write the next couple thousand characters), because I'm now officially in law school and boy, it's a lotta work already. I'm five weeks in, I still don't know shit (as expected), it's easily the hardest challenge I've ever taken on in my life (and that includes failing to beat Dark Souls) and I won't back down from it. This means that most of my day is spent with studying, lectures and the sort, while my limited free time mostly is spent with friends, family and a casual game of FIFA or Football Manager. I barely played any single player games in November and December and this will probably not change until Christmas (and then until March) but I will try and keep reading your posts and hopefully interact with some of you still, time permitting.
As I start this journey of reliving the worst year in most of our lives, I'm currently 'zooming in on' the worst lecture of my week but at least it gives me the time to write this I guess :D. Even though I've said this post will probably not be as long, I've already written a ton. Let's go!
Table of Contents

• End of Year Stats / A look back at 2020
• 2. Interesting Facts
• 3. Top 5 Best Games
• 4. Top 3 Worst Games
• 5. Award Ceremony
• 6. 12in12 list for 2021 + Other Goals

___________
​
End of Year Stats / A look back on 2020's 12in12 list
Last year, I had my 'worst' year in terms of games beaten with 29 (46,86,45 before that) and in 2020, I managed to beat 31 games somehow. This does include only 2 games beaten in April, May, June, August, November and December COMBINED. I'm usually beating the most games in January, a month that has come clutch YET AGAIN in 2020, with more than 33% of my beaten games completed in the first month of the year. Let's look at some overall stats first off.
​

• Games purchased/acquired: 58 (95)

This number includes 42 'pure' additions and 16 games that I've re-added. This number would've definitely been higher, if I weren't broke for most of the year. Looking at next year's lineup + all the free games that we're still given from multiple sites, I'd expect next year's number to be close to this year's, even though I won't be gaming as much.
​

• Total price paid: 61 € (90 €)

Most games I've purchased came from Humble Bundles or on big sales. Everything else was free or my brother bought it and I can play it through Steam Sharing.
​

• Avg. price paid per game: 1.05 € (0.95 €)

The reasons for this year's and last year's low numbers are 1) my brother gets some games 2) majority of these games are freebies 3) the rest is mostly from Humble Bundles.
​

• Games removed/abandoned: 30 (35)

This number is getting lower and lower but for the simple reason that I haven't actually played as much as in years past. Expecting this to be lower again next year.
​

• Games beaten: 31 (29)

Somehow this number is higher than last year. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because I've beaten shorter games. (not calculated the below number yet as I write this part). Let's see, if that's true...
​

• Total time spent on beaten games: 296.5 (356)

Aaand I was right. 60 hours less for 2 more games. 296 hours would 49 minutes per day. I think that's pretty interesting because 49 minutes per day on average would definitely be doable, with law school and all, so I'm definitely intrigued as to how 2021 will play out.
​

• Current unfinished games total: 83 (87)

Yey, 4 games lower than last years. At this rate, I'll be done 2041. Seems about right.
​
Original 12in12 List for 2020 (10/12 completed)

• Batman Arkham City
• Blair Witch COMPLETE
• Bioshock Infinite COMPLETE
• Deponia Doomsday COMPLETE
• Detroit: Become Human COMPLETE
• Half-Life 2 COMPLETE
• Mass Effect 2
• Minit COMPLETE
• Orwell: Ignorance is Strength COMPLETE
• Pokémon Sword COMPLETE
• SOMA COMPLETE
• The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine COMPLETE

Last year I beat 5 of 12, so this was a more successful year in that sense. I started Batman Arkham City when I started uni and didn't get much time into it since, so it'll find a spot in next year's list. Mass Effect 2 might be a bit ambitious for next year, especially since I plan on playing Cyberpunk 2077 for a while when I get my hands on it.
​
Other Goals for 2020

• Beat 24 games total
• Finish more games than I buy
• Stick to a gaming budget of 300 €

Lol at that second goal.
___________
2. Interesting (or maybe not so interesting) Facts

• The first game I've finished this year was Minit on January 1st.
• Beaten Game #25 was Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior on September 18th. Last year, I had my 25th completion in October.
• I reached the 275 games beaten (total) milestone on February 18th by beating The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.
• I've beaten 0 (!) games that were released in 2020. This is the first time I don't have a completion of a game that was released in the same year. Mafia: Definitive Edition is the only such game I own.
• I've finished a bunch of older games (mostly Half-Life) and the oldest is Half-Life 2, which had its initial release date on November 16th, 2004.
• I've especially beaten some games that I had in my backlog for quite a while, since I've started building one basically (2015). The game that was in my backlog the longest - that I've beaten - is Bioshock Infinite, which had been on my backlog since September 5th, 2015.
• My most played game (total hours) was XCOM 2 (32 hours), followed by Marvel's Spider-Man (30 hours). Last year, I had played RDR 2 for 70 hours.
• Beaten games between January and June in 2019: 17 in 2019: 18
• Beaten games between July and December in 2019: 12 in 2020: 13. I've said this last year as well. I'm weirdly consistent in the 2nd half of the year, but the same applies to the first half this time as well. Interesting.
• The last two years, I've given an average rating of 6.8/10. This year the average rating was, *drumroll please* ... 7.1/10. Yey! I did play some sick games this year to be fair.
• After 4 games that received 10/10 ratings in 2018 and 1 such game in 2019, a total 2 games received the highest possible grade by me. The reason for twice as many 10's in 2018 is that the way I rated games was a bit different back then
• Completions by console: Nintendo Switch: 1 PC: 22 Playstation 4: 2 Xbox One: 6
• I have a total of 448 games in my backlog (including the abandoned ones), 289 of those beaten. That's a completion percentage of 64.50 %, an increase by 0.14% from last year. Funniest stat of the year in my opinion.
• I've 100%ed two games this year. Marvel's Spider-Man and SOMA.
• Gaming series that I've newly developed an interest in:

- Overcooked
- Assassins Creed (kinda)
___________

1. Top 5 Best Games

5 of 31 games seen as the 'Top' games of the year might seem a bit much, but all these games on this list are worthy of the praise.
Honorable mentions go out to Detroit Become Human and Prey. Here we go!
​

• #5
• Game: XCOM 2
• Platform: PC
• Rating: 9/10
• Playtime: 32 hours

I got this game back when it came out in 2016 because I had played the first game (of the reboot) weeks or months prior. If you're a fan of strategy games at all, you're doing a disservice to yourself by not playing the XCOM series. For a story in a strategy game, XCOM's is pretty good imo but where this game really shines is in its ruthless but fun and engaging turn-based combat (though you miss 90+% shots way too often), its base building and the way it makes you attached to your soldiers, who sacrifice their lives to save the Earth (and also your ass as the commander). I don't remember his name unfortunately but I had one female sniper who'd destroy everyone and it didn't matter it she'd have a 50% or 90% chance to get a hit. She would get it. That's the kind of connection that you don't have in most strategy games.
​

• #4
• Game: Bioshock Infinite
• Platform: PC
• Rating: 9/10
• Playtime: 12 hours

It's actually criminal to list Bioshock Infinite as #4 on my list but that's a testament to how good the 3 games/series above are. That doesn't take anything away from Bioshock Infinite however, which is a masterpiece in its own right. I really enjoyed Bioshock 2 back when I played it as a teenager. I REALLY enjoyed Bioshock when I played a year or two ago. But the story in Bioshock Infinite is on another level and I'd say that Columbia is just as beautiful as Rapture. There was one scene in this game where you have to escape from the Monument. If you've never seen it and you don't care about a minor spoiler, check it out on YouTube. The music, the thrill of it all. Unmatched by just about anything I've experienced in games.
​

• #3
• Game: The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
• Platform: PC
• Rating: 9/10
• Playtime: 28 hours

I don't have much else to say about the Witcher 3, one of my all time favorite games. I've started playing The Witcher 3 when it came out in 2015, not knowing anything about the series, only finding the game interesting. And the journey came to an end in February of this year, after about 300 hours of playing it. If Cyberpunk 2077 is even half as good, it's going to be an amazing experience but if it matches the quality of The Witcher 3, I might just have to find a way to maximize my free time as best as I possibly can. To think that a game like The Witcher 3 had 2 DLC's worth 40+ hours of playtime for only $25 when it came out is ridiculous. Kudos to CDPR.
​

• #2
• Game: Half-Life 2 (including Episodes One and Two)
• Platform: PC
• Rating: 10/10
• Playtime: 17.5 hours combined

I first played Half-Life back in 2017. It was amazing. It did age a bit but not nearly as much as most games from its time. Half-Life 2 made a damn ridiculous jump in cinematics, graphics, setting and gameplay. With each episode, the game got more and more insane, culminating with one of the best experiences I've had this year, Episode Two. This series is just so pure. I'm a fan of collectathons like Far Cry if the gameplay is fun at least but there is nothing like a game with (next to) no collectibles where you just keep moving forward, focus on the main story and experience one epic moment after another. Some gameplay elements in these games are still not replicated to this day or at least not on the same level, which is crazy considering that the game came out 16 years ago. The engine for this game is truly amazing. And also, I love the gravity gun.
​

• #1
• Game: Marvel's Spider-Man
• Platform: Playstation 4
• Rating: 10/10
• Playtime: 30 hours

If I were to be 10 years old again, I'd be losing my damn mind at this game. I'm in my mid 20's now and I STILL lost damn near lost my mind at this game. I've played it solo some and my little brother sat next to me in a few sessions as well. We probably had the same joyful expression in our eyes because this game is as close to perfect as I've ever played. The web swinging is awesome and fun until the end. Combat is smooth and easy to understand, but takes a while to master. Gadgets and special moves all are useful and fun to use. You can unlock all costumes just by playing, which is unheard of these days. The story is good. Side missions are fun to do. I don't really have anything bad to say about this game. Can't wait to play Miles Morales next year.
___________
4.Top3 Worst Games
This list is a bit difficult to create these days because I don't usually finish games that I find to be bad. I will list 2 games that I've actually finished and one that deserves a spot regardless. Other than that, I will have a few dishonorable mentions.

• Final Fantasy XV: I've even watched the anime, which was solid, before I tried to play this for the 2nd time. I've really tried with this one. But after about 10 hours, I gave up on it again. As per usual with JRPGs, the story might be great and pay off all the shitty quests you need to do but I didn't have the patience for 50 hours of fetch quests, nonsensical dialogue (sometimes) and unlimited enemy spawns. Or for 5 minute car rides for that matter. I have not encountered one quest that wasn't 'hey, you don't know me yet, but go get me that thing and I'll give you 2 items'. And the follow up quest would be 'hey, now you know me, so go get me another thing and I'll give you 2 more items'. Up until the point were a cutscene would actually speed things up a bit. The fact that the end of Chapter 1 was just revealed through scenes from the movie is a bit shitty as well.
• Borderlands 3: I don't know why I thought this would be fun after not enjoying Borderlands 2 but even the shiny new graphics didn't change my opinion on how boring this game and having to use a shitty gun for most of it is. I've played 20 hours in coop, which supposedly makes everything fun but we were still running around with terrible guns that, admittedly, looked cool but didn't do much damage. It's a looter shooter, so I don't care about 90% of quests being boring/useless but the humor in this series is unbearable to me, so any time anyone talked I was ready to throw up. You might like this series, which is fair but I really don't.

​

• #3
• Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us (story mode)
• Platform: PC
• Rating: 4.5/10
• Playtime: 4 hours

This might not be fair because it's the story mode of a fighting game but I do think Injustice: Gods Among Us is worthy of a spot here. Mostly because I just want to mention again that superhero movie plots are dumb and selling their fans short in the way that today's movies are all about action but the worst, most stupid and obnoxious plots there could be. With some superhero fans spending so much time trying to find every Easter egg in a movie, I'm surprised how they don't find those 15 obvious plot holes also. Though I have to admit, Avengers: Infinity War was pretty good mostly. And then End Game completely shits the bed with a fat Thor (like fuck off) playing Fortnite (fuck off for real).
Anyway, similar issues can be found in the story mode of this game, one of which I've explained in my main post on this game. (like the scene where Flash is somehow slower than The Green Lantern, Aquaman and someone else, just so>! they get sucked into a portal and not Flash, because that would be an inconvenience within the story they're trying to tell!<).
Do I sound bitter? Yes I do. All I'm saying is that if End Game is the best movie ever (or just a good conclusion to the series even), expectations are really low and, as seen with Infinity War and so many other superhero movies, these movies can be way better.
​

• #2
• Game: Vampyr
• Platform:PC
• Rating: DNF
• Playtime: DNF

Last year I had A Way Out in this spot. I just want to reiterate how shit of a game A Way Out is and how it makes less sense then everything I wrote about superhero movies above. 'Oh, they escaped prison? Cool... What was that? Why we don't have 20 police cars camping in front of their homes, because of course they will return to their families? Well, ehh.'
This time I choose Vampyr, which should be a bit less controversial for anyone who's reading this section (and I am sorry if you're annoyed by how I annoyed I sound but it's the worst games section, what did you expect :D). Anyway, I didn't finish Vampyr but I've played enough of it to be disappointed as hell with it.
The game is mostly talking to characters to unlock dialogue options with other characters to solve some quests while fighting in a pretty average combat system whenever you're not in a conversation. The combat system being average is fine. The dialogue system though is complete shit. I've explained it in my main post on this game and all I can say now is that it truly is too broken to be the main feature of this game. I was really excited to play this but as I said, ended up just disappointed.
​

• #1
• Game: Pokemon Sword
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Rating: 4/10
• Playtime: 19 hours

A 4 rating might seem high for 'worst game of the year'. Based on my rating system though, I can't really give anything below a 3 for a game that is functioning and not just a dumb parody or something like that. I wouldn't define Pokemon Sword quite as a 'dumb parody' of past Pokemon games and it definitely is functioning. I also actually liked two things about this game, which was my first Pokemon game ever by the way. 1) The arena battle music was nice. 2) The wild area can probably be a fun area to just walk around in, if you're looking for a chill gaming experience. Plus the idea behind the Dynamax system was pretty cool but it didn't really seem to add any tactical value.
I won't continue on without mentioning first that Hop is a little bitch and the worst 'companion' in any game ever and that includes Ashley in Resident Evil 4. And now I shall continue.
I guess me ranting about it could never be taking as seriously as when a long time Pokemon fan would. Then again, that depends on if you want the series to be accessible to new potential fans, which, fair enough if you don't. But why the hell is it OK for Nintendo/Game Freak to do what it's doing? First of all. Two separate versions? It's not a big issue I guess but locking different Pokémon to each version is kind of a dick move. Is there a reason for it or is it just because 1) It's always been like that (which isn't a real reason) and 2) Nintendo is hoping to sell both versions to people who'd like a new/different Pokemon experience, which is basically exactly the same but with gyms looking different, arena fights being against different opponents (woah) and different Pokemon being locked to each version.
Way worse than that is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any difference in a Pokemon game from one title to the other. Are they really selling you the same game every few years just with a graphics update, minimal new additions and a new, shitty story? I don't think there are microtransactions in these games but once they're introduced, these games won't really have any difference to sports games.
As it stands, the game was lacking life, sympathetic characters and any features that didn't make the game feel repetitive as hell but I guess that's by design. A good story might have saved this for me but this game had one of the worst collections of characters in any game I've played.
I personally think Pokemon fans deserve better but again, this is the first Pokemon game I've played, so this is just my opinion on it.
___________
5. Award Ceremony
So far, the two 'winners' are Marvel's Spider-Man as my GOTY and Pokemon Sword as the Worst Game of the Year. Here are the winners of all the other awards.
​

• Best Boss Fight:The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine - Dettlaff

[Previous Winner: Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - Phantom]
The boss fight in the Blood and Wine DLC wasn't one that you'll find many 'best boss fights in video games' compilations and I didn't think it was mind blowing either. Admittedly, there weren't many good to great boss fights in the games I've played this year but rather a bunch of games with epic conclusions. I do not have a 'most epic conclusion award', however.
Still, the boss fight against Dettlaff, which I don't remember vividly to be honest with you (a lot of stuff happened since February, you know), it was a more than satisfying conclusion to a great DLC to a masterpiece of a video game. Very gory and atmospheric.
RUNNER UP: Marvel's Spider-Man - Otto Octavius
​

• Best Character(s): Bioshock Infinite - Booker De Witt / Elizabeth

[Previous Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2: Arthur Morgan]
I've given this award to two characters this year and it's well deserved imo. These characters were extremely well written, had great chemistry and character development and all the twists and turns throughout the story of the game gave me more appreciation for them. Kudos!
RUNNER UP: Detroit Become Human: Markus, Kara and Connor
​

• Worst Character(s): Pokemon Sword: Hop

[Previous Loser: Resident Evil 5: Chris and Sheva]
If you read what I wrote about Pokemon Sword, you might've picked up on how much I disliked the games characters, Hop in particular. All he would do is show up before and after big story events, run his mouth about becoming great, challenge the player to a fight, get his ass handed to him and repeat. He'd never wait for me either, always telling me to catch up. There was no value ... actually, negative value to him even being in the game. Apart from being the brother of the Champion, he didn't have any relevance. Not that that fact made him any relevant or anything but it's like they forced a partner on the player who was just not likeable at all.
RUNNER UP: Pokemon Sword: Olivia
​

• Best Coop Game: Overcooked 2

[Previous Winner: No Winner in 2019]
Last year, I only played Resi 5 in coop but that sucked, so I obviously couldn't award it. This year, I've played 2 games from the same series. First Overcooked 2 with my bro who's a couple years younger than me and then the original with my little brother who's 3 years old. Both were different experiences but I definitely preferred the one where I didn't have to work overtime just to have enough stars to advance another level. I had a blast with both games though and I'll probably get the PS5 edition, which adds a bunch of nice features to make the game more accessible to little kids (e.g. no timer).
RUNNER UP: Overcooked
​
NEW AWARD

• Best/Most Unique Game Mechanic:Minit - one minute loop

I've never played a game with a timer like this before but I do know there are a few others out there. Basically, you have 60 seconds to do as many things as possible and after 60 seconds you die and respawn. The things you've done will remain done however. If you found a sword for example, it will now be in your inventory. It's a very short game, so the mechanic doesn't get old and is definitely making the game a unique experience.
RUNNER UP: Blair Witch - Cassette tapes allow you to change reality
​

• Best Game Released in 2020: No Winner

[Previous Winner: The Outer Worlds]
As I said, didn't play a single game that came out this year, though I do have Mafia. Will probably buy and perhaps play a few games that release next year though.
RUNNER UP: /
​
NEW AWARD

• Best Level:The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine - Beyond Hill and Dale...

Did I create this award for just that quest? Yes. And I should probably name the award after it. I guess the setting the quest (I call it level because it works with most games) takes place in is called 'Land of a thousand Fables'. That should give you an broad idea about it. It's just such a weird and fun detour from the rest of the game and the quest in this world is pretty interesting (as per usual with quest in TW3).
RUNNER UP: Half-Life 2 - Ravenholm
​
NEW AWARD

• Worst Level:Blair Witch - Chapter 17

Both the 'winner' and runner up deserve praise for the best 'fuck up the pacing' job of all time. In AC II, they've apparently added two sequences via DLC and in 13, you are basically just mindlessly supposed to kill 8 million targets to then kill the main target. I didn't get anything from it and it's just prove that more content doesn't mean good content.
In Blair Witch, a horror game that wasn't great but not the worst in the genre out there, you enter a spooked house. And then you run around in it for over an hour. Any kind of good pacing or atmosphere the game had just vanished by that point. To me, scary is something that is unknown and just making me run around in a small house for 60 minutes is the opposite of that, even if I technically don't know what's coming. At times, it seemed like even the devs didn't know what's coming.
RUNNER UP: Assassins Creed II - Sequence 13
​
NEW AWARD

• Best Moment:Bioshock Infinite: Monument Tower

I've described it when I talked about Bioshock Infinite above but man, this whole event was just awesome. Go on YouTube and type Bioshock Infinite: Monument Tower escape if you're curious.
RUNNER UP: Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Ending
​

• Best Song: Jesper Kyd: Ezio's Family - Assassins Creed II

[Previous Winner: D'Angelo: Unshaken / Red Dead Redemption 2]
As much as a lot of games have flaws in their storytelling, I think it produces the most beautiful music out there. Last year's winner is a song I still listen to from time to time and the same goes for the famous intro song to AC II, which I've fallen in love with immediately. I criticized the game for a lot of things (and stand by that still) but the soundtrack is beautiful. Exemplified by this song.
RUNNER UP: Philip Sheppard: Little One - Detroit: Become Human
​

• Best Sounds/Music:Detroit: Become Human

[Previous Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2]
Listen to the Runner Up of the award above. Songs don't often make me emotional but the way that song was used during this game, the way the entire soundtrack was put to use, got me close to tears regularly. Beautiful.
RUNNER UP: GRIS
​

• Best Storytelling: Bioshock Infinite

[Previous Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2]
After all I've already written about this game, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Rarely do games leave me this shook and the Bioshock series has done it twice. It's a storytelling masterpiece in my opinion.
RUNNER UP: Detroit: Become Human
​
NEW AWARD

• Best Visuals:GRIS

The game is obviously universally praised for its visuals, so this award isn't a surprise. At the start, I thought 'just because you made the game more and more colorful, doesn't mean you it's art' but once you figure out what the game is about, it makes sense.
RUNNER UP: Detroit: Become Human
​
NEW AWARD

• Funniest Game :Deponia Doomsday

As someone who loves comedy and funny games, I had to add this award. I don't know why I find the Deponia series as funny as it is (might be my German side) but yeah, out of all the games I've played this year, this was an easy W for Deponia Doomsday. Not the funniest out of the 4 games but still funny.
RUNNER UP: Marvel's Spider-Man
​

• Most Disappointing Game: Pokemon Sword

[Previous Winner: GTA IV]
You obviously expect a bit more out of one of the most popular series in the world, so I was very disappointed with the end product. I'd say the game lives more off of nostalgia than being a decent game by any definition.
RUNNER UP: Divinity: Original Sin
​

• Most Surprising Game: Overcooked 2

[Previous Winner: Mass Effect]
My brother and I just were bored one day and decided to try this via Game Pass. It looked fun but we didn't think it would be that fun. I still play this and Overcooked with my little brother from time to time because he really enjoys it as well. Good little game if you're looking to spend an afternoon playing games with a friend, relative or your SO.
RUNNER UP: 11-11: Memories Retold
___________
6. 12in12 List for 2021 + Other Goals
I've nearly completed all 12 games this year. I'm going to be mostly going with shorter games for 2021 because otherwise completing it is just not realistic. There will be one veeery long game though.
​

• Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
• Batman Arkham City
• Cyberpunk 2077
• F.E.A.R.
• Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
• Layers of Fear 2
• Mafia: Definitive Edition
• Metro 2033
• Observer
• Persona 5
• Transistor
• Yakuza 0

Well, this list ended up being filled with longer games than expected. I had to add Cyberpunk 2077, a game I don't own yet, for obvious reasons. It's the game I'm most hyped about since Fallout 4. Unlike with that game however, I will wait for bug fixes first and not watch any gameplay videos before starting it. I've done a good job up until this point. Will probably get it around Christmas, if some technical issues that were mentioned are mostly fixed by then.
AC:Brotherhood, Batman Arkham City, Layers of Fear 2 and Yakuza 0 are sequels to games I enjoyed mostly, so I had to add those as well. I'm about 70 hours into Persona 5 but stopped (again). It's my #1 goal to finally beat it in 2021, even with the limited amount of time in my hands.
The rest are a mix of short and medium length games and I expect to be able to beat them all.
___________
I hope next year we'll slowly but surely be able to return to our normal lives, I hope you all have a great holiday season and am looking forward to reading your Year in Reviews as well. I'll have no lectures for a two week Christmas coming up next week, so that'll free up a bunch of time to read through your posts and also play more games. I don't expect to finish anything else this year though (1) time 2) Cyberpunk 2077), so I'll see you all with a monthly progress post in January.
submitted byFurkanE17to12in12 [link][comments]

2020.05.12 14:29 paperbirdusA Tribute to Attack on Titan

[Editor's Note: This post is both Season 3 Part 2 Spoiler-Free and Manga Spoiler-Free. Don't read unless you've watched up to Season 3 Part 2! I don't spoil anything, but you'll get a better appreciation out of these words once you've experienced the full story up until this point. Also, I don't talk anything about the non-adapted chapters of the manga-- this post is mainly about the anime. Sasageyo!] ​ ​ Back in 2009, a young Hajime Isayama published a story about enormous walls and man-eating giants. It soared in popularity, and in 2013, at a time when Sword Art Online taking the world by storm, WIT Studio's adaptation of Attack on Titan made its debut. This show got me hooked from Episode One, and ever since I've been passionately watching each season and reading every chapter in the past seven years (four of those years were in wait for Season 2, mind you), admiring its story, listening to its soundtrack, and analyzing its characters. This post is gonna talk about what I think makes the show so amazing, and it's gonna go down like one of those click-bait articles or WatchMojo countdowns where I go through each topic, one-by-one, starting with: ​ 1. The Music Hiroyuki Sawano's OST perfectly complements the show's atmosphere, from the badass tempo of Rittai Kidou to the emotionally-charged anthem that is You See Big Girl. I don't think the moments in the show would have as much impact without the OST accompanying it. ​ you can HEAR this image Eren's mother's death set the tone of the entire show, giving us a shocking welcome to Paradis-- and Vogel im Kafig could not have better accentuated the emotions of this scene. It's what traumatized Eren and drove him on in all of his future decisions. So many other emotional scenes in this show have the perfect OST to accompany them: Levi Squad vs the Female Titan, the Colossal and Armored Titan scenes, the Smiling Titan reveal-- Sawano's music carries those scenes every single time babeyy. Not only does the music really sell those scenes, but the phenomenal voice acting does as well, in every dub: Japanese, English, even German! Seriously, look up the German Eren and Reiner argument and German Mikasa dub-- you'll love to see it. I think the Attack on Titan soundtracks are some of Sawano's best work. I have his music and the opening themes on queue in Spotify whenever I'm reading the manga or exercising-- and seriously, this stuff makes anything you do at least 78% more intense. ​ ​ 2. The Characters The characters are so well written-- despite living in a world of supernatural powers and creatures, all characters in the show have REAL backstories, REAL emotions, and REAL motivations-- they're not just NPCs or fodder, but real people. You can really imagine that this world could have happened in an alternate timeline, if Titan-powers were real. Everything feels human. If you go back to watch Carla's death, you'll notice that right before she dies, she says, 'Don't go...' to Eren and Mikasa. She's not just an idealized, self-sacrificing mother-character that will drive the plot, but she was a real human being with real fear and real reactions before she died. Every character we meet throughout the series has the chance to develop a fleshed out, grounded personality, and each character has a reason why they act the way they do. You got characters like Christa, who start out as your typical cutesy-anime girl-- everyone called her a perfect Goddess-- but she reveals why she acted like that and really comes out into her own later on in the story-- she becomes a real, flawed person with history and motivations. Even Levi, Humanity's Strongest, a perfect soldier who can kill you in 47 different ways before you even hit the ground... he's 5'4'-- and he's self-conscious about it too; he's not perfect! The villains, as you'll meet later on in the series, aren't truly evil, either-- they're just people doing what they think will help them survive. They don't truly enjoy human suffering, but it was to protect what was important to them. The psychology behind why they act the way they do and how they must be thinking or feeling is one of the most interesting parts of the show. seriously, this girl went from 0 to 100 reaal quick is she even the same character anymore? Also, the characters' appearances are well-designed as well. It goes to show that you don't need to have wacky proportions or unnatural hair or eye colors to make a character distinct. I think the strangest hair we've seen is Rico Brzenska's white-hair or Nifa's pink hair-- but everyone has natural, realistic hair tones and facial features; it's really appealing. There's tons of inspiring men and women in AoT, too-- they're not overly-muscular or sexy fan-service-- but real people, I can't say that enough! ​ THE VIRGIN BLUE-HAIRED ANIME GIRL THE CHAD ELDIAN SOLDIER Some of my personal faves are Sasha, Jean, and Grisha-- learning all of their stories and struggles was such a treat to watch, and it felt realistic, like I was watching the lives of real people and their problems. Sasha's quarrel with her upbringing and her reality, how she has to give up her closed-minded attitude when she leaves home and suppress of her personality by hiding her accent and speaking politely Jean's internal conflict between doing what best interests him and doing what's right, what other's depend on him for, when choosing to join the Scouts instead of the MP Grisha's relationship with his father and his sons, how parents influence their children for better or for worse I can see a part of myself in each of these characters; and despite never going through what they've gone through, I feel like their struggles and decisions are something anyone might face in reality. Isayama really poured his soul into these characters, and it shows in their development as the story progresses. Not only do the characters progress, but so does: ​ ​ 3. The Art The evolution of Attack on Titan's art-style is like a time-capsule of Isayama's experience as a manga artist-- it's so inspiring to open up the old volumes and see the difference between Chapter 3 and Chapter 103. ​ like wtf, mr. isayama got so good at drawing Even a pro like Isayama is constantly pushing forward and improving when it comes to anatomy, shading, and line-art, just like his story is. ​ I've studied AoT's style a bit when I draw fanart of its characters, and feel that the facial expression is a key part of the style's distinctiveness. You've got the huge anime-eyes that every other show has, but the particular choices of lines that the artists add so much emotion and depth, it's like the character's terror, or rage, and determination bleeds out of the page-- seriously, take a look at the peoples' intense faces next time you get a chance. pure, unadulterated terror. pure, unadulterated badass. The art-style isn't like any other work I've seen-- it feels like an anime-styled take on The Walking Dead comic's gritty realism-- definitely a cool combination. ​ ​ 4. The Atmosphere Speaking of The Walking Dead-- I loved the apocalyptic feel of AoT back in Season 1 and 2-- the sheer dystopia of the idea that the last of Humanity was trapped in the walls by an almost invincible enemy. It made it feel like every time the Titans pushed forward-- every time a soldier or civilian died-- it was a devastating loss for all of Humanity. It's what made the Victory at Trost so uplifting. Remember after Eren sealed the Wall with the boulder back in Season 1, the very next episode switched the OP from Guren no Yumiya to Jiyuu no Tsubasa? Those triumphant brass chords at the beginning, the faint cheers of a victorious crowd in the background, the patriotic image of the Wings of Freedom-- it was such a moving piece. I live for those feelings! ​ There's also an air of mystery to the show that I think everyone loved. Theorizing on what was in the Basement, the history of the Titans and the Walls, even what was going to happen in the next episode was so thrilling! ​ the bane of my existence It isn't like any Shonen anime I've ever seen before. You don't have simple idealism like 'I'm gonna be the best hero ever!' or 'I'm gonna be the strongest there is!' These are people who are just trying to SURVIVE in this world, to find out the truth and escape their situation. You see it in characters like Levi, who just wanted to escape the Underground and live a better life but had to lose everyone he cared about to do it-- in Jean, who just wanted to live comfortably as an MP but decided to sacrifice his well-being to do the greater good-- in Armin, who wanted to see the ocean and find out that there was more to the world in the walls and joined the Scouts to do it-- and in Eren, who wanted to reclaim the world from his oppressors, no matter who they were, and will have to [redacted] to do it. ​ These characters have to make insane life-or-death decisions each episode-- not just for themselves, but for their comrades. The stress would cripple any other person, but these characters have the strength to act, and that's what makes it interesting for us to watch. ​ Girls: 'Boys never have to make difficult decisions!' Boys: ​ ​ 5. Isayama's Philosophy As simple as the messages may be, they're really intriguing to think about and are so poignant when tied with scenes of people fighting for their lives. There's so many inspiring quotes throughout the series, I can't believe Isayama thought up of all of them: 'You can't change anything unless you can discard part of yourself too. To surpass monsters, you must be willing to abandon your humanity' 'If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don’t fight, you can’t win! So fight. Fight. Fight!' 'I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself, whichever decision you will regret the least.' 'You know, if you can't cut the nape, you can always shove one of these swords up their asses.' ​ ​ 6. The World Even before the Basement, Hajime Isayama's world-building was amazing-- I was so invested in the lore and history while watching the show. Each group and organization, who's a part of each of them, who their enemies and allies are-- the faction-interaction was so interesting to watch, because it reminded me of how groups interacted in our own world history. I remember back in 2013, it was so fun trying to pinpoint the time-period of the show before the Basement, and all of its aesthetic features: the 20th century clothes and furniture, the 19th century technology like horses and rope-and-pulley systems, the culture's Germanic influence in its names and architecture-- it was such a unique combination that was so fascinating. Also it was fun to hear Japanese-pronunciations of Germanic names... Beh-ru-tol-to With all the shows set in fantasy worlds, in alternate realities, or in modern-day, the futuristic/steampunk aesthetic seen in the flare guns and ODM gear made the show distinct in its own right. On the topic of the ODM gear... ​ ​ 7 and 8. The ODM Gear and Animation Yep, the Omni-Directional Maneuvering Gear-- no, the Vertical-Maneuvering Equipment-- no, the 3-Dimensional Maneuvering Gear-- gets its own segment. I can write a whole post on how cool the ODM gear is; it's such a cool idea-- From an animation standpoint, Attack on Titan's ODM gear allows for so many cool action-scenes! It opens up a whole new dimension of mobility, removing the restriction of the ground and essentially allowing the animators to draw characters in all angles. This opens up for more possibilities-- more places for characters to go, more tactics they can employ, more threats they have to worry about. ​ Sure, a sword fight on a two-dimensional plane is cool enough-- but a sword fight in three-dimensional space? That shit's galaxy-brained dude When you see an ODM master like Levi in action-- it's impossible not to be amazed. WIT Studio's ODM scenes are masterpieces-- and I'm practically watching these sequences everyday, both admiring and studying the animation. ​ From a mechanical engineering standpoint, the ODM gear is so amazing-- you see other grapple hooks all the time: Batman's wire gun, the Legend of Zelda's hookshot, Spider-man's web shooters, but I feel that Attack on Titan does the grapple hooks just right. You got the semi-realistic laws of physics that are going into the detail of how the device operates, like how the gas propels the wires, how the harnesses distribute weight across the body, and how the hooks engage and retract with the hydraulic triggers-- it all feels like it can be created in real life, with enough research. You also got the years of training it takes to master this piece of equipment, which allows for amazing displays of athleticism and reflexes-- it's also an excuse to give all the characters rippling 12-packs-- ​ I thought only the Armored Titan could have abs of steel... ​ Sidenote: There's a character in Rainbow Six Siege called Amaru-- she's an anti-terrorist operator who has a grappling hook that pulls her up much like the ODM gear. The devs at Ubisoft even code-named her The Attack on Titan Operator during her development. I think it's cool that this show's technology is still inspiring other work in video games. ​ From a storytelling standpoint, I feel like the ODM gear represents freedom. It literally allows the user to fly, the ultimate freedom of movement, and kill Titans, the ultimate enemy. A Titan, as a creature, is such a powerful force-of-nature that if they were in our world, there would be no way for the average person to counter it. With something like zombies, we could just vibe-check it over the head-- with any other monster, use a gun. If that don't work, use more gun. But no amount of guns would even put a dent in a Titan-- those guys regenerate-- they huge-- they kill indiscriminately-- it's literally like fighting a god. The ODM gear allows its user to physically go toe-to toe with these gods. It's essential. Cannons and guns are largely ineffective, but a blade to the nape kills every time. I feel like we often forget how much the world in the walls relies on this tool to survive. Even Levi, as physically-powerful as he is, can't do jack to a Titan without gas or blades. With the ODM gear, these characters gain the power to rise up, figuratively and literally. And you can see this power in the characters themselves. Not only does the ODM gear training send their body to peak fitness, much more fit than any non-ODM-trained individual, but their mentality has changed too-- they have the training and confidence to take on their challenges head-on, and that's inspiring to watch. This is gonna sound is super techno-phile, but I feel like the whole show hinges on the existence of the ODM gear technology. Without it, Humanity would have been long gone, there would be no Attack on Titan, no cool fight scenes, nothing. I even think the success of the show itself was partly because of the entertaining idea of flying around like Spider-man-- it's an appealing idea! ​ I really wish these were real... aside from the whole-- breaking-your-back-from-the-unrealistic-force-of-the-grappling-hooks thing There have already been scenes of Humans-vs-Humans using the ODM gear, and there will soon be more of those scenes-- and when those scenes happen I want you to remember how pivotal the ODM gear is to Eldia's success. ​ ​ 9. Rewatchability During this hiatus between Seasons 3 and 4, if you go back and rewatch past seasons, there's foreshadowing that you'll only notice the second time. Seriously-- they bring back side characters, hide subtle clues and hints about others, and add little details and lines of dialogue that gain a whole new meaning when you get the context later on. Like, I didn't know Instructor Shadis was gonna ever pop up again after the Training Arc, but lo and behold, he's needed in Season 3, and with it he adds a whole new depth to those Training episodes. Each Season is made of like 10 hours of content-- you can fit a lot of detail in that time. It makes the whole show feel connected and deliberately orchestrated, and it's definitely entertaining to see the technical storytelling that Isayama's masterfully employing. You have works like Dragon Ball Z where the story is written as it goes on (and the Saiyan, Frieza, and Cell sagas are amazing, don't get me wrong), but I love that Isayama planned out what he wanted to do before he even started writing-- it makes everything come full circle and it's so satisfying. Take a scene like Eren's flashback of Grisha back in Episode 9, when he was protecting Armin and Mikasa from that cannonball. Upon first viewing you're like-- what? It doesn't make sense. Why did Grisha inject Eren with something-- was that the Titan power? Where did Grisha even go after that? How come Eren doesn't remember what happened, and how does his Titan power work? All these answers are revealed later on in the story-- and it makes watching this scene so astonishing to watch after you know the answers. Same goes for scenes after the Basement. The whole world opens up, and your eyes are opened to the true nature of the world within the walls. It makes you realize that everything was planned-- the game was rigged from the start. ​ ​ ​ ​ Looking back to the show's beginning, to 2013, I'm kind of looking back at myself at that time. In 2013, I was in middle-school, and the only anime I'd watched before that were Dragon Ball Z parodies, Sword Art Online, and Pokemon. It was horrifying for me and my friends to watch this gory show, entertaining to play the Attack on Titan Tribute Game, and interesting to talk about the plot and characters, but eventually we moved on. Many moved on from the show during that long gap between Seasons 1 and 2, but we kept it in the back of our minds until Season 3 released. Finally, all the answers were revealed, we reached the Basement, we took back Wall Maria, and we finally got a glimmer of freedom. In 2020, Attack on Titan is an entirely different story from the one we were introduced to in 2013. So much has changed in the past seven years, both for the show and in real life (hell, it feels like we're trapped within walls ourselves now cooped up inside with this whole world-wide ************) that it feels like we're living in an entirely different world than a decade ago. As the manga comes closer and closer to its finale, and as the Final Season approaches its release date, it's fun to look back at how far this series has come. From its realistic characters, to its passionate music, to its incredible story, and to its amazing animation-- everything about the show has changed. We're a long way from those days when we were making those funny Marco-Half and The Walls protect the Titans from Levi jokes. Now there's an entire world out there with new obstacles. For Mikasa, Armin, and the others, the world just got a whole lot bigger. There are gonna be a lot of things that happen in the next coming months that the audience will love, and things that the audience will hate, but in the end those things will drive the plot to a close-- they will keep pushing forward, until the story comes to an end. After everything in Attack on Titan wraps up this fall-- and after some time passes-- this show will feel like a distant memory, a thing of the past. Before it does, I just wanted to record everything I love about this series and express my admiration and gratitude for the animators, the writing and production crew, the voice actors, the composers, the publishers, and the author who brought this story to life and released it to the world back in 2013. ​ ​ To you, 7 years ago: Thank you for starting this whole story. submitted bypaperbirdustoattackontitan [link][comments]

2019.12.23 14:47 xOfMaliceThrough 2019, I've played over 70 games, and have beaten 39 of them. Here's a short review for all of them.

submitted byxOfMalicetopatientgamers [link][comments]

2019.06.07 22:03 ravl13[H] Digital Movie Codes (Coco, Infinity War, Black Panther) and Steam Games [W] 911 Operator + DLC, Duskers, Paratopic, Pool Panic

submitted byravl13toindiegameswap [link][comments]

2019.01.26 02:17 quivalent366 - between 1 to 7 Stars from the Holy Crab

submitted byquivalenttoMarvelStrikeForce [link][comments]

2018.02.01 22:08 StuntedSlimeMaiev Shadowsong – Abilities, Quotes, and Skins Lore

Hello, everyone!
With Maiev out on the PTR, here is the followup to my Maiev lore thread from last week, where I'll go through and explain the lore and various references found in her abilities and quotes. Blizzard have done a pretty good job with Maiev, and there are a ton of little nods and callbacks for WC3 and WoW fans alike to pick up on, so let's get started.
Maiev character lore thread
All previous 'Lore of' episodes

Abilities

Maiev in Heroes of the Storm is based on the Warden, a hero unit for the night elf faction in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Like most wardens and Watchers, Maiev wields a type of deadly circular glaive known as an umbra crescent.

• D: Vault of the Wardens - The name of this talent references the Vault of the Wardens, a secret facility where the wardens stored the various criminals and dangerous creatures they defeated over the centuries. It's also where Maiev stored the corpse of Illidan Stormrage and the prisons of his Illidari demon hunter followers after their defeat at the Black Temple. At the start of World of Warcraft: Legion, the Burning Legion attacks the Vault with the help of the corrupted warden Cordana Felsong, freeing many of the captive creatures and forcing Maiev to release the captive demon hunters. The Vault subsequently becomes a dungeon that players venture into in order to combat the Legion and the various imprisoned creatures that have been set free.
  
• Q: Fan of Knives - Fan of Knives is an ability used by the Warden in WC3. It flings a flurry of knives to damage multiple enemies in all directions around the Warden, unlike the Heroes version which only hits enemies in a cone in front of Maiev. In WoW, Fan of Knives is an Assassination rogue ability that functions similarly to the WC3 version, damaging all nearby enemies, applying the rogue's active Poison effects, and generating a combo point.
  
• W: Umbral Bind - This ability is unique to Heroes, but the name appears to refer to Maiev's weapon, her umbra crescent.
  
• E: Spirit of Vengeance - This is a reference to Vengeance, the Ultimate ability for Wardens in WC3, which summons a powerful Avatar of Vengeance which resembles a strange shadowy reflection of the Warden and can automatically summon invulnerable Spirits of Vengeance from the corpses of nearby friendly units to attack enemies. The avatar lasts for up to 180 seconds, and when it dies, the spirits vanish. It should be noted that while Heroes' Spirit of Vengeance is named after the spirits, it's more visually reminiscent of the avatar.
  
  • Blink - While the Heroes version of Blink is incorporated as part of Spirit of Vengeance, in WC3 Blink and Vengeance are separate abilities. WC3's Blink functions much the same as Zeratul's does, allowing the Warden to teleport a short distance to a target location, and is useful for quickly moving in and out of combat. In the novel Illidan, it's noted that Maiev's power of Blinking originates from the night elf moon goddess Elune. Blink was also translated into a mage spell in WoW, where it's not a targeted ability and instead simply teleports the mage a short distance forward in whatever direction they're facing while also freeing them from all stun and root effects.
• R1: Containment Disc - This ability is a reference to the crystal prisons used by Maiev and her Watchers to store Illidan and his demon hunters in the Vault of the Wardens until she was eventually forced to free the demon hunters so they could aid against the Burning Legion. This can all be seen in this cutscene from the demon hunter starting experience in Legion. The idea of creating such a crystal prison by throwing a glaive at an enemy is unique to Heroes of the Storm, however.
  
• R2: Warden's Cage - This ability's name is a reference to the Warden's Cage, the prison in Shadowmoon Valley where Maiev was held by Illidan after she was captured by his forces between the events of The Frozen Throne and The Burning Crusade. The prison was watched over by the dreadlord Vagath and the Broken Akama, the latter of which conspired against Illiadn and eventually freed Maiev so she could join the assault on Illidan at the Black Temple.
  

Talents

• Level 1: Naisha's Memento - Naisha was a night elf huntress and member of the Watchers who accompanied Maiev as her second-in-command during her hunt for Illidan Stormrage in the Sentinels campaign in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The Watchers eventually pursued Illidan into the Tomb of Sargeras, where he began using the Eye of Sargeras to collapse the walls of the tomb. Maiev was able to escape, but she was forced to leave Naisha and the other Watchers to their fate, though she swore to one day avenge them. While fighting against Illidan alongside players at the Black Temple, Maiev will occasionally shout 'That is for Naisha!'. When players breach the Tomb of Sargeras in Legion, they find Naisha haunting the tomb as a banshee — a type of tortured elven ghost — and Maiev asks players to release her from her suffering. Naisha's Memento causes Maiev's basic attacks to bounce to nearby enemies; this is a callback to the fact that Naisha in WC3, being a Huntress unit, had the passive Moon Glaives ability, allowing her attacks to ricochet to nearby enemies. This talent's icon depicts one of the three-bladed moon glaives wielded by Naisha and other huntresses.
  
• Level 4: Blade Dance - Somewhat ironically, this talent shares its name with an ability for demon hunters (specifically the Havoc specialization) in World of Warcraft, where it causes the demon hunter to rapidly dash around and deal significant Physical damage to all nearby enemies and causing them to dodge all attacks for 1 second.
  
• Level 7: Elune's Wrath - Elune is a powerful moon goddess worshiped by the night elves. Prior to becoming Illidan's warden, Maiev was a priestess of Elune.
  
• Level 20: Shadow Orb: Vengeance/Huntress/Shadow Strike - The Shadow Orb is a magical artifact that was empowered by the orcish Shadow Council and given to the warlock Gul'dan. When Gul'dan was torn apart by demons in the Tomb of Sargeras, the orb shattered into ten fragments. During the WC3:TFT mission 'The Tomb of Sargeras', in which Maiev explores the tomb, an optional quest revolves around gathering all ten of the fragments. With each added fragment, the Shadow Orb grows more powerful, granting increased attack damage and (if the player gathers enough fragments) eventually also increased armor and health regeneration. Maiev could continue carrying the orb in subsequent missions throughout the rest of the campaign, but it's unknown what happened to the artifact after WC3 and whether or not Maiev still has it in her possession.
  
  • Shadow Orb: Huntress - Possibly a reference to the Huntress, a night elf unit in WC3 which was mounted on nightsaber panthers, allowing them to move faster than many other ground units. As previously mentioned, Maiev's late lieutenant Naisha was a huntress.
  • Shadow Orb: Shadow Strike - Shadow Strike is a Warden ability in WC3 which hurls a poisoned dagger at a target enemy unit, dealing large initial damage and then a smaller amount of damage over time while also slowing their movement speed by 50%. The Heroes version of Shadow Strike replicates the WC3 ability's audiovisual effect of a small shadowy creature appearing over the target's head and letting out a chittering laughter.

Poke quotes

Warcraft III Maiev quotes
Warcraft III Warden quotes
I used to think justice was blind, and then I met Illidan. - 'Justice is blind' is a saying referring to the ideal that justice should be neutral and impartial, as embodied by the blindfolded 'Lady Justice'. Demon hunters like Illidan ritualistically blind themselves to gain so-called 'spectral sight', allowing them to perceive magical energies and see through walls and obstacles, though Illidan himself is a rather unique case since his eyes were instead burned out by the Dark Titan Sargeras.
I am vengeance. I am the night. I am a warden! - Reference to a famous line by the DC Comics superhero Batman, simply replacing the word 'Batman' with 'a warden' in the last sentence.
Nothing escapes my sight, not even when I Blink. - Unavoidable pun is unavoidable.
My umbra crescent is a formidable weapon, but my skills are what make me dangerous. A warden's true power comes from beyond the glaive! - Seems to just be a pun on the saying 'beyond the grave' and the fact that Maiev's umbra crescent is a type of glaive.
I will never forgive Cordana for betraying us, but after dealing with Khadgar I can see why she lost her sanity. - Cordana Felsong was a Watcher in service to Maiev who accompanied the famed human archmage Khadgar on the alternate universe version of the planet Draenor during Warlords of Draenor. Cordana was eventually corrupted by the alternate universe's Gul'dan, becoming a servant of the Burning Legion and later aiding the demons in invading the Vault of the Wardens in Legion. When Khadgar met with Maiev to ask for her help in tracking Gul'dan between the events of Warlords and Legion, Maiev blamed Khadgar for Cordana's betrayal, citing the Watcher's reports of Khadgar being reckless, arrogant, imprecise, headstrong, and slow to accept advice. This quote likely also references the slightly more humorous status Khadgar gained in the WoW community during Warlords and Legion due to his eccentric behavior, habit of cracking puns, and tendency of sending players to gather excessively specific amounts of magical artifacts, which in turn has led to the creation of various community memes.
Like us wardens, owls are vigilant watchers and silent hunters. They're also quite good at delivering letters. Much better than ravens, anyway. - In Legion, the wardens frequently use owls as companions and scouts. This quote seemingly references the Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire series, in which owls and ravens, respectively, are used to deliver letters.
I am NOTHING like Illidan! I merely do whatever is necessary to achieve my goals, even if it means making morally questionable decisions while growling about the hatred I felt for 10,000 years! - Despite the enmity between the two, Maiev and Illidan are rather similar in several regards, and characters like Akama have acknowledged that Maiev is oftentimes no better than Illidan.
Betraying the kaldorei? That's an imprisoning. Consorting with demons? That's an imprisoning. Consuming the Skull of Gul'dan and becoming a demon? Oh, you better believe that's an imprisoning! - These all describe acts committed by Illidan. This quote is a reference to a line spoken by Jasper Beardly in the twenty-first episode of season 6 of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons.
I have no idea where my brother Jarod went during his long exile! Am I my brother's keeper? No! I'm Illidan's keeper! - During the last stretch of the War of the Ancients, Maiev's younger brother Jarod led the mortal resistance forces to victory over the Burning Legion. After the war, Jarod vanished to an unknown location in self-imposed exile along with his lover and eventual wife Shalasyr due to being uncomfortable in the role of a war hero and due to growing disenchantment with post-war night elf society. More than 10,000 years later, specifically in the WoW novel Wolfheart, Jarod returned to his people after his wife Shalasyr fell ill (and eventually died before the night elves could save her). During their initial reunion, Maiev chastised her younger brother, seeing him as having abandoned the duty to his people.
Why, yes, I do know the secret behind the owl statues on the Isle of the Watchers. All wardens do. We just won't share it with you. - The Isle of the Watchers is a large island off the southern coast of Azsuna. It is the location for the Vault of the Wardens, and is also home to nine large, apparently warden-made 'Owl of the Watcher' statues. The statues can be interacted with by clicking on them, but most of the time nothing happens, while other times a generic error message pops up or the player character is given a seemingly random temporary buff. Naturally, this has led to a lot of player speculation about the statues' purpose, with some speculating that they're part of some hidden puzzle (numerous others of which have been discovered throughout the course of Legion). I'll admit I have not been keeping up to date with a lot of Legion content at all, so I don't actually know what the current consensus on the statue mystery is, but judging by this quote it seems that it has yet to be figured out by the playerbase.
A pristine Core Hound Tooth, a custom-forged Perdition's Blade, and of course a sharpened Shard of Azzinoth. My dagger collection is quite extensive. That's because I'm a Fan of Knives. - This pun is so stupid but it makes me grin every time regardless. To explain a bit more, Core Hound Tooth, Perdition's Blade, and Shard of Azzinoth are the names of three iconic dagger items from World of Warcraft: Core Hound Tooth (named after core hounds, a type of two-headed elemental lava monsters) can be looted after defeating Majordomo Executus in the Molten Core raid in classic WoW, while Perdition's Blade can be looted from Molten Core's final boss, Ragnaros himself. The Shard of Azzinoth (apparently a fragment of Illidan's weapons, the Twin Blades of Azzinoth) can be looted from Illidan in the Black Temple in The Burning Crusade.
So I murdered a few Highborne, tried to kill Malfurion, and fled Darnassus as a wanted fugitive. Can't you just drop it and move on? Everyone else has. - This is a description of the events of the novel Wolfheart, in which Maiev seemingly goes completely insane, kills several innocent Highborne (night elf mages once part of the uppermost caste of ancient society, exiled after the War of the Ancients but recently let back into night elf society), tries to kill Malfurion due to having become convinced that he's no better than his brother, and is ultimately forced to flee from the night elf capital of Darnassus after being fought off by her younger brother Jarod. This quote lampshades the fact that Blizzard so far seems content to pretend like the events of the novel never happened; despite Maiev's significant role in Legion, the only time her Darnassian murder spree is mentioned is during a quest line in which players help Jarod find and rescue Maiev, with Jarod claiming that he knows Maiev wouldn't have committed the murders unless she was under some corrupt influence.
What do you mean I'm obsessed with Illidan? It's not like I think about him every day and every night, picturing his smug grin as I sharpen my glaive, imagining how it would feel when I plunge it into his chest right between those big, disgusting tattoos, leaning in close to watch the light fade from his eyes... Oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying? - I'll let this one speak for itself.
You're still talking to me?! At least give me a cough drop, you monster! - Given her raspy voice, Maiev could probably benefit from some cough medicine.

Interaction quotes

(Generic) Maiev:'Today, justice will be done!' - A line yelled by Maiev when she appears at the Black Temple to aid player characters against Illidan at the Black Temple in The Burning Crusade.
(To demon hunters) Maiev:'Illidari, while you caper about, I shall see to the real work.' - Maiev fought against Illidan and his Illidari demon hunter followers until she defeated them and had them imprisoned in the Vault of the Wardens. Years later, she was forced to release them and relucantly work alongside them against the Burning Legion. This quote is specifically a callback to the WoW quest 'Assault on Broken Shore', in which Maiev says 'Illidan, how courteous of you to finally arrive! Wardens, see to the real work while Illidan's demon hunters caper about their bats' after Illidan arrives to the battle against the Legion at the Broken Shore.
(To demon hunters) Maiev:'I would do anything to save Azeroth, even if it means releasing you.' - A direct quote from the Legion cutscene in which Maiev shatters the prison of the demon hunter player character.
(To druids) Maiev:'Your aid is most welcome, druid.' - Several night elf druids loyal to the Watchers aided Maiev in her search for Illidan across Azeroth and Outland, including one named Sarius.
(To druids) Maiev:'Good to see you're awake for this fight.' - After the War of the Ancients, night elf druids (who were at the time exclusively male) would hibernate for centuries at a time so that their spirits could navigate the mystical dimension known as the Emerald Dream.
Maiev:'The foul menace you serve will never conquer Azeroth, warlock!'Gul'dan:'[laughs] Such delusion.' - Gul'dan is a servant of the demonic Burning Legion, which has tried and failed to conquer Azeroth numerous times.
Gul'dan:'An eternity of darkness awaits those who challenge me.'Maiev:'I've seen how you die, Gul'dan — betrayed and desperate. You deserve nothing less.' - At the end of the Second War, Gul'dan and his followers ventured into the Tomb of Sargeras in search of the demonic power therein, specifically the artifact called the Eye of sargeras. However, the orcs were attacked by the tomb's demonic guardians, and in the end all of Gul'dan's followers fled or died, leaving him to try to reach the chamber containing the Eye on his own, desperate and bleeding, until he was finally torn apart by the demons as well. Gul'dan left several orcish runes on the walls of the tomb to log his journey, and when Maiev years later visited the tomb she learned of Gul'dan's final moments from these runes.
(To Horde characters) Maiev:'The Horde? Must I ally with such filth?' / 'When this is over, I will see your kind purged from Ashenvale!' - The Horde, one of the two major factions in the Warcraft universe and the enemy of the Alliance of which the night elves are members, have long fought against the kaldorei, particularly in a campaign to claim the vast lumber reserves of the night elves' ancestral home of Ashenvale Forest.
Maiev has spent most of her life as either jailor or hunter of the Betrayer, Illidan Stormrage. After he betrayed the night elves by creating a second Well of Eternity after the War of the Ancients, Illidan was sealed in a prison in the Barrow Deeps below Mount Hyjal, with Maiev volunteering to serve as his warden and founding an order called the Watchers to stand guard over his prison. During the Third War, Illidan was freed by Tyrande Whisperwind, and for years Maiev pursued him throughout Azeroth and Outland to recapture or kill him, eventually defeating him at the Black Temple with the aid of WoW player characters and storing his corpse in the Vault of the Wardens. Illidan's body was later stolen by the Burning Legion, but after he was resurrected Maiev was forced to work alongside him against the Legion at the Broken Shore and in the Tomb of Sargeras. I don't have much to say about the following five interactions between Illidan and Maiev, since they all pretty much convey the same thing, so I'll mostly just let them speak for themselves.
Maiev:'Illidan, I will hunt you down for as long as I live!'Illidan:'Then, for your sake, I hope you die.'
Maiev:'Did you really think you could elude me, Illidan? Run again, and I'll shackle you like the beast you are!'Illidan:'Just be glad I have no plans to kill you... yet.' / Illidan:'Are you ready for the hunt to begin?'Maiev:'Forgive me if my glaive finds your heart, Illidan. It's hard to distinguish you from the rest of this filth.' - References to the banter between Illidan and Maiev in the Cathedral of Eternal Night dungeon in Legion.
Illidan:'Can you put aside your anger, warden?'Maiev:'Can you put aside your arrogance, Betrayer?'
Illidan:'Can you put aside your anger, warden?'Maiev:'I don't know, can you put on a shirt? It's distracting.' - ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Maiev:'Allying with Illidan... I always knew you couldn't be trusted, Kael'thas!'Kael'thas:'Let's get this over with.' / Kael'thas:'I see, it is you.'Maiev:'Yes, ME, the one who saved your wretched life back in Lordaeron.' - While searching for Illidan in the undead-ravaged land of Lordaeron, Maiev and Tyrande came across Kael'thas and his force of blood elves, who were being constantly assailed by the undead Scourge. In exchange for the night elves' aid against the Scourge, Kael and his forces helped them hunt down and ultimately defeat Illidan. Much later, however, racist treatment from their Alliance brethren, particularly the human commander Othmar Garithos, caused the blood elves to seek out and join forces with Illidan in the shattered world of Outland, fighting alongside Illidan's naga to liberate the Betrayer from Maiev. Logically, Maiev viewed the blood elves' actions as a betrayal.
Maiev:'I see you, too, thirst for vengeance. We will claim it together!'Kerrigan:'Let's go tear them apart.' - Kerrigan long pursued vengeance against the terran emperor Arcturus Mengsk, the man who betrayed her by leaving her for the zerg and causing her to be transformed into the Queen of Blades.
Maiev:'Malfurion! I thought I smelled the stench of cowardice.'Malfurion:'Let's get moving. There's time for us to hate each other later.' / Malfurion:'Hrm... fate has chosen to be unkind to me this day.'Maiev:'A true shan'do would forge their own fate.' - Maiev originally deeply respected Malfurion, but she eventually came to hate him instead, believing him to be as arrogant as his brother Illidan, resenting him for choosing not to ask the Dragon Aspects to bless the World Tree Nordrassil and renew the night elves' immortality, and despising his decision to allow the Highborne back into night elf society. Maiev eventually tried to kill Malfurion, but the attempt was thwarted by her brother Jarod. Shan'do is a night elf honorific that translates to 'honored teacher'. Malfurion is often referred to as 'Shan'do Stormrage', particularly by Maiev in WC3.
(To mages) Maiev:'Sorcerers! I detest your kind, but you do have your uses.' / 'The arcane is responsible only for ruin! Misuse it, and I will show you no mercy.' - Maiev has an intense hatred of arcane magic, having seen the chaos it could wreak when the Highborne sorcerers drew the Burning Legion to Azeroth and caused the War of the Ancients. During the events of the novel Wolfheart, this distaste manifested in Maiev murdering a number of innocent Highborne that had recently been let back into night elf society.
(To Murky) Maiev:'Where's Murgulis?!' / 'Where's Murkidan?!' - Murgulis and Murkidan are two murloc demon hunters from World of Warcraft. Murkidan is a baby murloc in-game pet that was given out during BlizzCon 2015. Just like how most BlizzCon pets are themed after something relevant to their year's BlizzCon, Murkidan is a murloc demon hunter themed after Illidan Stormrage, who was at the forefront of the World of Warcraft: Legion expansion that had been announced at Gamescom earlier that year. Murgulis, on the other hand, is a murloc demon hunter who appears in patch 7.2 of Legion. He uses the same model as Murkidan and helps players defend the zone of Stormheim on the Broken Isles when it is occasionally invaded by the Burning Legion.
Maiev:'Your armor is your prison? Is that what passes for justice among your people? Pathetic.'Tychus:'Yeah, I can't believe it either.' / Tychus:'I can't believe I got stuck babysittin' you.'Maiev:'Watch your tongue, convict, or I'll throw you back into prison myself.' - For his numerous crimes, Tychus was initially given a life sentence and placed in cryogenic stasis by the Terran Confederacy, but years later he was freed and outfitted with his old armor by Arcturus Mengsk, who tasked him with killing Sarah Kerrigan in exchange for freedom. However, as part of this deal, Tychus was unable to remove his armor, essentially making it his prison, and if he disobeyed orders the suit was wired to shut down his vital organs.
Maiev:'Are you prepared to deliver justice to this realm?'Tyrael:'I am justice itself.' / Tyrael:'No evil shall escape our sight.'Maiev:'The Archangel of Justice! It is an honor to fight beside you.' - Maiev is very fixated on the idea of meeting out 'justice'. Tyrael, being the Archangel of Justice, is the very embodiment of the concept.
Maiev:'The traitor Tyrande. You belong in a cell no less than Illidan!'Tyrande:'We remain allied through convenience. Do not make it... inconvenient.' / Tyrande:'[sigh] The goddess seems to be testing my resolve.'Maiev:'Like she tested mine while you murdered my sisters?!' - As the head of night elf government, Tyrande was the one that Maiev's Watchers answered to directly. During the Third War, Tyrande decided to release Illidan from his prison so that he could aid against the Burning Legion, but when the Watchers refused, Tyrande killed many of them. As might be expected, Maiev was outraged, and when Malfurion and Tyrande later came to the warden's aid against Illidan on the Broken Isles, Maiev told Tyrande that 'It is you who should be locked in a cage'.
Maiev:'A demon hunter, are you? Hm. Your brand of demon hunting, I can accept.'Valla:'Come, let's join the hunt.' - Warcraft and Diablo demon hunters are similar in many aspects, with both being vigilantes that dedicate themselves entirely to hunting demonkind, often due to having suffered personal losses at the hands of invading demons, and who are often shunned by the societies they try to protect. However, while Diablo demon hunters do use some shadow magic, they mostly focus on ranged weaponry and don't use the demons' own powers against them, unlike Warcraft demon hunters, so I guess that makes them more acceptable in Maiev's eyes.

Kill quotes

Generic:'Justice is mine!' - This is Maiev's attack quote in Hearthstone.
Demon:'A fitting end to a vile invader.' - Demons have launched large-scale invasions of Azeroth three times, and each time they've been beaten back by Azeroth's mortal defenders; the first two times, the night elves played particularly vital roles in their defeat.
Gul'dan:'I'm keeping your Shadow Orb!' - Gul'dan wielded an artifact called the Shadow Orb, which shattered into several fragments when he died in the Tomb of Sargeras. Years later, Maiev gathered and reassembled the fragments of the orb to aid in her battles against Illidan's forces. In Heroes of the Storm, the artifact is the basis for Maiev's level 20 talents (see above).
Highborne:'Traitorous scum, I'll wipe you all out.' - The Highborne were originally the upper classes of ancient night elf society. They caused the War of the Ancients by luring the Burning Legion to Azeroth and opening the way for the Legion in exchange for promises of power. After the War of the Ancients, some groups of Highborne went into exile, with one group later being allowed to rejoin night elf society during the events of Wolfheart. Maiev was outraged and murdered several Highborne until she was stopped by Malfurion and Jarod.
Illidan:'My long hunt is finally over.' - A quote spoken by Maiev when she first appears to fight Illidan at the Black Temple.
Illidan:'I feel nothing. I am nothing.' / Illidan:'Hmm. I thought that would be more satisfying.' - With the help of WoW player characters, Maiev managed to kill Illidan, but with his dying breath he told her that the huntress was nothing without the hunt; that Maiev was nothing without Illidan. Maiev realized the truth in his words, stating 'He's right. I feel nothing... I am... nothing'.
Kael'thas:'You should have kept your mouth shut!' / Tyrande:'This time, you really are dead.' - I'll explain both of these at the same time to avoid repeating myself too much. While searching for Illidan in Lordaeron, Maiev and Tyrande encountered and began aiding Kael'thas and his blood elves against the undead Scourge in exchange for Kael aiding in the hunt for Illidan. At one point, the group was ambushed by a large force of undead, and Tyrande offered to stay behind and hold a nearby bridge while Maiev and the blood elves moved to the safety of the other side. While Tyrande did managed to hold the undead off, the bridge eventually collapsed under her and sent her sweeping downriver towards Scourge territory. Kael wanted to try rescuing her, but Maiev convinced him to move on to search for Illidan. Later, Maiev lied to Malfurion that Tyrande had been torn apart in order to motivate him to strike at Illidan instead of 'wasting' time searching for Tyrande. After Illidan was defeated, Malfurion accused him of being responsible for Tyrande's death, but Kael'thas spoke up and revealed that the priestess might still be alive, despite Maiev telling him to be quiet. This caused Malfurion to turn against Maiev and join forces with Illidan to find and rescue the still living Tyrande from the undead.
Mage:'The only good mage is a dead mage.' - As previously mentioned, Maiev has an obsessive hatred of mages and their use of arcane magic, particularly Highborne.
Malfurion:'THAT was for the good of the kaldorei!' - Another reference to the events of Wolfheart.
Naga:'You are an affront to everything the night elves stand for!' - The naga were originally night elves, specifically members of Queen Azshara's court of Highborne, transformed into aquatic, serpent-like beings by the malefic Old Gods after the War of the Ancients. Millennia later, a group of naga led by Lady Vashj joined forces with Illidan and repeatedly fought against Maiev and her Watchers. This quote is specifically a callback to the WC3:TFT mission 'The Search for Illidan', in which Vashj's naga and Kael'thas' blood elves (another race descended from the Highborne) fight to liberate the captured Illidan from Maiev's forces. During the mission, Maiev will occasionally yell 'Blood elves and naga! Your bastard races are an affront to everything the night elves stand for!'
Valla:'Hmm... wrong demon hunter.' - As previously mentioned, Warcraft and Diablo demon hunters are similar in some regards but are fundamentally different in their methods.
Zeratul:'I know all your tricks, Zeratul!' - A reference to the fact that all of the WC3 Warden's non-Ultimate abilities function extremely similarly to Zeratul's basic abilities in Heroes of the Storm: there's a point-blank damage AoE (Fan of Knives/Cleave), a ranged single-target spell that damages and slows an enemy (Shadow Strike/Singularity Spike), and an instant short-range teleport (Blink/Blink). WC3 Maiev having the same kit as Zeratul was commonly brought up as a concern among the playerbase whenever Maiev was discussed as a potential Heroes of the Storm character. In the end, Blizzard did end up incorporating several of the WC3 Warden's abilities into Maiev's Heroes kit, albeit with heavily altered functionalities to avoid overlap with Zeratul.

Killing Maiev quotes

Illidan:'You have failed, warden.' - Yup.

Other quotes

Abandon hope! (Warden's Cage) / None shall flee my grasp! (unknown) - References to Maiev's Hearthstone hero trailer.
Ashal theridas! (Containment Disc) - WC3 attack quote. While clearly an example of Darnassian, the night elf language, Blizzard hasn't provided an official translation for this quote. This transcription may or may not be inaccurate, as well.
Bleed as I have bled! (attack) / There shall be no prison for you this time! (voice line) - Quotes yelled by Maiev while fighting against Illidan at the Black Temple.
Enough of this! The hunt awaits! / Illidan is out there somewhere. / We must hurry! I have no time for idle nonsense! / We're wasting time here. (shop) - References to some of Maiev's WC3 select quotes.
For the Watchers! (attack) - WC3 attack quote.
Heal yourself! You're no good to me dead. (a nearby ally is low on health) - Possibly a reference to a similar line said by Boba Fett in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and which is also referenced by one of the WC3 Wardens' poke quotes: 'He's no good to me dead'. Like Boba Fett, night elf wardens often serve as bounty hunters, hence the reference.
I am the iron hand of justice! (Containment Disc) - A WC3 Warden select quote. WC3 Maiev has a similar line, stating 'I am the hand of justice' when resurrected at an altar. In Hearthstone, Maiev speaks the 'iron hand' line at the start of a match if both players are using Maiev as their hero.
I am vengeance itself. / I am forever bound to the hunt! (shop) - During the WC3:TFT cutscene 'A Parting of Ways', Malfurion tells Tyrande that Maiev 'has become vengeance itself, bound forever to the hunt'.
I hold you in contempt! (voice line) - WC3 Warden poke quote.
I sentence you to death! / I will be your executioner! (attack) - One of the WC3 Wardens' poke quotes is 'I shall be your executioner'. In the ending cutscene of the WC3:TFT mission 'The Ruins of Dalaran', Maiev sentences the defeated Illidan to death and declares that she will execute him herself (though of course this doesn't end up happening).
Let the hunt begin. (move) - WC3 Warden move quote.
Meet your end! (attack) - During the The Burning Crusade quest 'A Distraction for Akama', Maiev yells 'Meet your end, demon!' when she attacks the demons guarding the front of the Black Temple.
Now is the time. / The guilty will suffer. (move) - WC3 move quotes.
Swear to me! (voice line) - Probably another Batman reference, specifically this scene from the 2005 film Batman Begins.
Swiftly. (move) - Maiev says this in Hearthstone when the player's turn timer is about to run out.
This will be your prison! (Containment Disc) - Likely a reference to the Legion cutscene in which Maiev imprisons Illidan's demon hunters and tells them that 'You bear the mark of his corruption. And so, the demon's blood within you... will be your prison!'
Tor ilisar'thera'nal! (Warden's Cage) - An ancient Darnassian war cry which translates to 'Let our enemies beware!'. This is also Maiev's 'warcry' quote in WC3 (that is, an attack quote which has a small chance to play when she's ordered to attack an enemy hero unit).
Where's Illidan? (voice line) - A direct quote of the flavor text on Maiev Shadowsong's Silver Coin, one of various coins that can be fished up by players from a wishing fountain in the city of Dalaran.
Where the hell are our reinforcements?! (ping) - Another quote from the 'Assault on Broken Shore' quest in Legion.
You incur my wrath! (attack) - Threaten emote from Hearthstone.
You will be avenged! I swear it! - Maiev says this in the WC3:TFT mission 'The Tomb of Sargeras' when Illidan uses the Eye of Sargeras to bury her Watchers (including Naisha) alive and allowing only Maiev to escape.

Announcer quotes

Justice has come! (hero killed) - WC3 Warden warcry quote.
Justice will be done! (start of match) - One of Maiev's select quotes from WC3.

Skins

Maiev's base model features several differences from her canonical appearance. Her hair is purple, reflecting its appearance in WC3, rather than the white it's been depicted as in every other appearance Maiev has made post-WC3. The 'crescent' shape behind her head is a single metal piece located behind her shoulders instead of being two separate blades attached to her shoulderpads like it's usually depicted. Finally, her cloak is lacking its iconic metal blades, which I imagine is probably due to limitations on how many polygons basic hero models can use.

• Darnassian - Darnassus is the capital city of the night elves, nestled in the boughs of the World Tree Teldrassil, and is also the name of the night elves' in-game reputation faction in World of Warcraft. This skin is based around Darnassus' tabards and banners, which depict a silver tree and crescent moon on a violet background, an emblem that can also be seen on Maiev's shoulderpads while using this skin.
  
• Watcher - This skin reflects the color scheme of the updated warden model introduced in World of Warcraft: Legion.
  
• Hellwarden - This skin depicts Maiev as a 'Hellwarden', supposedly a type of servant of Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish and one of the four Lesser Evils in the Diablo universe.
  
  • Dreadwarden - This skin's color scheme is similar to the typical appearance of nathrezim demons, also known as dreadlords (represented in Heroes by Dreadlord Jaina).
  • Hordewarden - This skin makes Maiev's armor appear red, the main color of the Horde, and makes her skin green, similar to that of an orc's (the Horde's main race).

Miscellaenous

• The threeMaievteasers posted by Blizzard on Twitter are seen from the perspective of someone encased in a crystal prison that is eventually shattered by Maiev, referencing the Legion cutscene in which Maiev frees the player character demon hunter.
  
• The music in Maiev's Hero Spotlight is a mix between 'Night Elf 2' from the Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos soundtrack, the night elf theme from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and her Heroes of the Storm character theme.
  
• I'm not actually sure what the first part of Maiev's Heroes of the Storm theme is based on. I believe it's from the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm soundtrack for Darkshore or possibly Mount Hyjal, but I'm not really sure. In any case, the second part is an updated version of 'Pursuit' from The Frozen Throne.
  

And that's all for this week. As always, all feedback and suggestions are appreciated. I unfortunately ended up having to cut some content due to nearly exceeding Reddit's character limit, but that's how it is with lore-heavy characters like this, I guess. Next week I'm thinking of tackling Uther the Lightbringer, so see you all for that!
submitted byStuntedSlimetoheroesofthestorm [link][comments]

2017.11.24 07:50 themightyheptagonMy take on fixing the DC Extended Universe

submitted bythemightyheptagontofixingmovies [link][comments]

2017.06.06 15:05 ibid-11962Transcription of Michael Grant's interview on Thought-Speak last year

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In March of 2016, Michael Grant, the co-author of Animorphs appeared on episode 28 of the Thought-Speak podcast to do an interview. This was shortly after his reddit AMA.
Some edits have here been made for clarity, and much non-Animorphs related discussion has been omitted. The original podcast is still available on ThoughtSpeak's website.
[Non-Animorphs related discussion]
Here's what I'll say about Gone. We both knew, Katherine and I, that we screwed up the ending of Animorphs. We know why we did it and it was satisfying to us, but I'd say about 90% of readers really hated it. So, I was determined not to that again, and I thought, 'Okay wait a minute, you got to hear something Michael which is recognized as that you're not in here alone, readers are in it too, this isn't just what makes you happy, you got to also think about delivering a satisfying experience to the reader.' Well I don't plan, you know, everything with me is improv. I make everything up every day, there's no actual planning. So, it's a nerve wracking job, to figure out could I at the end of 3,000 pages wrap up all loose plot threads and all these characters and all these events 3,000 pages worth of stuff and make it all make sense. And then apparently I did because I don't think anybody’s complained. That's the weird thing. It's none of that 'Oh my god it's all [???]’ and I screwed it all at the end. Um, everybody's been happy with the ending, and so then I felt like 'okay, so this is repeating the Animorphs ending, by ending a series in an appropriate and intelligent competent way.'
I don't think it's terrible though. With Animorphs you said that 90% of the audience thinks the ending was screwed up, but it's not because they thought it was bad, they just wanted more. That's kind of a compliment that people just were really interested in the ending of Animorphs, and wanted to see where it went.
Well the ending was that we were leaving it open because at the end where they turn the ship around and they charge basically, and somewhat got to it on reddit. I did a reddit AMA the other day and I don't think anyone had ever said this before, and I of course had forgotten about it and I guarantee Katherine's forgotten about it, but it was a deliberate callback to an earlier event, in which Elfangor, I believe, does exactly the same thing, basically. Turns his ship around and goes. So, it was kind of a little—
Accidental callback?
That was a little fly wink. I knew that was in the backstory of the series, and I thought well, a lot of people would get that this is probably not the end, that there's probably some other solution. And I was deliberately leaving it open so that we could continue it if we wanted to. But the flip side of that was that for 53 books we were kind of like, yeah, we've picked the bones of Star Trek for every plot we could rip off of, and we were kind of running out. As a matter of a fact we thought that book 11 would be without a story. Right about then we were like, 'yeah that's it we've done it all.'
But before then you were still foreshadowing Crayak! What?
We kept digging it deeper, you know finding more stuff in there. It ended up being, you know, we had to go further into sci-fi and less into animals as the series progressed in order to find a new plot element.
Yeah use all the troupes. One of them, I mean one of my favorites—
Yeah we — I'm sorry, go ahead—
Oh, I was just going to say that one of my — It's interesting that you say that about book eleven when I think a lot of people agree that some of the best stories are not only at the end of the series in general, when the ghost-written books were whatever, but in the early twenties and book nineteen. I mean the David trilogy, you talk about it becoming more sci-fi, the David trilogy was straight character study and a human being, a huge enemy. It’s seen how dangerous these Animorphs really were, by them having to face one. The David trilogy is my favorite part of the entire series.
To this day I cannot believe Scholastic let us get away with that. My only explanation is that I don't think they were reading them at that point, because we were only six months out from publication. Typically, in publication you're a year out. But we were six months out and it was basically, I used the analogy on reddit the other day of the famous I Love Lucy bit where she's working on the chocolate assembly line. It's kind of like that we were like 'Oh my God, we're putting out fourteen books a year’, which is not what normal writers do, and we were working on other stuff. Animorphs wasn’t even all that we were writing. We had another series called Barf-O-Rama, which my wife will be happy to pretend I wrote entirely by myself, and I did write most of it, but that was being done simultaneously, I'd work on Animorphs in the morning and then I'd work on Barf-O-Rama at night for a long time and then Everworld was towards the end as we were trying to get a YA series going. So yeah we were pretty interesting, I don't know between the two of us, probably 16-18 books a year. There wasn't a lot of time for second guessing or screwing around — on Scholastic's part or ours. So I think by that point they were just like ‘Yeah, kid trapped in a box as a rat? Okay sure why not?’
You know, going back to that ending there, I have to ask you sir if you had given any consideration to this theory my co-host came up with which was a humane way to have ended the David situation, by making him a dog and sticking him with the Chee perhaps.
Yeah, that would have been a much more humane way to end it, but would that have stuck with you for years and years like the rat thing did? You got to look for the dark sometimes. You got to find what's the most intense craziest thing you can do within the reality of your series.
It definitely payed off, because yeah that’s one of the biggest impact storylines of the series and speaking of that, speaking of the violence and the mature themes, early on, when you were just starting out in the first few books, which carry a few of them themselves uh did you get any push back from scholastic? What were their feelings on the [???]?
No, it's weird, um, we had really good relationships with scholastic, all the time we were working on the - to such an extent that you know the ghosting operation when we finally went to ghostwriting was largely run by our editor working for us so we were in the bizarre position of having an editor we reported to and having to get ghostwritten manuscripts ready for her for Tanya, and then thinking well we're not really very good editors who could take a look at this stuff and get this stuff ready for Tanya? and we thought ‘I know, Tanya.’ So, we basically hired Tanya to help prepare manuscripts for herself, and that worked out pretty well. The problem with the whole ghosting operation was that we were so close to pub date that we only had six months so we’d get manuscripts, look at them and go ‘I have a problem here, here, and here’ and it came down to, can we get the writer to turn this around essentially overnight, or is it just easier to write 40 pages? And we'd go yeah let’s just write 40 pages. We’d just take the manuscripts and throw out 40 or 50, I think in one case 100 pages and the ghostwriters just justifiably hated our guts and they should have. We payed them far better than the market typically gets but that said we didn't give them the opportunity to you know correct their mistakes it was kind of a one and done. So if their first draft wasn't essentially perfect it was more efficient for us to simply throw it out or throw out pieces of it and rewrite it. Well that's not a good way to run the operation. That's not how we planned to do it. It resolved more and more onto Tanya to run towards the end of the ghostwriting operation and back out of it and then we came in again at the end to write fifty three and fifty four, and of course we wrote all the Megamorphs and Chronicles as well.
We actually 43 minutes ago finished recording our Hork Bajir Chronicles review, so that's where we are, we're just about to get into the ghostwritten books and we're close, we got two more books. And uh, we never read those.
I was happy with Hork Bajir Chronicles, we liked Hork Bajir Chronicles. We enjoyed doing that, because it became a Vietnam parallel to a great extent. Up until the point it was even stealing the famous ‘We had to burn the village down in order to save it’ line from some soldier in Vietnam, and I'm misquoting the line but it was to that effect, ‘we had to destroy the village in order to save it’, I think that it was even included in there in some mutated form. So that was kind of the idea of it. And the corruption of innocence, that the Hork Bajir were an innocent bunch, minding their own business eating tree bark and having a swell time, and then the world kind of came down on them in the form of the two big superpowers in term of the Andalites and the Yeerks taking indigenous people and using them for their own benefit, exploiting them, so there was a lot of political theme going on as well. We came up with some original and imaginative stuff, so that was fun, we had a good time with that book.
Oh, I definitely enjoyed it!
The series is actually printed in over 25 languages. Are there any countries or languages that the series old surprisingly well in besides America?
You, know, we don't know. What we get of sales is every six months they send us a royalties statement, which is like 60 or 70 printed out pages. I don't know if they're deliberately obscure, but I've never met a writer who has any idea what the hell they said. Mostly they either pin a check to it or they don't.
So Animorphs could be huge in Argentina and you just don't know?
Yeah, we don't know, because back when Animorphs was around we didn't have a web, we didn't have that kind of — well it existed but not to the extent as the way it is now. In those days, you put a book out there and you have no idea if anybody likes it. Now I put a book out and I just sit there and wait for my twitter feed to light up and for Amazon reviews to show up and for Goodreads, So I go to Amazon, Goodreads and Twitter and I know pretty quickly whether someone is reading the book will they like it or if they have objections what they are, but that kind of feedback was non-existent in those days. I will say this, a friend of mine called up, this would be a former friend, but my Singapore former friend called up and was driving through Spain, and Spain is you know in the center of the country, ‘I just pulled off to the side of the road to get gas, and in middle of Spain, out in the desert in the middle of nowhere, there was this one little gas station, and I go in the store and there was your books, Animorphs books, translated into both Castilian Spanish and Catalan.’ And I thought okay cool, and they send you a reader copy, of all your foreign stuff, so like I said I just got Gone in Latin which is why we have a storage locker, because it's like thousands of books. The coolest for us with Animorphs were Hebrew and Indonesian, because Hebrew is printed backwards, you know it's right-to-left, which we just love because you pick it up and go, wow it's a misprint this is bizarre– oh, yeah, that's right, it's backwards. Cover is on the wrong end. Okay cool. So we liked that.
That's awesome. One of our oldest arguments on our podcast, is actually, see we're both filmmakers, we both work in the film industry
Why don't you make a movie of Animorphs then?
I would love to. There's certain permissions and copyright issues.
Just waive all the rights...
You'd have to talk to [????] about that.
But one of our oldest argument is and you just mentioned this in your reddit AMA, is whether it would have done better as an animated series or like I've kind of fought for a live-action film, like not a TV series because that budget just can't handle that, but a live action film that could really do it right. What are your thoughts on that?
Yeah, there's always - it's always been about the budget because, especially back in the 90s. Special effects you can do on your laptop now. In those days it would have taken 200 computers grinding away rendering for 500 hours to get anything and you can crank it out on a mac laptop now. So it’s a lot harder to do and a lot more expensive. And then there was underage actors. Under Hollywood rules that means you have to have a tutor on the set, they can only work a certain number of hours a day, bla, bla, bla. And then animals. And then there was the topic of the things we were talking about anyway, is there any conceivable way, short of like licensing high level computer graphics, that you can show a tiger biting a Hork Bajir? No there isn't. There's no way to put that on TV. And not with anything like the budget they had. If they had gone animated, if they had gone the Batman Animated series which is what we told them we'd thought they should do, we could have done a fantastic job.
A fantastic Series.
Oh, it's beautiful. When we saw that one I was like oh look at this, man this isn't Disney with the fluidity of action, but look how much they get out of basically still shots for the most part. There wasn't a lot of movement, there was a lot of Batman advancing, his shadow advances ahead of him, and the art was done the rest and you're like yeah, it could have been three frames for all I know, but it still works and it's great, we love the series it's just what Animorphs should be because then the animals don't cost anything and the special effects don't cost anything and in animation you could absolutely have a tiger fight a Hork Bajir, why not?
I agree with you entirely.
Now as a movie, the thing we love about movies is we don't understand why some director hasn't just decided, ‘I got to do this’, because from both of our perspectives, just shooting the world from the eyes of a red tail hawk would be amazing, that alone, but then you can end up looking through the world from the senses of an ant or a termite or a skunk or a lobster or any animal you care to mention. Find ways to create in film an awareness of sense and of hyper hearing, a wolf's hearing or abilities of smell, or an owl's night vision, or all of these things. I thought what a bonanza for an imaginative director to create. And I still think it would be great today and it would be a lot more affordable now, given where computer graphics are now as oppose to ten-fifteen years ago. And there’s hope, we hear rumors every now and then. but we're not—
There was recent mutterings.
Yeah, and that ended up playing kind of an unpleasant episode in that the story was incorrect as we found out and everybody involved was terribly embarrassed.

Dating In Finland

We were all very disappointed to hear the news, but at the same time, if it's not animated, I don't think it can be done 100% properly.
Well, it could, but with a huge budget, that's the problem is, basically it's a bunch of kids and we're talking about a 100 million dollar movie. And that's before you're talking about promo or anything else, 100 million dollars to shoot it, well that’s a hefty ask. It's a lot more expensive even then a like a Divergent movie or a Twilight movie or one of those, because you think about it and it's like every fucking shot would be done with special effects and you still have the problem of kid actors. You got the problems of whether or not the demographics work in terms of sales. So I can talk the thing down, but we've also told them if you need to age the kids up by a few years, that's cool with us, and we understand that we're really not people egomaniacs about Hollywood developers. We’re not those people going in and going it has to be every word kept exactly intact, we understand move making is fundamentally different than book writing. And they have limitations that we don't, but they also have possibilities that we don't perhaps or made not have thought about. And we're very high on the idea about someone doing it if they do it decently with a good budget. Or we'll be fine if it's animated. If Brad Bird would do an animated version I would love it.
Well, we've seen recently that sometimes all it takes is a good show reel or a teaser trailer or something. Look at Deadpool, Deadpool was non-existent until they made just that random teaser that quote unquote leaked online. And then they got the budget for a fifty eight million dollar movie.
Yeah, have you seen it? I just saw it and I thought it was pretty good. I'd give it four out of five stars.
[Non-Animorphs related discussion, which briefly touches on Animorphs action figures]
Speaking of wives, I promised my wife I would ask you a question, I told her in probably been asked quite a few times, but she really wanted me to ask you this. If you could morph any animal what would you morph? The cliché of cliché questions.
No, it would be something that flies, I think, it would be one of the birds of prey, probably a red tail hawk just because red tails have been very very good to us. And I mentioned this on reddit the other day, but we have one here. I'm actually sitting on my deck here, this is in Tiburon which is a little community, it's a bunch of rich white people, many of them who own yachts. We're not those people but we live here anyway. So we live on the side of a hill, and right now as I'm looking out over Sans Francisco bay, and the cities over there jets flying overhead, and Angel Island and Alcatraz and all of the bay bridge obviously, and so there’s kind of a drop, I guess probably about 200-300 feet between us and the town below us, and a red tail comes around a couple of times a week, and just kind of floats right around my eye level out here doing its thing, and riding the thermals and looking for a mouse.
The thermals! You know how I heard about thermals? It was from you.
We learned about them from us too. We had no idea, and we read a book about hawks, and we were like ah okay that’s what they do. Yeah he goes out to — I assume it’s a he — once I saw him with someone, there was another red tail who of course we immediately nicknamed Rachel, because it goes with Tobias—
And then they fought to the death!
That would have been cool. Every now and then the crows and the red tails get into it, but mostly it’s the red tail and the buzzers fly around. The buzzers just don’t really care about it and the red tails seem to not be competing, but the crows are not happy about the hawk.
So I think you mentioned, once on twitter that you guys do have some sort of control on weather Animorphs continues in some capacity. Would you ever be open to another author taking on the series? Or would you guys be hard pressed about that?
I don't know. The bigger issue would be Scholastic, because they have rights in this too, and they tried to relaunch, which didn't go anywhere — they did a reprint of the first six books was and it just did not catch on. What I want do with it actually is to get back the electronic rights and to put it all up online, for as cheap as we can to cover costs, just to keep this stuff out there. One of the great things about digital publishing, and as scared as we are were in the industry for it, it has a couple of interesting benefits. One is if it's digital there's no such thing as out of print — so if you’re a print book you go into Barnes and Nobles and they basically put a clock on it and go ‘Has it sold? No it hasn't’ and it's never heard from again. It just disappears down the memory hole and in used book stores. Digital, it’s there essentially forever, which is attractive to me, and you don't have to worry about, having more than three to four books on the shelf. You're not competing for space. Part of the problem with the Animorphs novels is the publishers don't want series clogging up space. It's basically by itself. They don't mind book seventeen out there, they don't want books one through seventeen. It takes up a lot of shelf space. But in the digital space there is no space limitations so we're not all competing for X number of linear feet of shelf space, there is no competition for space, there is competition for attention, so that’s different, it’s out there essentially forever, which and many of them as you want, we would like to get back digitals so we're kind of haphazardly talking with Scholastic about it. just so we can put it up there and you know put it out for 99 cents a book or whatever. We’ve all been surprised that this YA and middle grade stuff is not embraced digitally at all.
About that re-release Animorphs, I didn’t seem like they really marketed it. I mean they put it out there and they tried to update the covers and obviously a lot of the references were updated which I don't think mattered at all, that a 90s period piece is that horrible of a thing.
Me neither, but it made them happy so whatever. Part of it is we couldn't really promote it, and we couldn't really promote it because we didn't work into our schedules, Katherine in particular was doing Ivan and was promoting that, that’s what she was involved with. We didn't have time to go out on the road to do Animorphs and we weren’t sure how much of a commitment there would be, for scholastic. It's really expensive to have either of us out on the road, when they put me out on book tour, that's a costly bit of work for somebody and for extremely limited gain. I don’t fly coach anymore, I don’t take the middle seat at the back of the plain for 190 dollars, I sit up front for 800 dollars. It’s a lot more pricy getting us out there and I don’t know if they felt it was worth it.
Had Scholastic never considered the possibility of releasing maybe like an Animorphs collection, like several books collected into one volume?
Yeah, those are called bind ups in the business. It’s interesting because they just did that with an earlier series of ours called Boyfriend/Girlfriend, which we had written before Animorphs and has now been re-released first as Making Out and re-released now as a bind up called The Islanders and that's gone nowhere, so we don’t know the economics of this or how much any of this makes sense.We never did any promo for Animorphs the first time around because when were we going to go out on the road? We were already coming out with like fifteen, sixteen, eighteen books a year, yeah, and they would say, they would offer tens of thousands would you like to come to events would you like to come to New York and hang out with us, and we were like 'no, we really got a job to do.'
You couldn't even enjoy your fame.
No, there wasn’t during it, it was after, that’s part of the reason why we quit because it was like Jesus with all of this money now we should take time off and go do stuff, so we did that.
[Non-Animorphs related discussion]
Well yeah like I said, sometimes you just need that visual reference, some fan starts a Kickstarter and gets a teaser trailer made.
I would love if someone did that. I wish I had the talent to do that, but I'm not a movie guy, so movie people, why don't you do that?
Well, I'm not going to say I don't have a script and a budget on my laptop that I'm speaking to you on right now, but that would be a lie, so—
Well, we certainly won’t object. We're fairly blunt about wanting a movie and wishing that things were moving forward and we have serious questions about whether the people who currently control the rights, do they really know what they have and know how to sell it? Because Animorphs is to our surprise very much became something bigger than just a bunch of kids turning into animals, there are people devoted to it. Obviously, I mean here I am on a podcast that’s in large part flowing from it, and all of this of course came as a surprise to us and we weren’t expecting it or just the longevity of it is enduring, that people still care about it years later, it just like I said, I did the reddit thing, and probably about 80% of the questions were about Animorphs. And by the way we don’t resent that at all because we love the fans. The Animorphs people changed our lives in just profound ways and so that’s a big thing. And what was so cool was at the time we didn't even get fan letters, I mean they came but we couldn’t deal with them because it was in massive numbers and it’s not like we had a staff, it was just us. Just the two of us and we were doing a lot of writing obviously and so we just had to have Scholastic send out responses to them so we didn’t really know and every now and then we would get a letter and it some kid writing in pencil or whatever and said that they were important to the or whatever and we said that’s great. It wasn’t until years later that we met the grown up Animorphs fans and it’s the point where they’re now college kids and they’ve come up. We do an event or something or Katherine was doing an event and they’ve come up with just like tears draining down their faces and just shaking and we're like oh my god and were listening to people going I learned philosophy from Animorphs I have decided to take a job pursuing social justice because of Animorphs and were just like kind of overwhelmed by it. You don’t expect it that these two dumbasses writing a book trying to make a living and it has an effect out there in the real world. I know it seems naive, but we wouldn't expect it to have an effect out there in the real world because you kind of don’t think in those terms or at least we don’t. We’re not people who take these things seriously you know. They think we're on some mission, but it’s just me and it’s kind of humbling.
We said in one of our first episodes, that you know, me and Mitchell, we're adults we have pretty stressful jobs I just got married in November neither of us are obsessed with the series, were not you know drawing fan art like some fans are and talking about it every single day, but we wanted to start a podcast because this series, it goes further than just a children’s book series, it doesn’t treat you dumb it got into some concepts that were well above what’s expected of a middle grade chapter book series and it just stuck with us I mean it got me through middle school. I had just moved to Ohio, never grew up anywhere near there or anything and I had a real problem making friends I was bullied quite a bit got into fights and stuff, I had Animorphs. The thing I looked forward to was an Animorphs book.
Yeah that huge and that’s you know at one level we just wanted to succeed because we wanted to be R L Stine, you know that was our goal to be R.L. Stine, we wanted to be Goosebumps basically and the funny thing was we actually sat down and analyzed goosebumps and said okay Goosebumps delivers basically a single emotional punch it’s about this thrill of fear not serious fear not terror, but that kind of little freeze moment, and we thought our problem I that we always make shifts too complicated so we're going to do a series and were going to keep it simple. It’s going to have a single point and a single thrill naturally being the people we are promptly turned into the most complex thing and evolving just war theory and sympathies of the enemy and all the rest of the morality of terrorist issues vs predatory predation and all the rest of the stuff we stuck in there, and made it the exact opposite of what we intended it to be which was simple. The plot would be a simple punch. We’re going to do this a one-punch-deal were going to deliver a particular experience and by the end of book one were already into all types of shades of grey and ambiguity whether or not Tobias deliberately stayed in morph o stay a hawk. And we never really kind of answered that question in any kind of explicit way I don’t think, and then we thought oh okay so we're going to do our usual shit where we make everything way too complicated and at the same time we were writing Barf-O-Rama and we thought well Barf-O-Rama is going to be a hit. Animorphs will be this little niche thing which just smart kids will read and Barf-O-Rama will be this hit. It was exactly the opposite. With Barf-O-Rama we did a bunch of books, but as far as we can tell we were told the only place where it really sold was by college campuses. We’re like oh yeah, it would be fun to get stoned and read Barf-O-Rama I can see that.
[Non-Animorphs related discussion]
Well personally thank you for making Animorphs complicated and going crazy with it because it's incredibly important to me and it got me through some hard times so—
Well good. It’s very cool to hear it remains extremely gratifying that people care about it that people enjoyed it and especially that people think their lives were improved by it.
[Non-Animorphs related discussion]

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2016.01.05 20:16 jdecockThe best PC games of the last twenty years

Just because I'm bored at work today, I compiled a list of every PC game that scored an 85+ on metacritic for the past 20 years. Obviously this list should be taken with a grain of salt, especially for older games since metacritic didn't even start until 1999 and there weren't nearly as many sites reviewing games back when the internet was still picking up steam.
As a disclaimer, I only pulled PC games because those are the ones I'm personally most interested in and the fact that a lot of these (most?) are still available in some form makes it seem more sub-appropriate.

Name	Critics	Users	Release Date
Grand Theft Auto V	96	7.8	Apr 14, 2015
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	93	9.1	May 19, 2015
Undertale	92	8.3	Sep 15, 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain	91	7.5	Sep 01, 2015
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone	89	8.8	Oct 13, 2015
Pillars of Eternity	89	8.4	Mar 26, 2015
Kerbal Space Program	88	8.0	Apr 27, 2015
Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void	88	8.3	Nov 10, 2015
Ori and the Blind Forest	88	8.7	Mar 11, 2015
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty	87	7.9	Feb 25, 2015
Crypt of the NecroDancer	87	7.7	Apr 23, 2015
Tales From The Borderlands: Episode 5 - The Vault of the Traveler	86	8.7	Oct 20, 2015
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward	86	7.7	Jun 23, 2015
Her Story	86	5.7	Jun 24, 2015
DiRT Rally	86	8.8	Dec 07, 2015
Homeworld Remastered Collection	86	8.2	Feb 25, 2015
Heroes of the Storm	86	6.8	Jun 02, 2015
Cities: Skylines	86	8.9	Mar 10, 2015
Rocket League	86	8.0	Jul 07, 2015
Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series	85	8.6	Oct 20, 2015
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth	85	8.0	Oct 30, 2015
Zenzizenzic	85	5.7	Jul 23, 2015
Mega Man Legacy Collection	85	7.4	Aug 25, 2015
System Shock: Enhanced Edition	85	7.8	Sep 22, 2015
Dark Souls II	91	7.1	Apr 25, 2014
Out of the Park Baseball 15	89	7.3	Apr 21, 2014
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft	88	6.3	Mar 11, 2014
Year Walk	87	6.8	Mar 06, 2014
TowerFall Ascension	87	6.6	Mar 11, 2014
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls	87	6.6	Mar 25, 2014
Divinity: Original Sin	87	8.7	Jan 17, 2014
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor	87	6.0	Nov 13, 2014
Astebreed	86	7.3	May 30, 2014
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth	86	8.3	Nov 04, 2014
Titanfall	86	6.1	Mar 11, 2014
The Talos Principle	85	8.5	Dec 11, 2014
Legend of Grimrock II	85	8.0	Oct 15, 2014
Dragon Age: Inquisition	85	5.8	Nov 18, 2014
South Park: The Stick of Truth	85	8.6	Mar 04, 2014
Shovel Knight	85	7.8	Jun 26, 2014
Valkyria Chronicles	85	8.3	Nov 11, 2014
BattleBlock Theater	85	7.9	May 15, 2014
BioShock Infinite	94	8.5	Mar 26, 2013
Fez	91	6.5	May 01, 2013
Spelunky	90	7.2	Aug 08, 2013
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	90	8.6	Sep 03, 2013
Dota 2	90	6.3	Jul 09, 2013
Rocksmith 2014 Edition	89	8.0	Oct 22, 2013
Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods	88	8.8	May 28, 2013
The Stanley Parable	88	8.0	Oct 17, 2013
Guacamelee! Gold Edition	88	7.3	Aug 08, 2013
The Swapper	87	8.7	May 30, 2013
Europa Universalis IV	87	8.7	Aug 13, 2013
Gone Home	86	5.4	Aug 15, 2013
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX +	86	7.2	Sep 24, 2013
Out of the Park Baseball 14	86	8.6	Apr 15, 2013
Saints Row IV	86	7.4	Aug 20, 2013
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm	86	7.9	Mar 12, 2013
Tomb Raider	86	8.5	Mar 05, 2013
XCOM: Enemy Within	86	7.9	Nov 12, 2013
Path of Exile	86	8.0	Jan 25, 2013
Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien	85	8.1	Feb 26, 2013
Dust: An Elysian Tail	85	8.4	May 24, 2013
DmC: Devil May Cry	85	6.7	Jan 24, 2013
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 - Faith	85	9.0	Oct 11, 2013
Rogue Legacy	85	7.9	Jun 27, 2013
Football Manager 2014	85	5.4	Oct 30, 2013
Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World	85	8.6	Jul 09, 2013
Assetto Corsa	85	8.5	Nov 08, 2013
Trials Evolution: Gold Edition	85	6.7	Mar 21, 2013
Papers, Please	85	8.5	Aug 08, 2013
Dishonored	91	8.3	Oct 09, 2012
Mark of the Ninja	91	7.9	Oct 16, 2012
Guild Wars 2	90	7.9	Aug 28, 2012
The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series	89	8.7	Dec 11, 2012
The Walking Dead: Episode 5 - No Time Left	89	8.9	Nov 21, 2012
Borderlands 2	89	8.2	Sep 18, 2012
XCOM: Enemy Unknown	89	8.2	Oct 09, 2012
Mass Effect 3	89	5.4	Mar 06, 2012
Far Cry 3	88	8.2	Dec 04, 2012
Torchlight II	88	8.6	Sep 20, 2012
Thirty Flights of Loving	88	4.9	Aug 20, 2012
Diablo III	88	4.0	May 15, 2012
Max Payne 3	87	7.6	Jun 01, 2012
Battlefield 3: Armored Kill	87	7.0	Sep 11, 2012
Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai	86	8.4	Mar 23, 2012
Football Manager 2013	86	6.7	Nov 01, 2012
Black Mesa	86	8.9	Sep 14, 2012
FIFA Soccer 13	86	6.6	Sep 25, 2012
Tribes: Ascend	86	7.7	Apr 12, 2012
Rayman Origins	86	8.4	Mar 29, 2012
Hotline Miami	85	8.5	Oct 23, 2012
Out of the Park Baseball 13	85	8.2	Apr 09, 2012
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition	85	7.4	Aug 24, 2012
The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead	85	8.4	Aug 29, 2012
Portal 2	95	8.8	Apr 19, 2011
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	94	8.1	Nov 11, 2011
Batman: Arkham City	91	8.6	Nov 22, 2011
Deus Ex: Human Revolution	90	8.4	Aug 23, 2011
Total War: Shogun 2	90	8.3	Mar 15, 2011
FIFA Soccer 12	89	7.1	Sep 27, 2011
Battlefield 3	89	7.5	Oct 25, 2011
LIMBO	88	8.1	Aug 02, 2011
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	88	8.2	Mar 22, 2011
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings	88	8.5	May 17, 2011
Super Meat Boy	87	8.3	Apr 05, 2011
Dead Space 2	87	8.3	Jan 25, 2011
Bastion	86	8.6	Aug 16, 2011
Crysis 2	86	6.7	Mar 22, 2011
DiRT 3	86	6.9	May 24, 2011
Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand	86	7.1	Dec 13, 2011
Amnesia: The Dark Descent	85	8.6	Feb 17, 2011
Frozen Synapse	85	7.7	May 26, 2011
Star Wars: The Old Republic	85	5.9	Dec 20, 2011
Mass Effect 2	94	8.7	Jan 26, 2010
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty	93	8.2	Jul 27, 2010
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm	90	5.5	Dec 07, 2010
Braid	90	8.6	Jan 26, 2010
Sid Meier's Civilization V	90	7.8	Sep 21, 2010
BioShock 2	88	8.0	Feb 09, 2010
Battlefield: Bad Company 2	87	8.3	Mar 02, 2010
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge	87	9.0	Jul 07, 2010
Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx	86	7.6	Feb 25, 2010
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit	86	6.7	Nov 16, 2010
Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker	86	8.5	Sep 07, 2010
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam	86	8.1	Dec 18, 2010
Assassin's Creed II	86	6.8	Mar 09, 2010
Football Manager 2011	85	8.4	Nov 23, 2010
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising	85	8.7	Mar 11, 2010
Minecraft	93	7.4	May 10, 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum	91	8.7	Sep 15, 2009
Street Fighter IV	91	8.1	Jul 01, 2009
Dragon Age: Origins	91	8.6	Nov 03, 2009
Empire: Total War	90	6.9	Mar 03, 2009
Left 4 Dead 2	89	8.5	Nov 17, 2009
DiRT 2	89	8.3	Dec 10, 2009
EVE Online: Special Edition	88	7.8	Mar 10, 2009
Plants vs. Zombies	87	8.9	Aug 18, 2009
Football Manager 2010	87	9.1	Nov 03, 2009
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box	87	7.5	Feb 05, 2009
Resident Evil 5	86	7.1	Sep 18, 2009
The Sims 3	86	7.6	Jun 02, 2009
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2	86	4.1	Nov 10, 2009
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition	86	9.1	Jul 15, 2009
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II	85	8.1	Feb 18, 2009
Machinarium	85	8.8	Oct 16, 2009
Team Fortress 2	92	9.2	Apr 08, 2008
Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor	92	8.4	Apr 30, 2008
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King	91	7.4	Nov 13, 2008
Fallout 3	91	7.9	Oct 28, 2008
World of Goo	90	8.5	Oct 21, 2008
Portal	90	9.3	Apr 08, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV	90	6.5	Dec 02, 2008
Left 4 Dead	89	9.2	Nov 18, 2008
Mass Effect	89	8.6	May 28, 2008
GRID	87	7.8	Jun 03, 2008
Sins of a Solar Empire	87	8.2	Feb 04, 2008
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition	86	8.5	Sep 16, 2008
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning	86	7.9	Sep 16, 2008
Dead Space	86	8.0	Oct 20, 2008
Bionic Commando Rearmed	86	7.0	Aug 13, 2008
Sam & Max Episode 205: What's New, Beelzebub?	85	8.5	Apr 10, 2008
The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria	85	8.2	Nov 17, 2008
Peggle Deluxe	85	8.1	Feb 19, 2008
Sam & Max Episode 204: Chariots of the Dogs	85	8.1	Mar 13, 2008
Far Cry 2	85	5.8	Oct 21, 2008
AudioSurf	85	8.8	Feb 15, 2008
The Orange Box	96	9.3	Oct 10, 2007
BioShock	96	8.4	Aug 21, 2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare	92	8.5	Nov 05, 2007
Crysis	91	8.0	Nov 13, 2007
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade	91	7.8	Jan 16, 2007
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar	91	8.2	Feb 14, 2007
Half-Life 2: Episode Two	90	9.2	Oct 10, 2007
World in Conflict	89	8.1	Sep 18, 2007
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts	87	8.6	Sep 24, 2007
Gears of War	87	7.8	Nov 06, 2007
Supreme Commander	86	8.3	Feb 20, 2007
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword	86	8.5	Jul 23, 2007
Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008	86	8.4	Oct 23, 2007
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar	86	8.1	Apr 24, 2007
IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946	86	8.8	Mar 13, 2007
The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles	86	8.4	Mar 26, 2007
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars	85	8.0	Mar 26, 2007
Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms	85	8.8	Aug 28, 2007
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	94	8.0	Mar 20, 2006
Company of Heroes	93	8.9	Sep 13, 2006
GTR 2	90	8.7	Sep 29, 2006
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9	89	8.4	Apr 28, 2006
Medieval II: Total War	88	8.9	Nov 13, 2006
Armadillo Run	88	8.2	Apr 22, 2006
Half-Life 2: Episode One	87	8.6	Jun 01, 2006
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade	87	8.9	Oct 09, 2006
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy	86	8.5	Sep 12, 2006
Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords	86	8.0	Feb 21, 2006
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas	85	7.7	Dec 12, 2006
Sid Meier's Civilization IV	94	8.2	Oct 25, 2005
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	93	8.8	Jun 07, 2005
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory	92	8.8	Mar 28, 2005
Battlefield 2	91	8.4	Jun 21, 2005
Silent Hunter III	90	7.8	Mar 15, 2005
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force	90	8.6	Jun 28, 2005
Guild Wars	89	8.4	Apr 26, 2005
F.E.A.R.	88	8.2	Oct 17, 2005
World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International	88	8.5	Feb 16, 2005
Counter-Strike: Source	88	8.9	Sep 26, 2005
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30	87	7.1	Mar 15, 2005
Psychonauts	87	8.9	Apr 19, 2005
Call of Duty 2	86	8.3	Oct 25, 2005
Freedom Force vs The 3rd Reich	86	7.7	Mar 08, 2005
SWAT 4	85	8.6	Apr 05, 2005
NASCAR SimRacing	85	4.9	Feb 15, 2005
GTR FIA Racing	85	8.6	May 03, 2005
Indigo Prophecy	85	8.3	Oct 02, 2005
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones	85	8.0	Dec 01, 2005
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords	85	8.3	Feb 08, 2005
MVP Baseball 2005	85	8.1	Feb 22, 2005
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault	85	8.3	Sep 21, 2005
Half-Life 2	96	9.2	Nov 16, 2004
Unreal Tournament 2004	93	8.9	Mar 16, 2004
World of Warcraft	93	7.2	Nov 23, 2004
World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International	92	7.9	Apr 09, 2004
Rome: Total War	92	9.1	Sep 22, 2004
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	91	4.6	Sep 20, 2004
The Sims 2	90	8.8	Sep 14, 2004
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut	90	8.7	Dec 08, 2004
Worldwide Soccer Manager 2005	89	8.7	Dec 07, 2004
Far Cry	89	8.1	Mar 23, 2004
Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots	88	8.8	Apr 27, 2004
Sid Meier's Pirates!	88	8.2	Nov 22, 2004
Doom 3	87	7.5	Aug 03, 2004
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow	87	8.0	Mar 23, 2004
Call of Duty: United Offensive	87	8.2	Sep 14, 2004
EverQuest: Omens of War	86	7.7	Sep 13, 2004
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War	86	8.8	Sep 20, 2004
Madden NFL 2005	85	6.4	Sep 14, 2004
City of Heroes	85	8.5	Apr 27, 2004
Thief: Deadly Shadows	85	8.4	May 25, 2004
EverQuest: Gates of Discord	85	6.8	Feb 09, 2004
Tony Hawk's Underground 2	85	7.9	Oct 04, 2004
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	94	8.8	May 12, 2003
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	93	9.0	Nov 18, 2003
F1 Challenge '99-'02	91	8.4	Jun 24, 2003
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell	91	8.6	Feb 19, 2003
Call of Duty	91	8.5	Oct 29, 2003
Madden NFL 2004	91	8.2	Aug 12, 2003
Rise of Nations	89	9.0	May 20, 2003
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season	89	8.6	Feb 14, 2003
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	89	8.6	Nov 30, 2003
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight	88	8.2	Jul 29, 2003
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004	88	8.8	Sep 22, 2003
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne	88	9.0	Jul 01, 2003
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4	88	8.4	Aug 27, 2003
NHL 2004	87	8.2	Sep 22, 2003
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne	86	9.0	Oct 14, 2003
IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles	86	8.6	Mar 02, 2003
Civilization III: Conquests	86	8.4	Nov 04, 2003
Freelancer	85	8.8	Mar 03, 2003
The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon	85	8.5	Jun 03, 2003
Final Fantasy XI	85	7.5	Oct 28, 2003
Anarchy Online: Shadowlands	85	8.7	Sep 08, 2003
Grand Theft Auto III	93	8.4	May 20, 2002
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos	92	9.1	Jul 03, 2002
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003	92	6.0	Oct 31, 2002
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault	91	8.6	Jan 20, 2002
Neverwinter Nights	91	8.1	Jun 16, 2002
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way	91	8.7	Sep 30, 2002
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	90	8.6	Mar 28, 2002
Freedom Force	90	8.0	Mar 24, 2002
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast	89	8.6	Mar 26, 2002
Age of Mythology	89	8.9	Nov 01, 2002
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind	89	9.0	May 01, 2002
NASCAR Racing 2002 Season	89	5.8	Feb 14, 2002
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin	89	8.3	Oct 29, 2002
Battlefield 1942	89	8.6	Sep 10, 2002
Madden NFL 2003	89	8.4	Aug 12, 2002
Medieval: Total War	88	8.8	Aug 19, 2002
Mafia	88	9.1	Aug 28, 2002
F1 2002	88	7.6	Jun 13, 2002
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin	87	8.2	Oct 01, 2002
Out of the Park Baseball 4	87	7.8	Feb 28, 2002
Dungeon Siege	86	7.9	Mar 31, 2002
Unreal Tournament 2003	86	8.1	Sep 30, 2002
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne	86	8.4	Jun 12, 2002
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter	85	8.5	Feb 04, 2002
Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles	85	8.8	Dec 02, 2002
IL-2 Sturmovik	91	8.8	Nov 18, 2001
Black & White	90	7.6	Mar 26, 2001
Sid Meier's Civilization III	90	8.4	Oct 30, 2001
Flight Simulator 2002	90	8.4	Oct 19, 2001
Max Payne	89	9.1	Jul 23, 2001
NASCAR Racing 4	89	8.2	Feb 06, 2001
Tribes 2	88	8.5	Mar 28, 2001
Return to Castle Wolfenstein	88	8.7	Nov 19, 2001
Dark Age of Camelot	88	8.9	Sep 01, 2001
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	88	8.9	Jun 21, 2001
Europa Universalis II	87	8.8	Nov 12, 2001
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction	87	9.1	Jun 27, 2001
NHL 2002	87	8.7	Sep 17, 2001
Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns	87	8.6	Mar 14, 2001
Shogun: Total War Warlord Edition	87	8.7	Aug 13, 2001
Serious Sam: The First Encounter	87	8.4	Mar 21, 2001
Commandos 2: Men of Courage	87	8.8	Sep 20, 2001
Startopia	86	8.7	Jun 19, 2001
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Yuri's Revenge	86	9.0	Oct 10, 2001
Europa Universalis	86	8.0	Feb 02, 2001
Clive Barker's Undying	85	8.7	Feb 21, 2001
Wizardry 8	85	8.7	Nov 14, 2001
Aliens Versus Predator 2	85	8.7	Oct 31, 2001
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis	85	9.1	Aug 30, 2001
Tropico	85	8.5	Apr 05, 2001
Monopoly Tycoon	85	8.0	Sep 24, 2001
The Sims: Hot Date	85	7.9	Nov 12, 2001
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn	95	9.2	Sep 24, 2000
The Sims	92	7.8	Jan 31, 2000
The Longest Journey	91	8.9	Nov 16, 2000
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	91	8.5	Oct 31, 2000
The Operative: No One Lives Forever	91	8.9	Nov 09, 2000
NHL 2001	90	6.9	Sep 28, 2000
Deus Ex	90	9.3	Jun 26, 2000
Sacrifice	89	8.8	Nov 05, 2000
Homeworld: Cataclysm	89	9.0	Sep 07, 2000
Descent 3	89	8.3	Jun 14, 2000
Superbike 2001	88	6.5	Oct 09, 2000
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion	88	9.0	Aug 24, 2000
Counter-Strike	88	9.3	Nov 08, 2000
Diablo II	88	8.8	Jun 29, 2000
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance	87	8.2	Nov 23, 2000
Thief II: The Metal Age	87	9.1	Feb 29, 2000
Icewind Dale	87	8.3	Jun 29, 2000
Grand Prix 3	87	8.3	Aug 24, 2000
Zeus: Master of Olympus	87	9.0	Oct 22, 2000
Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche Versus Ka-52 Hokum	86	8.3	Jul 31, 2000
Ground Control	86	7.8	May 31, 2000
Steel Beasts	86	8.4	Sep 24, 2000
Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force	86	8.2	Sep 20, 2000
Links 2001	86	6.8	Oct 24, 2000
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark	86	8.8	Mar 31, 2000
Escape from Monkey Island	86	8.1	Nov 08, 2000
Allegiance	86	8.2	Mar 31, 2000
Giants: Citizen Kabuto	85	8.8	Dec 06, 2000
FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer	85	7.3	Oct 30, 2000
American McGee's Alice	85	8.2	Dec 06, 2000
Homeworld	93	8.9	Aug 31, 1999
System Shock 2	92	9.1	Aug 11, 1999
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings	92	9.0	Sep 30, 1999
Unreal Tournament (1999)	92	9.1	Nov 30, 1999
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri	92	9.1	Feb 12, 1999
FreeSpace 2	91	8.8	Sep 30, 1999
Planescape: Torment	91	9.3	Nov 30, 1999
EverQuest	85	8.3	Mar 16, 1999
Half-Life	96	9.1	Oct 31, 1998
Grim Fandango	94	9.1	Sep 30, 1998
Thief: The Dark Project	92	9.1	Nov 30, 1998
Baldur's Gate	91	9.0	Nov 30, 1998
Railroad Tycoon II	89	8.4	Oct 31, 1998
Starcraft	88	9.1	Apr 01, 1998
Myth II: Soulblighter	88	9.0	Nov 30, 1998
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division	88	8.9	Sep 30, 1998
Fallout 2	86	9.2	Sep 30, 1998
Falcon 4.0	85	8.3	Nov 30, 1998
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six	85	8.8	Jul 31, 1998
Sid Meier's Gettysburg!	92	7.5	Sep 30, 1997
Myth: The Fallen Lords	91	8.8	Oct 31, 1997
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II	91	8.7	Sep 30, 1997
Fallout	89	8.9	Sep 30, 1997
The Curse of Monkey Island	89	9.1	Oct 31, 1997
Total Annihilation	86	8.8	Sep 30, 1997
Civilization II	94	9.0	Feb 29, 1996
Quake	94	8.8	Jun 22, 1996
Diablo	94	8.7	Nov 30, 1996
Command & Conquer: Red Alert	90	8.9	Oct 31, 1996
Duke Nukem 3D	89	8.8	Jan 31, 1996
Obsidian	85	8.3	Dec 31, 1996

Random stats:

• There's a total of 1406 games on all platforms that scored an 85+. Of those, 374 (26.6%) were PC.
• The top critically rated games are a five-way tie between Half-Life, Half-Life 2, The Orange Box, BioShock, and Grand Theft Auto V.
• The top user rated games are a five-way tie between The Orange Box, Planescape: Torment, Portal, Deus Ex, and Counter-Strike.
• Top 5 games that users reviewed more favorably than critics (adjusting user reviews to a score out of 100):

Name	Critics	Users	Difference
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis	85	9.1	-6
Fallout 2	86	9.2	-6
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 - Faith	85	9	-5
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition	86	9.1	-5
Counter-Strike	88	9.3	-5

• Top 5 games that critics reviewed more favorably than users (adjusting user reviews to a score out of 100):

Name	Critics	Users	Difference
Diablo III	88	4	48
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	91	4.6	45
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2	86	4.1	45
Thirty Flights of Loving	88	4.9	39
NASCAR SimRacing	85	4.9	36

submitted byjdecocktopatientgamers [link][comments]

2015.08.13 15:15 Death_Star_Is Skyfall considered overrated by the general population of subscribers to this sub? Is it even considered 'good,' or do people just think that it's simply not as good as the reviews suggest and not as good as Casino Royale? There's an odd disconnect I've sensed for a while.

submitted byDeath_Star_tomovies [link][comments]

2014.12.26 18:45 Sylverstone14/r/WiiU's Nintendo eShop News/Discussion Thread #83 [12.26.2014]

Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the eighty-third edition of the Nintendo eShop news and discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, the news surrounding these titles and more! Thanks again for joining in.
Hope you guys had a great Christmas yesterday! I was mostly helping out new owners on /WiiU with any launch issues which could be plaguing their systems, and for the most part, it was a pretty good feeling since I can imagine how excited they were to open up their system on Christmas morning.
Without further ado, let's begin!

>>>[THE DIGITAL DELUXE PROMOTION ENDS ON DECEMBER 31st!!!]<<<

News & Articles

Former eShop boss Dan Adelman was recently interviewed by Nintendon, a Nintendo fansite based in Italy, and he's been mostly talking about his time with Nintendo, as well as his endeavors post-Nintendo. What stuck out in the interview was suggestions to Nintendo for how they could strengthen indie relations, with demographic information, transparency about sales potential, as well as grooming devs to use the Wii U GamePad as a key differentiator in their games much like Nintendo has been pushing their internal software teams to do.

A while back, I referred to an ambitious software title which was designed to help surgeons train their laparoscopic surgery motor skills. As it turns out, the game will be making its standalone debut on the Wii U eShop within the next two weeks as developer Grendel Games has confirmed that Underground will launch on January 8th in Europe. The game is a rather challenging puzzle game whose core concept revolves around solving environmental puzzles with control over two separate robotic arms controlled by the GamePad's analog sticks.

It was truly surprising news to wake up to, as the popular anime streaming service made its way to Wii U on Christmas morning. The app is really tailored to the premium members of the Crunchyroll site, boasting an ad-free experience while watching 1080p HD episodes of your favorite anime and drama series, with anime simulcasts from Japan being available as well for currently airing anime. I've tested it out, and it is quite a solid app, so if you do have a premium pass (or maybe a guest pass from a friend), give it a download and see what's available!

• Nintendo Life Feature: A Year in Development -- Image & Form, RCMADIAX and Curve Studios

Nintendo Life has really pumped out some amazing eShop features on their site this year, and this one is no different and they've gathered more developers this time around to speak about their year on the Nintendo eShop.
Image & Form's year was mostly highlighted by the announcement of the newest SteamWorld title, SteamWorld Heist, as well as bringing SteamWorld Dig to multiple platforms including PlayStation 4, PS Vita, PC, Mac and Linux, as well as Wii U.
While people may single out the small developer as nothing more than the genesis of the eShop shovelware problem, what people fail to realize about RCMADIAX is that it was truly a landmark year for the new studio that came into being this year - being the first graduate of the Nintendo Web Framework with BLOK DROP U, and continuing their niche of small, yet engaging games, as well as pushing the idea of indie collaborations with games such as BLOK DROP x Twisted Fusion.
As for Curve Digital, they've been nothing but amazing this entire year - the Curve Four (Stealth Inc. 2, The Swapper, Thomas Was Alone, and Lone Survivor: Director's Cut) were fantastic additions to the eShop, and the studio has announced more games (Ultratron, Nova-111, OlliOlli), with an unannounced fourth game in the works.

Indies sure to love to cross-promote! In this new trailer, we see Shovel Knight burning rubber in the world of Road Redemption, wielding his mighty Shovel Blade and whacking justice as he zooms on the road.

Short news blurb, but XType Plus has gotten its much anticipated Off-TV Play update which will allow you to enjoy the bullet hell action of the game from the GamePad itself.

Short blurb again, but it looks like Shantae's adventure outside of North America has one last hurdle to jump as the game has been submitted to the European and Aussie ratings boards (PEGI, USK, and the ACB) and will be likely to get rated in the next few weeks to greenlight its release.

It wouldn't be an eShop thread without a new game announcement, right? This time, we have the 2D Metroidvania-style game, Blood Alloy, made by Suppressive Fire Games. Originally, the game was looking to be funded on Kickstarter, but failed to get funded. However, after careful reconsideration, the game's concept has been reworked heavily to make it much superior to their original vision of the game. The link is an article about the game's history thus far, so give it a read!

Varia Games has had a busy year as well, with their early Kickstarter campaign success with the upcoming ReVeN, as well as another interesting title, a SHMUP named XBridge. The studio plans to release XBridge in the first quarter of 2015, and I have to say, it looks absolutely amazing. The game really has a nice visual flair, plus it'll also allow for users to create their own SHMUP style levels with waves of enemies and the like trying to kill you. What's also very interesting is that XBridge is being built up as a precursor to ReVeN story-wise, so if you're looking to get both games, then you're in for a treat.

Kickstarter Watch

Big thanks again to LiveRadar for his work on the Kickstarter section of our subreddit wiki this year. He really helped keep the subreddit abreast on new games that were seeking to be funded through the site, and we do hope to keep this going into 2015.
There are no current campaigns going on right now, and the last one on the list (Devil's Bluff ($24,307/$66,600)) was unsuccessful in its Kickstarter funding campaign.

New & Upcoming Releases (eShop + Downloadable Retail + DLC)

[NORTH AMERICA + EUROPE]

• Spy Chameleon (EnjoyUp Games) — $4.99 / €4.99 / £4.49

^{For the EU version, if you own an EnjoyUp Games-published title from the Wii U eShop, you are eligible to get the game discounted to €3.99 / £3.59.}

[NORTH AMERICA]

• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (WayForward) — $19.99
  
• Toon Tanks (Petite Games) — $1.99
  

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• Transformers Prime - The Game (Activision) — €59.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.95
  
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Activision) — €59.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.95
  

[JAPAN]

• Puddle (Neko Entertainment) — ¥900

New & Upcoming Releases (Virtual Console)

[ALL REGIONS]

• [NES] Duck Hunt (Nintendo)* — $4.99 / €4.99 / £3.49 / AU$6.50 / ¥514

^{*Requires the use of the Wii Remote.}

[NORTH AMERICA + EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• [GBA] Mario Party Advance (Capcom) — $6.99 / €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10

[NORTH AMERICA]

• [GBA] Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (Nintendo) — $7.99

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• [GBA] Mega Man Zero (Capcom) — €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10
  
• [GBA] Kuru Kuru Kururin (Nintendo) — €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10
  

Next Week on the Nintendo eShop!

Looks like the eShop will be on a break for New Year's, so there aren't many games slated for release next Thursday.
The only title that's popped up on my feed is the North American VC release of Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire for the Game Boy Advance.

Deals & Promotions (New & Ongoing)

[NORTH AMERICA + EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

> > >Discount

• Knytt Underground (Ripstone) — $6.49 / €TBC / £TBC / AU$4.08
  
• Stick It to the Man! (Ripstone) — $4.99 / €TBC / £TBC / AU$5.98
  

^{Until January 1st.}

• Nano Assault Neo (Shin'en Multimedia) — $7.49 / €7.49 / £6.70 / AU$9.75
  
• Art of Balance (Shin'en Multimedia) — $6.70 / €6.70 / £5.35 / AU$9.64*
  

<sup>Until January 8th [EU/AUS] / January 14th [NA].
* Art of Balance's AUS discount is only possible if you own Art of Balance Touch! [3DS] on the same Nintendo Network ID.</sup>

[NORTH AMERICA + EUROPE]

> > >Discount

• BLOK DROP U (RCMADIAX) — $0.99 / €0.99 / £0.79

^{Until January 7th.}

• Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade (Cypronia) — $4.99 / €4.85 / £4.49
  
• Color Zen (Cypronia) — $2.79 / €2.24 / £2.24
  
• Color Zen Kids (Cypronia) — $2.79 / €2.24 / £2.24
  

^{Until February 2nd.}

[NORTH AMERICA + AUSTRALIA]

• SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form Games) — $4.99 / AU$5.69
  
• Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation) — $4.99 / AU$4.99
  

^{Until January 1st. [NA]}

• Toki Tori 2+ (Two Tribes) — $5.99 / AU$4.00
  
• TNT Racers - Nitro Machines Edition (Keen Games) — $4.99 / AU$6.49
  

^{Until January 8th.}

[NORTH AMERICA]

> > >Discount

• Internal Invasion (Bear Box Media) — $1.99

^{Until December 30th.}

• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (WB Games) — $37.49
  
• LEGO The Hobbit (WB Games) — $20.99
  
• The LEGO Movie Videogame (WB Games) — $14.99
  

^{Until December 31st.}

• Armillo (Fuzzy Wuzzy Games) — $3.99
  
• Pure Chess (Ripstone) — $3.99
  
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Activision) — $24.99
  
• The Amazing Spider-Man - Ultimate Edition (Activision) — $19.99
  
• Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (Activision) — $14.99
  
• The Voice (Activision) — $24.99
  
• Wipeout Create & Crash (Activision) — $19.99
  

^{Until January 1st.}

• Resident Evil: Revelations (Capcom) — $15.99
  
• GetClose: A Game for Rivals (Wombat Source) — $2.99
  

^{Until January 2nd.}

• Poker Dice Solitaire Future (RCMADIAX) — $0.69
  
• Spikey Walls (RCMADIAX) — $0.69
  
• Shut the Box (RCMADIAX) — $0.69
  
• ZaciSa's Last Stand (ZeNfA Productions) — $1.49
  

^{Until January 7th.}

• EDGE (Two Tribes) — $1.50
  
• RUSH (Two Tribes) — $1.50
  
• Swords & Soldiers (Two Tribes) — $1.99
  
• Toki Tori (Two Tribes) — $1.50
  
• Gravity Badgers (Wales Interactive) — $1.99
  

^{Until January 8th.}

• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Little Orbit) — $TBC
  
• Disney Planes: Fire and Rescue (Little Orbit) — $TBC
  

^{Until January 14th.}

• Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte) — $9.99
  
• Rock Zombie (EnjoyUp Games) — $4.99
  
• Paper Monsters Recut (Mobot Studios) — $3.99
  

^{Until January 15th.}

• Shuttle Rush (Takusan Works) — $3.99

^{Until January 16th.}

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

> > >Holiday Discount (Ends January 1st)

• Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo) — €39.99 / £34.99 / AU$55.99
  
• Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft) — €9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.98
  
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft) — €14.99 / £9.99 / AU$24.98
  
• Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Ubisoft) — €4.99 / £3.99 / AU$7.49
  
• Rabbids Land (Ubisoft) — €4.99 / £3.99 / AU$7.49
  
• Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) — €14.99 / £11.99 / AU$21.98
  
• Sports Connection (Ubisoft) — €4.99 / £3.99 / AU$7.49
  
• ZombiU (Ubisoft) — €9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.98
  
• Just Dance 2015 (Ubisoft) — €29.99 / £22.49 / AU$TBC
  
• Watch_Dogs (Ubisoft) — €39.99 / £33.49 / AU$60.00
  
• Cloudberry Kingdom (Ubisoft) — €4.89 / £3.89 / AU$7.98
  
• Child of Light (Ubisoft) — €4.89 / £3.89 / AU$6.78
  

> > >Discount

100% Free Dating Online

• Monster High: 13 Wishes (Little Orbit) — €15.00 / £13.50 / AU$19.50
  
• My Style Studio: Hair Salon (Cypronia) — €3.74 / £3.35 / AU$19.50
  

^{Until January 30th.}

[EUROPE]

> > >Discount

• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Ubisoft) — €9.99 / £6.49

^{Until January 1st.}

• Fit Music for Wii U (OXYGENES RL) — €14.90 / £12.40
  
• Luv Me Buddies Wonderland (OXYGENES RL) — €14.90 / £12.40
  
• Barbie Dreamhouse Party (Little Orbit) — €15.00 / £13.50
  

^{Until January 30th.}

Wrap-Up

Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my sources from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, NeoGAF, and other sites.
Again, thank you guys for a fantastic year. Let's keep working towards the big 100 in 2015!
Question prompts for this week:

Popular Free Dating In Finland Girls

• What game(s) are you picking up? (I mean, look at the sales!)
  
• Overall, how would you rate the eShop's year? Fantastic? Passable? Terrible?
  
• What are your hopes for next year, eShop-wise?
  

I'll see you guys next week with more eShop news!
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