Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

Well, superficially, I tend to like girls in games more than guys, @TheJGG .... But since they usually tend to look good, there has to be something else to make them memorable! Then, there's obviously some guys that manage to stand out, too

Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 (along with the other games that i've bought.) has finally arrive today. can't wait to try them all out. mostly excited for PSO though.

@Aozz101x Just want to say have fun with PSO. I haven't played the GameCube entry, but I do remember playing the Dreamcast version, albeit offline. Hope you enjoy it.

@Tasuki Thanks. Much appreciated. I usually do still lurk around here, though. Just don't have the energy to dive into making my usual snappy comments anymore...

@Zuljaras Yeah, I know. Just add it to the list of "yet another example of why I am SO tired of COVID"...

@TheJGG I actually like most post PS1 Tomb Raider games. I never liked the "tank movement" mechanics of the old games, who reminded me too much of Resident Evil, and where they truly added to the tension in those games, I've always found them highly annoying in Tomb Raider, because it didn't feel natural for an adventure game which was supposed to give you the feeling of being able to freely move around in a 3D world.

As for the cosmetics/looks of them: I've never felt any kind of excitement for 90's Lara, or any kind of game character for that matter, so I can always VERY easily look past that outer shell, to focus on the actual mechanics and inner workings of a game, and as long as the gameplay is solid and the journey that the game offers me is more than entertaining enough, I'll be a happy camper...

EDIT:
Having said that, I do actually think that the new games look pretty good. She's now more of an "actual" person, and more realistic than the socialite, elitist sex bomb that she used to be, and this current image is far more relatable for a far larger group of gamers, so that's never a bad thing.

It’s now officially April’s Fool Day in the UK. Let’s see what fake news they’ll be today.

Mario turned into Cie'th !!!
He became a Marie'th.

Blame Nintendo (Fal'cie) for turned him into L'Cie and given him Focus to be purchased with limited time. He fails his Focus and now he is a wandering Cie'th.

@Tyranexx
Have you heard Mario turned into Cie'th on 1 April 2021 ? 🤭
Take a look above. ☝

@Tyranexx Best of luck on your vaccine. Hopefully we will see the end of this pandemic in due time! I've been busy with some things too, namely with online classes and house work. Those are all good choices for your favorite power-ups. I do like Flying Squirrel Mario quite a bit as well. I finished Super Mario 3D Land recently, I just felt nostalgic for that game lol. Especially since it's now been 10 years since the 3DS came out! It's not quite as good as 3D World, but it's still a good one and it's the best Mario platformer on the 3DS.

Remember guys, everything that happens over the next 24 hours should be doubted. This is your reminder!

@Nintendolife there is this game called knockout city and its having a open beta today make a article please. (Not a April fools joke trust me)

Rest in Pasta, Mario ;__;

A true tragedy

Well that's it, Mario is no more. It was a good run.

Oh well, there's always Super Princess Peach to play. I await Peach's 35th anniversary Nintendo!

@Blooper987 Can't wait for Poketubers to cover april fools leaks as "100% true", not even understanding everything that happens tomorrow is fake. They'll try to defend it because "Pokemon Let's Go leaked on April Fools".

@Blooper987 That also includes your warning itself. How do we know that's not an April Fool's joke, huh? HUH?

Some fascinating outlooks on Tomb Raider indeed, so I'll respond to those now, and handle the meat of the posts within twelve hours. No, it's not an April Fool's joke, I really will.

@BruceCM I have to agree, I too prefer women in videogames. It's strange, because it still feels like modern AAA video games still have relatively small female hero representation. And the times women do have leading roles their chests are spilling out of their shirts. That's primarily why I'm excited to get further into Tomb Raider, because this element, at least after the first hour, isn't present, and focuses on a strong, realistic heroine.

With male design in videogames, every male character seems to fall into very specific categories; namely the very buff one that's comedic relief (Reyn, Riki, Wakka, Barrett), the one with girly features (Shulk, Cloud, Luminary), and the wise but stoic one (Dunban, Auron). There's of course outliers that are a combination of both, like Yusuke from Persona 5, who's comedic relief and somewhat girly.

With female characters there's more subtle characterisation. Of course there's strong ones who do the talking in their natural environments (Aloy, Lara Croft), the seductress, or very little character outside of objectification (Jade from DQXI, Ann Takamaki), the sassy ones (Veronica and Sylvando (he's extremely feminine) from DQXI), and the prim and proper ones (Melia, to some extent Tifa and Aerith, Serena from DQXI), but there's many more, more so that other characters will be difficult to categorise in just one area.

@ThanosReXXX I hadn't even been alive when the original Tomb Raider came out of course, so it never entered my gaming peripheral vision through sex appeal. I like Uncharted, it's a fun blend of exploration and combat (though I suck at the combat, a lot), so something like that with a female protag is exciting. Plus, when someone walks in when I'm playing, I won't have to explain the risqué designs... because there aren't any! That luckily never happened when I played Xenoblade 2, perhaps because I zoomed out the camera to focus on the landscape.

The movement in games like Ghost of Tsushima and Uncharted feel like you're skating on ice. The controls feel a little delayed and the jump animation and move pattern looks like an acrobatic movement, or a Mario long jump. In games with the Decima Engine; Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding, movement is extremely responsive, and things like jumping feel solid. It feels like both in Tomb Raider, the movement's nice and things like climbing are a bit Uncharted like.

So far the game's pretty good, though the menu and HUD elements really make it feel like an EA game, or something like that. I prefer a 2D menu that's simple, rather than flowing animation and fancy 3D backgrounds. The quicktime reaction stuff caught me off a bit so I had to watch Lara get her skull smashed in a good three times before I finally realised what to do. The voice acting is very good as well, and heightens the immersion.

@Tyranexx The Tomb Raider games from Square Enix are meant to set you up for the PS1 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider games, at least that's my reckoning. It starts with a bang, and you begin the game clutching your side after getting stabbed by a nail so it hits home the fear and the tension.

And pixelised boobs? They're in HD now baby! In all seriousness I like her design a lot. I don't play the game and I kinda detest it, but I really like her Fortnite design a lot too. Makes me think about how she could play if she got into Smash.

I didn't tag you initially @MarioLover92, but I feel that you could bring some decent insight. What are your thoughts on Lara Croft's Square Enix design?

@Blooper987
Oh, btw.
I heard Mario has turned into Cie'th.
Take a look above. ☝

Well, there are still plenty of good female characters in games, @TheJGG .... I'll admit I don't mind if they happen to be rather scantily clad, though It's certainly something they have been working on, since there's more girls getting into gaming & being vocal about it

@Ryu_Niiyama Hello there friendly astro-people (person)! After a year of pandemic stasis, my personal situation has improved a bit... which means I haven't been able to sit down long enough lately for anything as substantive as real conversations, not even online. But I see that you might be awake. I hope this doesn't mean that you're sick, though...

I was sorry to read about your experience at the end of undergrad. Did your department and school help? Or care? Unfortunately, I am not so surprised. Of those I know personally, or have worked closely with, I don't believe I know anyone who earned a physics-based degree that went through a four-year program unscathed, and that includes a couple of working astronomy professionals, in my country and yours. (I remember one now-prominent prof from MIT, then newly hired, who rather casually mentioned to us in a departmental visit that "physics kicked my butt". Little did I understand how I should have heeded him...)

So, anyhow, it may be a "standard" story, but hardly a SOB one, to my mind. I admire your attitude, though. I sincerely wish you all the best in returning to the institution (haha, that's how I came to think of it, if you will pardon the language).