Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

On this day exactly 10 years ago, I bought the 3DS on its Australian launch. Was 15 then, am 25 now. Time flies...

its dangerous to go alone!
take this.

@ogo79
Where is da Eurobeat song ?

I changed my avatar again into Beatmania IIDX 9th style as i will get that game on this week.

Hopefully the game will be arrived tomorrow.

@Anti-Matter After one profile change for me it’s easy to learn that it takes seven days for your profile to be implemented on the front of the forum page. So changing it quickly will create inconsistencies.

Plus, I personally liked your purple one more. Nice show of colour and all.

@ogo79 That Frenchie is GOLDEN! I want it!

@ThanosReXXX Aww, I miss your text walls. Soon enough I'll write something to stir it back up.

I started playing Tomb Raider and I'm already enjoying it massively. I haven't encountered significant characterisation for Lara just yet but I really like strong female heroines in video games. Any of Lara's supposed sex appeal in the original games isn't prioritised here, she isn't top heavy or showy. Her design is extremely grounded; just trousers and a tank top. And though I liken it to Uncharted with a female lead, Lara did it first.

Come to think of it my taste in video game characters is very fluid. I can appreciate masculine and feminine designs alike, and even in male characters I enjoy the feminine qualities a character like Cloud Strife has, because of his blond hair, and his really smooth skin. Female designs are polarising but some are extremely cool, hence situations where I change my profile picture to Alex Chen, from the upcoming Life is Strange: True Colours game.

I also like looking beyond generic external character traits for women in gaming, though it should be commonplace to begin with. Looks are very subjective, what I find attractive is very different from what you consider attractive. Personally, I find Lara Croft's Square-era redesign as very attractive, and a good blend of femininity and power.

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Talking to people like @Tyranexx, @Zuljaras, @BruceCM, @Snatcher and more!

@TheJGG I own all 3 TR games from the new saga but I am only at the start of the first one Still the gameplay is solid and the depiction of Lara is very nice. She is portrayed more like a survivor than an eye-candy for horny people. I have to go back to those games ... but there is just so much to play and do right now

Forgot to mention some very good female characters in games like Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2, Fury from Darksiders 3, Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite, Shanoa from Castlevania Order of Ecclesia.

I must be honest. I absolutely detest any sexualization or explicit relationships in games as well as gender politics and stuff. Even things like going to prostitutes in the Witcher series. I know that is weird but can't help it

Depictions like a sexy succubus are strangely fine for me but idiotic stuff like in Assassins Creed Odyssey where you can sleep with a bunch of people is no-go for me and I skip it.

Ofc I am ok with stuff like that as long as they are not forced. But forced view on politics like in The Last of Us 2 is a BIG turn off for me.

I can't believe it. I can't believe Mario died today.

@Zuljaras Yeah, I bought the Definitive Survivor Trilogy for £17.99. What a steal. But Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition feels very robust, like a modern adventure game should. The survival elements play a real part in Lara's characterisation, if it was a straight-up action game there'd be more room to add unnecessary sexualisation for her. Don't get me wrong, and I'll be adamant about this; Lara is still eye candy, but less sexy and more legitimately attractive. Of course elements like natural beauty can and should take a backseat in a survival/action game, and Lara getting that nail through her side adds toughness and resilience to her character, but there's something strangely rewarding about seeing the bloodstains come off.

I brought up Quiet the other day, who is the exact opposite of Lara Croft. Quiet is sexualised but in a way that pertains to the story. Lara is attractive in a way that pertains to the story. It works.

@VoidofLight
Wait, did Mario already turned into Cie'th ?!

@Anti-Matter Mario is already dead. Today was the day of his execution sadly.

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.

Busy, busy, and busy! With work and adulting + house stuff mostly. Worked from home this afternoon since I had to be present for a plumbing estimate (Nothing serious, just need an outside spigot replaced; it hasn't work since I've moved in!) and...worked late. Good news is the local health department opened up three Covid-19 vaccine clinics for all state residents since they still had some spots open. I signed up for an appointment late yesterday afternoon. Drive-through only. My arm is a little sore and I've had a bit of fatigue, but no other side effects. In fact, the fatigue may not just be related to the shot, but I'll spare you all the details. XD I'll live. I anticipate the second dose (Moderna) to not be as pleasant from what I've heard/read.

Also, April Fools Day is tomorrow. Beware of anything and everything you read on the internet! I both enjoy and dread the day. XD I love it for the clear, nonsensical pranks, but also secretly dislike it as some of the pranks hit close to home for games and so forth that I really WOULD like....

...I would actually try that sans the fries. Though I'd certainly share with others, then proceed to only eat salad and whole foods the rest of the week. While exercising constantly. XD

@TheJGG There are certainly some family trademarks too. Bad ankles on dad's side and not the most amazing teeth (I had braces for four years and retainers before that). Heart problems on one side of my mom's family and skin cancer on the other. At least the latter is pretty treatable in most forms.

The Mount Kenya hike certainly sounds like an awesome experience! Very picturesque, and I'm sure it afforded plenty of photo opportunities to capture many moments. Though no picture, at least in my humble opinion, can ever quite replace the actual sensation of experiencing an awesome part of nature in person. I can relate on mountain sickness, to an extent; I've been on a couple mountain peaks (that you could drive to the top of, admittedly) and have certainly experienced breathing difficulty and lightheadedness.

I certainly would love to see many parts of the world, though there are certainly areas of the US I haven't been to either. New York City is definitely on my bucket list, though I certainly wouldn't live there lol. Due to where I live, I've been to many of the Midwestern, Southeast, and Plains states, but I have little experience with either coast or Alaska and Hawaii. I have been to both coasts - Los Angeles/Southern California on one side of the country, some spots between Miami, FL and Philadelphia, PA on the other - but I certainly cannot say I've been all the way up and down them. I'd particularly like to go to the Northwest and Northeast (Funny you mentioned the wonderful autumn scenery; I'd like to see that too!), and there are parts of the American Southwest I'd like to get to as well. I've seen some of the latter from the air, including the Las Vegas strip, but that's nowhere near the same as going in person.

On Fantastic Beasts: I think Mads Mikkelsen will fit into the role quite well. I didn't realize he provided a voice for Death Stranding, but I've enjoyed what I've seen of his performance of the titular doctor in the Hannibal TV series. Just checked his filmography, and apparently he voiced Chick Hicks in the first Cars movie as well?

I've been listening to some of XC2's soundtrack over the last couple days. Incoming! now is part of my regular list, and You Will Remember Our Names (sound familiar? XD) has earned a spot as well. Cliffs of Morytha/Old Factory still remains my favorite. I hadn't found Letherian yet though; thanks for providing another decent track to listen to!

On Lara Croft/Tomb Raider - Another series I'd like to play, but haven't. So I can't really comment much on it. But I do feel like her modern design and personality (from the footage and images I've witnessed) are handled pretty well. She's definitely more than just pixelized boobs.

@ThanosReXXX Some similar issues lately, though I've just been busy in general now that spring is rolling around here; I did my first mowing on Monday. Glad that all seems to be well with you! Though that is a bummer about the missed Falcon/WS display. That Captain America shield looks very, VERY cool!

@MarioLover92 I'd have to also say Cat Mario! Besides all the wonderful reasons you mentioned, I'm also a huge fan of felines in general. Runners-up in no particular order would be Cape Mario from SMW, Tanooki Mario from the various installments, and Acorn/Flying Squirrel Mario. (Which is kinda like Cape Mario, now that I think about it....Eh, at least Mario gets to wear an actual fur suit!)

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