So you wanna date cute anime guys - The top 5 starter Otome games everyone needs to play.

 WELL HERE IT IS. You nerds asked for it! You wanted it, and here it is! I COULD HAVE EASILY WRITTEN ABOUT SOMETHING DARK LIKE HORROR OR THE TRAUMA BEHIND TALES OF ARISES' MAIN CAST...

But no. Noooo. Ya'll wanted me to dig through my giant pile of anime dating sims to recommend some! Which, let's be real, is incredibly daunting of a task.

Some context; I'm sure everyone has heard of the dating sim genre. A spin-off of the visual novel, it's basically the same thing but you are picking options to romance a character in the story. Some are more intense then that, with different options forcing you to a bad ending, good ending, etc. For some, it's incredibly daunting and, well, a lot. Dating sims are meant to be replayed more then once, and your meant to find your one character you've fallen in love with.

Otome, which translates to 'Maiden', are a type of dating sim where...it's basically a reverse harem. You are a (more often then not) female main character who has a bunch of anime dudes after your hear. It's filled with the stereotypical 'man whose head over heels' and 'man who couldn't care less but secretly loves you', etc etc. You basically have anime men crashing their way to get you to love them. Which, let's be real, for people who are into that? 

Is fantastic.

But! Otome is a huge genre and there is so many games in it. Thankfully, while the genre is still niche over here, there is plenty to choose from-and their easy to get, too! So in this list, I will go through my personal top 5 starter otomes someone can easily buy right now. I'll try to mix it up with the genres and such, and even will include one that teeters on the line of erotic...you know, for those of you over the age of 18.

NOW LET'S BEGIN

1. Pub Encounters -Switch, PC, Mobile

((image; switch player))

-Alright fine, I'm starting with the erotica out of the way first. Also, my all time favorite one. Pub Encounters is the only game on this list that has borderline erotic scenes. We're talking sex, here, folks. Kinks, public displays of (very graphic) affection. And hell, if that's your thing, Pub Encounters is your game! 

You play an average office lady, bored on her walk home as you take a detour and find...a pub in an alley. Walking in, you meet some fantastic men. Yuze the executive, Arashiro the Yakuza lawyer, Kodama the detective, Hodo the author and the bar manager, Toyoizumi. We ain't talking anime boys here--this are men in their 40s-50s. The heroine herself is implied to be early-30s. So if your getting tired of your average otome with nothing but boys, I highly recommend Pub Encounters. Especially if you like your romance steamy and angsty! 

Just a quick heads up for those looking to try this one out, be warned of some content warnings! Mentions of assault, abuse, voyeurism...Pub Encounters is not for the feint of heart, and I do not recommend it to everyone! 

2. Code: Realize - Switch, Playstation, PC (and there's an anime if that's your jazz!)

((image; Playstation lifestyle))

-A lot of times, Otomes like to do this thing where they take from existing medium. Like old history, fairytales, etc. Call it a trope, call it brilliant, it's always fun. And no otome does it better then the Code: Realize series. You play as Cardia, the game's main lady. You know nothing about your past, just that your Father put a crystal in your chest that makes your skin and blood poison. Whose your Father, why did he do this...and who will you kiss??

Code:Realize is well known for it's take on historical book characters! You have Arsene Lupin, Saint Germain, Impey Barbicane, Victor Frankenstein himself and Abraham Van Helsing. This men are determined to help you, but you can only choose one to help you find your true heart!

...I'm so sorry for that pun. If you enjoy getting lost in a good book, steampunk and "whoa is me you cannot even touch me!" drama, Realize is a great otome starting point--and with so many sequels! So many....

3. The Arcana - Mobile 

((image; Mobygames))

-Out of every otome on this list, this is probably the one most people have heard of, at least in passing. And a fantastic example that western developers are creating some fantastic romance games. Arcana is also one of the games on our list that features romances for multiple genders!!

You play as a Magicians apprentice, and are sent on your own to discover the world (and the people) around you. The game plays in segments, as is based off a tarot card system. Fantastic art, a beautiful story and some of the best romances I've seen in a game! This is a great first pick as you just need a phone! 

Just know going in, as this is a mobile game, there is an option for purchases to ease the story a bit faster/unlock optional paths! So enjoy at your feelings of that! (Also as I write this, I miss this game, and specifically Julian, so much. Ahhh!)

4. Collar X Malice - Switch, Playstation.

((image; Nintendo))

-Now, everyone knows I'm kinda into true crime. I do enjoy myself some Oxygen nights and podcasts and such. Collar X Malice? Now that mixes two of my favorite things. Crime stories and otome! Now a little content warning, your main character in this title is a cop. If you can look past that, you'll be able to dive into a story about terrorist plots, hot anime guys and...a bomb strapped to you neck?

Your MC (main character) is taken hostage by a terrorist group that is threatening to bomb Shinjuku--where you work. You wake up to a group of men; Aiji, Kei, Mineo, Takeru and Kageyuki. Some of them want you dead, some want to smooch you...it's a great (and tense) combo! 

If you enjoy a side of bomb plots and collar play in your dating sim (and don't mind the cop part) I highly recommend Collar, as you'll be getting some cute romance to your heavy lore dumps! 

5. Café Enchante - Switch.

-And, last but not least, I give you a cute favorite.

Setting the scene; Kotone's favorite childhood memory is working with her grandpa in his mystical café. When he dies and she inherits it, she finds out the patrons of his little shop are anything but normal. She finds a door in the back of his office that leads into a mystical world-and mystical boys! 

Misyr the demon, Canus the headless knight, Il fado the fallen angel, Ignis the demon and, well, Karou and government agent! These men were all patrons of your grandfather--and desperately want to be your patrons as well! The main reason Enchante is on this list is just how...beautiful it is. 

Painting-style art, great guys and, a headless horsemen in a vest. Come on. It's a great starting point for people of the monster-loving variety, and someone who just desperately wants something different then standard anime boys. 

Well, I hope you all found something your interested in! My favorite thing about the otome genre is just how...welcoming it is. For people new to visual novels and those who just want a hardcore story. Their emotional, powerful, fun and most of all...romantic! 

I hope everyone has a fantastic Valentines day. Hug someone you love, friend or more. And enjoy some cute dating sims this time of year! 

Sarah's top five games of 2021!

 *Crawls out from under my rock, squinting up at the sunlight*

Holy hell, I'm alive...I'M ALIVE.

Uh, hi, hello. I realized this kind of went dead and I apologize. For those who don't know, I did some freelance work over one Moviefone for a bit and that was uh...something. Pretty crazy, ya know. Second, I really miss this place. While I adore talking about movies, talking about games is a big passion of mine and dammit, I played a lot of stuff this year, and many of it I really really loved!! So I decided I would come back at the beginning of the year and spell out to you all my top 5 favorite games of 2021. I know on my last list I picked games that not necessarily came out in 2020, but I still ended up playing them.

This will be different, as if I recall, every game I played this year came out this year. So no weird loopholes or anything.

Anyway, further ado, here are the top 5 games I loved in 2021, starting with two honorable mentions I just...needed to talk about.

Honorable mention one; Tales of Arise (PS5)

(image source; digital trends)

-So the only reason Tales isn't on the official list is that I am not done. I just received the game for Christmas, and I've only just beaten the second boss. But oh my god do I love this game. Surprisingly, I'm not a huge JRPG person, as I've really only sunk my life into Kingdom Hearts and maybe one or two Final Fantasy's. Tales has been a series I grew up on, as Symphonia was a huge part of my childhood, but I never beat any of the games I played. Arise completely changes that. I am hugely invested in the story and the characters, and the gameplay is everything I want in a JRPG. Reminding me of the tactics of FF7Remake and the real time-ness of Kingdom Hearts, it had me hooked since I first played the demo months ago. I am sucker for mixing science fiction with fantasy, and the game is seemingly hitting all of my right buttons. While I am pretty much guessing major plot beast a it goes on, that's not stopping me from enjoying the hell out of Alphen and his little crew, and excitement for every badass thing they do. I honestly think people are sleeping on Arise, and should totally pick it up if they are the slightest bit interested.

Honorable mention two; Hatsune Miku Project Diva Colorful Stage (iOS)

(image source; Project Sekai wiki)

-Oh my god a phone game. A gacha phone game!! What the hell is this world coming to. Honestly, I'm really only putting this here because I have a new comfort game and will never stop. I am a huge Hatsune Miku/Vocaloid person in general, and have owned/nearly completed every Project DIVA game that has been released in the states. Colorful Stage is simple, it's a rhythm game where you tap along to the vocaloid tracks (both deep dives and greatest hits) and level up your little idol group. The story follows multiple highschool-aged idol groups as they work to make it big with their Vocaloid pals, and it's group has their own storylines where they go through the trials and tribulations of being music wannabes. Normally, I hate gacha games, as anything that forces me to spend money is annoying. But I can see with daily drops and log-in extras, I haven't spent as much as I thought I would. You get enough everyday for at least a few pulls, and more often then not, you will get the character your hoping for. The title also includes online functionality, a first for the DIVA series, where you play songs with others online to gain a total score. I adore this game, and eagerly await each new event to rise the ranks. Call it, comfort food for this stressful time.

Alright!! Now onto my top 5 of the year (no order! I can't choose, this year was tough).

Number 1; No More Heroes 3 (Switch)

(image credit; Nintendo)

-Talk about waiting long for something. As a kid, the No More Heroes games were some of the coolest I had on my Wii. Violent, vulgar, and stupidly fun. I got super invested in Travis Touchdown's rise to the top of the assassin ladder to get the girl. Suda51 has always been one of my favorite developers, and that love was enough for met to purchase a switch when he showed up on stage at the original announcement event claiming "Travis is Back". While at the time that wasn't NMH3, I still eagerly awaited the loveable dorks return and it did not disappoint. Yes, NMH3 isn't the most put together game on this list, it has issues and can sometimes stutter down to PowerPoint levels, but dammit if it isn't fun. Tying up loose ends from nearly every one of the older titles (including Travis Strikes Again), I was satisfied with the journey the title gave me. The brash humor and the dark but humorous tone stuck with me throughout the year and showed me Suda51 hasn't and will not lose his touch for a long time. Travis is his baby, and we are lucky that he was able to get Nintendo's blessing and allow the otaku to grace our consoles once more.

Number 2; Life is Strange True Colors (PS5)

(image source; steam)

-Representation in gaming is more important now then ever before. And that rains true for the representation of mental health as well. The Life is Strange games was a series I always admired, but I always beat them once and never went back for a second thought. I appreciated what they did and the messages they inspired, but that was it. Everything changed with True Colors. Never has games handled the idea of empathy and how one truly handles it like this game. Alec Chen is a protagonist that we needed, and the games handle of grief and trauma through someone who can tap into the emotions around them is profound and deeply important. I never saw any of the twists coming, and having all of my choices and decisions come to fruition at the end and give me an ending I was so emotionally invested in was so heartwarming--and heart breaking at the same time. For context, I ended up going with Ryan at the end, and for the record, he's one of my favorite romance options in gaming ever. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend going into True Colors blind, and find out why the LARPing scene is one of the most uplifting in games this decade.

Number 3; Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)

(image credit; PC gamer)

-The Guardians are some of the favorite teams in comics history. A group of misfits just trying to find their way in the galaxy, all coming together due to trauma and the need for a familial complex. And nothing has really perfected this feeling until Eidos Montreal's Guardians game that released this year. I will admit, when I first saw this title, I was intrigued by the designs, the story, but the gameplay looked boring to me, and oh god I am glad I was wrong. Guardians is a fun romp through a retelling of the groups first few months together, and does what any adaptation should do; make the group their own. Of course, some comic book influence (and movie as well, if that's your thing) squeaks it's way in, but all of it used to awesome degrees. The Guardians are their own here, and quite honestly, it's my favorite version of them in a long time. Being able to talk to them and get to know them in between missions, helping to raise your understanding to why their there and how you can connect is fantastic. Guardians is the sleeper hit of the year, and deserved every award it has won so far. Pick it up as soon as you can.

Number 4; Boyfriend Dungeon (Xbox Series X)

(image source; epic games store)

-Hello surprise pick of the year. I remember seeing the Kickstarter for this title and losing my mind. Dating sims, specifically otomes, have been a huge amount of my life that I just don't normally talk about. As let's be honest, the premise and idea of them are just a bit out there for some people (which is totally okay!) but with something like Boyfriend Dungeon, I am hoping the genre can be slowly introduced into people's libraries. You create your character, and travel to a fictional Florida city to spend summer break with your cousin and hopefully find yourself a point of romance! You travel the game's "dunj" to discovered yourself and fight your own insecurities...but you so do so with different weapons that are...also people?? I have played a lot of dating sims in my life, but Boyfriend Dungeon swiped the rug out from under me. To date, I've done every romance line, Sunder being my particular (heartbreaking!) favorite, and have fallen for every new character. The combat, while not stressful, is fun and the abilities and weapons make it so much better. I'm hoping everyone who does end up trying this out jumps into the dating sim pool. We'd love to have you! 

Number 5; Nier Replicant 1.22... (PS4)

(image credit; PC gamer)

-Remember earlier in this piece that I wrote how JRPGs are very hard to grab me? Well, obviously I somehow forgot how much Nier has changed my life, and introduced me to some of the best friends I could have. For those not aware, the original Nier released in two versions, one for the Xbox and for the Playstation. Americas got one version, Japan the other. But, that means when the game released this year (with the help of Nier Automata absolutely kicking ass) so many people got to witness the original Nier for the firs time--including me. As a kid, I picked it up a bit too early and got stuck. But with the updated combat system and the quality of life improvements, Replicant runs like a dream, and should be the standard for all remakes/remasters going forward. A beautiful story with an even better rearranged OST, if you play any JRPG this year I highly recommend it's this one. Don't let the fact the game has multiple endings scare you, as everyone needs to experience Yoko Taro's masterpiece in storytelling. Flaws, dark, sad, but strangely uplifting in all the right place. Replicant is an important piece for the medium, and it would have been absolutely silly for it not to be on this list.

Annnnd there we go! Oh my gosh, for those unaware I wrote this in a single sitting. Quite honestly, I missed my blog a lot. But my drive to write has fluctuated so much. But, I hope you all enjoy this and actually play some of these titles for yourself! 

Also, I'd just like to place a huge thank you to just...you. I made so many fantastic friendships in 2021, but I also had so many firsts this year. I've become a freelancer, I starred on so many podcasts and people are actually...enjoying my content? If you asked me this even a year or so ago, I wouldn't believe you. I know I thank people a lot, but I figured i'd do it one more time in the new year. It is a tad intimidating knowing so many people enjoy my work, but it also makes me happy at the same time. 

I will be active here again, so I hope you all stick around. Love you guys! :)

Get in loser, we're gonna fall some gods-Godfall impressions.

 Whoa boy it's been awhile. Hello there, welcome. For those who is new to this seeing as you've heard me mention it on some podcasts I've done, welcome to my blog! I once said I would never review things, and that's not what this post is. Frankly, I'm making this seeing as I've heard a lot of the same things about the game I've been playing/what I am going to talk about. I either get 'It looks too generic' or 'Godfall didn't get good reviews, so I'm not going to buy it.'

Well, buddy, I'm here to give my own two-cents on what I've played so far (and seeing I am one boss away from the final one, I figure I have a good enough say in this matter) on how I am enjoying Godfall, my little nit-picks with me, and what I was iffy about. 

Let's start.

For those who are not aware/have been living under a rock during this shit year, Godfall was announced at the Game Awards last year as the first ever confirmed PS5 exclusive. Developed by Counterplay games (an Indie studio comprised of veterans who have worked on Gears 5, Destiny and Diablo) and published by Gearbox. The game is a 'first of it's kind' looter-slasher. What does that mean? Imagine Destiny, but they took away all the guns and you only had your class special and a sword. That's Godfall. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. To be honest, my favorite part of Destiny is when I'm cutting people in half in the Crucible using a sword. 

Instead of classes as Destiny has, you have Valorplates, very extravagantly designed armor sets that can use the same weapons as every other plate, but comes with their own specials. Anywhere from setting enemies on fire, to summoning little beam turrets, to poisoning. The designs are beautiful, light bouncing off the armor sets and the glow-y bits lighting up as your main character, Orin, speaks. A design choice in the game, never showing character's faces, seemingly adds in the mystery of the game and it's world. Multiple Youtubers have gone out of their way to make videos that explain the lore of Godfall (and holy wow theres a lot) but the game tends to step back from it, drip feeding you with bits and pieces of lore and data pads you can pick up throughout the open world and missions. 

While I personally haven't taken a look at any of the lore pads, I have watched a few of the videos online, and I can best describe Godfall's overarching narrative as a mix of  medieval epics and the start of a space opera. So, with that, let's talk a bit about Godfall's story before I get into my thoughts on the combat. 

((img; pcgamesn.com))

Taking place on a planet created by the body of a dead dragon (yeah, you uh, heard that right) Godfall is the story of two warriors named Orin and their (more on this later) brother Macros. The latter trying to stop their power-hungry sibling of battle from starting something called the 'Rites of Ascension', which would allow him to become a god, something the two fought side-by-side with to kill before. Obviously, power corrupts, and you play as Orin as they kill Macros' most-trusted soldiers one by one to make it to him. Along the way, you team up with a construct called The Seventh Sanctum and a weaponsmith named Zenun, and you work your way up the three plates of the planet (Earth, Water and Air) to face your brother.

And...that's honestly it. While there is background lore, as to how Orin and Macros met, it's not flat out laid to the player in the man game. That stuff you have to read up, baby, and with the data plates hidden throughout the worlds, you slow uncover it via in game texts. That's right, Destiny 1 style. Obviously, this isn't an ideal way to throw out a story, especially as it looks like Counterplay is hoping to turn this into a franchise. Youtube videos are great and give you a way to engage people outside of your story, but it isn't the same. Also, the generals of Macros' army you fight seemingly get no characterization either. All being there via the trope of  'oh they followed your brother, hence they need to be killed' type of situation. I am not sure if they too are expanded on in the data pads, and would have to read to figure them out. 

One more thing before I go into combat thoughts. When this game was first revealed, it made it seem like you were making your own character that fought for Orin. Obviously, that is not the case, and you are playing as Orin. When you boot up Godfall and make it to the hub area, you realize there is female-designed armor types. You unlock one from the start and can switch between missions. Obviously, being me, I switched into the female-type armor and continued my playthrough. When Orin spoke, their voice had gone from a male-oriented to a feminine tone, to match the armor. It was incredibly interesting to me, as this sets a precedents to the lore in this universe that gender itself is based solely on armor type, and not the being behind it. That gender is something that can easily be switched around, which can lead to so many implications in this universe. 

Now, I highly doubt they will be doing anything more on this matter, which personally, sucks, but I am incredibly interested to see if this is ever fully discussed and brought up in any capacity. A note to this, as Orin is still perceived with male-pronouns throughout the story, Macros is still your 'brother' (which obviously could be meant as a 'brother in war' or 'brother in arms' situation) which honestly could stay, as it makes sense either way.

((img;gameinformer.com))

The final thing I will be discussing about Godfall is the game's combat. Multiple times have I described it to people as 'Babies first souls-like' and I stick by that. The game teaches you early on that parrying with your shield (L1) is the most important weapon/defense in your arsenal, and also parrying with your weapon as well. Speaking of weapon, you have everything from normal sword, long swords, hammers, duel wielding etc. All have a light attack (R1) and a heavy attack (R2), and the heavy attack takes full use of the haptic triggers on the Duelsense. My favorite instance was that I used a heavy hammer for awhile, and every heavy attack I made seemingly made pressing the trigger harder, making it feel like every time I swung the hammer, I was using all the strength Orin had to swing it again. Obviously, it's not for everyone, but I loved it.

For the boss fights, you need to go through the world and collect sigils to unlock them. This is fine, as it allows you to level up and get more weapons, but it's also tedious, forcing the player to replay missions over and over to unlock bosses across the three realms. When you fight those bosses, they are immensely powerful and vary in difficulty as you rise up through the game. All of them, though, have 'checkpoint' markers, little arrows above their health bars that are used to show you how far they are from death and when new attack patterns start. A feature I like is, when you die in Godfall, enemies don't regain health. In boss battles, if you die, enemies regain health up to when the last checkpoint marker was. It's a nice feature I can appreciate, as someone who struggled through a lot of the bosses.

On a side note from the missions and bosses (missions have set time limits and extra objectives, something I never could complain about as the time limits were very generous) I will say this games huge fault is that there is no in-game map when your own the ground. You must follow on instinct, and if you remember where things are from areas you were already at. Many times just exploring I would get lost and lose my direction, or turn down a wrong path and need to take the long way to an objective. While not a deal breaker, it is rather annoying and makes traversing the open world (not in missions)  a chore and something I rarely did. 

As I finish this piece, I actually just beat Godfall a few hours ago. The ending, sadly, crashed on me during the final cutscene, which broke the immersion a lot. Do I recommend the game? Kind of. If your into looters and combat heavy 'soul's like', of course. Now if your not into any of those, I would still kind of recommend it due to the fact it's one of the only PS5 exclusive titles, and damn it's pretty. I do believe the $70 price point is incredibly steep, but I don't blame the developers for that. If the game ever goes on sale (which I imagine it will soon) swipe it up, and let's play together.

You should never be judged for picking assist options...not even by the game itself.

 So I can't believe I haven't talked about this yet, but dammit I love Control a lot. Honestly, I love Remedy Entertainment a lot. Never has a company done so much in an attempt to mix movie-type storytelling into their games (looking at you, Quantum Break TV episodes) and done so amazingly well. I've played almost every game by them (I'm only missing Max Payne, which, came out way too early in my life in my defense) and have enjoyed all of them. And Control is right up there at the top of my list. Everything about the title is phenomenal. From it's characters to powers to it's super crazy AF story that goes into some crazy directions. There's only a few annoying ticks I have with the title, and one of them is the game's intense difficulty. 

We know I'm not a fan of ultra tough games. That's why I see the fact I beat Control as a huge accomplishments. Yes there was many times I got extremely frustrated and just-done with the game. But the need to see what happens next was so important to me, that I pushed on. When I beat it, I honestly had no reason to come back to it due to the combat. But, then Remedy did the one thing that had me racing back, like a cookie on a string. They announced a connected 'Remedy-Verse', a DLC that brought in another character from their past, Alan Wake, and an assist mode for the game. 

Talk about right up my alley.

So I booted up Control as the DLC and the assist options went live, eager to start up and learn about a character I haven't seen in ages (did I mention I really loved Alan Wake? I really do) and I instantly went into the options to find the assist options. When I did, I got a glimpse of them. Immortality, the ability to change the percentage of damage taken, reloading, the energy gain...it was immense and amazing. But when I scrolled over to turn them on, a message caught my eye. 

Oh. Oh, that's not good at all.

Yeah, let's discuss this. For one, I can get designing your game to be challenging and rewarding. I, for one, felt incredibly rewarded after I beat it, knowing I fought through the difficulty and frustration to reach that satisfying ending. But, key word was I fought the difficulty. To be frank, I hate difficult games, not difficulty options. When you pick the 'casual' option, and the game is still extremely difficult? Then we have issues. 

Well, let's infer that's the reason the developers put in assist options a year after the game released. why weren't they put in at launch? Was it hard, or did the developers want people to play the game the way they intended to? Well, I'm a disabled gamer, with my anxiety making playing difficult games...difficult. I strive on games that include assist options and difficulty options such as Story Only, with aim assists, etc. So, for one, I cannot for a fact play games the way most developers intend people to. But I can still enjoy myself, I can still feel rewarded. 

Assist mode was made for people like me, to enjoy games like Control the way we want to. It allows us to still enjoy a game for it's story, it's characters, and even it's gameplay when we can edit it the way we want. Now, what we don't want, is a game to honestly patronize us for turning them on. 

Let me explain.

We don't care if your game was meant to be 'challenging and rewarding'. That's fine. But a game should also be rewarding for those not looking for a challenge, especially for those who do not want one. I play games to be relaxed. I do not play games to get so frustrated I almost put the game down for good. That's just a waste of my time and money. When a game gives me assist options, to me that's the developers saying we want you to enjoy yourself, no matter how you play. We just want you to play our game and have fun in the process. Which I am all here for. 

I always go back to it, but The Last of Us 2 is a perfect example of this. Those assist options are just-everything. It does not diminish your experience, you can raise the challenge as much as you want, and I did. I still played that game with the level of difficulty I felt comfortable with, and changed it if I wanted to. Even those who are not disabled, still got use of those options to help them through the game. But what The Last of Us 2 did that I appreciate greatly? Was it did not scold me for turning on some of those options. It did not tell me 'hey these options are here, but this game is meant to be challenging, and we are telling you not to turn them on.'.

What Control does, is it flat out tells you that this was not the way Remedy wanted the game to be played. Well, then how did they want disabled gamers to play Control? Did they want us to fight the difficulty, or the aiming in tense situations? While i'm aware this wasn't their intentions, the way it's worded is they basically don't want us to, or force us to fight through the difficulty and annoyance. Because obviously, we don't want to fight the developers and the play the game the way they didn't intend us too! (That was sarcasm, friends).

((image credit; engadget))

As I spoke to others about this when it released, I began to see that not everyone was fans of the way Remedy chose to represent it's assist options. Speaking to two friends, I got two answers that resonated with me extremely. While my friend Blaine had no real need for them, she did consider the way they represented them problematic. 

   "..but seeing "This game is intended/designed to be difficult so please try it normally before using assists" just sends an awkward message implying ppl who need those assists are thereby not getting the "Proper" experience."

Blaine's line about the "proper" experience was extremely telling. While a lot of games are made with a wide amount of players in mind, there are still some that are made with a narrow set of players. Games that are 'souls' like are a good example. Excruciating difficulty with no difficulty options or handicaps to help. While I wouldn't exactly call Control a 'souls' like, it still has some features. Very sparsely placed checkpoints, respawning enemies, etc. are designed to make every encounter difficult and stop you progression until it is beaten. 

Basically, Remedy is saying that they want the game to be that, difficult and challenging, because that's how they made it to be. Rewarding is one thing, but it's also a very loaded word. People can find anything 'rewarding', to the hardest challenge and the easiest one. You can complete what looks like the most impossible looking jump, or defeat the toughest, secret boss and still feel rewarded, even if you used assist options to do both of those things.  

Speaking about challenging and difficult as I brought up earlier, the second person I spoke to used said assist options specifically for the difficulty. Speaking to Jeff, he wanted to play the game and enjoy the story it was trying to tell, not the gameplay attached to it. Asking him how he felt with the assist mode wording, he also brought up the idea on developer intention.

"Yeah I didn't care for it. I have no problem with a developer having an "intended" default mode that they feel best conveys the experience they want the player to have."

"But that message went too far into guilting you for using it"

I know it's taken me long to say this (at least I think, i've been typing for awhile) but I have no problem with developers having an intended way to play their games. I know for a fact I am not like every other gamer, so i'm used to every game having it's 'way to be played'. But, if I'm given the option to make it more tailored towards me, I will do it. No, I'm not hurting the developer, if anything, I would praise them for making the option. Now, as Jeff mentioned, guilting you for using said option? Now that's a different story. 

Again, I'm aware they most likely didn't mean to word it like this, but to me it feels like those who pick assist options, for disabled or non-disabled reasons, are hurting the developers. Ruining the image they had for their game, when that should totally not be the case. You can say they added those options in for more people to enjoy the game, but it also comes one year (holy shit) too late. By this point, people who have played it have already beaten it, and have fought through the difficulty, and some have (like me) had a bad time doing it. 

I love Control alot, like, alot alot. It's one of the most psychologically crazy and down right mind-twisting game that I have ever played, and I love it for that. But it also, in my opinion, not disability-friendly. Even with the assist options. As my title says, you should never feel judged or guilty for picking assist in video games, disabled or not. When a game does do that, it sours the experience by non-verbally telling you that you are 'ruining the experience the developers made' even if it didn't outright say it. With, as someone with severe generalized anxiety, I can say is really, really not good.

((image credit; Game Rant))

So, we'll end this by asking, how can they fix this? And that's easy, either rewording or getting rid of their statement all together. The best thing I can say about the options, as The Last of Us did, they aren't gameplay stoppers. You can still get trophies/achievements, you can still beat the main game and all of the DLC with it on and nothing changes with unlockables and side missions. You can still play the game, just in your normal, which is most important. You should be able to enjoy games the way you want to, no matter what. How developers want you to enjoy something is one thing, but they should also give you the options to enjoy it the way you want to, if you decide to use it. Or, if you have to use it, and need to edit the experience to enjoy at you own pace. 

Hi guys! Thank you so much for reading this, and a bigger thank you for Blaine (@morbidcuriousty on twitter) and Jeff (@Jeffsimulator on twitter) for allowing me to ask them questions and quote them in this piece! Their both amazing and deserve the love. 

PS; AWE was fucking great and it's so good to have you back, Alan.

Why Halo's integration of it's extended universe is...not good.

 I am all for including extended universe fiction into video game story lines, let me preface this piece by stating that. When done right, you can add such little, great details into a game that, for those who have seek out the novels, comics, etc, they have great call backs for their efforts. A Series like World of Warcraft is a great examples of this, with it adding more context for future game expansions. Now, what including extended universe fiction into your games shouldn't do, is hide very important story beats and background behind novels. After a recent play through of the Halo series I am doing with a good friend, specifically Halo 4, and having seen 343 Industries attempt to mix the Halo novels in with the already existing canon they were building in the fourth entry of the series, I feel what and how they are doing it is just...

Well, let's be honest, it isn't good. It's convoluted, and leaves a huge mass hole of confusion in the middle of the games plot, literally a few missions before the end, introducing an insanely important plot point that should not have half of it's background described in only a novel. A background, I will add, is very important to understanding the big reveal in the game. In this short little opinion essay, I will make a quick discussion on how Halo failed it's extended universe integration, and give a suggestion on how they could improve. So, in this post I will be going into a big plot point of Halo 4, and perhaps a bit about the Forerunner trilogy of books as well. Halo spoilers ahead! 

(image credit; Halo Waypoint)

Near the ending of Halo 4, there is a scene where Master Chief is a shown a vision by a forerunner character called the Librarian. Keep in mind, no point in the video games has this character been discussed or even seen. Here, the Librarian explains to Chief about how in order to defeat the Flood, an alien parasitic species, she went behind the villain of the game, the Didact's back, to implant some genetic coding into certain humans, allowing their genetic code to accelerate and allow them to among other things, evolve past their normal human coding and survive something called the Composer, a weapon that is meant to eliminate the Flood, that is being used by the Didact, the games villain. 

Now, for those who don't know Halo lore, you would think this is a huge plot point. The implications it speaks of, that it isn't just Spartans that are the genetically altered people. If I took anything from that, it's that normal people, even ODSTs, normal soldiers, can have these genes that have been altered long before from the Forerunners. A major point, that 343 chooses to hide behind a trilogy of books titled "Forerunner saga.", a series that follows the Didact and the Librarian, both characters that appear in Halo 4, and a couple other characters that are not even named in the game itself, as it follows the first wipe of all life from the galaxy. An event that has been discussed in the Halo games, and something that has seemingly driven the plots (as seen as the main plot for Chief has seemingly been to stop the Halo Rings from firing). But the main plot taken from the books, is the fact that everything the human race has done, has been set up by the forerunners. Discovering our tech, everything from AIs to the Spartans themselves. Has all been set up by them. Which, one could say is a huge reveal for a series that has gone as long as Halo has.

Now, I know little to nothing about Halo lore. I know basically the same as everyone else does, as someone who only looks at Halo on the surface. But even so, as I watched the cut scene that glossed over the entire plot point, and then asked the person I was playing with 'what the fuck was that?' and he responded with 'oh, this is when they started pulling book lore.' I did what anyone else did. I looked up the book, interested for a moment to know the backstory and what Halo was trying to lead me to. Extended universe, obviously. But when I learned the fact that it was in a trilogy of books, and not one, and the fact that this was a huge plot thread that was hidden in that book trilogy...well, you could say my decision not to read it was because of laziness (as we all obviously have time to read now), and honestly that isn't it. 

Personally, the reason I didn't dive into this and buy the books and just, shove my head into the Halo ocean, is because I was ticked. Angry that 343 had decided to bring in a plot point that was brought up a in a series that, honestly, did a lot of people read? A point that, if it was important as they made it seem, why have it only be skirted over in a CGI cut scene? Then be told then you have to search out a book to get the full backstory? 

Listen I hate to say this, and I hate to be the person who bares this, but that's not good storytelling. That is locking a detail of a major story behind having to buy and put time into another medium. For the dedicated fans, that's great. They most likely will, and get the most out of it. But for those players who only pay attention to surface lore, they will be probably confused all the way through. Wondering why this feels so out of place, what it's supposed to mean, etc. 

(image credit me.me)

Now, what can 343 in the future do to fix this? Well, an easy thing to say is to remove huge plot points from ancillary novels and leave their books, while still canon, only including side stories. Small thing that can be referenced in small bits of game, to give as a small gift to those who follow your canon and side stories. But also, if you do choose to still add canon into your side content 343 (as if they are even listening???) then I highly suggest you do the following, in nice little list form! 

1. Add a disclaimer when you announce a new, say, novel. "This is the official prequel to Halo 25!" or "This follows character X, who appears in the upcoming Halo 32!" In order to give context, so people know a broad idea of what the book is covering 
2. And oh boy, this is the biggest one that no one is going to see coming, but JUST DON'T DO IT. Now, stay with me here as yes, I did mention this in the earlier paragraph. But, it's a simple fix, and other titles have done it to an amazing degree. Put it in collectible files, hide it behind character dialogue or even just put it as a side quest since it looks like Infinite is doing that, which is an amazing first start. The side quest thing, I swear I cannot tell the future of Halo.

As I end this rant, and I'm so sorry it came to this, the topic of story in games is extremely important to me. I believe gaming should be something everybody can get into, and that also works in the story aspect. Make games accessible when it comes to the story is an easier said then done task, but when done correctly, you can make a world lush and full of great story and details. And yes, that does mean you can add ancillary details and things from books and novels. 

Just do right, please? 

I mean if your still here how about getting 343 to add Buck into more things? please? I KNOW YOUR LISTENING.  

UPDATE; wanted to thank a good bro Mak for helping me with the plot questions I had. Can confirm I was so mad I forgot some of the plot talked about in the scene! Thanks for the help, my dude.