Lurker > Snake5555555555

The opportunity to talk about Meat Loaf doesn't present itself too often around here.

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Quistis
Rufus

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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ZaziGuado posted...

83 - James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
97 - The Goose (Untitled Goose Game)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKhpE-oNoGY

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Yuna
Leblanc

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2 - Zagreus (Hades)
3 - Kim Kitsuragi (Disco Elysium)

3 - Edith Finch (What Remains of Edith Finch)
2 - Commander Shepard (Mass Effect)

5 - Jessie (Final Fantasy VII: Remake)
0 - Palutena (Kid Icarus)

2 - Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club)
3 - Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)

0 - Pablo Sanchez (Backyard Sports)
5 - Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)

0 - Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
5 - Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda)

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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Tag

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Joker
Horrible

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1. Paradise by the Dashboard Light
2. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
3. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
4. Bat Out of Hell
5. All Revved Up with No Place to Go
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. For Crying Out Loud

Love, love, love this album. A perfect rock opera front to back, gleefully and earnestly mixing hard rock, 50s rock and roll, heavy metal imagery, the corny cheese of hair metal before hair metal was a thing, and pop lyrics for songs that are given a grand, epic sense of scope as if they can fill an opera hall, but are unabashedly songs about the teenage experience both as it pertains to the 1970s and to the present day offering timeless messages that will always be relevant for any kid going through adolescent heartbreak. No else but Meat Loaf could infuse these songs with the passionate, manic energy needed to make them work, and to think he was already 30 friggin' years old when this album came out; but, there's no Dawson Casting here, you believe every word that comes out of Meat Loaf's mouth, with only added credibility from having 12 years of adult experience best shown in my favorite track from the album and its most famous, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, in which Meat Loaf, in a magical night of "getting lucky", must subsequently wrestle with the next 60 years of his life in the blink of an eye as his partner wishes for something more than a one night stand. With a 50s rock and roll feel, prog. rock excess with a baseball radio broadcast serving as a not-too-subtle innuendo for the scene, and both Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley each taking a turn at commanding the track, it feels like the perfect encapsulation of the romantic experience and an incredible anti-duet. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad is my favorite ML vocal performance on the album, with a lulling soft rock atmosphere and some of the best lyric writing on the album too. The spoken word intro of Hot Summer Night feels like it should be placed underneath a DeviantArt Sonic Unleashed werewolf fan drawing, it's the maximum Gothic edgelord piece, and yet it works because it feels so genuine when placed into the context of the album, when your a teenager and your relationship with someone else feels earth-shatteringly important. INCREDIBLE instrumentation on this track too. Bat Out of Hell is the most metal-influenced track on this album, with memorable riffs and teen tragedy storytelling updated for the 70s. Revved Up is a little forgettable but I still enjoy it, especially how it speeds up in the outro. I'm not too keen on the slow ballads, though I do enjoy Meat Loaf's vocal performances on them and Heaven Can Wait still possesses some solid songwriting, but outside of the album context I don't find myself playing them often.

I've known this album since I was little, my parents play it all the time, and so I definitely have a bias and soft spot for it. However, I genuinely think this album is an incredible piece of musical storytelling, fun rockin' riffs, songs you can belt your heart out too, and even songs that will make you tear up at life's downer moments. An essential piece of the 70s hard rock canon.

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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Yuna
Leblanc

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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It's been years

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I've definitely seen plenty of people claim Speak Now as their favorite Swift album (me included, as well as a top 10 all time for me). But, that's anecdotally. I do agree it doesn't get nearly as much critical attention as, as you said, Red, Evermore, Folklore, or even Fearless. I mean, Swift unfortunately skipped over it for the next re-release even which says a lot. But, it is also her only album where all writing credits are Swift's and Swift's alone.

Commenting on some other albums there, Powerslave is considered one of the best metal albums of all time and it is by a band that has a lot of fans here I believe. And ...Out Come the Wolves was one of the four cornerstones of punk rock revival in the mid 90s, but I really don't think there are many punk fans here unfortunately.

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0 - Ike (Fire Emblem)
5 - Heihachi Mishima (Tekken)

5 - Mewtwo (Pokemon)
0 - Mario (Super Mario Bros.)

5 - James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
0 - The Goose (Untitled Goose Game)

2 - Isabelle (Animal Crossing)
3 - Blue (Pokemon)

5 - SHODAN (System Shock)
0 - Velvet Crowe (Tales of Berseria)

5 - Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)
0 - Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza)

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7/10

ME definitely doesn't hit its stride until ME2. Still, the scope here and immense lore that came with it can't be denied, using familiar tropes but going beyond them and truly delivering one of the most original sci-fi universes of the 21st century. Characters are fine if a little flat, and the presentation of the dialogue and direction of scenes would definitely see improvement later on, but this is really a world you want to inhabit and it's a blast being able to participate in that directly.

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Jesse
Bryan
Mittens
Ahsoka

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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Wheres Splinter Cell??

That's what I've been asking for the past 8 years.

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plasmabeam posted...

I feel a 5/10 for a game story translates to "The story exists without detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game."

That's where I pretty much score things too. 5 is always an average for me. There's a lot of context to take in to account, and in another game the vast lore and effort here would probably work pretty well. I just feel for a game like DOOM it's just a misfire.

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Realized I didn't put zeroes, will it matter?

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Hitman 2 and it's not even close. Nothing matches the thrill of pulling off the perfect assassination using the vast sandbox of the world. Gathering information, tools, listening to conversations, it's so perfectly done. It's the perfect secret agent simulator.

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5 - Dante (Devil May Cry)
- K1-B0 (Danganronpa V3)

4 - Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin's Creed)
1 - Cammy (Street Fighter)

1 - Papyrus (Undertale)
4 - Jin Kazama (Tekken)

2 - Hades (Kid Icarus Uprising)
3 - Spinarak (Pokemon)

5 - Max Caulfield (Life is Strange)
- Tidus (Final Fantasy X)

- Bentley (Sly Cooper)
5 - 9S (NieR: Automata)

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5/10

I think most people know this quote from John Carmack: "Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It's expected to be there, but it's not that important."

Yeah DOOM 2016 should've followed that philosophy a little closer. Sure, there are enough tongue-in-cheek moments from the Doom Slayer to make the story have some levity and barbaric brutality that the gameplay is built on, but that gets a little muddy when literally every other character takes things so seriously and you have to stop the gameplay to read lore dumps like this is some dark fantasy RPG. I like the attempts at building up the Doom Slayer as this absolute legend with entries that could fit heavy metal lyrics, but it comes to a point where it actively hurts the game's pacing and flow and too often I find myself just skimming the story to get back on with the action. Simply, it's a game stuck between two story philosophies and can't commit to either one.

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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Tony
Isaac
Eli
Dex

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Anagram posted...

The third Halloween 3, actually.

Then we'll also technically have a fourth Halloween 3 with Halloween Ends. WILD

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I friggin' love that theme remix.

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Was about to come out of retirement and give Serial Mom the win it was robbed of!

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JackMan posted...

Wasnt there a RE2 remake review where they accidentally played scenario A of Both Leon and Claire instead of scenario A then B?

I think that was IGN too.

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WW
Sylvia
Hank
Bishop

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https://youtu.be/arsAllZIa1Y?t=150

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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+3 Agent 47 (Hitman)
+2 The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3)
+1 Kratos (God of War)
-1 Debora (Dragon Quest V)
-2 Robin (Iconoclasts)
-3 Captain Toad (Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker)


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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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8/10

Firstly, the difference between 1 and 2 is night and day. Everything here is tightened up to a polished sheen, especially when it comes to presentation and its confidence in presenting a blockbuster video game storyline. Sure, when you look at it on paper, it might sound generic, but it's the execution of the storyline that makes it work as well as it does, and of course the fact that you're one the playing it. It's extremely character driven, and the introduction of Chloe was a smart choice to act as a romantic interest to Drake who is at his experience level in treasure hunting and as a direct foil to Elena. The writing and dynamics between characters is tightened for max drama & comedy, and filled with the type of banter the MCU films would go to on to heavily popularize. I especially love the language barrier they set up between Nate and Tenzin. The supernatural element in this game also eels a lot more earned. Criticism: Zoran is not a memorable antagonist and though it's not enough to bring the game down detrimentally, it is notable to enough some points off an otherwise well-executed plot.

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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Johnbobb posted...

It just occurred to me this contest has two Walters, a Walt and a WALL-E. Weird trend?

That's a weird coincidence

Also results are fake because Larfleeze obviously would've stolen all the votes for himself.

Joker
Jamal
Fury
Horrible


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+3 Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
+2 Vectorman (Vectorman)
+1 Starkiller (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)
-1 Leah (Stardew Valley)
-2 Proto Man (Mega Man)
-3 Edelgard (Fire Emblem)


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8/10

Ingeniously deceptive, wonderfully written characters chock full of detail and small traits that make each individual stand out, and impactful psychological moments that still stick with me long after my two playthroughs were over, deftly balancing engaging character romance & drama with some of the most shocking moments of horror in gaming, and a good sign here is that either side of the story can work on its own and be just as compelling as the other. The pacing is palpable; the constant piano loop creates an illusion of time that makes individual days seem like they last forever, as you feel stuck behind crushing anxiety and dread, one from being in an all-girls club as the only boy, and then later as these characters increasingly become more fragile and begin revealing their hidden depths to you. Everything to do with Sayori is especially well-executed, even on a first playthrough you get this idea that something isn't right with here, and I feel like that's relatable from a real-life perspective as even the closest of friends & family can hide depression behind a seeming guise of cheerfulness and normalcy.

I would say some negatives are some scenes being included strictly for shock value and not much else, often less than impactful player choice, and being able to cheat the game too easily despite its best efforts to combat that although with this last point you do have to go out of your way to do so so it does not factor heavily into my score.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

You might be thinking God of War

Yeah I read a story that mentioned both GoW and Horizon a couple weeks back and thought it said both were moved to 2022.

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Wasn't Horizon definitely confirmed for next year?

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Honestly... probably. The name still carries some weight and you can easily do something in more of a low-budget psychological horror vein like The Invisible Man. And despite being a failure here in the US it did pretty well overseas.

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WALLE
Larfleeze
Niko
Walt

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No qualms against enjoying life, the project might even turn out better for it.

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+3 Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3)
+2 Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
+1 Mordin Solus (Mass Effect)
-1 Yu Narukami (Persona 4)
-2 Delita Hyral (Final Fantasy Tactics)
-3 Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)


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Little Nightmares 2 barely edges out Village for me. Hitman 3 also a close third. I can't wait for the second half of the year though.

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9/10

I want to say this was the first game to truly get me into storytelling in video games, or at least the first one I paid genuine attention to. MGS pushed new boundaries in both cinematography and voice acting; I'm always astounded on how expertly crafted everything looks & sounds here and if it was the developer's goal to create a Hollywood movie experience inside a video game, they succeeded in spades. The game's themes, especially the way it derides nuclear byproducts & pontificates on politics and human warfare, are strongly potent without the admittedly pompous preaching and posturing that hangs over the future of the series like a teetering anvil. There's real restraint here and an air of authority with documentary-like clips, and so when the game decides it wants to go crazy and let loose, it earns it with one of the most memorable villain ensembles in fiction, over-the-top sci-fi cheese that shows its influences without copying, and a bombastic finale that's unlike anything else on the PS1. You can't talk about the MGS' story without mentioning the fourth-wall breaks; actively involving the player, MGS dabbles in psychological horror directly placing you as the protagonist, you as Snake, two-sides of the same coin. Small player choices, a CODEC frequency hidden on the game box, and deep hidden Easter eggs make you wonder what is real and what isn't at integral points in the game, thus crafting a game's story and world that is totally immersive and almost impossible to separate from the real world. One gripe: CODEC calls are not engaging, at least not here and not anymore; too many of the game's jaw-dropping twists happen in said calls but unfortunately you might be asleep before they get to said reveal (fuck, the Miller is Liquid one is so cool though, it's my one exception). They are too static and although the characterization and voice acting is all there, it all ends up feeling like an exposition dump you can be hard pressed to care about sometimes.

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I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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Oops didn't pay enough attention

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Yuna
Elena

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Jesse
Dent
Layton
Bryan

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They should've put in Lili.

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+3 Claire Redfield (Resident Evil)
+2 Jennifer (Rule of Rose)
+1 Raiden (Metal Gear Solid)
-1 Meta Knight (Kirby)
-2 Edgar Figaro (Final Fantasy VI)
-3 Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)

This division is too damn good


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Bubble Head Nurses still only appear in SH2 (besides goofy cameos). The nurses in other SH games are not bubble heads and they still fit the character's psyche's.

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Skateboards announced
https://www.siliconera.com/silent-hill-skateboards-feature-bubble-head-nurses/

I'm sorry

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Eli
Hammer
DexStarr
Eliot

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3 > 2 > 1 (based on PS1 games)

Year of the Dragon is the most polished and well-paced game, in my opinion. Although some of the side character levels get kind of annoying, it does have some awesome minigames too. And I like the egg hook.

Spyro 2 has some weak boss fights but it's still mostly on par with Year.

Spyro 1 definitely feels the most dated but I enjoy it's slightly darker atmosphere and weird PS1 liminality probably the most out of all three games.

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+3 Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club)
+2 Edith Finch (What Remains of Edith Finch)
+1 Jessie (Final Fantasy VII: Remake)
-1 Millenia (Grandia 2)
-2 Pablo Sanchez (Backyard Sports)
-3 Sora (Kingdom Hearts)


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