This is possibly the first year in a long time where the beginning of the year has so many videogame releases that I actually care about. Everything's been a lot better ever since I was relieved from my 9 weeks of ailments throughout November, December, and early January. I'm back to feeling as normal as I can possibly be, though I'm still careful of what I eat and do each day. I've been still keeping up with exercise, trying to sleep earlier (kind of failing on that aspect), and avoiding spicy food. I took the time in January to recuperate and to catch up on finishing games. Out of all the games I finished the past 2 months, Bravely Default is the one to mention. I borrowed it from my sister a year ago and spent 30 hours on it before I got distracted by other games. The past few months, I kept playing it again off and on until I spent another 30 hours on it and got to the end. Bravely Default gives me hope for future turn-based JRPGs and shows that they can still be modern, relevant, and a lot of fun in this day and age. To avoid any spoilers, I won't go into detail on it right now, but I might want to rant on it sometime soon. I really enjoyed the game but was a bit put off by the last half of the game.
The past two months have been kind of crazy, filled with game releases, events, and deals. The Steam Winter Sales ended early January, Amazon holds a special "get 20% off Pre-order or newly released games for Prime users", Final Fantasy Explorers released, Blade & Soul releases in the West (FINALLY!), Bayonetta and Corrin is released on Smash Bros., a Steam Lunar New Year's Sale lasted for a week, Project x Zone 2 releases, Fire Emblem Fates releases, and there's still more on the way with Black Desert Online, The Division, Senran Kagura Estival Versus, Trillion: god of Destruction, MegaTagmention Blanc vs. Zombies, Pokken Tournament, and Hyrule Warriors: Legends all releasing the following 2 months. Do you know what else recently released?
I've been eagerly waiting for the release of Street Fighter V ever since I found out they added Karin Kanzuki, the one and only character I really wanted to have return to the series. I was super excited when they said they were releasing it 12 hours earlier so that we can play it the night before. I spent half an hour to an hour just trying to register and log into the servers. After getting in and getting kicked off the servers numerous times, I tried playing with a friend online with the private lobby system called "Battle Lounge". Not only did it not work, but it would kick me off the server every time I tried to join or host a room. The next day, I tried playing through all the mini-story modes as I repeatedly got kicked off the servers. I tried playing online with my friend again that night and it still didn't work. The third day was when things got really bad. The night before, they said they made a hotfix to the battle lounge and servers so people should have a more stable connection to the servers and be able to play with their friends. Not only did it not fix battle lounge, but I was also getting kicked off the servers every 3-5 minutes and taking 5-7 minutes just to reconnect. That problem has persisted throughout the week and now I don't even play it because I really can't. I can play story mode and survival offline if I wanted to, but I won't be rewarded with fight money which is needed later on to buy characters, outfits, and extra content. I have played offline a few times in training just to get a better understanding of the game's mechanics, but there's little point in practicing for too long when I can't even play with anyone. I've tried connecting to ranked matches and have successfully played through 2 matches online with both of them not registering to the servers when finished and kicking me offline right afterwards. To put it simply, Street Fighter V has not been working as intended for the past week and I have pretty much given up hope until they can get it properly working. Not only can I not join private matches and stay logged into the servers, but the graphics are so intense that I have to set everything to low, direct input isn't compatible so I can't even use my fightstick, 3rd party programs doesn't work or doesn't work well to make the controller work, there isn't an arcade mode, and keyboard doesn't work when I have my gamepad (which works for the game because it has Xinput) plugged in so I can't even play 2-player versus. From what I actually got to play so far, I love Street Fighter V. But there are so many problems with it right now that it isn't worth all the effort I'm trying to put into playing it.
Aside from the myriad of games available and becoming available for me to play right now, I've gotten back into working on my music projects. I've begun a large number of projects I want to do this year and hope that I can work more efficiently and produce more work. I've uploaded The Guardian Legend Remix Project that I worked on last year:
After resting up in January, I immediately started working again starting February and have finished one remix so far. I'm already a bit done with the planning phase of the 2nd remix I'm working on and am already thinking ahead on what other projects I can work on. It's been a rather exciting 1.5 months in videogames so far so it's been a bit more difficult than usual to stay focused on work. But I suppose I'm just as excited to get some more work out there.
I also want to mention that it's been a year since the passing of Monty Oum. Rooster Teeth finished up season 3 of RWBY and I believe is the end of the series. I had always planned on watching it once it had finished up entirely so I could binge on it rather than constantly waiting for another episode once I caught up. I'm still saddened by his passing at such a young age, but I'm at least happy he was able to create something as amazing as RWBY to share with us before he left us.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Friday, January 1, 2016
Reflecting back on 2015
There is a lot to talk about, but I'll do my best to condense it down to a reasonable amount. 2015 was a rough year of falling ill, disappointments, and sad news.
Good things about 2015:
-Camera Obscura is Launched - After working for so many years and waiting for an entire year on Steam Greenlight, Camera Obscura finally saw the light of day and was launched on Steam, Desura, itch.io, etc.
-Made some pretty good remixes - I made a Bloodstained Remix which I spent 3 days creating that turned out really good. I made a medley remix I posted on FB. And then I created a Final Fantasy 7 Remix in one day before the final Smash broadcast aired.
-Finally Start and Finished The Guardian Legend Remix Album Project from 8 years ago - I had planned this project back in 2007 and have tried starting it several times, but I just didn't have the knowledge and skill back then. Now I do and I was able to create some really nice remixes.
-Koji Igarashi launches the Bloodstained Kickstarter - I miss the Castlevania games that Koji Igarashi created. I knew he was going to make a new game after he left Konami, much like Keiji Inafune did when he left Capcom, and was elated to hear that Michiru Yamane was working on the music for the project. I'm looking forward to playing this game when it finally launches.
-Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced - They're finally doing it!
-Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta brought to Smash - Ryu was sadly leaked and so it wasn't as exciting to hear about his addition, despite the fact that I freaking love the character. But Cloud and Bayonetta was not leaked and man did it get a reaction from me and the rest of the world. The emotions welling up and excitement I had during the live announcements of these characters were beyond special. That and...
-I got a Nintendo Wii U - Black Friday had an amazing deal for a Nintendo Wii U for $250 pre-installed with Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Splatoon. Along with those, I went out and bought Hyrule Warriors, Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Woolly World, Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and NES Remix. There are a ton of games I wanted to get this year for 3DS as well as next year. Nintendo has made me really happy these past 2 months despite my ailments.
Bad things about 2015:
-Monty Oum passes away at 33 in February - Monty was an inspirational individual that got me really interested in animation. I majored in Studio Arts hoping to learn things like digital drawing, 3D modeling, and computer animation. I didn't, but Monty's work had always stuck with me and inspired me. I was so happy he got to do his own original work for RWBY. But he left us much too early and I was deeply saddened by how unfair it was.
-String of Ailments in Spring - Allergies, body pains, stomach problems; Spring was awful.
-Satoru Iwata passes away at 55 in July - Many people were already concerned for the health of Mr. Iwata when he appeared on a Nintendo Direct last year in a sickly, thin manner. I was upset with his death and was still shocked with the news despite knowing the circumstances. I've held Mr. Iwata in high regards for bringing Nintendo out of its darkest years in the market.
-Possible job position eludes me again - Much like last year, I saw a beginning position in the Audio department of a company and put all my time and efforts at that time to apply for it only to find out that it was a senior position and was listed as beginning because they weren't getting any applicants for it.
-Sales of Camera Obscura were minuscule - I'm happy that Camera Obscura launched, but we didn't get much out of it back. We eventually sold the distribution rights on Steam for 2 years to get a little back and it sold a decent amount after the new publisher chopped the price down to 29 cents.
-Parent company of Desura and Royal Indie Bundle goes bankrupt - So we actually sold Camera Obscura pretty well on Desura and RIB, but their parent company went bankrupt and thus did not pay for our sales.
-Stomach problems again in September - I had stomach problems again right when my sister was visiting us back home. My string of ailments in Spring happened right when I was visiting her. And then I fell really ill right before she came back home for Christmas:
-Feeling extremely ill in the beginning of November - From the beginning of November until right now, I've been feeling ill with all sorts of problems. This was the absolute worst experience of the year that I'm still recovering from. I only stopped taking medicine today, but I might have to take some more if I get anymore stomach reactions.
Here is the game related section:
I don't think I can really list a top 10 this year. I didn't play that many games that I really enjoyed a lot this year because I didn't get around to a lot of games and most of the best ones I didn't buy yet. But here's a top 6. It was going to be a top 5, but there was one game I couldn't ignore.
Top 6 Games of 2015 that I played:
6) Duck Game - This was a surprisingly fun game that I enjoyed with my friends.
5) Heroes of the Storm - It turned out to be really fun, but can also be pretty BS at times.
4) Under Night In-Birth Exe Late - Love the art, music, characters, and gameplay.
3) Senran Kagura 2 Deep Crimson - Not as long as past games, but combat has more depth.
2) Dying Light - Incredible cooperative game. I'm glade we finally took the time to play it.
1) Super Mario Maker - Turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought.
You can kind of tell I'm rushing through this. I don't know, I felt last year's gaming was a bit underwhelming for me. Hopefully I play funner games this year.
I played these games that released this year:
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed
Rise of Incarnates
Trove
Not a Hero
I bought these games but haven't played enough or at all:
Tales of Hearts R
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Etrian Mystery Dungeon
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Zombi
BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Extend
J-Stars Victory VS+
The Legend of Legacy
Superbeat: XONiC
Mushihime Matsuri Pack
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Yoshi's Woolly World
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
Pokémon Shuffle
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters
Xenoblade Chronicles X (This would've probably been #1 GOTY for me if I played it more)
Splatoon
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax
Fairy Fencer F (PC)
Undertale
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
These great games came out this year that I haven't got yet:
Bloodborne
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Star Wars Battlefront
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Fallout 4
Life is Strange
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Just Cause 3
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Assassin's Creed Chronicles China
Minecraft: Story Mode
Mortal Kombat X
Battlefield Hardline
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Resident Evil HD Remaster
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 & 3
Dragon Ball XenoVerse
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea
Bladestorm: Nightmare
The Awakened Fate Ultimatum
Tales from the Borderlands
Pillars of Eternity
Toukiden: Kiwami
Titan Souls
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Omega Quintet
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Axiom Verge
Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3
Ar Nosurge Plus: Ode to an Unborn Star
Onechanbara Z2: Chaos
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive
Way of the Samurai 4 (PC)
Victor Vran
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Xblaze: Lost Memories
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal
Curses n Chaos
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Samurai Warriors 4-II
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
Saint Seiya: Soliders' Soul
Transformers: Devastation
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Downwell
Broforce
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butouden
Tales of Zestiria
Sword Coast Legends
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
Rodea the Sky Soldier
StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void
Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Stella Glow
Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours
Helldivers
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power
These games came out that I don't care as much:
Rocket League
Ori and the Blind Forest
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
Guitar Hero Live
Rock Band 4
Mad Max
Until Dawn
Evolve
Halo 5: Guardians
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Order: 1886
Soma
Her Story
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries
Fossile Fighters: Frontier
Mario Party 10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
Grand Theft Auto V (PC)
Dungeons 2
Chroma Squad
Project CARS
Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Galactic Civilizations III
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
The Fruit of Grisaia
Hatred
Massive Chalice
The Escapist
Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy
Fallout Shelter
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess
Godzilla: The Game
This War of Mine
Breach and Clear: Deadline
Hatoful Boyfriend
Tembo the Badass Elephant
Game of Thrones: Adventure Game
King's Quest
Rare Replay
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
Act of Aggression
Elite Dangerous
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Secret Ponchos
Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Chaos Reborn
WWE 2K16
Need for Speed
Yo-Kai Watch
Mordheim: City of the Damned
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
Yakuza 5
And that's a wrap! Here's looking forward to a great year!
Good things about 2015:
-Camera Obscura is Launched - After working for so many years and waiting for an entire year on Steam Greenlight, Camera Obscura finally saw the light of day and was launched on Steam, Desura, itch.io, etc.
-Made some pretty good remixes - I made a Bloodstained Remix which I spent 3 days creating that turned out really good. I made a medley remix I posted on FB. And then I created a Final Fantasy 7 Remix in one day before the final Smash broadcast aired.
-Finally Start and Finished The Guardian Legend Remix Album Project from 8 years ago - I had planned this project back in 2007 and have tried starting it several times, but I just didn't have the knowledge and skill back then. Now I do and I was able to create some really nice remixes.
-Koji Igarashi launches the Bloodstained Kickstarter - I miss the Castlevania games that Koji Igarashi created. I knew he was going to make a new game after he left Konami, much like Keiji Inafune did when he left Capcom, and was elated to hear that Michiru Yamane was working on the music for the project. I'm looking forward to playing this game when it finally launches.
-Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced - They're finally doing it!
-Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta brought to Smash - Ryu was sadly leaked and so it wasn't as exciting to hear about his addition, despite the fact that I freaking love the character. But Cloud and Bayonetta was not leaked and man did it get a reaction from me and the rest of the world. The emotions welling up and excitement I had during the live announcements of these characters were beyond special. That and...
-I got a Nintendo Wii U - Black Friday had an amazing deal for a Nintendo Wii U for $250 pre-installed with Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Splatoon. Along with those, I went out and bought Hyrule Warriors, Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Woolly World, Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and NES Remix. There are a ton of games I wanted to get this year for 3DS as well as next year. Nintendo has made me really happy these past 2 months despite my ailments.
Bad things about 2015:
-Monty Oum passes away at 33 in February - Monty was an inspirational individual that got me really interested in animation. I majored in Studio Arts hoping to learn things like digital drawing, 3D modeling, and computer animation. I didn't, but Monty's work had always stuck with me and inspired me. I was so happy he got to do his own original work for RWBY. But he left us much too early and I was deeply saddened by how unfair it was.
-String of Ailments in Spring - Allergies, body pains, stomach problems; Spring was awful.
-Satoru Iwata passes away at 55 in July - Many people were already concerned for the health of Mr. Iwata when he appeared on a Nintendo Direct last year in a sickly, thin manner. I was upset with his death and was still shocked with the news despite knowing the circumstances. I've held Mr. Iwata in high regards for bringing Nintendo out of its darkest years in the market.
-Possible job position eludes me again - Much like last year, I saw a beginning position in the Audio department of a company and put all my time and efforts at that time to apply for it only to find out that it was a senior position and was listed as beginning because they weren't getting any applicants for it.
-Sales of Camera Obscura were minuscule - I'm happy that Camera Obscura launched, but we didn't get much out of it back. We eventually sold the distribution rights on Steam for 2 years to get a little back and it sold a decent amount after the new publisher chopped the price down to 29 cents.
-Parent company of Desura and Royal Indie Bundle goes bankrupt - So we actually sold Camera Obscura pretty well on Desura and RIB, but their parent company went bankrupt and thus did not pay for our sales.
-Stomach problems again in September - I had stomach problems again right when my sister was visiting us back home. My string of ailments in Spring happened right when I was visiting her. And then I fell really ill right before she came back home for Christmas:
-Feeling extremely ill in the beginning of November - From the beginning of November until right now, I've been feeling ill with all sorts of problems. This was the absolute worst experience of the year that I'm still recovering from. I only stopped taking medicine today, but I might have to take some more if I get anymore stomach reactions.
Here is the game related section:
I don't think I can really list a top 10 this year. I didn't play that many games that I really enjoyed a lot this year because I didn't get around to a lot of games and most of the best ones I didn't buy yet. But here's a top 6. It was going to be a top 5, but there was one game I couldn't ignore.
Top 6 Games of 2015 that I played:
6) Duck Game - This was a surprisingly fun game that I enjoyed with my friends.
5) Heroes of the Storm - It turned out to be really fun, but can also be pretty BS at times.
4) Under Night In-Birth Exe Late - Love the art, music, characters, and gameplay.
3) Senran Kagura 2 Deep Crimson - Not as long as past games, but combat has more depth.
2) Dying Light - Incredible cooperative game. I'm glade we finally took the time to play it.
1) Super Mario Maker - Turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought.
You can kind of tell I'm rushing through this. I don't know, I felt last year's gaming was a bit underwhelming for me. Hopefully I play funner games this year.
I played these games that released this year:
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed
Rise of Incarnates
Trove
Not a Hero
I bought these games but haven't played enough or at all:
Tales of Hearts R
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Etrian Mystery Dungeon
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Zombi
BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Extend
J-Stars Victory VS+
The Legend of Legacy
Superbeat: XONiC
Mushihime Matsuri Pack
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Yoshi's Woolly World
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
Pokémon Shuffle
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters
Xenoblade Chronicles X (This would've probably been #1 GOTY for me if I played it more)
Splatoon
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax
Fairy Fencer F (PC)
Undertale
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
These great games came out this year that I haven't got yet:
Bloodborne
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Star Wars Battlefront
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Fallout 4
Life is Strange
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Just Cause 3
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Assassin's Creed Chronicles China
Minecraft: Story Mode
Mortal Kombat X
Battlefield Hardline
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Resident Evil HD Remaster
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 & 3
Dragon Ball XenoVerse
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea
Bladestorm: Nightmare
The Awakened Fate Ultimatum
Tales from the Borderlands
Pillars of Eternity
Toukiden: Kiwami
Titan Souls
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Omega Quintet
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Axiom Verge
Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3
Ar Nosurge Plus: Ode to an Unborn Star
Onechanbara Z2: Chaos
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive
Way of the Samurai 4 (PC)
Victor Vran
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Xblaze: Lost Memories
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal
Curses n Chaos
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Samurai Warriors 4-II
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
Saint Seiya: Soliders' Soul
Transformers: Devastation
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Downwell
Broforce
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butouden
Tales of Zestiria
Sword Coast Legends
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
Rodea the Sky Soldier
StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void
Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Stella Glow
Dariusburst Chronicles Saviours
Helldivers
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power
These games came out that I don't care as much:
Rocket League
Ori and the Blind Forest
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
Guitar Hero Live
Rock Band 4
Mad Max
Until Dawn
Evolve
Halo 5: Guardians
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Order: 1886
Soma
Her Story
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries
Fossile Fighters: Frontier
Mario Party 10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
Grand Theft Auto V (PC)
Dungeons 2
Chroma Squad
Project CARS
Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Galactic Civilizations III
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
The Fruit of Grisaia
Hatred
Massive Chalice
The Escapist
Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy
Fallout Shelter
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess
Godzilla: The Game
This War of Mine
Breach and Clear: Deadline
Hatoful Boyfriend
Tembo the Badass Elephant
Game of Thrones: Adventure Game
King's Quest
Rare Replay
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
Act of Aggression
Elite Dangerous
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Secret Ponchos
Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Chaos Reborn
WWE 2K16
Need for Speed
Yo-Kai Watch
Mordheim: City of the Damned
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
Yakuza 5
And that's a wrap! Here's looking forward to a great year!
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