so, it's been over a week; which means I'll post like a mofo for three days and then go radio silent
► - So, I was reading about some spoilers for Glee and came across something interesting for the back nine episodes. Needless to say there are GLEE SPOILERS after the cut.
I've read a fair amount of the usual vague stuff about upcoming episodes, but one part piqued my interest especially:
When the series finally (!) returns this spring, Terri Schuester will not only stick around but get a storyline that creator Ryan Murphy describes as "unexpected and good." The rest of the season will focus on the Glee Club members preparing for regionals and facing arch nemeses, Vocal Adrenalin.
Blah, blah, blah, Vocal Adrenalin, blah, blah, blah, I don't care so much about that. And, okay. I know better than to get my hopes up. But an "unexpected and good" storyline for Terri? HOMG DO WANT YES PLZ. I don't dare hope for something that I'll find entirely satisfying, but maybe--maybe--we'll get something that doesn't make me want to smack the entire writing/producing staff in the face? I live in hope!
► - Speaking of TV, it looks like Modern Family and The Middle both got picked up for a second season. OMG EXCELLENT.
► - And, as long as I'm TVSquad, this post about LOST's final season has me madly hearting the hell out of Damon Lindelof something fierce. I love his reactions to his "predictions" of how people will take the final season and how he says that they had an idea of where everything was going to end up, but of course things get added along the way when you write a show like this. It's not just that he's funny, but that he's being as direct as he can be here.
Though, I'm a little wary of the whole, "Well, you really only need to have watched the first season to find the final one accessible." ....what?
► - I really kind of want Hexyz already. 50 hour gameplay, with about 20 minutes dedicated to cut-scenes? That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. And it's pretty! Not that it'll come out for, like, ages and the PSP isn't my favorite platform for RPGs and I haven't heard any buzz about it from when it was released in Japan, but. It's Atlus and it's a game to look forward to!
► - I'll get to Bayonetta proper in a minute, but first. HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE ALREADY 60+ PAGES OF ART FOR IT ON PIXIV.
WELL.
I KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO EAT ME FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
► - .... holy shit, Matsumoto. I really don't even know what to say about you anymore. I don't even know where to start.
It's just.
Matsumoto Jun. As a makeup/mascera artist. A fabulous mascera artist. With fabulous hair. And a fabulous way of holding the mascera brush. And what are they calling this? "Matsuge". As in you pronounce it "MATSU-GAY"? WOW.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN MY BIRTHDAY YET.
You all will not have to get me anything this year because JUN HAS IT COVERED ALREADY.
(That is totally a lie. You should all start writing right now. MAY 1ST, PEOPLE.)
► - So, I've been playing Bayonetta. I borrowed J's PS3 (since it's not like it was being used or anything) and decided, well, instead of spending the $60 on a game I'm not entirely sure I'll like, I'll rent it for a couple of days and blow through as much of it as I can on easy. This has turned out to be a really good idea for me because I think I might just be able to finish it in that time. Because, when the game offered me different settings--Hard, Normal, Easy, and Why Are You Even Playing This Just Go Look At Videos On YouTube--I totally chose the whimpy one. (WHAT. I JUST WANT TO PLAY THE GAME, NOT ~*SUFFER*~ FOR MY VICTORIES.) This was a fabulous choice on my part. (I'm about five hours in! And starting chapter 9 already!)
I am kind of in love with this game already. I love that it's mocking every hyper-sexualized game ever and clearly having a great time doing it. I love that the graphics are just stunning and so incredibly detailed even when you're actively playing as Bayonetta in a fight.
Hell, I love this game so much that I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into any kind of coherent order. I think I'm about a third of the way through the game and it's Bayonetta so it's not like there's a whole lot of plot (yet? idk) but I guess I should put a SPOILER warning on this anyway. Not that there's really all that much to spoil, it's pretty much Bayonetta slicing and dicing her way through angelthings and being the hottest bitch pretty much ever.
I'll start with the gameplay:
I'm glad I picked this game up for the PS3, I just find it more comfortable than the Xbox and I'm guessing that the camera angles are easier on me. Granted, I haven't played as much on the 360 as I should have, I don't spend a lot of time with it, but every time I try, a game usually ends up making me want to vomit or else the controls just aren't very comfortable for me yet. I know the only way to get past this is to just play on it for awhile, but. I'm used to the PS3 and I'm comfortable on it. But it feels like the controls are much more geared towards what works for me--even when the camera spins around, I don't feel too nausteated, it doesn't whip around so fast that I feel sick, it's more of a slow slide around. Which can be a little annoying when I'm trying to find where the last enemy got off to or trying to spot a angeldragon flying through the sky, but not so much that it causes me any real frustration.
The gameplay is largely easy to buttonmash your way through (especially if you're on Super Easy You Whimp) but it helps to remember the combinations that summon Bayonetta's better attacks, it helps if you eventually commit a few of them to muscle memory. (Boy am I ever good at R1 + Triangle and Triangle-Triangle-Triangle-Circle. XD) It seems really easy at first and you could probably play the entire game just buttong mashing your way through things, but there's still some really impressive depth to the various combinations. Every time there's a loading screen, you can spend a little time practicing them and I always take my time to try out a few new ones, see which ones are easiest for me to remember. It makes the loading screen, like, a hundred times more fun than just sitting there and doing nothing!
I love that it's a game that's not based on level whoring or having to go back to areas to grind for awhile before you can defeat the next big boss, that you just keep moving forward through the story and "levels" don't even exist in this game. My only regret is that I missed a few chests (because I was a genius and never realized how to open them until about Chapter VI or so. GENIUS! :|b) and can't go back to get them. But it's not a big deal since I haven't been using the Items or most of the halos I've been gathering up. But I'm saving them up for if some shiny new weapons come along.
I even love some of the more difficult moves to pull off--if you can time your Triangle + Circle just right, you can Torture one of the angelthings with a variety of old-world torture devices that Bayonetta summons up (and get bonus points if you can mash the circle or triangle button fast enough!) and that is kind of ridiculously fun. Even better is when you manage to avoid taking damage by a hair's breadth, flipping backwards out of the way and activating Witch Time, which not only looks absolutely stunning, but gives you a moment to land that extra bit of damage while your enemies are in slow motion.
The puzzles can be a bit of a pain, but that's usually only if you're not paying attention. The most trouble I had was with the three switches outside the gates to Paradiso, where I couldn't see anything heavy to set on one of the three beast-footprint steps before I went to look up the answer. And, oh, right, I HAVE A SHINY SUPER FAST NEW BEAST FORM that I just got in the previous chapter. MAYBE I SHOULD USE THAT. (At least I was smart enough to use it when trying to run through the spikes! At least I don't make the same dumbass genius moves twice, in my defense!)
Even the boss battles are gorgeous and fun as all get out. There's nothing quite like going up a creepy looking angel-thing with an upside down baby's face made out of stone with dragon arms or something thats literally the size of two or three buildings, while you just have your little old self. And then you get to kick the shit out of it. Nothing is too big or too powerful for Bayonetta, she's always got more tricks up her sleeve, she's always got the raw power to deal with it, she's always got a demon she can summon that will be made of her own hair that can eat the angel-thing.
It's. So. Much. Fun.
(I've read that the PS3 port is actually a really sub-par one--for ports--and I agree that the load times for the pause screen and save files is kind of obnoxious--I will totally take that over getting vomity on the 360 version, like I suspect I would. Also, I haven't found there to be a lot of slow-down like people have said, I have no problems fighting of shitloads of enemies or picking up new weapons, but maybe it gets worse if you get further into the game?)
And then graphics/atmosphere:
Of course this game is beautiful. But it's beautiful in ways I wasn't really expecting, either. While the English voice acting is a bit stiff in places (but never so much that it's bad, it's actually really well-done for a game, imo), it quickly warms up and becomes charming as all get out. Bayonetta is top-notch from the get-go, her English accent is perfect for her character and characters like Rodin and Luka grow on you fast.
The hyper-sexualization of everything is the whole point of the game, so instead of getting tired of it, it's a never-ending sense of Bayonetta enjoying herself and how she handles her own body. Everything is sleek and sexy, but it's half joke and half just a celebration of how wonderful it is, combined with silliness that it damn well knows what it's doing. Add in the Heaven/Hell touches, little things like Rodin being a Bartender In Hell-slash-Hellish-Arms-Dealer, it's a joy to watch.
And, oh, my, is it ever lovely. Watching every scene play out like a beautifully drawn movie, every little detail crisp and gorgeously colored, this is one of the prettiest games I've played since Odin Sphere.
Next is story:
Bayonetta is not a complicated game, plot-wise. In fact, I'm surprised it has as much as it does. BUT THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF THE POINT. That's the joke! It's a simple, straight-forward plot that's just one big excuse for summoning demons and showing shots of Bayonetta's ass as she kicks the shit out of angel things. (Which never stops being hilarious.) It's actually kind of interesting, though, because I almost feel sort of guilty killing all the angelthings when I feel like I should be on the side of "good" rather than "evil". But Bayonetta is working for the people downstairs and it's actually kind of awesome that she doesn't give a shit.
I even like reading Antonio's diary! Finding out the background of this world that we're slowly traveling through, the history of the witches and the sages, is actually kind of interesting. I don't know how long I'd want to play in a world like this, it's not exactly revolutionary, but that's kind of the point. It's a fun, slick story, it's kept me intrigued and wanting to get to the root of everything, it's got me going through each new page of Antonio's notes as I collect them, but it's not meant to be more than it is.
Which is what makes it work beautifully.
And, finally, characters:
Bayonetta herself needed to be a character that could carry a game like this and, fortunately, boy, is she ever! Instead of letting the hyper-sexualization define her character or take her character over, she makes it her own. Bayonetta is supremely comfortable in her own skin, never out of her element, and always calm and always with a smirk on her lips and always ready for what comes next. This is a character who, as much fun as it is to watch her, it would be just as much fun to be her, which is something I don't always get when I'm playing a game, even as I'm playing that character.
For a game that's mocking the usual type of action game, it's also created a female character that I find to be fascinating. I want to know what makes Bayonetta tick! I want to watch her through every step of her journey, I want to see her in more fights, I want to see her lick her lips at the fun of a new toy she gets to play with, I want to see her purr while she plays with Luka as a cat would with a mouse, I want to see her narrow her eyes and smirk at Jeanne every time they fight each other.
I knew I was going to like her from the beginning, but I expected she'd probably be the only real bright spot among fascinating characters. I am so glad I was wrong! Jeanne doesn't have a whole lot of depth, but she and Bayonetta have smoking hot chemistry every time they're on the same screen, their long history is intriguing.
I'm also growing incredibly fond of Luka as well. At first I was shipping Bayonetta/Jeanne (and I'm fairly certain the game wanted me to, of course) and then he showed up and my reaction was, "....yeah, I'm going to stick with the idea of hot lesbians, thanks." But then Bayonetta just so thoroughly owned him when he was chasing after her and he was just flaily enough when she was all sexy while in his personal space that I couldn't help myself! Every time she calls him "Cheshire" (because he's a little cat that shows up everywhere) and he has a mini-fit about how his name is LUKA, DAMMIT, I kind of fall in love again.
I also think Cereza is adorable and I'm totally going with the theory that she's a younger version of Bayonetta, even if the game tries to make me think that Bayonetta is her mom instead. I think I knew I was shipping Bayonetta/Luka the most when I found myself hoping (while I was falling for the whole "Cereza might be Bayonetta's daughter" thing) that maybe Luka might be the dad, like maybe Cereza was from the future. orz Goddammit, do I have to ship something in everything I watch/read/play? (Well, and I'm kinda supposed to be thinking Those Thoughts, I think. So it's not entirely my fault.)
Overall:
I think one quote really sums up for me why I like this game so much:
--from Bayonetta: empowering or exploitative?
Everything else comes down to icing on the cake for me. A fantastic gameplay, a fun little story, some great characters, beautiful graphics. All those are fun, but would have been kicked to the curb if I'd hated the portrayal of women in this game. But instead of making it exploitive, this game is all about Bayonetta being in charge of her own damn self and being the one to weild her own sexuality, rathern than the other way around.
The fact that it's fun as hell to play just makes it even more awesome, though. I don't know if I'll consider this one of my favorite games everrrrr, but it's definitely one of the best games I've played. (I'm just usually more of a character/plot fanatic.)
Well, as long as I'm doing some gameblogging, I might as well do my third entry on Muramasa. I've hit a bit of a snag, in that I'm at the point where I want to mindlessly level grind for a few hours to make everything easier and to be able to afford more swords. Not that I'll be able to unlock them for awhile yet, I've gotten everything I can (I'm at 54 of them forged now), but. When I beat the next boss, I want those swords IMMEDIATELY--!! A lot of it, though, is that I just don't want the game to end.
I know there's alternate endings coming up, so it's not like I'd be out of material, but I doubt another game like this is going to get made. (Okay, I still haven't finished GrimGrimoire, but that's not the point! Shut up!) And I don't want it to end yet! (Also, I've been busy with Bayonetta.)
I have gotten about 15 hours logged now, though, and Momohime is on her final act, while Kisuke has just completed Act 3 and will start Act 4 next. SPOILERS up to those points.
Kisuke: I did the least amount of work on Kisuke's story because I'm just not as interested in the little kid as I am the pretty girl character over there. Also, he's still harder for me to control, I'm not sure why. But I did get him through a bit of grinding (he's about level 30 now) and through the fight with Torahime.
I sucked out loud on the first try because I kept jumping in the way of her arrows too soon and I spent too long waiting around for her instead of getting my ass in gear and timing my attacks better. The second time through it was actually a really fun fight, all you had to do was stay behind the bamboo shields (which I loathed because they're a pain in the ass to deal with in the area just before Torahime, where you have to step juuuuust in front of them to trigger them, then cut them down, before you'll "win" that area's fights--and I have to complete them, rather than just leaving the area! I have to!) and she would only ever run two areas away when she was fleeing.
As soon as she started moving, I would hurry up and almost beat her to the next clearing and just start hacking away. If you were right underneath her and stayed in the air most of the time (to avoid her ground attacks), you were under the arc of her arrows (thus they'd sail right over your head) and all you had to do was calmly keep whittling her health down. It was kind of fun.
Also, Kisuke with a crush on her? ADORABLE. THE LITTLE SNOT IN LOVE, IT IS SO CUTE. ♥
Momohime: With Momhime, on the other hand, I cleared two much longer chapters. I went to Hell with her and fought the Big Oni first, then up to Heaven to fight Raijin. I also took her fishing along the way once, but it was kind of pointless--you don't earn that much money or food (nothing you couldn't grind for awhile to afford or didn't really need that badly) and it's a pain to be dropped off in an area that's about three massive areas away from where you need to be. All it was really good for was the run back (I could have taken a palanquin, but I figured it'd be good for leveling time) where I earned a bunch of mon and XP.
The Big Oni was an interesting fight as well. It's similar to the fight with Torahime, in that you have to hide behind objects while avoiding the big attacks (piles of rocks, in this case) and try not to run directly across its line of sight, because that's what would trigger its attack. I just love tiny little Momohime jumping onto this giant ogre's back and beating the shit out of him to kill him, though!
Even more than that, the trip into hell forces Jinkuro's soul out of her body, whereupon the Big Oni eats it. Momohime knows that she needs to get the soul back because she can't get out of here on her own. But he ate Jinkuro's soul, how the hell is she going to get into the Big Oni's stomach to get it? So, what does she do?
Offers herself up as a meal for the Big Oni! Awesome. Tiny, delicate little Momohime finds herself in hell and facing a horde of demons and has the strength to say, okay, eat me up! In fact, the popular thing among humans these days is to eat their fish whole, just let it slide right down into your stomach, you should try that with me. And he does!
Momohime can be hardcore, I love her even more now.
So, you hack away at the stomach and, sure, that's a lot of shades of Okami there, but I don't care, because it's really like a homage to two of my favorite games ever. (Okami and Odin Sphere.)
Finally, we make our way out of Hell. Which didn't have the sword we were after. So Jinkuro says, fine, we'll go to Heaven and check it out then. Which was kind of a bitch to get up there, you have to jump on platforms that have these poisonous butterflies all over the place and I have trouble getting the hang of jumping just right to kill them and not fall off the little cloud platforms and not get constantly poisoned.
Eventually, I make it. I get to fight Raijin, the god of thunder. Who's female! OKAY, COOL, GAME YOU ARE MAKING THINGS UP LITTLE BY LITTLE. Even better, she's not a tiny little delicate flower--Raijin will CRUSH YOU if you get in her way, because she's a freaking giant. Awesome.
It was a fairly tough fight, since Raijin has all these wheels and thunder bolts spinning around her and A LOT OF THEM are blade-breakers. It helped if you could do some quick-draw slices to get rid of them, then jump inside the protective wheels to slash at her, but it wasn't always easy to get the timing of that right. Especially not when you had about twenty balls of lightning on your ass that you also had to get rid of and were draining away your soul power to fend off.
I was a little "...." that Fujin told Raijin, after you won, that she should be more gracious about losing or else no one would ever want to marry her, but I was willing to forgive because the fight (and winning the fight) had put me in a pretty good mood. This game won't ever replace Odin Sphere for me, but it was doing all right, I guess.
One thing that's always hilarious to me, still? When you meet Kisuke in the onsen, he's such a rude little fucker. When you meet Momohime in the onsen, he's much more polite and reasonable. I love that it clearly depends on whose POV you're viewing a scene from, how snotty any given character comes off as! OF COURSE Momohime's view makes him out to be a snot! OF COURSE he's reasonable in his own POV! Lolz.
In between playing beautiful video games, I've been slooooowly catching up on tokusatsu, too. Mostly Keitai Sousakan 7 (ep 24 to 27 or so), but a little Shinkenger (eps 6 to 8 or so) as well.
Shinkenger: So, right after I comment about how Shinkenger finally had an episode that wasn't about two of them interacting with each other (ie, a potiential ship) when Ryuunousuke goes out to catch the giant origami fish (which is kind of a lie, since he interacted and ~*bonded*~ with the fisherman), pretty much immediately after that, he goes back to fangirling all over Tono-sama and I swear you can actually read into this ship sometimes. In episode 8 (with the brides), when you could read jealousy into Ryuunousuke's reactions to the brides? ....wow, Shinkenger. Way to hook me back in.
Though, honestly. When Ryuunousuke was the one who posed as the bride, revealing himself in the lipstick and bridal outfit and everything? It's like this show knew I was a dumb as hell fangirl and was going to prey on every weakness I had. And also love me. Because this show loves me hardcore.
Same for in that episode when ShinkenRed jumps in front of Dayuu to defend both Blue and Pink and I wonder YET AGAIN if Shinkenger is doing it on purpose. Oh, and, I cannot lie. I would totally ship Blue/Pink, too. I'm pretty sure this show is like Every Sentai Color Ship You Had A Weakness For Redux for me. (I was going to say it was Boukenger Redux and then I remembered that was, like, the one sentai where I DIDN'T ship Red/Blue. But, oh, I'd have shipped Blue/Pink in a heartbeat there.)
AND ALSO Takeru says that he chose Ryuunousuke because he believed he could do it (in the previous episode, where Ryuunousuke has to catch Kajiki--you can tell I'm kind of skipping around with my thoughts on these episodes) AND they do the finishing move on the Gedoshuu together? SERIOUSLY, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESIST THE RED/BLUE HERE?
I can see a bit of future plots here, with Juzou and whoever's calling out to him for some big, epic battle, I guess? They never specify that it's ShinkenRed,w hich makes me think it's Blue, honestly. Especially since he did the finishing move with Kajiki Origami there.
P.S. the unicorn horn/sword finisher move in that episode? OH GOD LOL.
Keitai Sousakan 7: Same format as previously! Bullet-point style thoughts since, yes, I was nerdy enough to jot them down like this. I make no guarantees on coherency, but! I think I'm getting my love for this show back, slowly. There are more missteps as you get into the series (NEEDS MORE KIRIHARA, HE MAKES THE EPISODES SO MUCH BETTER), but I think it's back to gaining momentum. Especially after the big double episode (23, I think?) where 01 kidnaps Seven and it's just. The show manages to really break my heart over cellphones sometimes. Keita struggling against the chains! Seven using his dying moments to tell Keita that it's okay! Keita breaking the chains to get to Seven! 01 admitting defeat! Keita saving 01 from being dismantled! Keita's finger shaking 01's tiny little hand! MY HEART.
episode 24:
→ Recap episode already? Sigh. Well, I suppose the previous one was a big enough deal that it warrants it.
→ Oh, god, Keita's FACE in the elevators after 01 got away and he probably wouldn't give them trouble anymore! And, wow, Kirihara wasn't just staring at Keita, he was seriously not stopping there.
→ I skimmed most of the recaps but I wound up rewatcing all of Kirihara's. *sigh* I guess I am That Fan with him.
→ Kirihara's flashbacks in this episode were all about his picking on Keita! My love, here, have it. (PS, being such a cranky tsundere is why I ship it as Keita/Kirihara. You bring it on yourself, sweetie.)
→ Kirihara has been trouble by something lately, Seven says. Third hedges, "....ah, no..." and looks sneaky. Seven peers closer and asks what it is. Then a clip of Kirihara being bothered that Keita thinks he's 30. .....WELL. :D
→ "Buddy, don't betray me." Awww, my HEART. ♥
episode 25:
→ Oh, god, Seven and Third's synchronized dancing! While it was a cute way to show their growth and their individual personalities, I kept waiting for Kirihara to show up and be all WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PHONE BRAVER!? about it. Boo.
→ 01 observing Keita's family! And I love how no one notices this walking, talking cellphone right in their living room! Except for Keita, who has to do some fancy footwork to avoid letting his sister see 01, which is also hilarious.
→ No Kirihara for this episode at all? Not that I mind an episode dedicated to Keita's family and the way the storyline resolved with his father (and addresses that they don't know anything about Keita's job that keeps him out at all hours), but it wasn't one of the better ones. This further cements my feelings that the show NEEDS MOAR KIRIHARA.
episode 26:
→ Return of Keita's classmate, hm? I was previously feeling her (bit by bit, she grew on me), but then I got used to her not being around. In combination with a lackluster episode, it's hard to be enthused about her return.
→ Waves that make people happy? Really? That's a terrible, no-good, awful thing? And, wow, was that a really long and really boring fight with the small wave emitter. ~_~
26 was a bit of a downer (in terms of getting back into the show), but I see ep17 has the return of the police officers! I MISSED THEM, TOO! Also, picking this series back up, I have realized something. Sure, I kinda shipped 01/Seven pretty hard because of everything they've been through when fighting each other, but I was also fond of the idea of Seven/Third. It'd be cute.
Now, every time I watch the opening credits, where Seven and Third are dancing adorably and 01 comes up to shove them both to the ground and laughs? I think, "Wow, I would read that OT3 in a heartbeat."
SIGH. WHAT THIS SHOW DOES TO MY DIGNITY.
I've read a fair amount of the usual vague stuff about upcoming episodes, but one part piqued my interest especially:
When the series finally (!) returns this spring, Terri Schuester will not only stick around but get a storyline that creator Ryan Murphy describes as "unexpected and good." The rest of the season will focus on the Glee Club members preparing for regionals and facing arch nemeses, Vocal Adrenalin.
Blah, blah, blah, Vocal Adrenalin, blah, blah, blah, I don't care so much about that. And, okay. I know better than to get my hopes up. But an "unexpected and good" storyline for Terri? HOMG DO WANT YES PLZ. I don't dare hope for something that I'll find entirely satisfying, but maybe--maybe--we'll get something that doesn't make me want to smack the entire writing/producing staff in the face? I live in hope!
► - Speaking of TV, it looks like Modern Family and The Middle both got picked up for a second season. OMG EXCELLENT.
► - And, as long as I'm TVSquad, this post about LOST's final season has me madly hearting the hell out of Damon Lindelof something fierce. I love his reactions to his "predictions" of how people will take the final season and how he says that they had an idea of where everything was going to end up, but of course things get added along the way when you write a show like this. It's not just that he's funny, but that he's being as direct as he can be here.
Though, I'm a little wary of the whole, "Well, you really only need to have watched the first season to find the final one accessible." ....what?
► - I really kind of want Hexyz already. 50 hour gameplay, with about 20 minutes dedicated to cut-scenes? That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. And it's pretty! Not that it'll come out for, like, ages and the PSP isn't my favorite platform for RPGs and I haven't heard any buzz about it from when it was released in Japan, but. It's Atlus and it's a game to look forward to!
► - I'll get to Bayonetta proper in a minute, but first. HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE ALREADY 60+ PAGES OF ART FOR IT ON PIXIV.
WELL.
I KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO EAT ME FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
► - .... holy shit, Matsumoto. I really don't even know what to say about you anymore. I don't even know where to start.
It's just.
Matsumoto Jun. As a makeup/mascera artist. A fabulous mascera artist. With fabulous hair. And a fabulous way of holding the mascera brush. And what are they calling this? "Matsuge". As in you pronounce it "MATSU-GAY"? WOW.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN MY BIRTHDAY YET.
You all will not have to get me anything this year because JUN HAS IT COVERED ALREADY.
(That is totally a lie. You should all start writing right now. MAY 1ST, PEOPLE.)
► - So, I've been playing Bayonetta. I borrowed J's PS3 (since it's not like it was being used or anything) and decided, well, instead of spending the $60 on a game I'm not entirely sure I'll like, I'll rent it for a couple of days and blow through as much of it as I can on easy. This has turned out to be a really good idea for me because I think I might just be able to finish it in that time. Because, when the game offered me different settings--Hard, Normal, Easy, and Why Are You Even Playing This Just Go Look At Videos On YouTube--I totally chose the whimpy one. (WHAT. I JUST WANT TO PLAY THE GAME, NOT ~*SUFFER*~ FOR MY VICTORIES.) This was a fabulous choice on my part. (I'm about five hours in! And starting chapter 9 already!)
I am kind of in love with this game already. I love that it's mocking every hyper-sexualized game ever and clearly having a great time doing it. I love that the graphics are just stunning and so incredibly detailed even when you're actively playing as Bayonetta in a fight.
Hell, I love this game so much that I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into any kind of coherent order. I think I'm about a third of the way through the game and it's Bayonetta so it's not like there's a whole lot of plot (yet? idk) but I guess I should put a SPOILER warning on this anyway. Not that there's really all that much to spoil, it's pretty much Bayonetta slicing and dicing her way through angelthings and being the hottest bitch pretty much ever.
I'll start with the gameplay:
I'm glad I picked this game up for the PS3, I just find it more comfortable than the Xbox and I'm guessing that the camera angles are easier on me. Granted, I haven't played as much on the 360 as I should have, I don't spend a lot of time with it, but every time I try, a game usually ends up making me want to vomit or else the controls just aren't very comfortable for me yet. I know the only way to get past this is to just play on it for awhile, but. I'm used to the PS3 and I'm comfortable on it. But it feels like the controls are much more geared towards what works for me--even when the camera spins around, I don't feel too nausteated, it doesn't whip around so fast that I feel sick, it's more of a slow slide around. Which can be a little annoying when I'm trying to find where the last enemy got off to or trying to spot a angeldragon flying through the sky, but not so much that it causes me any real frustration.
The gameplay is largely easy to buttonmash your way through (especially if you're on Super Easy You Whimp) but it helps to remember the combinations that summon Bayonetta's better attacks, it helps if you eventually commit a few of them to muscle memory. (Boy am I ever good at R1 + Triangle and Triangle-Triangle-Triangle-Circle. XD) It seems really easy at first and you could probably play the entire game just buttong mashing your way through things, but there's still some really impressive depth to the various combinations. Every time there's a loading screen, you can spend a little time practicing them and I always take my time to try out a few new ones, see which ones are easiest for me to remember. It makes the loading screen, like, a hundred times more fun than just sitting there and doing nothing!
I love that it's a game that's not based on level whoring or having to go back to areas to grind for awhile before you can defeat the next big boss, that you just keep moving forward through the story and "levels" don't even exist in this game. My only regret is that I missed a few chests (because I was a genius and never realized how to open them until about Chapter VI or so. GENIUS! :|b) and can't go back to get them. But it's not a big deal since I haven't been using the Items or most of the halos I've been gathering up. But I'm saving them up for if some shiny new weapons come along.
I even love some of the more difficult moves to pull off--if you can time your Triangle + Circle just right, you can Torture one of the angelthings with a variety of old-world torture devices that Bayonetta summons up (and get bonus points if you can mash the circle or triangle button fast enough!) and that is kind of ridiculously fun. Even better is when you manage to avoid taking damage by a hair's breadth, flipping backwards out of the way and activating Witch Time, which not only looks absolutely stunning, but gives you a moment to land that extra bit of damage while your enemies are in slow motion.
The puzzles can be a bit of a pain, but that's usually only if you're not paying attention. The most trouble I had was with the three switches outside the gates to Paradiso, where I couldn't see anything heavy to set on one of the three beast-footprint steps before I went to look up the answer. And, oh, right, I HAVE A SHINY SUPER FAST NEW BEAST FORM that I just got in the previous chapter. MAYBE I SHOULD USE THAT. (At least I was smart enough to use it when trying to run through the spikes! At least I don't make the same dumbass genius moves twice, in my defense!)
Even the boss battles are gorgeous and fun as all get out. There's nothing quite like going up a creepy looking angel-thing with an upside down baby's face made out of stone with dragon arms or something thats literally the size of two or three buildings, while you just have your little old self. And then you get to kick the shit out of it. Nothing is too big or too powerful for Bayonetta, she's always got more tricks up her sleeve, she's always got the raw power to deal with it, she's always got a demon she can summon that will be made of her own hair that can eat the angel-thing.
It's. So. Much. Fun.
(I've read that the PS3 port is actually a really sub-par one--for ports--and I agree that the load times for the pause screen and save files is kind of obnoxious--I will totally take that over getting vomity on the 360 version, like I suspect I would. Also, I haven't found there to be a lot of slow-down like people have said, I have no problems fighting of shitloads of enemies or picking up new weapons, but maybe it gets worse if you get further into the game?)
And then graphics/atmosphere:
Of course this game is beautiful. But it's beautiful in ways I wasn't really expecting, either. While the English voice acting is a bit stiff in places (but never so much that it's bad, it's actually really well-done for a game, imo), it quickly warms up and becomes charming as all get out. Bayonetta is top-notch from the get-go, her English accent is perfect for her character and characters like Rodin and Luka grow on you fast.
The hyper-sexualization of everything is the whole point of the game, so instead of getting tired of it, it's a never-ending sense of Bayonetta enjoying herself and how she handles her own body. Everything is sleek and sexy, but it's half joke and half just a celebration of how wonderful it is, combined with silliness that it damn well knows what it's doing. Add in the Heaven/Hell touches, little things like Rodin being a Bartender In Hell-slash-Hellish-Arms-Dealer, it's a joy to watch.
And, oh, my, is it ever lovely. Watching every scene play out like a beautifully drawn movie, every little detail crisp and gorgeously colored, this is one of the prettiest games I've played since Odin Sphere.
Next is story:
Bayonetta is not a complicated game, plot-wise. In fact, I'm surprised it has as much as it does. BUT THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF THE POINT. That's the joke! It's a simple, straight-forward plot that's just one big excuse for summoning demons and showing shots of Bayonetta's ass as she kicks the shit out of angel things. (Which never stops being hilarious.) It's actually kind of interesting, though, because I almost feel sort of guilty killing all the angelthings when I feel like I should be on the side of "good" rather than "evil". But Bayonetta is working for the people downstairs and it's actually kind of awesome that she doesn't give a shit.
I even like reading Antonio's diary! Finding out the background of this world that we're slowly traveling through, the history of the witches and the sages, is actually kind of interesting. I don't know how long I'd want to play in a world like this, it's not exactly revolutionary, but that's kind of the point. It's a fun, slick story, it's kept me intrigued and wanting to get to the root of everything, it's got me going through each new page of Antonio's notes as I collect them, but it's not meant to be more than it is.
Which is what makes it work beautifully.
And, finally, characters:
Bayonetta herself needed to be a character that could carry a game like this and, fortunately, boy, is she ever! Instead of letting the hyper-sexualization define her character or take her character over, she makes it her own. Bayonetta is supremely comfortable in her own skin, never out of her element, and always calm and always with a smirk on her lips and always ready for what comes next. This is a character who, as much fun as it is to watch her, it would be just as much fun to be her, which is something I don't always get when I'm playing a game, even as I'm playing that character.
For a game that's mocking the usual type of action game, it's also created a female character that I find to be fascinating. I want to know what makes Bayonetta tick! I want to watch her through every step of her journey, I want to see her in more fights, I want to see her lick her lips at the fun of a new toy she gets to play with, I want to see her purr while she plays with Luka as a cat would with a mouse, I want to see her narrow her eyes and smirk at Jeanne every time they fight each other.
I knew I was going to like her from the beginning, but I expected she'd probably be the only real bright spot among fascinating characters. I am so glad I was wrong! Jeanne doesn't have a whole lot of depth, but she and Bayonetta have smoking hot chemistry every time they're on the same screen, their long history is intriguing.
I'm also growing incredibly fond of Luka as well. At first I was shipping Bayonetta/Jeanne (and I'm fairly certain the game wanted me to, of course) and then he showed up and my reaction was, "....yeah, I'm going to stick with the idea of hot lesbians, thanks." But then Bayonetta just so thoroughly owned him when he was chasing after her and he was just flaily enough when she was all sexy while in his personal space that I couldn't help myself! Every time she calls him "Cheshire" (because he's a little cat that shows up everywhere) and he has a mini-fit about how his name is LUKA, DAMMIT, I kind of fall in love again.
I also think Cereza is adorable and I'm totally going with the theory that she's a younger version of Bayonetta, even if the game tries to make me think that Bayonetta is her mom instead. I think I knew I was shipping Bayonetta/Luka the most when I found myself hoping (while I was falling for the whole "Cereza might be Bayonetta's daughter" thing) that maybe Luka might be the dad, like maybe Cereza was from the future. orz Goddammit, do I have to ship something in everything I watch/read/play? (Well, and I'm kinda supposed to be thinking Those Thoughts, I think. So it's not entirely my fault.)
Overall:
I think one quote really sums up for me why I like this game so much:
- Between Bayonetta and her equally fierce rival, Jeane, it's a women's world -- the boys just play in it.
--from Bayonetta: empowering or exploitative?
Everything else comes down to icing on the cake for me. A fantastic gameplay, a fun little story, some great characters, beautiful graphics. All those are fun, but would have been kicked to the curb if I'd hated the portrayal of women in this game. But instead of making it exploitive, this game is all about Bayonetta being in charge of her own damn self and being the one to weild her own sexuality, rathern than the other way around.
The fact that it's fun as hell to play just makes it even more awesome, though. I don't know if I'll consider this one of my favorite games everrrrr, but it's definitely one of the best games I've played. (I'm just usually more of a character/plot fanatic.)
Well, as long as I'm doing some gameblogging, I might as well do my third entry on Muramasa. I've hit a bit of a snag, in that I'm at the point where I want to mindlessly level grind for a few hours to make everything easier and to be able to afford more swords. Not that I'll be able to unlock them for awhile yet, I've gotten everything I can (I'm at 54 of them forged now), but. When I beat the next boss, I want those swords IMMEDIATELY--!! A lot of it, though, is that I just don't want the game to end.
I know there's alternate endings coming up, so it's not like I'd be out of material, but I doubt another game like this is going to get made. (Okay, I still haven't finished GrimGrimoire, but that's not the point! Shut up!) And I don't want it to end yet! (Also, I've been busy with Bayonetta.)
I have gotten about 15 hours logged now, though, and Momohime is on her final act, while Kisuke has just completed Act 3 and will start Act 4 next. SPOILERS up to those points.
Kisuke: I did the least amount of work on Kisuke's story because I'm just not as interested in the little kid as I am the pretty girl character over there. Also, he's still harder for me to control, I'm not sure why. But I did get him through a bit of grinding (he's about level 30 now) and through the fight with Torahime.
I sucked out loud on the first try because I kept jumping in the way of her arrows too soon and I spent too long waiting around for her instead of getting my ass in gear and timing my attacks better. The second time through it was actually a really fun fight, all you had to do was stay behind the bamboo shields (which I loathed because they're a pain in the ass to deal with in the area just before Torahime, where you have to step juuuuust in front of them to trigger them, then cut them down, before you'll "win" that area's fights--and I have to complete them, rather than just leaving the area! I have to!) and she would only ever run two areas away when she was fleeing.
As soon as she started moving, I would hurry up and almost beat her to the next clearing and just start hacking away. If you were right underneath her and stayed in the air most of the time (to avoid her ground attacks), you were under the arc of her arrows (thus they'd sail right over your head) and all you had to do was calmly keep whittling her health down. It was kind of fun.
Also, Kisuke with a crush on her? ADORABLE. THE LITTLE SNOT IN LOVE, IT IS SO CUTE. ♥
Momohime: With Momhime, on the other hand, I cleared two much longer chapters. I went to Hell with her and fought the Big Oni first, then up to Heaven to fight Raijin. I also took her fishing along the way once, but it was kind of pointless--you don't earn that much money or food (nothing you couldn't grind for awhile to afford or didn't really need that badly) and it's a pain to be dropped off in an area that's about three massive areas away from where you need to be. All it was really good for was the run back (I could have taken a palanquin, but I figured it'd be good for leveling time) where I earned a bunch of mon and XP.
The Big Oni was an interesting fight as well. It's similar to the fight with Torahime, in that you have to hide behind objects while avoiding the big attacks (piles of rocks, in this case) and try not to run directly across its line of sight, because that's what would trigger its attack. I just love tiny little Momohime jumping onto this giant ogre's back and beating the shit out of him to kill him, though!
Even more than that, the trip into hell forces Jinkuro's soul out of her body, whereupon the Big Oni eats it. Momohime knows that she needs to get the soul back because she can't get out of here on her own. But he ate Jinkuro's soul, how the hell is she going to get into the Big Oni's stomach to get it? So, what does she do?
Offers herself up as a meal for the Big Oni! Awesome. Tiny, delicate little Momohime finds herself in hell and facing a horde of demons and has the strength to say, okay, eat me up! In fact, the popular thing among humans these days is to eat their fish whole, just let it slide right down into your stomach, you should try that with me. And he does!
Momohime can be hardcore, I love her even more now.
So, you hack away at the stomach and, sure, that's a lot of shades of Okami there, but I don't care, because it's really like a homage to two of my favorite games ever. (Okami and Odin Sphere.)
Finally, we make our way out of Hell. Which didn't have the sword we were after. So Jinkuro says, fine, we'll go to Heaven and check it out then. Which was kind of a bitch to get up there, you have to jump on platforms that have these poisonous butterflies all over the place and I have trouble getting the hang of jumping just right to kill them and not fall off the little cloud platforms and not get constantly poisoned.
Eventually, I make it. I get to fight Raijin, the god of thunder. Who's female! OKAY, COOL, GAME YOU ARE MAKING THINGS UP LITTLE BY LITTLE. Even better, she's not a tiny little delicate flower--Raijin will CRUSH YOU if you get in her way, because she's a freaking giant. Awesome.
It was a fairly tough fight, since Raijin has all these wheels and thunder bolts spinning around her and A LOT OF THEM are blade-breakers. It helped if you could do some quick-draw slices to get rid of them, then jump inside the protective wheels to slash at her, but it wasn't always easy to get the timing of that right. Especially not when you had about twenty balls of lightning on your ass that you also had to get rid of and were draining away your soul power to fend off.
I was a little "...." that Fujin told Raijin, after you won, that she should be more gracious about losing or else no one would ever want to marry her, but I was willing to forgive because the fight (and winning the fight) had put me in a pretty good mood. This game won't ever replace Odin Sphere for me, but it was doing all right, I guess.
One thing that's always hilarious to me, still? When you meet Kisuke in the onsen, he's such a rude little fucker. When you meet Momohime in the onsen, he's much more polite and reasonable. I love that it clearly depends on whose POV you're viewing a scene from, how snotty any given character comes off as! OF COURSE Momohime's view makes him out to be a snot! OF COURSE he's reasonable in his own POV! Lolz.
In between playing beautiful video games, I've been slooooowly catching up on tokusatsu, too. Mostly Keitai Sousakan 7 (ep 24 to 27 or so), but a little Shinkenger (eps 6 to 8 or so) as well.
Shinkenger: So, right after I comment about how Shinkenger finally had an episode that wasn't about two of them interacting with each other (ie, a potiential ship) when Ryuunousuke goes out to catch the giant origami fish (which is kind of a lie, since he interacted and ~*bonded*~ with the fisherman), pretty much immediately after that, he goes back to fangirling all over Tono-sama and I swear you can actually read into this ship sometimes. In episode 8 (with the brides), when you could read jealousy into Ryuunousuke's reactions to the brides? ....wow, Shinkenger. Way to hook me back in.
Though, honestly. When Ryuunousuke was the one who posed as the bride, revealing himself in the lipstick and bridal outfit and everything? It's like this show knew I was a dumb as hell fangirl and was going to prey on every weakness I had. And also love me. Because this show loves me hardcore.
Same for in that episode when ShinkenRed jumps in front of Dayuu to defend both Blue and Pink and I wonder YET AGAIN if Shinkenger is doing it on purpose. Oh, and, I cannot lie. I would totally ship Blue/Pink, too. I'm pretty sure this show is like Every Sentai Color Ship You Had A Weakness For Redux for me. (I was going to say it was Boukenger Redux and then I remembered that was, like, the one sentai where I DIDN'T ship Red/Blue. But, oh, I'd have shipped Blue/Pink in a heartbeat there.)
AND ALSO Takeru says that he chose Ryuunousuke because he believed he could do it (in the previous episode, where Ryuunousuke has to catch Kajiki--you can tell I'm kind of skipping around with my thoughts on these episodes) AND they do the finishing move on the Gedoshuu together? SERIOUSLY, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESIST THE RED/BLUE HERE?
I can see a bit of future plots here, with Juzou and whoever's calling out to him for some big, epic battle, I guess? They never specify that it's ShinkenRed,w hich makes me think it's Blue, honestly. Especially since he did the finishing move with Kajiki Origami there.
P.S. the unicorn horn/sword finisher move in that episode? OH GOD LOL.
Keitai Sousakan 7: Same format as previously! Bullet-point style thoughts since, yes, I was nerdy enough to jot them down like this. I make no guarantees on coherency, but! I think I'm getting my love for this show back, slowly. There are more missteps as you get into the series (NEEDS MORE KIRIHARA, HE MAKES THE EPISODES SO MUCH BETTER), but I think it's back to gaining momentum. Especially after the big double episode (23, I think?) where 01 kidnaps Seven and it's just. The show manages to really break my heart over cellphones sometimes. Keita struggling against the chains! Seven using his dying moments to tell Keita that it's okay! Keita breaking the chains to get to Seven! 01 admitting defeat! Keita saving 01 from being dismantled! Keita's finger shaking 01's tiny little hand! MY HEART.
episode 24:
→ Recap episode already? Sigh. Well, I suppose the previous one was a big enough deal that it warrants it.
→ Oh, god, Keita's FACE in the elevators after 01 got away and he probably wouldn't give them trouble anymore! And, wow, Kirihara wasn't just staring at Keita, he was seriously not stopping there.
→ I skimmed most of the recaps but I wound up rewatcing all of Kirihara's. *sigh* I guess I am That Fan with him.
→ Kirihara's flashbacks in this episode were all about his picking on Keita! My love, here, have it. (PS, being such a cranky tsundere is why I ship it as Keita/Kirihara. You bring it on yourself, sweetie.)
→ Kirihara has been trouble by something lately, Seven says. Third hedges, "....ah, no..." and looks sneaky. Seven peers closer and asks what it is. Then a clip of Kirihara being bothered that Keita thinks he's 30. .....WELL. :D
→ "Buddy, don't betray me." Awww, my HEART. ♥
episode 25:
→ Oh, god, Seven and Third's synchronized dancing! While it was a cute way to show their growth and their individual personalities, I kept waiting for Kirihara to show up and be all WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PHONE BRAVER!? about it. Boo.
→ 01 observing Keita's family! And I love how no one notices this walking, talking cellphone right in their living room! Except for Keita, who has to do some fancy footwork to avoid letting his sister see 01, which is also hilarious.
→ No Kirihara for this episode at all? Not that I mind an episode dedicated to Keita's family and the way the storyline resolved with his father (and addresses that they don't know anything about Keita's job that keeps him out at all hours), but it wasn't one of the better ones. This further cements my feelings that the show NEEDS MOAR KIRIHARA.
episode 26:
→ Return of Keita's classmate, hm? I was previously feeling her (bit by bit, she grew on me), but then I got used to her not being around. In combination with a lackluster episode, it's hard to be enthused about her return.
→ Waves that make people happy? Really? That's a terrible, no-good, awful thing? And, wow, was that a really long and really boring fight with the small wave emitter. ~_~
26 was a bit of a downer (in terms of getting back into the show), but I see ep17 has the return of the police officers! I MISSED THEM, TOO! Also, picking this series back up, I have realized something. Sure, I kinda shipped 01/Seven pretty hard because of everything they've been through when fighting each other, but I was also fond of the idea of Seven/Third. It'd be cute.
Now, every time I watch the opening credits, where Seven and Third are dancing adorably and 01 comes up to shove them both to the ground and laughs? I think, "Wow, I would read that OT3 in a heartbeat."
SIGH. WHAT THIS SHOW DOES TO MY DIGNITY.