Blog, Blog, Bloq

 Recently, I've been going through the first four Silent Hill games and as I am almost done with the fourth entry, I thought that I should talk a bit about them. For this piece, I kind of just want to talk about my experience with the games. It is no mistake to call Silent Hill 2 the cream of the crop that rises to the top. The story of James Sunderland and his delusions of guilt and grief is told masterfully in the space of this game. From Maria to Laura, the cast is rounded out to one of the best that I have dealt with across games. Whereas Silent Hill 1 built the foundation for unhinged personalities to dwell, it is the second and third entries that really elevated the series as a whole for me.  While there are many great elements to gush about in Silent Hill 2, the character that I liked the most was Angela. A young woman looking for her mother in Silent Hill. Meeting her in the foggy cemetery with no one else in sight was unsettling, but her attitude made you feel less te...

 Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hats, is not only going to become the King of the Pirates but he is the King of the Latinx in Japanese media. While the world of One Piece is set in a fictional place, Oda Eiichiro has stated in a trivia section for the one of the volumes of One Piece that Luffy would be from Brazil in real life. Calling Luffy Latino might be a stretch to some, but it's enough for the community to claim him. We gotta take what we can get as Japanese media does not seem to feature many Latinx characters. Regardless, I decided to make this ode to Luffy because what better time to gas him than during Hispanic Heritage Month when I also get to be special. There are many things to really like about Luffy throughout the series as his simpleness allows him to be extremely genuine to others. A person like Luffy can walk up to Trafalgar Law who is very stern and serious in demeanor and be like, "Sup Traffy." A thing like this will ultimately annoy Law, yet Lu...

 Playing through the last two Tomb Raider trilogies over the course of this year has been a roller coaster of emotions. Some of the games I was having a blast and some of them I was just trying to get through them at points. But overall, I had a fantastic time with these games and experiencing Lara Croft's style. The main thing that I ultimately enjoyed out of the series overall was during that Xbox 360 and PS3 era of games that had Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld. That spark of joy came from how much fun it looked like Lara was having while in the midst of these world-ending calamities. Doing gymnastic counters on enemies while firing the twin pistols is an immense joy that ultimately becomes lost in the newest trilogy. While the gunplay is very good and the movement options are great, it doesn't feel like the ridiculousness that Tomb Raider had been dealing with before. As the games became more grounded, they kind of stripped Lara of some uniqueness. No longer sporting tw...

 Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare by Kamatani Yuhki follows high schooler, Kaname Tasuku in his struggles with sexual orientation and ultimately learning to find himself. In that journey of self-discovery, the thing that I enjoyed quite a bit that can be lost in heterosexual circles of media is that imperfect, messy character. The chaos that comes with not only being a high schooler, but one that is wrapped in confusion, delights as that journey goes from start-to-finish. The first interaction that we get with Tasuku in his classroom with the intrusive classmates is a very real and heartbreaking situation. It's one thing to be put on blast for something you do in leisure, like a hobby or sport, yet being outed about something that is done in private hits different. Being that young, you don't take the precautions that you would as an adult or even being open about your sexuality in general. Especially when that sexual orientation is not necessarily the social norm. The co...

 There are a plethora of comics and manga out in the world that hit on those key moments or dazzle the reader with spectacular art styles. Among all of these stories littered throughout, are people looking for that story that is not often told or amplified enough. Today I am going to talk about one of my favorites, Love Me for Who I Am (Fukukai na Boku no Subete wo in Japanese) by Konayama Kata. A story that follows Mogumo Ryuunosuke and their journey to be accepted as Non-Binary. As a warning to those that choose to read this manga, there are depictions of familial abuse, suicide attempts, verbal abuse, and harsh imagery that some may find stressful, anxiety inducing, or uneasy. If these types of topics make you uncomfortable then it would be best to read this series when you are in the right headspace because it can be heavily taxing. But I implore you to still find the time to read this story.  As Mogumo seeks to find acceptance from family and loved ones as a Non-Binary pe...

 There are many things to enjoy when playing video games, but the one for players like me is finishing everything the game has to offer. This bar can mean different things depending on the console era as achievements or trophies serve as this benchmark for this specific hobby. Letting us know when the time is up on the experience. Even this simple joy does not extend into all the possible genres as we have our comforts and preferred playstyles. Ultimately, it depends on whether or not that game is for you or if the grind is truly worth it. I'll take you through some of my completions and my current fancy to give an idea of how this joy can shift into a chore the more you play it.  One of my favorite completions thus far has been for the original Xbox remaster, Voodoo Vince. A 3D platformer about a Voodoo doll in a New Orleans-esque setting trying to save his owner. The appeal of the game is the setting and the wise-cracking Vince. Nothing too crazy, but I played the game as a ...

 After playing Bayonetta for the first time at the end of 2020, I was enamored at such a remarkable game that I had neglected to play for so long. The gameplay, characters, setting, and music all hit on these highpoints as a game that deserves to be played by those that love high-octane action with style. Bayonetta hit all those notes that something like Devil May Cry never really could for me. Recently, I have finished Bayonetta 2 for the first time. And it hit all the right notes that the first game did. A fun as hell game that many people might miss with it being on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U while being cursed with a lack of discounting that many first-party Nintendo games face. Bayonetta 3 is supposed to drop later this year, but I wish that the second and third games would release on other platforms because this second game is such a gem. From the introduction of the co-op feature to the remix of Moon River as this game's Fly Me to the Moon, Bayonetta 2 is truly a remarkab...