I’m tired, woke up early to repair my bike so I have a means of getting around without worry that the rear axel would break, so, I’m not sure I ever posted live stream recordings here. I wanna say I’m 90% sure yes but eeeey here’s some recordings.
Please keep in mind these will contain spoilers for the comic so if you just want to listen to me and my co-hosts chat you can treat it as a vlog.
Got 5 live stream recordings opened to view on youtube:
Hey everyone,
As said in the title I’m removing the comments section for Antares Complex. Why? I’m tired of having to log in several times a week to kill spambot comments that are awaiting approval. I had disqus prior to this which I think handled that better, but because they added in ads I decided to opt out of that since this site is supported by Patreons/ko-fi and not ads. I didn’t want people getting the wrong idea about the site.
Why are there so many spam comments? Because wordpress, that’s why. There’s bots that seek out sites using wordpress and actively try to get into it or fill it with spam content.
If my firewall is to be believed, the site in it’s wordpress incarnation has already had thousands of attacks:
RIGHT then, if you want to leave a comment or interact with me, go to my twitter account: https://twitter.com/Gx3RComics where I’m plenty active.
Sorry if you’re disappointed but, the comments section sees more action from bots pushing bullshit than readers.
As usual I’ll put this out there, drop me some support if you’re feeling generous at my Ko-Fi or Patreon
How did Microsoft, again, not see the poor naming idea here? They didn’t see the Xbox One being called the XBone and here we are, with an even worse name.
Where to even start with this ripoff of a console? I’ll condense this to a list to why this thing is useless:
Keep in mind the date of writing this, but it won’t change all that much honestly.
Hardware wise:
-It lacks a disc drive, and costs $50 dollars more. So, you’re getting less hardware for more money. ($250 for the SAD and $200 for the XB1S). Nevermind many XB1S’s come with games or a controller, some stores even bundling extra.
Software wise:
You lose out on the ability to:
Games and movies by buying the SAD, you’re locking yourself into Microsoft’s ecosystem which leaves you with 0 options. A store like Best Buy/Target/ Walmart/Gamestop/etc has a sale? Too bad for you! Hope MS has a sale eventually, where you’ll pay the same price for a digital copy which you can’t sell/buy/le- you get it.
I know some are already saying “this is how gaming is gonna be now, all digital” defending it by pointing at steam and saying “People love that but not the XB1SAD?”.
Well, the big difference is steam lets you buy off of many storefronts. Don’t see a sale on steam? Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, Humble Store all have sales and bundles where you can score games for super cheap. Don’t want to get a game on steam? Try GoG or one of the other launchers out there.
With microsoft? It’s just their store. Only their store. You don’t get a choice. So, 0 competition with pricing, I don’t see that working out very well.
So, that comparison is right out the door.
I get it, some are super into digital because you don’t need to get your fat ass off the couch to swap discs, or go to a store, but there is no denying that paying more money for a console that objectively does less for you is not a good deal. If all digital is the future? Microsoft better stop doing it so ineptly and figure it out because this is the second, major blunder they’ve had with the XBOX One that involved getting in the way of players enjoying games.
Hey everyone, I’m aware that you’re aware that I’ve missed a few updates here and there recently and I wanted to address this.
I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I have a decent sized buffer for pages, a lot of them. So I’m sure some might be wondering why have I missed two updates in a row? The pages I’ve been working on with Antares Complex are pretty effect and background heavy so it’s taken me a while to get that sorted. I’ve also been pretty stressed out recently so writing dialog has been a bit of a headache when my head isn’t in the game. So, I’ve missed updates pretty much because I’ve not been able to add the dialog.
The thing is this has been double-difficulty because the last few pages of Journey to the Skyline have also been bg/effect heavy. So I’ve taken small breaks to. . . work on other things. Some fanart, a bit on an animation I’m trying to get done. Yeah, taking a ‘break’ from work to work on something else, it’s dumb I know.
But, I’m not slowing down in terms of making anything but I am just not focused at the moment. I’m going to be back on track soon as I’d like to get to the end of the issue for Antares Complex so I can have the actual normal short break there so I can catch up on dialog and writing.
So, as usual I’m going to plainly state, Antares Complex is not going anywhere, the comic isn’t dead/dying/etc. I have plenty of pages to post that just need finalizing. (wordballoons, text, some special effects, at worst 3D models for ships).
This next part is a bit more in detail for other things, so if you’re not interested in reading that? Then don’t sweat it.
I think part of the stress is that, I was hoping to be a bit further along with some projects here. I was hoping to get one of the two comic series on Comixology or something.
With Antares Complex, the earlier issues are rough both in art and how it’s formatted. I’d have to redo all the dialog. . . Again and take hours to set it up in a format friendly for tablets and such and honestly? I feel like the early issues are so rough no one will be interested and it could likely scare off anyone from being interested in later issues.
With Journey to the Skyline, the comic pages have been set up proper from the start. I have the first issue all set up and done, even have the extras sorted out. I’m just. . . Nervous to proceed, I don’t know the steps required to get it on comixology. I’m sure it’s not so bad but I’m fairly overwhelmed as it is with making all the stuff and I don’t have the cash to pay someone to sort it for me. I’ve heard the process can be a bit annoying, with submissions getting denied for no reason- I say no reason because my friend submitted the same thing, twice and it was accepted the 2nd time no problem.
So, that’s the update, bit of a sour note on the end there but I’m being honest as possible here. Thanks for reading and if you have any thoughts, let me know.
As usual I’ll put this out there, drop me some support if you’re feeling generous at my Ko-Fi or Patreon
Alright on to the new year and on to typing a bit of games I’m playing/have played. I’m not sure if I’m going to change the format where I list any and all games vs ONLY the new ones because then it’d be comical repeats of Freedom Planet, Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Mania, Phantasy Star IV- BUT, maybe just thinking about it now I’ll include a little bit at the end that will include those. So, onto the games.
Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition: (PC/Switch/PS4/XB1)
Oh dammit, first entry and it’s already a remaster?! Augh. WELL THEN, it’s still TECHNICALLY new. It sports new content. . .for the west anyway. Apparently the Xbox 360 version was deemed to be the only one to get this game over here so it missed out on a lot of extra goodies when they made a PS3 version in Japan. This has that and more, apparently. Neat!
Like other Tales of games, it’s an action RPG where you have real time battles and fight along teammates. I’m about 8 hours in and am really enjoying it. I got the Switch version so I’d hopefully be able to finish it in a timely manner (yeah right). It’s not bad, I’m preferring Xillia & Berseria so far but I can see why this one is loved.
Update: Yes I’m updating this before even posting this blog but hey, it’s fine right? Right. The game has surprised me with the characters and story. It’s impressive how it’s both a bit cliche and surprising with some actions that happen in the game. Not spoiling anything but, I’m enjoying it!
Resident Evil 2 (Remake): (PC/PS4/XB1)
Alright onto a real new game, it’s Res- . . . I’m seeing a pattern to 2019 already. Okay, so, it’s a remake of a PS1 game and. . . I beat it in one sitting. Well, I beat Claire A in one sitting and made it through half of Leon B. It’s a hell of a game, really enjoyed my time with it so far and look forward to replaying this as it’s REALLY replayable. I guess my only gripe is it’s not the perfect remake that Resident Evil 1 got. Let me put that into context, RE1’s remake is incredible, it’s SO good it replaces the original entirely. It kept a lot of the same mechanics and went out of it’s way to subvert your expectations
Resident Evil 2, doesn’t really do that. The gameplay is entirely different (not a bad thing!) and I feel like it misses just a little bit that keeps it from being that perfect remake. But really the change in gameplay is both great and a disappointment- but it still means the original is worth playing. RE2 is what a lot of people claimed RE7 was- this is actually survival horror. You gotta manage your inventory and combat is best avoided as you are never rewarded for taking out zombies (except for having safe passage, of course). It’s a brilliant game that’s apparently getting FREE DLC this month! (As I am writing this in 2/5/19). I was worried that they’d make this a action game where you’d be suplexing suspects but no it’s pretty dang true to the original.
The amount of stuff you get in the game is really impressive, it’s pretty much everything the PS1 version came with and then some. Whatever complaints I have I feel are minor at best and don’t harm the game’s overall fun or replayability.
Valkyria Chronicles 4: (Switch/PC/PS4/XB1)
Finally, something new- I think it came out this year but I’m not about to check because this list can’t be all games that came out before to some extent.
So, I got this on a whim, on sale, got a discount slapped on top of that too and thought I’d give it a try. It’s a odd one to describe so far. I’m about 2 hours into it and it plays out in semi-real-time and turn based. You move characters and enemies can shoot if you’re in sight, a sort of suppression fire that you and they do depending on the turn. When not in battle trying to be all strategic your allies are being silly anime characters off screen. The most unrealistic military you’d ever see. One of the characters has a knights helm AND pigtails just to round off the silliness. I’m interested to see where this goes, it’s a new kinda game for me so here’s hopin’ it’s good!
Astral Chain: (Switch)
I went into this game blind, not knowing much else beyond that people were giving it a recommendation and enjoying it- well that and that Platinum games made it. I was really surprised with this one! I’m on Case 8 at the time of writing and the game I feel mixes it’s gimmicks in well with the overall gameplay. It has a over the top anime plot with another dimension attacking the remains of the world, leaving you a …super police officer with a legion from their dimension under your control to help you in combat.
It’s not all action, you have parts where you’re using your legion to solve some simple tasks in the normal world. Doing some beat cop stuff, helping solve crimes, stopping graffiti artists and so on.
This game surprised me, so far I’m really enjoying the HECK out of this game and can’t wait to play more. Wish I had more time to jump into it more often but I’m happy with my purchase that’s for sure!
Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition: (Switch)
Yes, this game isn’t technically new but apparently this version has a boat load of new features and stuff that make it overall the most appealing package to grab. I didn’t play the OG version so I can’t comment much on that but, I heard they added some new character development events which is what I really enjoy in a RPG, a better soundtrack & some other gameplay fixes. Listening to Digital Foundry talk about this it seems the developer really had to go out of their way to get this game working as well as it does on Switch, which is good to hear they wanted a good port vs some of the trash I’ve heard of recently.
I never got into Dragon Quest as a series, I don’t want to get into why but the short is this game seems to solve any gripes I had. I heard a lot of praise off twitter so I was hoping to grab it, then the D.E. was announced so, grabbed that up instead.
This is a really, really fun time. I dunno why Square is so hateful against turn based combat but that’s what Dragon Quest has and it’s simple but fun. I look forward to getting further in this but I’m getting the feeling it’s gonna take me into next year to complete!
Non-new games:
The Mummy Demastered: (Switch/PC/PS4/XB1)
I got this last year and I was really hyped for it. The trailer made it look so good with brilliant sprite work, awesome music but my goodness I do not like this game. So much works against it in the gameplay department. It has the annoying enemies of Castlevania, like the medusa heads that go through walls & floors while your bullets don’t. To top it off you have 1 weak gun that has infinite ammo and 2 other guns that are far better. . .That have limited ammo. If you die? You start fresh with none of your perks because you have to go find and kill your undead past life that has ALL your gear while you have 1 bar of HP, a cruddy gun, no grenades.
I lost a character that’s past an area that is full of fast enemies that with 1 hit will remove half your health. They spring up out of the ground without warning and shoot a flaming skull across the map, with birds that fly by medusa head style to make maneuvering a pain. So, gotta go past an entire field of monsters, then find my powered up corpse.
It’s such a shame. I wanted to like the game but the mechanics really do not gel with each other and it becomes more of a slog than a fun, challenging platformer.
I tried returning to it but beyond the awesome visuals/animation & music, I just don’t like this game. I really feel like the mechanics fight against eachother and ultimately make for a game that isn’t fun. It was okay till I got into the situation. Which, you can blame on me all you want for not being great at the game? But, even before then the game wasn’t fun.
Diablo 3: (Switch/PC/PS4/XB1)
I grabbed this on Switch on sale since I wanted to play some local co-op with friends and it’s a lot more fun than the PC launch which was maddening. Annoyingly/thankfully? IDK- the Switch version doesn’t have always online DRM like the PC version does. Which was a major problem at launch and is a big reason for me to dodge games, a friend got the original for me so I- I’m off topic.
It’s a fun beat ’em up but it’s far from a proper Diablo game. It’s pretty braindead as you plow through the hordes of evil while tapping away without much risk. My friend and I melted bosses in under 10 seconds, without any chance of dying-on the hardest mode we could access.
The necromancer had me laughing the entire time, corpse explosion is the gift that keeps on giving!
Either way, it’s dumb, it’s great local co-op fun.