The thinkings/opinions of a bizarre, quiet girl

Sunday, 25 November 2018

REVIEW/THOUGHTS [MOVIE] -- Ralph Breaks The Internet (Wreck-It Ralph 2)

Format Watched: In theatres (Saturday November 24, 2018)

Approx. Runtime: 112 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)

Language Watched: English

Type of Movie: Adventure, Comedy, Video Game

Overall Impression: It was great. Definitely worthy of being a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph.

SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!

This review will contain some spoilers -- or rather, there will be a "Spoilers" section at the end of the review to go into further detail about certain things. There may still be slight spoilers throughout the review, but I've tried my best to keep them at a minimum.

PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)

I can't exactly recall how I first heard that Wreck-It Ralph was getting a sequel... but once I did, I knew I was going to watch it no matter what. I LOVED the first movie, Wreck-It Ralph, so... I just knew. :3

Speaking honestly, the teaser trailer made me a little uneasy. It looked like a light and fluffy adventure with superficial humour, and I just hoped that the movie would have more. I didn't watch any of the other trailers because I'm just like that.

The teaser trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet.

This was the only trailer I watched before watching the movie.

JUST A NOTE: Since this is a review of the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, there could be spoilers to the first movie, so be warned! I'll do my best to keep those to a minimum, though.

If you have watched Wreck-It Ralph and are curious at all, here is my review of the first movie: Here.

STORY

Ralph Breaks The Internet follows video game characters Wreck-It Ralph (whom I will refer to as Ralph for the rest of this review) and Vanellope as they go through the internet and try to find an arcade part to save Vanellope's game, Sugar Rush.

There. That's the surface plot and the main motivation for exploring the internet. It's a good motivation, too -- I didn't get that at all from the teaser trailer. Initially I was worried that Ralph and Vanellope were going to go through the internet just for the heck of it. I'm very glad that wasn't the case!

I call that the surface plot, because there's another plot in Ralph Breaks The Internet. Or rather -- there is an unraveling that happens throughout, and the surface plot does a good job of furthering that unraveling to a point where core ideas, character development, and themes come out and get addressed.

It was good. I really enjoyed it. :)

I'll mention the core ideas and themes in the "Spoilers" section.

STANDALONE-FRIENDLY?

To an extent, I think Ralph Breaks The Internet could be watched on its own and enjoyed, BUT... in my mind I would be thinking, 'If you can set aside some time to watch Ralph Breaks The Internet... why not spend that same time watching Wreck-It Ralph first?'

Thankfully not too much from Wreck-It Ralph is brought up in Ralph Breaks The Internet so Wreck-It Ralph wouldn't be spoiled... but at the same time, almost none of the character relationships are explained in Ralph Breaks The Internet, making it a little difficult to connect or understand the characters at times. For example, Ralph and Vanellope are best friends in Ralph Breaks the Internet, but we don't know how they became such good friends or why they care so much about each other.

So... even though I think Ralph Breaks The Internet could be watched on its own, I highly recommend watching Wreck-It Ralph first! Wreck-It Ralph is a great movie, too, so why not? :)

VARIOUS REFERENCES AND CROSSOVERS

Similar to Wreck-It Ralph, there are a lot of references and crossovers, though this time there were a lot more internet / pop culture references and crossovers. And again, just like in Wreck-It Ralph, they weren't overly used nor were they a distraction from the story, which I really like and appreciate.

I like that despite all the references and crossovers, Ralph and Vanellope still shine as brightly as they did in Wreck-It Ralph.

My favourite crossover moments and references will be listed in the "Spoilers" section.

ANIMATION

A+. Everything that I said about the animation in Wreck-It Ralph is true here, too, so I'll just re-post it:

The computer animation is awesome. Emotions are displayed on a character's face with subtle yet strong, telling expressions. The characters also move in very telling ways. Even though all the characters are in 3D, one could tell that some of them are from 8-bit era games because of their mannerisms and the way they move. Everything is very smooth and wonderful.

VOICE-ACTING/CHARACTERS

Another A+. Just like in Wreck-It Ralph, John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman were great as Ralph and Vanellope. The new voices were great as well, especially Gal Gadot as Shank.

CHARACTERS

One thing that I really liked about Ralph Breaks The Internet was that even though Ralph and Vanellope were already developed characters from the first movie, there was still room for them to grow in this movie. And that character growth, in my opinion, allowed for the movie to break away from being "just a sequel" to something... much more.

Ralph and Vanellope are still very likeable and relatable. And well -- while I couldn't get behind all of Ralph's actions... I understood them very well and could sympathize with his feelings.

Among the new characters, I really like Shank. She's such a bad*ss! But also thoughtful, wise, and kind. :3 <3

MUSIC

Just like with Wreck-It Ralph, I barely noticed the music... but I felt a variety of emotions, so I knew it was there working its magic of enhancing the scenes. If I could count all the times I cried during this movie, hahaha... ^__^''

And I'll also say: I really like "Zero", the song that plays in the credits. And also the song that plays at the very, very, very end! <3

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Ralph Breaks The Internet is awesome. It is hands down worthy of being a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph. Watch it. But make sure to watch Wreck-It Ralph first! :3 I'm going to list my favourite moments of Ralph Breaks The Internet in the "Spoilers" section.

Oh, and when you watch Ralph Breaks The Internet, make sure to stay till the very, very, very end of the credits! ;)

Thanks for reading! If you want some more input about something I didn't cover, feel free to ask. :)

Now I'll do the scrolly thing so you don't see the "Spoilers" section right away. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

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SPOILERS

I'll mention the core ideas and themes

If I'm wrong here, feel free to debate! But to me, the core ideas and themes revolved around friendships, and growing up.

I guess... it's nothing really ground-breaking... but for those themes to be in a kid's movie... and especially when the themes themselves are kinda painful to face (especially if you're a kid facing them)... I think it's really nice -- and brave. I kinda don't think anybody would want to think the best course of action for best friends is to be apart... but if it helps to achieve their dream / what they want... it just might be. It's a very honest and realistic approach to it.

About Ralph's jealousy / insecurity / not wanting to let Vanellope go... I completely understand it. Before Vanellope, Ralph didn't have any friends and was viewed as just a villain -- and that went on for 30 years. Vanellope was the first character to really appreciate him and see him as a friend and hero. Of course he would do whatever he could to not lose that bond. This is not me justifying his actions -- but I do understand them and can ultimately forgive them.

I'm glad Ralph was able to face his insecurities in the end, and to honestly voice "It's going to hurt a lot". In some ways, I kinda think that line was more for the audience -- for anybody who might be going through a similar situation -- to offer a bit of understanding / comfort, it that was possible.

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Favourite crossover moments and references

- The scene with the Disney Princesses and Vanellope was great. I loved that Disney was poking fun at its own "Princess" character type. Vanellope's reaction to all their questions was great, too. I also loved it when the Princesses got to relax in regular shirts and pants.

- I got giddy when I saw Baymax from Big Hero 6. Bayymaxxx!!! (>^w^)> <3

- I loved the interpretation of how Twitter works, with all the blue birds chirping the same things.

- Ralph as Bob Ross... hahahaha. That was completely unexpected xD

- Stan Lee... when I saw his cameo, my heart broke. This is what went through my mind: '...! It's Stan Lee! But he's gone now... did he get to see this before he passed away? ;_____;'. It's wonderful that he's in it, but at the same time, it makes me soooooo saaaaad, thinking that he'll never know he was in this amazing movie... *cries*

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Favourite moments

- When Vanellope hugs Ralph at the end before parting to Slaughter Race. Just like in Wreck-It Ralph, her expression with her eyes slightly watering, but voice not giving anything away, was so touching. Seeing Ralph reciprocate that expression did me in completely. And then the broken medal coming together like that... I cried a lot during that scene, hahaha... ^^''

- When Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun were sharing their secrets about good parenting. The joke became predictable in the end, but it was still really funny.

- The pancake scene after the first set of credits. I was actually waiting for that scene through the whole movie and started thinking partway that maybe it was just a scene in the trailer but not for the movie. Haha, touché!

- The Rickroll scene at the very end... omg, that was soooo hilarious!!! XD

- When Vanellope surrendered herself to save Ralph from being crushed by the virus. It really shows how much she cares for him. *sniffle*

- If I remember more, I'll list more favourite crossover/references/moments. :)

If you read my spoilers, thank for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. If you disagree with anything or just want to say something, feel free to comment :D

Sunday, 18 November 2018

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- My Small Words For Stan Lee

This entry is a bit late, but... well... I couldn't find the right words to express myself then. Even now I am struggling to find the right words...

I am saddened by Stan Lee's passing... but in it is also this thought: "He was 95 years old... He lived a full life -- he truly lived a full life."

While growing up, I didn't really know Stan Lee all that much. I wasn't a comic book reader, although I was very fascinated with comic books. Even so, I was influenced by his creations via TV, particularly X-Men.

When the X-Men cartoon series aired on TV while I was in Elementary / Middle school, I watched as much of it as I could. I thought all the X-Men characters were interesting and couldn't understand why they and other mutants were rejected by everybody else in society. To my young mind it just didn't make sense -- the X-Men used their powers for good and still couldn't be accepted. My young heart ached for them (hahaha, yes, I'm a dork).

I know that X-Men dealt with other issues, but I didn't really understand them until years later when I re-watched the series. I think, in some small ways (or maybe big ways), the X-Men cartoon series helped me to become a better person. I won't go into details into what... but I strongly believe this.

So... thank you, Stan Lee, for helping to create this wonderful world and characters, along with many others I would later experience!

These days, I do know who Stan Lee is: a legend in the comic book industry. Whenever I attended Fan Expo Canada and saw that Stan Lee was a guest (until his last appearance in 2016), I thought 'This man is retired but still shows up to conventions -- he's so cool! :)'

Thanks for reading!

For those living the US, Happy early Thanksgiving! :)

Take care and until next time!

Sunday, 11 November 2018

BLOG -- Weekly Thoughts #3 -- New Year's Resolutions Progress

Well, with about six more weeks left to the new year, I've been thinking a lot about my new year's resolutions. Similar to previous years, many of them are done, except for the same super time-consuming ones!

The resolutions I am most concerned about are:

-Spend at least 100 hours on learning Python
-Spend at least 100 hours on learning Japanese
-Find 500 hours and put that towards catching up on either the Atelier, Ys, or Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) series

It seems I am always struggling with these three. Last year I was able to complete the last one, but I was cutting it verrrrry close!

I am happy to say that this year so far I was able to complete one game from the Atelier series, one from Ys, and one from SMT, but I still have over 300 hours left to complete that resolution.

Then, adding the remaining hours I need to complete my Python resolution and Japanese resolution, I need close to 500 hours to complete those three resolutions! Are there 500 hours left in the year??? This would be after taking into account all the time I have to spend for work and other engagements like friend hangouts and such.

And even after this, there are still a couple more resolutions I have left to complete. u_____u

I think... I might be able to do them all... if I got no sleep, hahaha.

If you have any New Year's Resolutions, how are you doing with them?? :)

If none of this was interesting to you, here's a song I've been exposed to recently:

"Happier" from Marshmello ft. Bastille.

I wanna sing this for karaoke one day!

Thanks for reading! As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free.

Take care and until next time! :)

Sunday, 4 November 2018

BLOG -- Extra Life 2018

So Extra Life is a charity event where participants stream playing video games via Twitch for roughly 20-24 hours while viewers can watch and donate. Some participants have a set playlist of games at certain times, while others play games based on the highest donation. It was my first time "attending" an Extra Life, and I have to say -- what an amaaaazing experience!

For this event I was watching StephenGeorg (surprise surprise, hahaha). I never would have even known about Extra Life if I didn't subscribe to his YouTube channel and had watched through some of his older videos and found his Extra Life playlist. This year him and his wife Mal (with the help of their friends Dan, Chaz, and their Twitch mods) were playing GameCube games, with the goal to reach $30,000 in donations.

They started on Saturday November 3rd around noon EST and ended around... 4 AM the next day (today). With Daylight Saving kicking in the middle of it, the stream lasted for roughly 17 hours!

The days leading up to this event, I was very determined to stay up all night with them. Unfortunately I woke up around 6 AM yesterday... so I ended up taking a nap around 1 AM. Then I woke up around 4:30-ish AM to find the stream offline. Initially, I thought this meant they had reached their ultimate donation goal and decided to call it a night. After a bit of snooping, though, I found out that their computer crashed and they couldn't continue the stream without the audio sounding very off (awwww... *pat pat pat*).

Regardless, though, Stephen and friends reached their donation goals (their first goal being reached within the first 4 hours of the stream!) and I am so happy for them. :)

Their playlist was based on the highest donation. The game would be played for roughly 30 minutes (then they would stop at the next save point) and then the next game would be played. When a game is played, the donation amount is reset to $0, but if enough donations put that game to the top, it can get played again. It was quite fun seeing some games neck-and-neck for top place, or a game shooting straight to the top spot after a very, very large donation.

I made a donation as well, and left this note, which was read out during the stream:

Hi Stephen, Mal, Dan, and Chaz! This is my first time watching you guys in Extra Life. I hope I'll be able to stay up through the whole thing. Please put all of this towards Chibi-Robo, the most dark but wholesome game -- until seeing you guys play Hello Kitty. Keep up the great work! :D

Below was the playlist. Even though I took a nap close to the end of it, I did some snooping and found the full list. Unless I mention something, the games were played by either just Stephen, or Stephen and Mal.

1. Hello Kitty Roller Rescue
2. Mario Kart: Double Dash
3. Chibi-Robo (Mal played this!)
4. Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue
5. Piglet's Big Game
6. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
7. Metroid Prime (Dan played this!)
8. Super Monkey Ball 2
9. Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door

--Pizza Dinner Break--

10. Time Splitters: Future Perfect (Stephen and Dan played this!)
11. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
12. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Stephen, Mal, and Dan played this!)
13. Amazing Island
14. Mario Party 4 (Stephen, Mal, Dan, and CPU [which Chaz declared was him] played this!)
15. Ribbit King
16. Amazing Island (I took a nap after this one)
17. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (Dan played this!)
18. Super Smash Brothers Melee (I'm guessing Stephen, Mal, and Dan played this!)
19. Mary-Kate & Ashley: Sweet 16 - Licensed to Drive (Not sure at all who played this)
20. Gameboy Player Disc (No Game) ~ Caused the computer to crash so stream ended here

Of the games played, Super Monkey Ball 2 made me a little nauseous with all the stage tilting, and Future Perfect's colour scheme was a little too dark for me. Besides those, everything else I watched was fun and entertaining, especially with Stephen, Mal, Dan, and the community's commentaries throughout the games.

I really enjoyed watching Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue, Chibi-Robo, Piglet's Big Game (for the commentary), Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (I gotta play that game someday), Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and Mario Party 4.

The biggest highlight, though, was Amazing Island, this mini-game adventure with a monster creation feature. Stephen created the most creepiest, ridiculous monsters ever -- it was hilarious! I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up to watch them play it a second time, even though my body was already clocked out (I kinda nodded off through most of Ribbit King). You can find some fanart of his creepy creations (along with other fanart based on the stream) on Twitter.

Below are some screenshots I took throughout the stream, and the final total raised since this morning (around 7 AM). If you like, click on the image to enlarge.

Mal playing Chibi-Robo. Stephen instructed everybody to take a

screenshot of that face and to make that their

social media avatar (on Twitter, Facebook, etc). Some people actually did it! XD

Stephen's reaction to the title screen of Piglet's Big Game.

Some viewers commented that Piglet was twerking, hahaha.

The start of the most amazing of amazing islands!

Stephen's first monster creation in Amazing Island. He named her Peggy.

Stephen's second monster creation in Amazing Island. This screenshot is not

his final work, hahaha. The final creation is wayyy more ridiculous.

He named him Todd.

Stephen's final donation total as of 7 AM this morning. $64,322!

I just checked and the total has increased by a bit since then.

And of course...

Stephen's "gathering cry" video -- to let people know Extra Life was happening.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions / comments, feel free!

I can't wait for the next one -- and I will stay up all through the night!!! The stream is over now, but to catch most of it, you can watch the video on Twitch here. I'm gonna watch from Ribbit King to the end, and then relax for the rest of the day... I never went back to sleep after waking up around 4:30 AM, hahaha... z.z

Take care and until next time :)

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

BLOG -- Recap of October

Early October was very rough for me. Then things got better in the last two weeks. Life actually feels a bit more balanced surprisingly. At least for now. Fingers crossed that it stays that way! @__@

Outings/Events in October:

- Hung out with friends overall x2.

- Had a vacation that didn't feel like a vacation for the most part.

- Attended my Grandfather's wake and funeral.

- Said good-bye to another co-worker *sniffle* ;_________;

- Went karaoking with a friend.

- Had a game day with my sister, her hubby, and a friend.

- Played a belated birthday prank on a good co-worker friend.

- Created a Twitch account and followed StephenGeorg.

- Stayed over at my sister's place x2.

- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news:
-I re-subbed for the Halloween event. Hopefully I'll do more while I'm re-subbed, hahaha...

- Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius achievements / news:
-My rank is currently 169 (yay I can leave the game alone for 14 hours 30 mins)
-I got a number of rainbows while trying to pull for the Valkyrie Profile banner, but... not enough of the rainbows were Valkyrie Profile banner units... ! I spent over 250+ summoning tickets pulling and was not satisfied. If I was calculating each summoning ticket to be 500 lapis, then I would have spent over 125,000 lapis on this banner... I only really wanted at least two Freyas... u_______u
-The rest of my tickets will be for the Nier banner (please please please come!).

Exposures:

- (Game): Super Mario Party -- This was okay. I'd say it was better than the last Mario Party game, but for some reason, it didn't feel like there was much variety to the boards. I LOVE the rhythm mini-games, though! Rhythm Heaven protoype for Switch right there! :3

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): The House With a Clock in Its Walls -- I love the message, although some plot points were predictable. I don't think I could ever define myself as "normal", haha.

Playing:

- (PS2): Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm -- Some parts were very repetitive, but overall I really enjoyed this game a lot. Even more than the 2nd game, even though this game was much simpler I think.

- (PS4): 428: Shibuya Scramble.

Reading:

- Nothing this month.

Currently...

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
- (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars
- (PS4): Fez
- (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
- (PS4): Nights of Azure
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PS2): Drakengard
- (Xbox 360): Magna Carta II
- (3DS): Story of Seasons
- (3DS): Culdcept Revolt
- (3DS): Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition
- (PSP): Persona
- (Wii): Fortune Street
- (PC): UnEpic
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7)
- (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 12 - Episode 22)
- (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3)
- (TV Show): X-Files (Season 11)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 2)
- (TV Show): Galavant (Season 1 - Episode 5)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan: Season 2 (episode 8)
- (YouTube): StephenVlogs (Day 245 -- I just wanted to keep track of this! Haha)

Reading:

- (Comic): Bodie Troll by Jay Fosgitt

That's it for October. Here are a few pics I took this month, plus a YouTube video. I was super tempted to share a video from StephenVlogs, hahaha. Maybe next time :3

My belated birthday prank for my co-worker friend.
They are Post-It notes with "DOOM!" crossed out and
"Happy Belated Birthday!" written.

Another shot of my prank. It took about 600 mini Post-Its
to cover that door. And each Post-It has "Happy Belated Birthday!"
written on it. :3

Two co-workers who dressed up for Halloween.

Left is a unicorn and right is the fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox.

"Parting" from 428: Shibuya Scramble.

After listening to the whole soundtrack, I am surprised that I frequently

come back to this track.

Thanks for reading!

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)

Hope your Halloween was swell and until next time! :3

Sunday, 28 October 2018

BLOG -- Weekly Thoughts #2 -- Social Media Stuffs; Next Weekend, and FFBE Banner

Another bunch of thoughts from me!

Social Media Stuffs

So just yesterday I did two things that were kinda major to me:

1. I created a Twitch account and subscribed to StephenGeorg (from StephenPlays / StephenVlogs), and
2. I re-logged back into my Twitter account for the first time since last year December, and I followed several people (the peeps from StephenPlays and a couple others) and made a Tweet.

Why were these two things kinda major for me? Because I don't know anything about Twitch (I am still trying to understand how bits work, hahaha...) and I don't really use Twitter!

About Twitch, it's not a surprise that I would subscribe to StephenGeorg, given that I've been talking about his YouTube channel a lot in the past couple blogs (my sister and at least one of my friends must be so annoyed by now, hahaha -- if anybody else is reading this and is annoyed as well... my apologies, lol). In all honesty, I can't even really participate with his usual Twitch streams because I am at work, but... I really wanted to create a Twitch account to prepare for what's happening next weekend (will go into more detail later).

Yesterday also marks the first time I ever supported somebody else financially on a monthly subscription. I know to some, this is nothing, but to me -- who gets pissed when her phone bills increase by even $5 -- it's a pretty big thing, hahaha. Eventually I hope to be able to support Stephen and his wife Mal on Patreon (as well as a couple other YouTubers).

And about Twitter... well, I mainly used Twitter in the past to enter contests. All of a sudden I feel like I want to be a bit more active. Maybe a tweet a day or something, hahaha. I won't share my Twitter page right now as I'm trying to move down my December tweet which was reallly embarrassing for me. Feel free to search it out if you like! :3

Next Weekend

So next weekend is Extra Life, a 24-hour gaming marathon charity event. I'm guessing anybody participating would attempt to stream their gaming for 24 hours and viewers can watch and donate during those 24 hours. I won't be participating (I know next-to-nothing about streaming and do not have any fanbase for it), but I am planning to watch StephenGeorg go through it! That's why I created a Twitch account yesterday. I wanna be able to watch and comment if I want to. I will also likely donate at some point in the stream -- I kinda wanna see him play Killer7, hahaha.

Now, I'm really too old to pull off an all-nighter... but I will try for this event! :)

I will likely be dead tired next Sunday when I make my weekly blog, hahaha.

Current FFBE Banner (Valkyrie Profile Banner)

So... the Valkyrie Profile banner is finally running in FFBE. Yayyyyy! The only sucky thing is that how the banner works was supposedly changed from how the banner worked in the JP version of FFBE. Supposedly in the JP version of FFBE, any rainbows pulled in the Valkyrie Profile banner would only be either Arngrim, Lenneth, or Freya VP. With the GL version of FFBE, any rainbows pulled in the Valkryie Profile banner could be any 5-star unit (excluding old limited time units).

This just blows. Aside from getting 2 Lenneths from the 25k Step-up Summon, I've only gotten 1 Freya VP and 1 Arngrim from the 250+ summoning tickets I've used. And through those 250+ summoning tickets, I pulled 5 other rainbows -- 5 other rainbows that could have been either Lenneth, Freya VP, and Arngrim if the banner worked the same way as in the JP version of FFBE.

I still have some summoning tickets left (I had been saving ever since the banner was released in JP FFBE -- that was a lot of resistance on my part to not use them all), but am debating on maybe just saving them for another banner. I have so many Lucians and Jelandas now... I don't really need more! @____@

So that's it for this blog. What are you gonna be doing next weekend? :)
Thanks for reading! As always, if you have any comments, feel free.

Take care and until next week! I wonder if I write differently when I'm half-awake... hahaha.

Sunday, 21 October 2018

REVIEW/THOUGHTS [VIDEO GAME] -- 428: Shibuya Scramble

Playthrough Status: COMPLETED STORY ONCE (still working through the rest)
Approx. Length: 35-40 hours (it will vary based on how well you make your choices)
Language: English
Played on: PS4
Also Available for: PC (also for Wii, PS3, PSP, iOS/Android in Japan only)
Type of Game: Visual novel
Overall Impression: This game is often noted as being one of the best visual novels out there. I wholeheartedly agree! :) <3

SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!

PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)

I don't exactly remember how long ago I was exposed to this title or even how. I just remember coming across the title 428 and telling myself to keep this in mind for if it would ever get localized... and I remember telling myself to keep this in mind for a long, long time. So long that I thought I was waiting for this since the PS2 days, hahaha.

Well, about 428, I actually didn't know anything about it. I didn't look up anything during my years of waiting (like what I usually do for games I want to play). I didn't even know that it was a visual novel until more recently. I just knew -- based off the title -- for whatever reason -- I wanted to play this game.

STORY

Maria Osawa is kidnapped. Hitomi, Maria's sister, has to deliver the ransom exchange to the kidnapper. Kano, a rookie detective, is tasked to be part of a stakeout for the ransom exchange. Then things go horribly wrong.

I could say more, but... I think part of the fun in playing visual novels is finding out what happens next, and believe me, a lot of things happen!

The story to 428 is just... simply amazing. I was very surprised and impressed. After starting up the game and watching the intense and serious introduction video, I never imagined there could be so much... lightness and humour. There is a perfect blend of light, dark, funny, creepy, and absurd moments and a really nice amount of depth and character development.

For me, the story is A++!

STORY STRUCTURE

One thing that I really like about 428 is its story-telling structure. The story for 428 is told in one-hour blocks, and the story does NOT advance until you reach the end of that hour block for each character (you can control more than one character in this game).

I like this method (as opposed to playing to the end for one character and then changing to another character) because I think it allows for more engagement from the player -- to be able to come up with more theories of what's going on in the story based on the limited information that's revealed in each hour. It also does a pretty good job of creating cliffhangers, driving the player to find out more.

I'll mention some of my theories and some story developments I was surprised about in the "Spoilers" section.

Also... if you plan to play the PS4 version, do not be misled by the non-hidden trophies as I was. Although... maybe being misled suits the nature of 428. I'll explain what I mean in the "Spoilers" section. And in case you are wondering, non-hidden PS4 trophies have the correct description to them. That is not what I mean by being "misled".

GAMEPLAY

I think the gameplay for 428 is pretty unique for a visual novel. For those who don't know, a visual novel is a story with visuals and music. Sometimes you can make choices which can affect the story or character responses. Other times there is no interaction at all and it is straight up reading.

As mentioned before, you can control more than one character in 428. For each character, you can make choices, but here is the catch: sometimes a choice you make will not only affect the story for your current character, but for another character that you control. Sometimes your choices won't affect another character's story, but other times they will -- and not always in a good way.

This is where the unique element comes in: switching between characters to "fix up" their timelines by making choices that ensure they all reach the end of their one-hour blocks safely.

This game demonstrates the idea of "cause and effect" very well.

Overall, I really enjoyed enjoyed making choices and seeing the outcomes. I'll mention some of my favourite, unexpected outcomes in the "Spoilers" section.

Making choices in 428.

THE BAD ENDINGS

Well, going with the idea that various choices can lead to not-the-best outcomes (sometimes for the current character and another character), there are a lot of bad endings in 428. There are even PS4 trophies for getting all the bad endings in each hour block.

I have to say... since there are a lot of bad endings in the game, some times I was really surprised / shocked when I reached the end of an hour block and it wasn't a bad ending. One time I exclaimed out loud, "No way -- That's canon?!"

While some of the bad endings may be predictable from the choices you make, other bad endings are completely unexpected and are really absurd and funny. I'll mention one of my favourite bad endings in the "Spoilers" section.

One piece of advice when trying to get all the bad endings: if you reach a bad ending for one character and they are interacting with another character, switch to the other character to see the bad ending from their perspective as well.

THE TIPS

Tips are blue-coloured text in the story that can be selected for more information. Some of these tips are very amusing and just hilarious. I'll show some of my favourite tips in the "Spoilers" section.

GAME AESTHETICS

I just have to mention how much I enjoy the game aesthetics of using real life actors / actresses to create the visuals and video sequences. I'm not sure if this is a common thing for visual novels, but I think this adds a lot of realism to the game. It also makes me want to go back to Japan and explore Shibuya! Hahaha. <3

CHARACTERS

I LOVE the main characters in 428. Each one is relatable and goes through their own path and development. Many of the secondary characters are likeable as well. Congratulations, 428! You made me care about your characters.

I'll say something about each of the main characters in the "Spoilers" section.

MUSIC

The music is great. Except for one track, they are all instrumental pieces that enhance the atmosphere very well (the creepy tracks make my spine curl). The instrumental pieces also vary between genres and tones, with each main character having their own theme and I think a few tracks unique to each character's story.

Below are a few instrumental tracks that I like:

"Main Theme". I love the edgy and chaotic sounds.

I think it's super-appropriate for this game.

"Minoru Minorikawa". It's so upbeat and energetic!

"Devotion". I love the emotion. It sounds like wistful nostalgia, hahaha.

REPLAYABILITY

I think this one is up each player. If you are aiming to see all the bad endings, experience everything, and / or re-watch/read certain scenes, then there is replay value. Some extra content does gets unlocked after completing the game.

For me, after I experience everything (I haven't done the extra stuff yet and I still have PS4 trophies to get), I know I'll be re-watching certain scenes and stories every now and then.

EDIT: May 11, 2019 -- I've since played through all the extra stuff and will note my impressions of them in the "Spoilers" section.

MY NITPICKS

So I do have a few nitpicks with 428. They are all minor, but I figure I should still mention them.

-I personally don't like the style of text going over the visuals. Sometimes the text is hard to read against the background visual. This nitpick is for all visual novels where text is laid out against the background visual.

-There were a couple instances where selecting specific Tips caused an issue:
-One tip (something about a "flyer") just wasn't translated properly, and the game stopped saving any progress after looking at it. When I noticed that I closed the game and went back in and didn't select that tip.
-Another tip (something about "Tabasco sauce") caused some error where the tip text was showing in the regular narration and then the game couldn't advance. I closed the game and didn't select that tip.

EDIT: May 11, 2019 -- Since then, the above issues I mentioned in the Tips should have been resolved. If you are playing 428 on the PS4, check if there are any updates.

-The localization has some spelling/grammatical errors unfortunately. I can't be totally mad about that since I know 428 has a lot of text to translate... but it does jump out at me at times.

428 VS. CANAAN (ANIME)

So Canaan actually takes place 2 years after the events in 428. I'm not exactly sure if this is canon, either.

I watched this years ago before playing 428, and I have to say: without any knowledge of Canaan being related to 428, Canaan is just, well... just okay. I only really cared about two of the characters, and neither of them was Canaan.

I am going to have to re-visit this series sometime in the future to see if watching it after playing 428 would change my impression of Canaan in any way.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Play it. If you enjoy a good story, wonderful characters, and great music, play it. Hahahaha. This game -- is definitely worth the experience.

Thanks for reading! If you have any comments, feel free. :)

So I'll do the scrolly thing and the "Spoilers" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

SPOILERS

I'll mention some of my theories and some story developments I was surprised about.

So here were some of my thoughts while playing the game:
-I had a feeling that Leland and Tanaka would be involved with the syndicate somehow
-I first thought that the lady Achi helped in the beginning was in the cat suit. A few hour blocks later I thought it could be Maria
-When I saw the minivan carrying the dry ice machine, I knew it would somehow be used against the bomb. It was just way too ridiculous of an element to not use!
-I had a feeling the man with the cane (before I knew him as Tateno) was after Hitomi's heart when Achi talked about Suzune
-I had a feeling the man with the cane was using the surveillance cameras around Shibuya to find Achi and Hitomi

And here were some things I was surprised about:
-Sasayama getting stabbed and then seeing the "To be continued" message. I was hoping he wouldn't get hurt in the story! :(
-Minoru being really close to that minivan explosion.
-The news about Maria being infected with the Ua virus. Such an intense plot development.
-Canaan really being Alphard. I did not see that one coming at all!

If you plan to play the PS4 version, do not be misled by the non-hidden trophies as I was.

So... the non-hidden PS4 trophies are for getting all the bad endings and completing the story to block 17:00. This led me to believe that the game ends at block 17:00 when there is actually a block 18:00! I was genuinely surprised and shocked when I reached a "To be continued" at the end of Minoru's story at 17:00.

I have a feeling this was intentional, since getting all bad endings for block 18:00 was a hidden trophy.

This shocked feeling also led to greater shock and surprise when I found out that I could play as Tateno and Stanley in block 18:00.

Good job, Chunsoft. You really pulled one over me! *tips hat*

I'll mention some of my favourite, unexpected outcomes.

Well, I will only mention two, 'cuz I only remember two right now:

1. When Tama hands Sasayama the Burning Hammer drink, which leads to Sasayama giving the drink to Kano. I find this so funny.

2. This one is my absolute favourite unexpected outcome. Maria deciding to leave her cat costume at the knickknack shop which results in Sasayama wearing the cat costume to try foiling... that foreign guy. Kano's reaction and then cutting to what he sees -- it is the most hilarious thing!

Sasayama in the cat costume! I love the magical sound effect

that plays when this visual is shown.

I'll mention one of my favourite bad endings.

The very first bad ending is actually my favourite one. For me, it was completely unexpected. The change from intense, super-serious questioning to Kano interpreting Achi's sleepy head slump as a confession... and then acting on that... it's just too, too hilarious!

Kano showing his "rookie-ness".

Also... the cockroach bad ending was also very funny! :3

I'll show some of my favourite tips.

Click to enlarge! :3

This one is my favourite so far. It's just so ridiculous and random!

This is a description of a cockroach.

I just find this funny.

I feel I have many of these modes myself, hahaha.

I wonder if this is a real thing, hahaha.

This is just great.

I really like the last two sentences of this tip.

I'll say something about each of the main characters.

I still haven't played through the bonus content so I'll only talk about the characters I did play with. For each one, as I said before, I really loved their growth and development. I think it's pretty amazing when I think of any of these characters in the later hour blocks and then think of them in the earlier hour blocks and I can feel a difference. :)

Kano: He is hot when he is serious, hahahaha. I love his conviction and his strong admiration for Tateno. That conversation he had with Shizuo was really sweet.

Achi: I like his sweetness and loyalty to Hitomi.

Tama/Maria: I was surprised by how light and funny Tama's story was. When I found out Maria was inside the cat costume, I wasn't completely sure how to feel in the beginning. I didn't like that Hitomi felt so inferior to her. Maria grew on me by the end, though.

Minoru: What a confrontational guy. Despite his... button-pushing interview tactics and tactlessness in coffee shops, I really respected his desire to write his best.

Kenji: At first I thought his story was very heavy and a bit draining emotionally. By the end, though, I'd often choose his story first. His emotional growth was so heartfelt. I can kinda relate in some ways. Not about being a father (of course), but about other aspects.

Tateno: It was only a short time playing his story, but I was super-stoked to play him. I really wish he had a happy ending with Kotone.

Stanley: It was a relief to find out that Stanley was really on our side and not working with Alphard.

I've since played through all the extra stuff and will note my impressions on them.

Suzune's story: This was, by far, THE BEST extra in 428. The story was really sweet and sad. I liked getting to see things from Suzune's perspective, as well as getting acquainted with Takuya. When Suzune found out that Takuya died, but he was struggling to reach his 15th birthday just so he could become a registered donor to give his heart... I was bawling like crazy. The music was great as well.

Mr. Clean's story: This was okay. It got better by the end. I really enjoyed the end credits to this story, though! I loved seeing the actors in 428 goof off and speak with each other.

Canaan's story: I wish I could say that I enjoyed this extra... but I didn't... and it was the longest extra to go. When I started this story, it was around 7 PM. I thought I would be done with it by maybe 9 PM at the latest. But... I finished around 11 PM. Canaan's story, unfortunately, was very long and boring for me. The only good thing to come out of this long and boring extra was this music track: Parting. Sadly, I was quite disappointed. I wanted to like Canaan, since she was so important to Maria.

If you read my spoilers, thank for reading them! Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment :D

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