Saturday, December 29, 2018

RichaadEB Donkey Kong Aquatic Ambiance is just Breathtaking



I had this melody for almost a year, but one of the reasons I have it is because the arrangement is incredible, I probably wrote an entry about this one a while ago albeit honestly I can't remember, but the arrangment is been in my head for almost 12 months now and I always try to share it with my friends because I honestly enjoy it more than the classic SNES composition.

The arrangement of the cover takes a nu-metal approach in which is not necessarily completely heavy but incorporate elements that are more towards pop to make the sound smooth and eclectic, it takes a beautiful contemporary and sophisticated approach as if it was part of the soundtrack of a cinematic experience.

The notes bring the best memories I had with my childhood, with the experience of gaming as an escape of reality but also by downloading music behind my parents back as they considered unholy any form of metal or music that wasn't approved by them. This video brings that happiness back in the mid 90's when myself and my estranged sybling we started playing Donkey Kong and Mario RPG and a world of imagination and sounds was opened to our eyes and ears.

Video games became my way to escape reality and their soundtrack became the music I could hear on the open; the importance of the video games that had in my life but in the life of many it was how gaming channeling subversion and creativity, it was and it is a way of expression and that's how I feel this cover is a way of expression but also something else, something elegant, something that is audio-visually appealing, which the experience is not only placed on the memories but also on how different generations can connect with a piece of music.

Please subscribe to RichaadEB, I promise you will enjoy his creations and his style. 

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Amouranth with Incels and Twitch

I am new to the world of streams, following them for a year at this moment, as well learning etiquette and there is not a big difference from podcasts. The Internet is a very unforgivable place especially when you are a content creator and a woman, because there is a horde of men with too much egos who will harass any women regards what they do.

In fact, it doesn't matter, no matter who you are, the Internet is not going to forgive you, is going to attack you, is going to ridicule you if you fall without any hesitation; for me the Internet is the representation of a plane of existence that we can be whatever we want to be to the world, the ultimate symbol of globalization and a scenario in which we is the epitome of unity and despair around the world.

With the rise of streamers, you can find any variety, from Let's Play to just chatting, and people will donate money, but also there is the sexual part influenced on the marketing in which people won't hesitate to get scantly and try to sell an image similar as cam-girls or cam-boys to ammase some wealth.

Between those last people there is Amouranth the online moniker of Kaitlyn Siragusa, an online personality from Houston - Texas, which has amassed around 2 million followers that dispersed between different social media but Twitch being her main channel of communication with her audience.

What I find fascinating about Amouranth is not that she creates something meaningful., in fact her content is quite dull as she doesn't offer any witty commentaries or anything special; she doesn't create anything new from what other cam-people had created on different platforms that can go from mecam.me or chaturbate or any other people, her online persona in fact is extremely boring as she doesn't do anything out of the ordinary but the aspect of her that got my attention is that she is playing with fire by attracting online, lonely men that create idilic fantasies about women, but also have proven their misogynistic and racist violence by believing themselves to be superior.

Yes, I am talking about incels and those are among Amouranth army, and yes she is playing with fire up to the point that she has been subject to harassment several times including by Pewdiepie which his behavior is far away from being punished but instead rewarded. We have two faces of the same coin towards online behavior and entertainment that is aimed towards a demographic that doesn't need oversexualized images or extremely toxic men  but guidance to make their communities better.

Another problem that I see with Amouranth is that she can become the victim of a deranged fan, and is not a weird idea because essentially anyone with some tracking skill can locate where their idols live or even send them personal mail; is not strange to see stalkers incidents towards celebrities or personalities and within the public she caters is only matter of time.

The type of entertainment that Amourant or any other streamers of her category offer is just shallow and lame, there is no reaction beyond morbidity on the body, there is no learning or exchange of ideas beyond faux flattering but they are a product of their time and eventually in a 10 years margin we will going to remember these fragments of e-history as a shameful part in which we can learn to create better content and be better role models.

The Multiversal Paradox of Beedle and the Happy Mask Salesman

Who are they?

This is just a mere theory based on observation of the different games that contain the Happy Mask Salesman and Beedle which they seem to exist outside of a temporal correlation of time and space, or to use a better word atemporal beings, because no matter where you are, no matter where you go, you will always find them, up to the point I am thinking they could belong to a separate race of characters such as beings that do not follow the same physic rules as Hylians but also they could be guardians left by the Goddess's to protect the Hero named Link through the ages.

Beedle and the Happy Mask Salesman through their different incarnations exhibit similar abilities to each other, they know events that are happening around them, they have abilities to teleport around the field of gameplay, they seem to be immortal as enemies just ignore them or simply don't mess with them; another ability the two characters carry between each other is to simply have access to a large amount of objects and pull them out of nowhere to assist Link.

Happy
 The knowledge of the Happy Mask Salesman seems to be vast and there are proof he traveled to different universes based on his first appearances where he keeps mementos int he form of masks through his travels on the different universes.

A theory I have, and I am sure many others had it also is that the Mask Salesman can alter his appearances to adapt to the timeline he is in, or at least to blend with the population which let people wonder who he really is? And if he could be related to his last incarnation that goes by the name Kilton.

Kilton and the Happy Mask Salesman have a lot in common besides their obssession with masks, they only appear at certain moments, have quirks on how they react to link but also seem to create powerful objects to assist the player. Kilton itself could be HMS who adapted his appearance to the unified timeline.

Since the unified timeline contains pieces of the previous ones, then it wouldn't be strange that HMS would find a way to survive but also to discard his previous appearance that was Hylian related into a more "creepy one" since there was no need to try to blend in with the decimated society that Hyrule turned to be after the Calamity Ganon.

Beedle
Beedle on the other hand I find him far more interesting, because he has been since the beginning of time aiding Link as a shopkeeper; around Breath of the Wild  he can travel everywhere in the blink of an eye or essentially be where and exists where you are at the same time.

For me Beedle is omnipotent and in a certain way omniscient such as the HMS but regards the incarnation his appearence always keep a similar look such as the bowl-do and the same mannerism over the different timelines and millennia, which let me think he could be the same person you find on the different placements.

The problem is to explain the existence of these two characters towards the multiverse theory, even on a epystemelogical way is difficult because it will lead these characters as an extension of a higher God or Goddess that is beyond the Golden Goddess's and that deity manifest itself in the most humanoid or monstrous form that is always behind Link to ensure his victory.

Some people say Zelda being the reincarnation as Hylia is the Goddess of Time have enough power, but on her humanoid form even if she wields great skills she seems to be more of a herald of the higher beings or a lesser god that rejected her divinity to become a guardian for eternity trapped in a cycle of reincarnation, while Beedle and HMS seem to defy every form of logic and manipulate time and space and time and seem to have an absolute power to manipulate their surroundings to always be there, vigilant.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Why is Important to take a Stand against people as Pewdiepie


To understand about Piewdiepie or Felix Arvid Kjellberg racist tirades or as he mentioned "slips or oopsies" is necessary to understand the historical background that Nazis planted on Sweden and how over the decades their influences never diminished but instead thrived.

Furugard
Sweden has turned into one new centers for the radical European right, is quite weird to say because even with the social equality and the country democratic values and human rights; is a contradiction because for almost a century, Sweden has been the epicenter of a large excesive amount of racists, nationalists and fascist factions.

Albeit we don't need to go far away, in Sweden getting the ability to congregate in public spaces regarding your political and ideological  you need a permit of the local police department which on the first week of July of 2018 the Nordic Resistance Movement found a spot to spread their hate on public space because they obtained a permit to congregate.

There were critics towards the demonstration but it opened a window towards the racism in the Nordic regions to the world, which even with the lax laws towards public gatherings it has shown that life ain't perfect in Sweden or Norway, that even with the equality that is sold as a form of branding there are several social issues as inequality and the lack of government control to put a hold on xenophobia and hate groups.

Felix or Piewdiepie, or whatever you want to call him is a product of the society he lives (just like many of us) but also over the last decade he has become one of the biggest influencers of the world by his Lets Play channel which let him appear on pop culture media and gain a massive 70 millions followers, but also the media itself are the ones who keep defending his behavior on their vast majority, as if you type down on Google Pewdiepie racist much of the cases focus him as "troubled" and a few actually dare to say his racist tendencies and the shallow apologizes he creates.

(Screenshot / YouTube.com)
One of the most recent cases was the endorsement of E;R a content creator that is wide known for their antisemitic and vitriolic content and E;R's channel grew almost 15K suscribers since the shutout. A problematic that is extremely concerning is that Youtube biggest content creator has become some sort of unofficial poster boy for the white nationalists across the globe but also he can become a key figure into indoctrination of younger audiences.

Usually within the communication theories, leaders of opinion or as they are called lately "influencers" can execute a power over a demographic that is extremely "innocent" due the lack of critical thinking and analysis of world politics and socio economical impacts that are tied with violence and movements of the masses.

One aspect that is good to know is when Felix started or at least if he was already the person that showed toxicity on his videos, my bet he was already as that when he started his channel, a mere reflection of what the gaming community is. The toxicity on the gaming community is widely known such as the case of Feminist Frequency, just to name one of many in which the fragility of the "bro's" egos tend to be extremely fragile that they can't take any criticism or any commentary that breaks their xenophobic bubbles.

Why is important to take a stand against people as Pewdiepie? Because you can't let someone promote hate, even if people will say everyone is entitled to free speech there are also consequences when you promote hate and if you as a person stay quiet then you are being an accomplice of hate.


References:
  1. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pewdiepies-excuse-for-promoting-racist-youtube-content-includes-more-racist-content_us_5c1027e4e4b00e17a533cb0d
  2. https://www.newsweek.com/pewdie-youtube-nazi-t-series-racist-anti-semitic-youtuber-subscribers-1252695
  3. https://www.newsweek.com/pewdie-youtube-nazi-t-series-racist-anti-semitic-youtuber-subscribers-1252695
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/05/whats-up-pewdiepie-the-troubling-content-of-youtubes-biggest-star
  5. https://wccftech.com/pewdiepie-controversy-recommends-racist-channel/
  6. https://mashable.com/2017/09/12/pewdiepie-n-word/#ZfTR78bjMiqy
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism_in_Sweden
  8. https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/.premium.MAGAZINE-how-sweden-became-a-thriving-base-of-neo-nazi-ideology-1.5629892

Monday, December 17, 2018

Legend of Badminton Episode 1 - Badminton Fair Review

Pirlock and his squire
I have to confess I love this little quirky indie game, is just fun to play and the dialogues are really funny. A few years ago I discovered by accident the prologue and I enjoyed it, it got my attention as there aren't too many quirky games in the market and Legend of Badminton really got my interest, not only because is funny but also because it's completely independent and is quite fresh towards the execution.

As left on the prologue Pirlock of Badminton is on his quest to recover his kingdom, not because to restore his honor but rather to restore his fame and gain more political power; Pirlock is just the antithesis of almost every protagonist in video games as he is lazy, enjoys to cheat every time he cans, mistreats every single living being and is a glutton with no remorse.

Appreciation for beautiful ladies and feet
As the prologue, the game keeps the same gameplay in which the player controls the enviroment through his touch through the screen of the tablet or the phone. The gameplay itself is quite intuitive and extremely easy to understand as the actions of the game are directed through the dialogues or the objects that are around the screen.

The scenarios are quite pretty in the design, almost as if they were made by hand and the offer quite a big amount of details, plus the color palette is outstanding  as it creates a distinction towards the components of the Legend of Badminton besides the witty dialogue and situations.

Now that we mention the color and the art are elements of the game that got our attention, as high attention to detail aren't common to see on indy style games and observing something as fresh as the art it can bring energy into any game as well future chapters.

The Legend of Badminton takes inspiration of older style click and point games such a Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island, there is even a slight influence on Pirlock design as he looks as Guybrush Threepwood but also he is his own character on his own right. Character designs are unique, as they go with the flow of the story, they play with the cliches of their own personas.

The difficulty of the game is quite hard, maybe it could be me that I had turned lazy with age but it took me a couple of months to defeat the game without the help of any guide, as I wasn't sure what were the proper steps to take to move forward the adventure. The length of the first chapter is quite long itself, as it can take an accumulated two hour mark just to finish it which is quite cool, as games as Undertale don't last long on the first walk through.

On the Windmill
If you want to buy the game, you can click here and it will redirect you to the Apple App Store which you can obtain for US$2.99. Remember that is always important to support indie developers, because you can help someone who is not associated with a bigger firm or bigger studio and you can help that person or group of people to fulfill their dreams of creating something to entertain you.

Thank you for reading us

References:


  1. http://www.guscalvo.com/2016/10/legend-of-badminton-prologue-game.html
  2. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/legend-of-badminton-episode-1/id1230578648?mt=8

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Que paso con Aurita Castillo?

Aurita y su Conjunto
En los últimos meses me han venido memorias de la música que a veces mi padre ponía en la casa, no era muy grande su colección hasta donde me acuerdo, pero por alguna razón que desconozco en mi propio ser, de pronto ligada con la melancolía pero oír estas canciones por medio de YouTube me despertó la curiosidad en saber sobre las agrupaciones de los años sesenta y setenta. 


Una de las razones por la que sentí esa curiosidad es porque por alguna razón del destino mientras veía por Google Maps lo que alguna vez fue el barrio Chambacu ahora se ha transformado en un anexo a la ciudad donde están negocios y parques recreacionales.

Chambacu, 1920 Autor: Desconocido
Para entender el porqué de mi obsesión con Chambacu (1), la razón es esencial y es basada en la composición cultural que ese tugurio que duro activo por más de cuarenta años produjo a nivel nacional (2).

¿Pero uno de los misterios que me han llamado la atención a lo largo de los años es quien fue Aurita Castillo? la cantante infantil de los años sesenta de la cumbia Chambacu de la cual con el pasar de las décadas se ha perdido total información de ella.

Las únicas pistas concretas de la autoría de los discos está basada en una página de Internet que maneja información de las disqueras y de los años de producción de álbumes, que al mismo tiempo dan indicios sobre el tiempo que los cantantes estuvieron activos y en el casi de Aurita las fechas que logre encontrar datan de 1965 a 1975, después de eso realmente no hay información concreta o videos que se puedan encontrar donde Aurita como tal aparezca en vivo (3).

De las páginas que visite la poca información que encontré fue que los dos discos que se sacaron con su nombre fueron en 1965 y el ultimo una recopilación en 1975, pero lo más seguro es que alguno se me haya pasado por alto.

Con lo poco que he podido encontrar, el autor original de la obra es el fallecido Pedro Nel Isaza Aguirre, y de la cual Aurita grabo dos versiones, la primera en 1965 con Discos Fuentes y la última en 1972 con discos Eco; ¿después de eso fue como si despareciera de la faz de la tierra lo que me llega a preguntar quien fue la voz detrás de las canciones? y quien fue la que poso para las fotos?

¿Porque digo esto? La razón es que esta es producto de su tiempo, los años 60 y 70 fueron el inicio de la manufacturación de ídolos de música citando como ejemplo el bubblegum pop y la banda ficticia Los Archíes (4) y la información que al menos abunda me da a entender que Aurita solo fue uno de los primeros ídolos Colombianos de la música, manufacturada para vender con la idea de un infante prodigio en el canto que podía captar el dolor del alma y la alegría de un pueblo.

Si alguien tiene información de Aurita o de las verdaderas personas que la interpretaron se los agradezco de todo corazón.


Referencias:


  1. http://chambacu1971.blogspot.com/2011/08/una-breve-historia-de-chambacu.html
  2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambac%C3%BA_(barrio)
  3. https://www.discogs.com/artist/3864309-Aurita-Castillo

Friday, December 7, 2018

Life is Strange 2 - First Episode Review

This is a game that even with the fantasy related elements it really hits you in the heart with elements that embark the realness of the situation the Diaz brothers are involved.

Life is Strange 2 is on a certain extent a departure of the first installment, the gameplay is a little bit different since now you control two characters, leaving the deuteragonist as an extension of the main character is his own younger brother who has telekinetic abilities that are triggered by a stressful event.

The style of the game is similar to the first entry, there is a soft pallette that reflects a naturalistic approach mixed with a symbology that is related to the characters roles in the game. The game narrative is far more complex than the surface that is presented as it presents alienation and racism in a very direct way.

It is indeed a sensitive topic but racial violence has to be addressed  more openly, that within certain segments of the population such as LGBT, people of color, based on language, family history and origins that are going to be subjected to discrimination based on political climate or geographic location in which ideals of the Civil War stay present in every day life, even towards religious ideals just to say some of several examples.

Probably the most heartbreaking one is with Hank and Doris Stamper in which Hank attacks Sean out of no reason, handcuff him in his office and assault him just for the fact that Sean is Hispanic and even mentioned on sending him to ICE to see if he is a citizen. That realness was difficult to play through but it was the beginning of the game what is a tearjerker and if you had been subjected to discrimination from the police you can understand how difficult is to trust them as a corp but also as the way they protect and retaliate against anyone that doesn't look or sound white.

Homelessness is another core element within the game, after their father's death the Diaz siblings found themselves running away and traveling around Oregon with an extremely budget and living on the road, even sleeping on an abandoned state park just because Sean the eldest of the two didn't wanted to end in the juvenile system and his brother taken to the United States foster care which it can be problematic to any youth at risk.

The soundtrack is just gorgeous, the entire game is accompanied of a soft indie rock that creates harmony with the storytelling, but also it reflects on the life of the Diaz brothers. The background music takes the lead as it gives a haunting enviroment to the settings of the games and the match with flow of the story.

The scenarios are just plain beautiful, especially the nature's trail; the trees and the river with the mountains in the background gives an overwhelming feeling as if you as the spectator are there with the siblings, is as much being around Oregon being around the nature paths and the imagery that is being surrounded around the Northwest of the United States.

Gameplay wise, is similar to the first installment mixed with the options of Before the Storm decision tree from Chloe, but it rather goes on a simplistic level where the options are shown before the moment that the game auto save the progress but overall it retains the classic controllers of the PS4 and PC that the other game had.

I totally recommend buying the first episode as it offers an interesting dynamics towards gaming, it gives a commentary about our current society problem and how we perceive isolationism versus globalism, but on how human capital affects individual and societal efforts of economical and political growth.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Fallout 76 is just a modern retelling of The Oregon Trail

This is just mere joke from my part, or a crazy theory but what if The Oregon Trail and FallOut 76 are placed in the same universe? For starters the two games set a close proximity to each other in terms of geographic location, where the protagonist is connected from Missouri and West Virgina in terms of history but also mobilization; in modern times we have I-64.

The geographical correlation between the two games could be a starter in which hints of the apocalypse mostly because the similarities found in the flora, fauna and biological agents that have a correlation  with the mortality in between the games and how much affect the players development i.e. dysentery in the Trail of Oregon and an evolution of the enviroment because of the nuclear war in the Fallout 76 game.

We all know that evolution is a constant process, take a look of the Galapagos Finches that in less than two generations they evolved in to a new species; which two generations span around 40 years and in between a couple of centuries and with the proper catalyst (nuclear catastrophe) a simple viral or parasitic infection mutated up to the point that affected everything around it gained the ability to kill almost instantly anyone.

Let's imagine the scorched, beings who used to be human and were infected by a plague who left them on a semi-conscious state in which they aren't full humans but not full ghouls as they retain their knowledge of who they have become but not who they were. Probably it was.

The Scorched where formed because of a plague, and the plague was product of a biological weapon that the key component was made by an underground fungus found on the Appalachian system; fungi are also common to be used within the Cherokees apothecary medicine as well into modern medicine. So we shouldn't be surprised that Arktos Pharma  experimented with some other agents to create a biological weapon powerful enough that would destroy a complete ecosystem.

Maybe, the staff from Arktos Pharma knew that dysentery on their Earth was powerful enough to kill people back on the 1800's and just used  what they have in their disposition to change the panorama of their world.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Mirror's Edge and Philosophy

Lately I've been trying to organize my thoughts about how mortality is expressed in video games, but also how much philosophical influence you can find into a piece of entertainment, there are several games around but it was Mirror's Edge who got my attention the most because of the use of philosophy such as free will, social contract, politics and how we as a society we can influence our niches and communities but also how politics can model us after a totalitarian regime rise to the power.

The game itself is quite complete even if is an action oriented platformer but the cinematic sequences and dialogues open on how the world of Faith Connors is structured and is not far away on how ours is developing, the parallelism of Faith's totalitarian regime and what is happening in the Americas within the rise of the populist regimes and the cult of personality that the leaders develop.

The necessity of Faith's profession being a runner is a demand created by the offer of traffic information without being detected, because of the controls the regime in the unnamed city has over every single thing in the daily life. We can compare on a certain extent with China and their social credit system in which every citizen is monitored and every action is controlled by the government which led to the development of the runners.

City of Glass
The anti-authoritarianism force can have consequence in the world outside what the government tries execute on the citizens such as manipulating the information but also attacking and dismantling any form of resistance i.e. the pursuit cops.

Also, the game deals heavily with concepts of life and death in which Faith seems to embrace nihilism in her daily life because the game title is her personal philosophy of living between the gloss and the reality, as if everything that is linked to her senses such as her perception to reality and death.

As a player the most gruesome concept of the game is when you die, which much of the time being bullet down by the state police is less horrible than falling to your death, there are no proper words how nerve wracking is to see Faith falling to her death from such high distance which makes you wonder how many other runners had died in a similar fashion, but also how in real life you can have an idea how is to die by falling from a great height just to wake up on the last saving point.

The idea that Faith's reality could be simulated doesn't sound strange; it doesn't matter how many times Faith dies, she always resets to the last spot she was which we can be in an epistemological problem as she couldn't be aware of her own reality in a dystopian future but also why death doesn't affect her.

The game constructs the notion that reality can be manipulated, but also it follows the ideas that reality is what we perceived and how our experiences manage us; we, maybe as individuals pre-programmed that we have free will but in reality we don't, we can be an extension of what makes us social creatures or extensions of the social collective, that is linked to our humanity.


Saturday, November 24, 2018

Elder Scrolls Arena, First Hour of Gameplay

Promotional Image
The first game of the Elder Scrolls that I ever played was Skyrim, it blew me as I never saw something as open as that game in my life, even with Grand Theft Auto I feel that the mobility was limited and the interaction with the NPC's was also extremely restricted.

With the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim it was the first time I played freely in an scenario that let me interact with everything around, and it was a big world map also; as a player I was impressed and it gave me the idea to play the other games without any order just because I wanted to enjoy the experience.

It wasn't until this week, where I finally decided to play the first game ever, I bought it along with Daggerfall as I never had the chance to play them when I was younger and I am extremely impressed because there wasn't something as Arena back in 1994, and is easy to see based on the technical capabilities of the time why it influenced players through different decades and the development of other games.

I couldn't imagine my 10 years old self facing the first dungeon and getting killed without even saving and having to restart over, my 34 years old self was screaming when I got killed within the first ten minutes and I didn't even save it, learning from the experience I save every single step that I took because I noticed this game is unforgiven with new players and it can surprise old ones also, the controllers aren't intuitive albeit with some hours of gameplay they tend to get easy.

 One thing that happened with old games loading times within the world map it was that everything would pop out and enemies could just spawn in front of you and kill you really quickly without you even noticing, it happened to me twice with rats because they were following me and I didn't got a clue they were so close.

What is fantastic about the game is that is mostly automatic generated making the experience different for every gamer which for 94' that was a big feauture, adding that it has a day and night cycle, and if you are stuck outside at night beware because enemies will approach from everywhere.

The enviroment is tense, you feel you can die in every corner, but also it gives magnificent scenarios that are quite large to explorer and a wide variety of NPC's and enemies that are lurking everywhere.

The soundtrack is cool, and the addition of cinematic sequences makes the game quite charming, as if it's a little jewel from almost 3 decades ago that is still as relevant as it was when it came out on the market.

One interesting aspect is that this game is relic of is time, it's on the same era as Doom, Wolfstein 3D, Quake Grand Theft, the first two Monkey Island, cult game Normality and the classic Ultima IV. Games that influenced storytellers but also the industry towards PC gaming towards the development of 3D games in PC gaming.


Saturday, November 3, 2018

DeltaRune Demo Review

You have created 
This is a complete departure from the Undertale formula but yet it has the charm of the old game, graphic wise is similar but story and gameplay are a departure of what Undertale was.

I was honestly impressed from the beginning to the end because I wasn't expecting this to be a demo as it's extremely well done but even with some minor bugs and glitches the experience of Deltarune is enjoyable.

To make a synopsis the game is a reinvention of the formula, characters from the previous game appear in new roles and to give a spoiler (assuming that a big amount of players download the demo) there is an influence of Sans through the game in which we can appreciate his "shortcuts" on a physical manner and it can give us an idea extremely quickly.

Being a demo it leaves outside several aspect of the story as well a proper tutorial because you as a player will be interacting with three characters at the same time, the battle system also drastically change from the previous actions in Undertale such as giving mercy or even sparing the enemies because you will have two other sidekicks which are Ralsei which is more of a pacifist and Suzie who is extremely aggressive and can change the outcome of certain events.

King
The controllers are extremely easy to understand, in a certain way the main map interface keeps the old Undertale close as possible but the battle system is where the fun begins as is a complete overhaul, the best way to explain is to mention that the battle is arranged similar to the classic Final Fantasy, three characters arranged in perpendicular position and the characters positioning affects the menu and the combos.

The music is just spectacular, that's the main reason I couldn't believe this is a demo, the soundtrack is just supreme because the music helps the action of the game to flow and even on the most mundane actions such as avoiding an enemy there is a fantastic composition that makes you want to continue playing until the end.

Besides the great technical aspects there are also some Easter Eggs and hidden boss which adds more value to the game, because as the first Undertale you want to discover them all and find every single possible action, there are different endings and secret bosses around the game, is just truly spectacular to find something as Deltarune and that it was for free because it placed Toby Fox again in the center of attention as an indie developer.

Main Menu
Also one important thing that to know with Deltarune is that even on 2018 there is room for a narrative in the video-game industry, this game is not highly advanced in the graphics, it has an old style almost vintage from the early 1990's but the story is complex and interesting, the characters are well developed and it offers an immersive narrative.

Probably Toby Fox's biggest assets as a developer is that he is an amazing storyteller, which can gather people and enjoy his products but we need to add that the protagonist of his mangum-opus is a non-binary person and the other characters at any moment mention Kris about being within any specified gender which it makes this game great for the queer community, because we don't have a proper representation towards the video game industry.

If this is honestly a demo and something else will come, I would love to play it from the beginning to the end because it was wonderful, I would buy every single chapter just to know how the story progress and how the new world is connected to the previous.

If you want to read some further content on Deltarune here are some resources:

  1. Game Crate: https://www.gamecrate.com/toby-fox-shares-more-deltarune-details-including-how-it-connects-undertale/21275
  2. Twit Longer: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqn3p9
  3. Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/undertale-fans-already-have-theories-about-whats-going-1830165547

Monday, October 8, 2018

Playing Online Massive Multiplayer Games Half a Year Later

So recently I decided to give a shot to online playing again, I only maybe tried WOW for like two weeks around ten years ago and it was fine but it didn't really got my attention until maybe around 2015 when husband bought Final Fantasy 14 and a little bit after the Elder's Scrolls Online and also he got FF14 got for my birthday this year as he wanted the two of us to play together but my attention to these types of games was completely out of my focus.

Since we live in a small apartment I probably set my attention watching him play, as the computer and the Playstation are in the living room. Out of nowhere, I just mentioned that I would like to play together and he got the card and got the game without thinking, at first I only played when he was near, but also with time I found myself immerse in the game atmosphere and I wanted to know more about the experience.

Elder Scrolls Online was maybe the game that put some ideas on my persona about playing further these type of games, the game itself contained some of the essence of the Elder's Scrolls but it wasn't the same as many aspects diverted from the source; graphics was one of them and how the interaction with the NPC's was executed, but the biggest disappointment for me was nothing compared to the same immersion given on the stand-alone games, I was honestly bored and probably played for around 2 months before dropping the control and continued with something else.

I know ESO has people who enjoy it, myself on certain extent included as not long ago I decided to give a small game play and see if there were any changes. During the last year another two games I had the chance to try were Fortnite and Player Unknown Battleground.

 Fortnite is quite interesting, it's a game that doesn't require too much memory and plays quite easily with almost every computer besides being multi platform, PUBG is not far behind only with better graphics and a more realistic scenario.

Player vs. Player games seem to be on vogue lately, and it attracts millions of users per year and it generates a decent revenue but is not a genre for everyone, there is no chance to enjoy the enviroment if you get executed quickly and even if you survive the objectives of these types of games tend to be extremely limited and is usually oriented to what person or teams can win.

As any other game to chose, the best way is to try them first and see which community you feel you fit the most. At the end six months later of continuously playing even if it has been longer but it wasn't until 2018 that I finally made my mind into what new community I want to be inmersed and I had enjoyed playing Final Fantasy a lot as it's perfect as a couple's activity.

At first Final Fantasy can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you are joining late on the game's story development as myself. It's a world of is own with is own lore, writing system, races, technology, etc. It's almost even a vision to another universe in which you can explore based on the level you gain.

It's interesting to see that almost every NPC has their own way to talk, the fauna and flora differs from every region and customary traditions; I am enchanted with the game as it offers what I am looking for but also it has helped to connect with a community that essentially role play with the characters they develop and they become one with their online personas.

Friday, October 5, 2018

RichaadEB

RichaadEB
Last July I had the chance to go to Metro-Con in Tampa Bay, it was the first time I was also going for the four days of the convention as last year I only went for Saturday and it was also the first time I was going to a con which was a fantastic experience.

This year it was amazing, not only because I had the chance to finally meet several cosplayers that I've been following but for the first time I had the opportunity to meet him thanks to Metro Con in Tampa Bay, Florida but also besides the meet and greets he was playing for the first time in a live show and it was incredible.

The first moment I saw RichaadEB it wasn't on the concert itself, it was on the first day of the convention that myself and my friend Kim who we always go together to these events.

My surprise was that he was already there also, he was walking along with Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young, among Caleb's wife and Thundersque. All the people I admire were walking not far away from where we were sitting listening music as on the first day there aren't many forums as well many cosplayers.

They passed and say hello, I couldn't even muttered a word because I was excited to see them all, much of the reason I like Metro Con as a convention is that you as an attendee have the chance to see the guests walking among everyone and posing for photos, from all the conventions I've been you never get a more one-on-one experience as is Metro Con plus the cosplayers are just awesome.

RichaadEB is just the epitome of smooth but also extremely cool, his style on stage is just smooth as the chords on his guitar but also his stage presence is just unique, I am trying to think someone who Richaad reminds me of but there is no one.

His demeanor is just smooth and calm much as the audiovisual content he create, his stage persona translates perfectly on the stage as well on the interaction with his fans but listening to him play live is just a unique experience because his hammers, his pinch harmonics is just flawless, I can go on and on on his technique because honestly it really impressed me.

The first time I heard about RichaadEB it was when YouTube was on is first years, I was trying to find covers of Final Fantasy but also find music that I never found in Colombia, at first I found the channel of ToxicxEternity and from there some of the channels that YouTube suggested was eRock and RichaadEB back when Richaad was going by his non artist name and I got stuck.

Over the years Rich has dangled between nerdcore, hard rock and metal; his fusion of styles is just so cool, he can make you rock to the Tetris A Theme or Kirby's Gourmet Race and add humor to his videos which the production values are extremely good but also catchy. Probably one of the aspects that made me a life long fan of RichaadEB is his humor, is just subtle but also that nerds can relate.

The meet and greets were quite nice also, great way to speak with the guests and take photos. Probably could be because of the intense schedule, but I noticed that Rich is a man of few words but also extremely eloquent and really pleasant with his manners; it was also fun to see a musician that I been following for almost a decade for the first time.

Besides all of that, one aspect I love about RichaadEB it is his involvement within the Undertale music, not only on the official soundtrack but also the covers, his cover of Death by Glamour with Family Jules is just even better than the one in the game, is full of energy and the two personalities contrast in an release of energy which make the final audiovisual product incredibly dynamic.



Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Caleb Hyles is Kawaii

Property of Gus Calvo (Metro Con 2018)
I've probably been following Caleb's career for a long time, I can honestly even remember the first time I heard him while I was looking for Full Metal Alchemist covers and I ended up becoming a full fledged fan with his rendition of Defying Gravity.

Albeit his biggest assets besides his incredible voice are his charisma and that his authentic, what you see on-screen within his music videos or his streaming's at his Twitch account is him, an incredible genuine guy who can make anyone feel welcome.

Last year on 2017 I had the chance to see him for the first time along with Jonathan Young at Metro Con, I missed the concert but I made it on time to check their Disney Sing-A-Long, it was fun, and it was also my first time going to a con, I couldn't honestly believe they were there.

They sounded as they were in the music videos, people in the sing-a-long room where going euphoric, they were excited to interact with their idols and be in the same stage as them but they were happy to see them live; a year later, I had the chance not only to be back on Metro Con  but to see the concert of 2017 and it was awesome, the fans were happy singing along and repertoire was incredible.

Myself and my friend Kim who was the one who introduced me to the world of the cons we sat down outside the auditorium, I was happy just to have a chance to see them in person, when my friend saw they were leaving the auditorium surrounded by fans she was excited too as it was myself who passed their music to them, she knowing I am a fan of Caleb Hyles said to me you should go before you lose your chance, I only replied "there is always a next year, but I am happy just by the chance to see him and Jon live"

After the fans were asking for photos and autographs, an improvised session happened just in front of us and they were there near room 23, they ask if it was OK for me and my friend if they could the session there, they even ask the Metro staff and they didn't objected. My friend again ask if if I was going to say hello but the nerves collided and I was there watching but being happy.

A year later, or summer 2018 I went back to Metro Con, after seeing that he and Jon were invited I bought the ticket as soon as possible and as always when it reached July me and my friend we went again, we even made a tradition to go as many cons even for one day but Metro Con has become the it event for events, cosplayers and music.

The first day I was excited, we saw each other and we spend a good chunk of the day listening to music and going to a few panels. Yes, on the comic cons you have people outside any events playing music on the hallways of the con, again at a certain time around 3PM on Thursday we saw them, Caleb's wife was there too and RichaadEB who got invited was along with Thunderesque, I panic one more time and it was something that never happened to me before as I am usually not a nervous person but there was a group of people I deeply admire in real life.

On Saturday after shopping some items and I didn't wanted to hang out on them I took them to the car, on the way I inbox Caleb as I wanted to say hello before the concert started, in the mean time I was also getting messages from a friend who was also going and they were going to the concert and they were waiting for Caleb also, he was going to let them in, when I was heading to the second floor in between the communication, I got another message from Caleb that he was heading to Kelsan but he was also on the second floor.

I never imagined meeting someone I admire as much under those exact circumstances, chasing each other and chasing another person. I saw him by mere casualty before taking the electric stairs for the first floor, out of nowhere I let my voice create the most loudest but bass tone I could generate and in between the noise he heard me, there was this big smile in both of our faces and there was an honest hug as if we knew each other in real life as long as memories could take us.

After we met with the other person, Caleb took us inside before the concert started and we sat the sound check and met with RichaadEB and Jonathan Young, neither myself or Kelsan we couldn't believe it, we were there before everything started and it was an unforgettable experience, the sound it was incredible and the show was extremely entertaining and funny

The last day I had the chance to get a few merchandise items getting signed, in between those items those items there is one of the CD's with covers, the cover itself is extremely kawaii and it follows that style of Japanese form of animation that the characters are bishonen in which the characteristics are made to be as cute as possible.

The album is a series of covers to Anohana, Naruto, Yuri on Ice and One Punch Man, which make the album have a great feel good vibes, in which you can enjoy on a quiet afternoon.

Much of the songs can be found also on Caleb's channel for free, the only exception but I am not even sure is the Unravel - piano version as I never heard that one before on his channel.

The essence of the album is just pure and wonderful, it's enjoyable as it has happy tunes around, it really uplift the spirits of anyone; but, also it's a reflection on how music that is aimed for nerds can reach to anyone; in 20 years I wouldn't imagined people singing along to anime intro's and lesser gathering to celebrate nerd culture. Kawaii is a testament on how one person can gather so many people through music, make them feel they are friends for a long time but also to let anyone find friends within his community of #peaceloveandmetal.

Kawaii is one big celebration to the conventions where people can gather and be their authentic selves; Kawaii is a celebration to friendship.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

What if Peach crown is another Super Crown

I been thinking for a while, and this is a mere what if? Nothing to be taken serious. With the introduction of Peachette and fan made Bowsette, the item of the Super Crown has become some form of staple in the vast arsenal of the war items in the Mushroom Kingdom, but what if this item had played a role towards evolutionary patterns but also political ones on the Mushroom Kingdom?

Think it and it wouldn't be strange, why someone as Peach would look more human than the rest of her subordinates? I am not talking on the Odyssey game but rather on the Deluxe games that follow the classic story and the linear pattern of the games without placing any other characters of the expanded universe.

With this item I been thinking that the Peach we know is a mere construction to keep peace in the Kingdom, that in reality there has been many of them and when one dies another one takes her place making Peach to be "eternal", think how much Toadette looks like Peach when she enters the super form, but is not the first time we see something similar, what if the concept of the hats or accessories transforming characters into others was saw for the first time on Super Mario 64 DS.

This makes me think that hats and crowns are items of war in the Mushroom Kingdom and their use is to bring symbols of peace but also to create soldiers. Toadette transforming into Peachette made me thought that Peach herself was a regular Toad before obtaining the crown she sports and since the Toads are a gender less species the construction of a more human body is just a mere commodity and just made for protocol.

Now imagine if Mario and Luigi are Toads that were granted also similar abilities because of their hats, that means the military defenses of the Mushroom Kingdom could be almost impenetrable if several Toads at the same time sport the plumblers hat they would become a force to be feared with. While in the case of Peach, just having an extra crown or preserving any newer one could mean that the Princess would be replaced and nobody would notice as the crown itself would give the wearer the same physical appearance of Peach, which at the end the question is "where there was a real Princess?"

Saturday, September 22, 2018

A Year in Cosplay Part 3

At this moment, it has been a year for me going to the comic book conventions; each one of them is a complete different world from one another and every year even the experience is completely different. One goal that I have for my second year is to create a full line-up for the conventions that I am going, so far my I have a few choices such as Sans from Undertale, Morty, Evil Morty and to do something steampunk along with Deadpool, I still have until May to decide what I want to do and how much I want to invest.

My yearly cycle ended with Mega Con Tampa which was the first one I went for the full duration mostly because I wanted to see Stan Lee and also to learn more of the experience. It has been an interesting year going through the different ones as I saw that each con has their own set of rules but also it attracts different set of people.

You can find different cosplayers going to i.e. Tampa Bay Comic Con from what you see in Metro Con and Mega Con Orlando, so if you are going to take photos you have one chance only to request them as cosplayers go on a limited time and much of the time they only have their cosplays for a certain time of the day before they change to another.

Depending on the area, vendors will usually go to the same cons, some vendors are only found on convention grounds and they do not offer their services outside the events, which is good to keep their business cards as they can always become handy if you are looking to update items on your cosplay or to purchase something in particular.

There are plenty of Cons in Florida all year long, I think the last big one is on December 14th and that is Holiday Matsuri in Orlando which it will be the first year I am going and I honestly don't know what to expect, but after going to 10 in the last 12 months I learned which one is my favorite, which one I can take better photos, which ones I am going for the full duration or other ones I am going exclusively for the panels.

Metro-Con so far has been my favorite ever in Central Florida, is just perfect on terms of fan approaching, you have amazing cosplayers everywhere, the hosts walk among everyone, you can take photos with them in the hallways; the panels incredible and the shows the cosplayers put on every corner are worthy for the photos but also entertainment.

Price wise Metro Con is probably the best one in terms of being budget friendly, since autographs do not cost (I don't know if rules will change next year) guests usually sign the merchandise you buy from them, they don't charge for photos either, the vendor's hall is small but has a good selection and is not limited only to the vendor's room as you can find some other vendors around the convention center.

Metro also is the only one that has a Maid's Cafe in all the Tampa scene, which adds an extra value and from what I heard the food in the cafe is really tasty and affordable, I am definitively buying it for next year as I missed this year because of doubts as if I was going to like it but after talking with the maids and reading the reviews I realized I made a mistake so I postpone it as I also never been to a maid's cafe before.

There is nothing much I can say, but next year I am going to write a series of entries towards each convention and each entry will be based on the days I am going. Thank you for reading me and I hope you have a nice day also.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Apreciacion cultural de la Champeta


Son casi once años los que tengo viviendo en la Florida, no soy precisamente alguien que se aferre al pasado ya que casi siempre estoy en el momento y pensando en el futuro, pero hay cosas y vivencias que me moldearon y que siempre recuerdo y una de esas cosas era la cultura Cartagenera, no estoy precisamente hablando de un aspecto negativo sino mas bien de la música, de la cultura que las urbes sociales de estrato cinco y para arriba odiaban porque a palabras de mi madre era “música de negros” estoy hablando de la Champeta.

Cartagena es la historia de dos ciudades, es la mejor manera como la miro, divididas por el Caño de Bazurto, La Cienega de Tesca, la Bahia de las Animas y décadas de administraciones locales que han dejado a la ciudad dividida; si uno va en un avión uno puede ver con detalle las diferencias sociales que pasan por el serro de la Popa y van de la Zona Norte hasta Castillogrande y el resto de la ciudad la verdadera Cartagena.

La zona comercial y turística es la que siempre se vende, fue mi prisión por mucho tiempo pero cuando podía escapar siempre me ponía a oír la música en los pick up por Zaragocilla, 13 de Junio, Pozon, Olaya, por detrás del Centro Comercial los Ejecutivos y por la Castellana.

En la casa estaba prohibida y en esos tiempos Youtube ni existía ya que era por 1997, 1995; el Internet de por si era una novedad en la ciudad y era cosa de ricos. Años después, caí en cuenta de la importancia de la red mundial ya que comenzó a permitir el intercambio cultural como sitios como Myspace y Youtube cuando comenzaba. Los Torrents eran cosa seria, ya que contenían virus y había que esperar que los que tenían el material estuvieran conectados.

La primera vez que oí una champeta fue en el año 95, y fue la del Pato Donald, era casi caricaturesca, pero me llamo la atención, era la primera vez que podía oir algo como eso y se me quedo en la cabeza. Los años pasaron y en el colegio fue donde tuve más exposición a la música ya que los que manejaban la improvisada emisora de radio que sonaba en los descansos ponían la música, pero cuando me preguntaban que cual artista me gustaba mas no tenia la misma idea porque realmente no podía llevar semejante cosa a la casa sin que mis padres me la quitaran.

En general la curiosidad me termino matando en varias ocasiones y cuando empecé a tener un poco mas de independencia, que de independencia no era un carajo si no que aprovechaba los momentos que podía y me desaparecía por las calles del Centro Amurallado por el sector de la Escuela de Bellas Artes donde en algunos establecimientos ponían las canciones y podía quedarme oyéndolos, eran por momentos, por ratos tremendamente cortos pero era de las pocas veces que podía ver la autentica cultura de la ciudad que no estaba confinada a las playas de Bocagrande y la vida social del Club Cartagena.

Alredor del 98 fue la primera vez que me entere quien era El Afinaito, y trate de buscarlo en línea pero fue imposible ya que en ese entonces en la ciudad no se consideraba como herramienta valida el Internet para hacer marketing, pero no fue hasta cuando entre en la Tadeo Lozano que aprendí a coger las rutas de los buses en la ciudad y en ese momento aprendí a perderme de manera controlada para buscar la música que quería oír y la cultura que quería ver.

 Mis padres nunca entraron en detalle cómo me aprendí rutas que en teoría no debía conocer, pero la razón era muy sencilla cada vez que podía me metía en los barrios donde me metieron la idea en la cabeza que todos eran enemigos de uno.

La realidad siento que por rato largo perdí el tiempo que tenia para meterme mas de lleno en la cultura de la ciudad, la escena musical, lo poco que vi en el poco tiempo que viví en la ciudad donde naci me hizo pensar que había una realidad mas compleja de la que siempre vivía. Un aspecto que entendí ahora de viejo es que la música Champeta en un paralelismo de la herencia Afro-Caribe es también un testamento del desarrollo tecnológico y la importación de bienes electrónicos en la ciudad, como procesadores de audio e instrumentos musicales.

Como un buen amigo mío me dijo en varias ocasiones “la champeta tiene un sonido que parece MIDI” y le doy la razón ya que hace casi 30 años el sonido electrónico fue lo que empezó a popularizar la música y hacerla más accesible a las masas; siempre manteniendo el mensaje que va ligado con las realidades que se viven en los diferentes barrios.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Mario RPG and the Legacy of the Seven Stars

It's been twenty three years since this game came to the market, it has been one of the most influential games even if it only had one installment and fans two decades later still want to see a continuation (including myself) of the game, because after the break of Square and Nintendo I honestly feel there was no proper conclusion to the saga.

It was 1996, I remember I got this game along with Donkey Kong Country 3; the gamed itself came late on the Super Nintendo Life as the N64 was already on the market and creating a buzz with his debut title Mario 64 and subsequently Ocarina of Time which became staples on the brand but also influenced story telling on other games as well on how the gaming can be art but also to reach an audience.

My first impression of the game hasn't change since 1996, I was surprised by the intro music and the sequence, there wasn't anything else as that with the exception of Star Fox but finally the fans we had something more relatable as many of us from that generation we grew up with Mario since day one on the NES and that first jingle that I don't need to describe is in our heads 30 something years later.

At that moment I wasn't a huge fan of turn base RPG's but I was feeling interested as I wanted to see Mario and see what he would do on a more complex enviroment than the platformers. The intro of going inside Bowser's Keep and reaching Peach and learning how the game works it made me feel happy, there was finally this complex story of Mario that still kept the essence of saving the princess but also that you could interact with other character's, it was the first time I learned about what an NPC was as I had no previous interest in genres that contained them and obtaining the Legend of Zelda "Link's Adventure and Link to the Past" were difficult.

It was the first time I feel a connection with video games and I was only 12 years old, it was the moment in my life where I saw them as an item similar to books or puzzles but more entertaining and I was playing the games my father had on the Atari but it was the first time I feel identified with a hobby or an activity and with the merchandise.

The narrative of the game influenced the spin-off such as Paper Mario and the franchise of Mario & Luigi, they contained the elements but not the essence of what was Mario RPG, which let fans for years asking for a sequel a true sequel, a product that maybe will impact the Mario universe or tell a new story of the plumber of the Mushroom Kingdom?.

Surely Mario Galaxy is the epitome of the story telling, it just unifies all the games, it can even be given the possibility on the new universe to set a new RPG game, it can be 3D and bring old characters back such as Bellome or Mallow, it can really happen if Nintendo and Square reach on an agreement, it would be amazing to explore the Mushroom Kingdom far away from the concept of Mario Odyssey, and to see it on a more classical way.

At the end the question is would a sequel would generate the impact the original game had? Probably no, Mario RPG was one of is kind, a game that was meant to be a standalone concept, but a sequel wouldn't be bad, it could be a nice piece of nostalgia that could find is position with the demographics who grew up with Mario and contribute new elements on the Mario Lore.