Mango Moxie

horseecomics: “Do you think dating is too confusing? Do...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:39:59 -0500

“Do you think dating is too confusing? Do you”

It’s all sorts of confusion, Horse. Some of it is cute but most of it is WEIRD and AWKWARD.

Tumblr of the Soul: My Musings on Playing 'Persona 3' in My Current State of Mind

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:30:00 -0500

Well well well, looks who’s finally writing something up here again. Yeah, I know its been a while, but I wanted to talk about games and me again (oh wow, big surprise), but not in a critical or artistic way like I do on my other tumblr.

I just wanna kinda talk, and I’m certain no one’s going to listen or care, but whatever.

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of Persona 3 FES. Like, a LOT of it. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve fallen in love with the game (answer; yes I have) or because the game just honestly demands that much of your time. I think it’s a little bit of both, but something special has happened to me while playing this game.

Many of my friends probably know I take an extreme critical eye to almost every game I play to the point where it’s probably annoying. Sorry guys, but that’s just how I think about stuff. I can still appreciate a good game and even a bad one just AS a game, though. I mean, one of my favorite games of all time is No More Heroes, and that is probably one of the most flawed games I’ve ever played! And Persona 3 is not without its flaws for sure.

Added onto that, I am not a huge fan of RPG conventions. Often gameplay is plodding and arbitrary and stories are too heavy handed and are written like a Saturday morning anime dub, just because that’s what’s expected of them at this point. But somehow, Persona 3 just wasn’t content with being that game. It wanted to be something more.

Now, I don’t need to tell you what makes it an awesome game— you probably know this already. The modern day setting, the melancholy theme of blues-like emotions (hittin’ a little close to home there, guys), the innovative all-out battle system, yadda yadda. And admittedly, I really dig all this stuff… a lot! But what appeals to me most is a game that is confident in its message. And Persona 3 has done just that to me.

Going into the game, I was ready for Animal Crossing combined with a mindless dungeon crawler. Half the time I’d get to satisfy my need to be a suave smooth-talker and the other half I’d get to mindlessly stretch my tactical brain, but not surprisingly, the two halves of gameplay go hand in hand more than you might think.

I remember reading a thing where somebody discussed the purpose of the Evokers within the confines of the game (or for those of you who haven’t played it yet, shooting yourself in the head with a gun to summon the Personas). It was not so much suicidal as it was sacrificial— giving up your own body and mind to allow that of a Persona to take over and do that which you cannot do. And in the case of the protagonist, you’re lucky enough to get the choice of who you want to do the job for you.

This definitely goes back into the gameplay of going to school and making friends and meeting girls and stuff. In the real world, you meet a lot of different people. Each have their own problems and different personalities. They deal with issues of requitement, commitment, loneliness, depression, social anxieties, denial, and generally just struggling to find their own footing in the world. And by interacting with these folks, they connect with you and eventually open up to you, relying on you for guidance and support. You’re always given a choice of what to say to them— will you say what’s truly on your mind, or what they just want to hear? Or both? And how is this any more different than killing yourself to allow someone stronger to fight for you? You’re just suppressing what you want to say a lot of the times just get on the good side of so many people. There’s both a sentimental tone to this as well as a somewhat condescending one. You should feel bad for being this person, but it’s what we all do to get by.

This also struck me kinda close, as I’ve found that over the years, I’m the kind of person a lot of people tend to confide in as well. Like, a lot of people. I dunno, I guess people find me approachable or non-threatening in one way or another. But is this me, or is it my Persona? I feel like I listen to a lot of these people and tell them something to help, but it almost feels like there’s no one to turn around and do the same for me. My Persona says I’ve got it all under control, that it’s all cool, but the real me says it’s not.

The real me lays awake at night, wondering, for just a moment, what would it be like if I could (figuratively) shoot myself in the head and let a Persona take over, doing my life better than I? With more confidence and more strength, doing the things I can’t seem to do… be smarter, find success, discover love, everything I can’t.

Every time I see my avatar blasting himself in the temple, these thoughts honestly run through my head. Every time I push ‘X’ just to get these virtual people to smile, I feel myself drifting from my true self. I give these people power, but do they give me it return?

Well, yeah, actually. If you are ever carrying the Arcana of the people you interact from day to day, you are more likely to get along with them. From what I can tell, this basically means that they’ll react more positively to what you have to say. I dunno, there’s something about picking the wrong dialogue choice, intentionally or not, but still having your friends react with a smile that feels hopeful. If your Persona can mess up sometimes and everything turns out alright, well maybe you can risk putting the Persona aside once in a while too.

I always know a game has effected me if it’s all I can think about both while I’m playing it and not. It happened with Thirty Flights of Loving and Bioshock for me, but Persona 3 is one of the few times a game has held a mirror back to me, not only demanding that I ask questions of myself, but I go out to seek the answers too.

I really look forward to playing Persona 4 after this, as that game has a much more vibrant and uplifting mood than Persona 3 does. Hell, you can see that alone in the color schemes of the two games— Persona 3 has a lot of cold, blue tones, with sharp slanted shapes all over, while Persona 4 adopts a much warmer tone, with round shapes and flowers adorning all its assets. Actually, it reminds me a lot of the rampant happy-go-lucky consumerism in modern-day Japan.

But anyway, the point is lately I’ve been wrestling with a lot of anxieties. Games offer me a refuse of escape as well as a safe introspective environment for me to think about stuff. I don’t know if I’d say Persona 3 has helped me resolve a lot of my personal issues right now, but it’s certainly got me thinking. Before I played this game, if you handed me an evoker and told me using it would allow someone to come along and live my life better, I would’ve easily lept at the chance. But now, I may have the barrel pointed at my head, but I am hesitant to pull that trigger… maybe the real me might be better suited for this job than I originally thought.

spaceboyfriendmusic: I’m gonna go ahead and say it. I killed...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:06:49 -0500

spaceboyfriendmusic:

I’m gonna go ahead and say it. I killed it at MAGfest.

Hey, now, who’s this sexy fellow in the RetroforceGo shirt?

Anamanaguchi - 「MEOW」 Fact, I love two things in this world....

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:58:06 -0500

Anamanaguchi - 「MEOW」

Fact, I love two things in this world. Ghosts and pizza. But I love piza even more.

Captain Waycool: It's Dangerous to Go Alone

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:12:52 -0500

Captain Waycool: It's Dangerous to Go Alone:

captainwaycool:

I spent ten minutes trying to dream up something to write about that would sum up my 2012 in gaming—a GOTY write-up or something, maybe?—but was coming up short. This was an important year, but not simply because of the flood of amazing goddamned games (Hotline Miami, FTL, Dishonored, Thirty…

Digital Pizza: Digital Pizza Podcast Episode 02: Cold Pizza

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:02:01 -0500

Digital Pizza: Digital Pizza Podcast Episode 02: Cold Pizza:

Oh hey, its a second episode of that show I do now.

digitalpizza:

Hey guys, hope you all are enjoying the holidays! I know I am! Which is why I took my resting opportunity to sit back and finish editing this episode that was recorded a week or two ago. And by edit, I mean stitch together the audio while possibly leaving somewhat embarrassing audio about…

My Top Ten Cartoons of 2012!

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:39:16 -0500

Remember when I used to write blogs with words on this tumblr? Well I cheated on you and wrote one on my art blog. OH AREN’T I THE WORST.

paper-n-pixels:

What, a blog with words and no drawings? Yeah that’s right. I kinda was in the mood to write another blog again, but since I’ve all but abandoned by past two writing projects, I decided to just post this one here. It’s related to art in a sense, and it’s my blog, so I can do what I want.

Now then. Ahem…

I wanna take some time out to talk about my ten favorite cartoons of the past year— movies and television. Cartoons are some of my favorite things in this world, and its only so often I come across people who love the art of animation and such where I can geek out with them. So I’m going to take this opportunity to yell out into the void that is the internet about what I really enjoyed this year and is definitely worth your attention.

So without any further ado, here are my top ten cartoons of 2012.

Read More

Digital Pizza: Digital Pizza Podcast FIRST EPISODE, OMG

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:02:00 -0500

Digital Pizza: Digital Pizza Podcast FIRST EPISODE, OMG:

digitalpizza:

Hey guys, we’re here to present to you the very first episode of a new podcast starring four friends, John-Charles, Nick, other Nick, and Maya talking about… I dunno, whatever the hell we feel like. We’ve come together on the common grounds of video games, but this isn’t your regular news show or hot-button-topic-issue-roundtable of the week. No no no. What we do talk about are things like the end of the Wii, Star Wars Legos, toys and the kids who buy them, and, I dunno, pizza or something.

You can download the episode from our page on Soundcloud for now. We will probably have one of those feeds things down the road, but for now let’s focus on the present.

The present of pizza.

http://soundcloud.com/digital-pizza/digital-pizza-01-meet-your

Morning, all. Wanted to share with you all one of my latest projects, a new podcast with me and a coupla friends just talking about video games and pizza and stuff. Check it out!

gigidigi: Games I Played in 2012 - Rhythm Heaven Fever I wish...

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:36:18 -0500

gigidigi:

Games I Played in 2012 - Rhythm Heaven Fever

I wish I could do what Gigi does with lighting and color. Sweet lord.

gigidigi: Hello! Book One of Cucumber Quest is now available in...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:49:45 -0500

gigidigi:

Hello! Book One of Cucumber Quest is now available in the online shop. If you missed out on the Kickstarter months ago, now you can un-miss out on it!

Sometimes I still post stuff to this tumblr. And sometimes...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:03:26 -0500

Sometimes I still post stuff to this tumblr. And sometimes it’s ludicrously stupid.

By the way...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:08:38 -0500

gigidigi:

My Paper Mario diorama was one of the five winning entries in Nintendo’s contest! Be sure to see all the others here—they’re all really great!

HEY YOU GUYS. Did you know I have an art blog now? I do! And...

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:17:46 -0500

HEY YOU GUYS. Did you know I have an art blog now? I do! And I try to keep this baby booming! If you have the time, you should go check it out, subscribe, and like and reblog my drawings.

I’d really love y’all if you did that for lil ol’ me. :3

paper-n-pixels:

Hey guys, another update for you all today! I’m working on a special Wind Waker design, specifically in black and white… why? You may find out soon. Maybe. If things go smoothly. And even if they don’t, I’ll do something else on my own. I dunno.

BACK ON SUBJECT.

I made this specifically to be in black and white, but I would like to go back and color it to see how it looks. Stay tuned for more updates about this thing (and other things) soon.

Hey John-Charles, say ‘thing’ again.

Thing.

Hey tumblr peeps! Thought I should let you know I made a new...

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:58:27 -0400

Hey tumblr peeps! Thought I should let you know I made a new tumblr! Is it going to replace this one? Yes and no. Some of my followers might’ve noticed I haven’t touched this page in a while because 1) I started writing for a gaming news site, and 2) I move my blog to a more professional venue.

But I also do lots of art on the side! You can check it out at my new tumblr blog, Paper ‘n’ Pixels. What kind of art will I put up there? Just art. Things that I make. Drawings, characters, sketches, fan art, my sources of inspiration, whatever. It’s my new art blog. It’s a great way to give my work some exposure and share with even more people outside my small circle of friends.

So check it out and feel free to share anything you like. I want my work to be seen!

paper-n-pixels:

Here’s a quick drawing I did of my favorite character from my favorite role-playing-game, Mother 3. It’s Kumatora! I always remember how she was the first character in your party to catch a quick cold followed by a bout of PSYCHIC POWERS. That really stuck out with me for some reason.

bam! pow! smASH!: How Harvest Moon saved my stomach lining

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:46:37 -0400

bam! pow! smASH!: How Harvest Moon saved my stomach lining:

I will do one of these soon, once I get the chance. Probably tomorrow night once I’m all moved in. Great read, though.

bampowsmash:

I’ve always had anxiety - and resultant stomach problems - but it manifested first when I was a kid; I don’t remember what age, just that it was a young one. A girl in my circumstance really didn’t have anything legitimate to be anxious about, but anxiety is inherently illogical, and,…

scottlava: “Take me… to the volcano!”

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:26:57 -0400

scottlava:

“Take me… to the volcano!”

rockmelonsoda: Mrs. Beedog doesn’t care how it goes.

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:58:24 -0400

rockmelonsoda:

Mrs. Beedog doesn’t care how it goes.

Don't Stop Now, You're Doing Great

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:32:00 -0400

Hey guys, remember that time I said that it’s worth your time to support smaller games? Well, so far it’s working. But I think that might be half due to Atlus’s incessant plugging of Catherine. Hmm… who knows what the magic of advertising could do for more of the lesser known and important games.

Are you taking notes, Suda51?

EDIT: Hey guys! I wrote about this on Default Prime, too! Go check it out there!

Oh my god, I will not be satisfied until I have posted this on...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:26:44 -0400

Oh my god, I will not be satisfied until I have posted this on every internet outlet I have available to me. Next up, Default Prime… won’t tell you when, won’t tell you where… won’t tell you how.

MOOOORNING LESSCUUUUUUE!

Super Mini Update

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:07:00 -0400

Hey guys! I’m sure there’s not too many of you who probably follow my blog at this point, but there still are people who do. And a lot of you might’ve noticed I kept this blog updated fairly frequently, but have kinda quelled in the past coupla weeks. Well, this is because I’ve started writing for a small gaming blog, Default Prime. At this point I only do news, but I plan on writing some original stuff for the site eventually. I still plan on posting giant opinionated texts to this blog, however, as until I have more of a presence on Default Prime, I would feel very uncomfortable about “forcing” people to listen to my opinions.

Anyways, right now, I don’t have the time to write one long cohesive blog about something, so instead I’m just gonna do a bullet-list of a bunch of smaller thoughts I’ve had lately (and I probably will return to in a full-fledged article either here or on DP). So without further ado, let’s go!

Yes, I finished my vita-chamber-less hard playthough of Bioshock, and I loved it significantly more overall than my first playthrough. I really feel that on default settings, the game does way too much hand holding— it makes the game feel like a sub-par shooter instead of the interesting set piece it is. However, I am still rather displeased with the final boss and conclusion of the game, as are most people. But recently, I did play the Minerva’s Den DLC of Bioshock 2, and that is essentially the Bioshock final level we’ve always wanted. It’s a short adventure that takes a day or two to beat, but is actually surprisingly memorable. If you haven’t played Bioshock 2, I don’t recommend it, but I do advise just buying it (you can get it fairly cheap these days) and just playing the Minerva’s Den DLC. It’s that satisfying.
I want to start doing a weekly column on Default Prime I’m tentatively calling The Bitereon Collection where I would “catalog” the best, most interesting, and significant games of all time in the same way the Critereon Collection does for movies. Think kinda like ScrewAttack’s Video Game Vaults, just much more focused on the art of video games.
Speaking of Critereon, I finally picked up a copy of the Japanese horror(?) film, House. I think this movie has some sort of notoriety already among the otaku community for being one of the most batshit insane movies ever made. A piano eats a girl alive at one point, for pete’s sake. Also, it’s a film with a bajillion reasons to watch it. If you love Japan, if you love campy B-movies, if you’re a fan of old fashion special effects, or if you’re a fan of bizarre dream like sequences (kinda like Labyrinth). Among other things.
So No More Heroes is coming to the PS3 stateside. Yay! And there’s also a demo out. Yay! And I don’t like it. Boo! I feel like a lot of the charm was lost in the translation of the game to HD. The cel shading has been traded off in exchange for vivid colors (instead of the muted, washed out tones of the original) that are just saturated with bloom effects. And the blood is now “chunky” and very bloodlike, instead of the jets of red streamers that would burst from the bodies of your fallen foes. A lot of the game isn’t funny in this version, its just kinda gross. It’s also made me learn to love and appreciate the simplified controls of the Wii version. A four button control scheme has become an eight buttoned one. And pulling off the death blows are incredibly awkward. None of what I’m saying is gonna make sense unless you loved the Wii version and have at least tried the new demo. I was planning on getting this, but now I have an excuse to wait for the bargain bin. Drat.
Arizona Green Tea with Peach is kinda the shit. This has been my summertime jam for the past two months. You have no idea.
I finally finished the Back to the Future game, and I have to say… the adventure gamer in me was kinda let down. The story was pretty solid, and even the new Edna Strickland character annoyed me to no end, I grew to love the young Emmet Brown. The gameplay didn’t fare as well however. The game is waaaay too easy, and if you like adventure games, you know that that can make a game very VERY boring. Until the last two episodes, you mostly just coast through the games, just kinda in the ride for the story. But it ends with Huey Lewis and the News, so its not all bad. From what I’ve heard, veteran adventure-gamers are kinda cold on the title, but people who have little to no experience find it very enjoyable. On those grounds, I’d suggest it as a “first” adventure game for most people.
For some reason, I find myself very annoyed with the whole Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 issue. Normally, I don’t care about this sort of thing, but I really feel like Capcom’s jumped the shark on this one. And I know everyone just says “Capcom’s been doing this for decades,” but you know what? We haven’t had access to DLC and patches for decades. The only rationalization I can see for buying it would be that it’d be cheaper than buying all the DLC characters, but given the choice between characters, I probably wouldn’t buy them all. I certainly had no interest in Jill and Shuma-Gorath, plus the asking price was really high. I think by having such a small window of turnaround time for this, Capcom has already devalued what is a very solid title. And once again, in this age of DLC, there’s no reason we’ve needed multiple SKUs for Street Fighter IV (though Super is REALLY good and worth it), Resident Evil 5, Dead Rising 2, and now this. I don’t want to get to a point where a Capcom game I want comes out, and I choose not to get it because I know a better version is coming in six months. Seriously, that was fine for a Super Nintendo or PS2, but in this digital age, we really should be embracing that more— or adopting an Arcade Edition structure… Capcom has shown us that they CAN do it.

That’s all I’ve got for now folks, and I’d like to return to most of these thoughts at some later point, but for now, I’m hella tired. Remember, make sure to check out my stuff at Default Prime, and remember to watch the skis. I mean, skies.