The Silent Protagonist Goes To Youmacon 2014!

Now those who follow me on social media already know that this happened. Heck, those who follow me on Tumblr even got pictures. But I want to show everything here just so I don't annoy people with my excessive posting about my extended thoughts. Plus, it's about time I write something here again. Sorry about missing that whole "Halloween" thing.  Now this Friday on October 31st (AKA Skeleton War), I went to my first convention, Youmacon 2014. I guess you figured that out from the title. But I've got pictures, and I've got some stories to share, so let's take a moment to look at what I saw on the first day of Youmacon.

Now it's no secret that there will be lines at a convention, and I knew this from the start. Thankfully, Smash Fest increased my tolerance for lines, so I didn't have too much of a bad time. But I arrived at about 10:30, and I wasn't out of the registration line until about 12:00. So if you didn't preregister, either come early, or prepare to wait, because it'll take a while. However, though the line was long, there was rarely a dull moment while waiting. First off, Streetpass. Bring your 3DS to this stuff, because you'll get a lot of tags. I started with about 180 tags, and left with 351. You'll never be able to leave the Streetpass Plaza, but it'll do wonders for Puzzle Swap.

Also, cosplayers. A lot of people were dressed up, and a lot of them were really awesome (and I let them know that, believe me.) They were really nice about taking pictures, which is good, because I got a lot of them.

Fun fact. The girl dressed as Ash was actually walking around with a guy carrying a sign that said "Repels Effect Wore Off". Funner Fact. I asked the Chrom cosplayer his thoughts on not being in Smash 4. He just stammered for a bit before replying with "Your Mom".

Now after registration, I headed to the Renaissance Center to kill some time before the dealer room opened. One 10 minute walk in the rain later, I made it to the building and decided to check the gaming areas.

The arcade area was definitely something. There was a lot of Dance Dance Revolution, there was a Megaman Arcade Game, a bunch of Taiko Drum Master and a bunch of other stuff. And I didn't get a picture of this, but I found the Payday 2 guys playing an arcade shooter. It was great.

The full gaming room though...that was awesome. There were Xbox Ones, PS4s, PS3s, Wii Us, and a bit of everything really. There was a Japanese Sega Saturn playing 8-Player Bomberman, a full Steel Battalion set, and the greatest fighting game of all time, Shaq Fu. Conclusion? Shaq Fu is a horrible game and everyone should play it. I got to play a few rounds of Goldeneye and Mario Kart 8, and it was a blast. I can't wait for next year when Smash Bros on the Wii U is out. That will be amazing.

Now I didn't get much footage of the Dealer Room, but I did spend a good two hours in there. An hour and a half of it was spent looking at everything, 25 minutes of it was deciding what I wanted to buy, and 5 minutes of it was actually buying stuff. Do yourself a favor. Save money for this, because this stuff is expensive. I only had $25 of spending money, and only left with three things. Most of the stuff there costed more than I had. That said, I didn't leave empty handed.

Magical x Miracle cost me $5, L.A. Noire cost me $4, and Galaxy Express 999 cost $15. It's not much, but I'm happy with what I left with. Hopefully next year, I'll have a bit more money to spend in there, because there was so much stuff I wanted.

Now the group I came with was leaving at 7, and it was about 5 when I left the dealer room, so there was some time to kill. The plan was to spend the rest of the time at the game room, but then I realized that I didn't have as many pictures as I wanted. So I devised the most convoluted path to where we would meet up, and rode some escalators to get pictures of anyone I thought was cool.

Fun fact. The Mami cosplayer told me about the male Mami that was one floor up. I wasn't disappointed. Funner fact. The two maids I got a picture of were giving out free candy because HALLOWEEN. It was really nice of them. Funnest fact. I initially only asked the Sayaka and Kyoko cosplayers for a picture, but Deadpool hijacked the picture before I could take it. And I don't have a problem with that at all.

Conclusion? Youmacon was freaking awesome and I had a blast. Was I tired by the end? Could I barely walk by the end? Yes and yes. But it was worth every bit of leg pain and line waiting. And it's only in the planning phases at this point, but plans for going next year are already in effect, and I can not wait for it. So here's to next Youmacon!

All images in this writing were taken by me, but I claim no ownership on the costumes they made, nor the characters they are based upon. But Hardcore Luigi and Magical Girl Colossal Titan were pretty awesome.

The Silent Protagonist actually had a Magical Girl Sign Up sheet made as a joke, but he didn't end up going through with it. I suppose he'll get his chance...

...another day.

The Filler Arc: Mighty Flip Champs!

Ah Band Camp. The time of the year where those who joined marching band spend a week away from home to practice their hearts out. Or you can spend the few hours of free time camping out in the cabin waiting out the storm. As I sit in the cabin with two hours to kill, my options are weighed between looking through all the saved images on my phone for the third time, or playing on the ever-lovable 3DS. And I can tell you that one of those options sound far more appealing than the other. When looking through my games, I noticed one that I got a very long time ago. This game was Mighty Flip Champs, the game standing out by being an original title by the amazing WayForward. So let's so another one of those mystic Filler Arc reviews and look at Mighty Flip Champs for the DS.

Plot in this game is pretty much nonexistent. You play as Alta, a Flip Champ whose goal is to traverse through many different multi dimension mazes and reach the Fishman to be transported to safety, while saving other Flip Champs lost in the maze. And that's the name of the game here. You travel through many mazes trying to reach mister Fishman. You do this by flipping with the face buttons, which changes the layout to whatever the layout is on the bottom screen. There is no time limit, no flip limit, and no way to damage yourself by falling. The only ways to die are the ever traditional spikes, and flipping into an obstacle.

The game challenges players in more ways as the game progresses. In many levels you'll have to rescue other Flip Champs before you can exit the level, there'll be switches to press, blocks to break, wormholes to teleport through, and more. The biggest challenge is through not only locating a way through the maze, but actually executing the plan. The game relies heavily on timing, meaning to perform flips at a precise time to either make it into the area you were trying to get to, or in most cases, die trying. More on that later.

In terms of presentation, Mighty Flip Champs looks very good for what it is. Sprites look nice, areas have a lot of color, each of the worlds has a different theme, and it looks about as good as a 2D sprite based game should. The music on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic. Just a quick forewarning. Anytime I review a WayForward game, expect the name "Jake Kaufman" to be praised a lot, because he makes some fantastic music. It's amazing music to be listening to while playing, and many of the tunes will get stuck in your head at some point.

Now there is one major flaw with this game,and it's something that's a recurring issue throughout the whole game. I mentioned the timing aspect a bit ago, and multiple times you'll have to fall and flip at the right time to get where you want to go. However, the game can be really picky on whether or not you made it or were a few pixels off and die. Even if you're not falling and are trying to get in a 1-space hole, it's not unlikely that you'll miss the safe zone by a few pixels and die, sending you to the beginning of the stage. It's nothing game-breaking, but it is a consistent problem.

But at the end of the day, Mighty Flip Champs is good. It's pick up and play style puzzles that are good to play during short bursts. It's not very long, and there's a few quirks here and there, but the gameplay is solid with good visuals and a fantastic soundtrack. Nothing ground breaking, but fun and worth the price of admission. The game is available on both the DSi and 3DS, as well as a version titled Mighty Flip Champs DX on the Playstation Network, though both versions are exactly the same.

All images are the properties of their original owners. I continue to wish I had the ability to make stuff like this.

The Silent Protagonist is trying to flip-flop his way to victory. And then chokes on a pair of spikes he didn't see coming.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Remember a few months ago when I said that if I beat a Batman game, a friend had to play Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors? Well I lied. Kind of. Though it is true that he said he would play 999 if I beat a Batman game, he didn't mean Batman on the NES. Rather, he meant Batman Arkham Asylum, a game which I have owned for two years and just couldn't find the inspiration to play. Of course, this also leads back to the backlog that I've mentioned before. Every summer I try to clear it up, and this year the list was as follows: Get all the characters and stages in Melee again, finish Xenosaga Episode 1, and finally finish Arkham Asylum. Well I can tell you that one of those isn't happening anymore, but I finished Asylum, so I guess that's what really matters. Now I'm a little hesitant to return to Batman, but since the only other thing that I would feel comfortable writing about is Corpse Party, there really isn't much of an option here. It's been five years since Arkham Asylums release, so let's see if this game still holds up.

The plot begins with the Joker already caught by Batman. After an assault on Gotham City Hall, Joker is caught and taken to Arkham Asylum, where he will no doubt escape in two weeks time. Feeling that something isn't quiet right, Batman accompanies him to the Asylum. That something turns out to be true, as Harley Quinn hijacks the buildings security and allows Joker to run amok and kidnap Commissioner Gordon, as well as gain control of the entire asylum. Joker threatens to detonate bombs hidden in Gotham City should anyone approach the island, leaving Batman alone in his fight to capture his gallery of rogues, and stop Jokers plans for a drug called Titan, which he plans to use to gain an army of superhuman henchmen.

Batman Arkham Asylum is a 3D Action Adventure game, where you explore the island and fight all the mooks that stand in your way. When exploring, Batman can run, jump, climb, glide, and use his grapple gun to explore and get to higher areas. He also has access to his gadgets when you unlock them, but more on that later. Arkham Island is a pretty big place, but most areas are locked off until a certain point in the story, and other areas require certain gadgets to get into. We'll talk about exploring again later. Batman also has access to Detective Vision, which is pretty much used for...everything really. It can detect doors, grates,  objects of interest, enemies, show which enemies are armed, show the condition of the enemies, show where they are even through walls, show how many enemies there are in an area, and more. It's even used for the plot like searching areas, following footprints, tracking someones fingerprints, and even tracking someones breath. Yes, seriously. Someones breath. So yeah, it's pretty helpful. Only problem is that it makes the whole screen blue when you use it. And since your using it for most of the game, you'd better get used to the color.

It wouldn't be Batman though if he didn't have his trusty utility belt however, and he really went all out on this one. He has the Batarangs which can press buttons and stun enemies, the Batclaw which can be use to pull enemies in and pull other things, the Cryptographic Sequencer which is used to hack into securirity panels and explore the island, Explosive Gel which can break down weak walls and stun enemies (don't worry, it's a nonlethal explosive) and tons of other gadgets. And as you can tell from the description, just about all of these gadgets have a combat purpose, which lets me segway into the next topic.

Arkham Island is swarming with criminals, and they all have a bone to pick with Batman. Therefore, you'll have to face a number of mooks in order to proceed. The combat system is surprisingly simple and deep at the same time. Batman can attack and counter attacks with their respective buttons, and you can use both to string together combos with the Freeflow combat, which allows Batman to jump accross the room to the next baddie to continue the combo. Well timed button presses will trigger critical strikes, which not only deal more damage, but also counts as two hits on the combo streak. You can also use the aforementioned gadgets to stun enemies and give you the upper hand in battle. Your performance in battle will influence the amount of Experience Points you gain, which grants you an upgrade upon a level up.

Sometimes, Batman will have to be a bit sneakier in order to survive Arkham, which is where the stealth segments come into play. You'll have to use the room to your advantage in order to take down armed mooks. Batman can silently take down an enemy from behind, jump out of a grate to take a mook down, throw a Batarang to knock a mook down and perform a ground takedown before making a quick getaway, hang a mook off of a gargoyle, the list of options just go on. Stealth segments are one of my favorite parts of the game, just because there's nothing more satisfying than clearing out an entire room of mooks without being detected. Like combat sections, your performance influences the experience amount.

Now Arkham Island is big, but what's your incentive for exploring it? The answer? The Riddler. This son of a question mark has left challenges all over the asylum, and the only way to apprehend him is to solve all of his challenges. Riddler challenges can be a simple as picking up a trophy or destroying Joker teeth, to as complex as scanning something in a room with a hint being granted when entering. There are 240 challenges in all, and it'll take the whole game to complete the sidequest. There are maps you can find to narrow down the locations of the challenges, but being completely honest, this is just too much of a time sink for me. I'll finish the challenge one day, but not now. Finishing challenges aren't a waste of time however, as it gives experience points and well as unlockables such as character trophies and challenge maps, so there's that.

Now I usually don't talk much about boss fights, but I have to mention them here because...they're actually the weakest part of the game. Most of the bosses are just Titan enhanced mooks, with other mooks attacking you. This sadly holds true for every boss in the game, with the exception of Scarecrow. Even the final boss is just this, which you'll be disappointed in once you find out who the boss is. The boss fights are all disappointing, but the boss issue is fixed in the sequels, so that's good.

Presentation wise, this game looks amazing. Models look very good, save for up close conversation, and the environments are varied and look great as well, even if they look a little dark at times, which is justified given the location. The music also does a good job of setting the mood, though I will start humming the '60s Batman theme during battles sometimes. Special mention also goes to the voicework of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, who voice Batman and the Joker respectively. Conroys performance as Batman is great, and Hamill absolutely nails it as the Joker. It adds to the atmosphere that the game aims for, and it's done really well. Though the ragdoll physics on the enemies can break said atmosphere at times, but it is pretty funny when it happens.

Now I said above that it took me two years to beat Arkham Asylum. The reason for that wasn't because the game is stupidly long, but rather just a sheer lack of interest. That is partly because I was spoiled by the sequel, Arkham City, which is just a better game all around. That said, Asylum is a fantastic game when standing on its own. The only real weak part are the bosses, but that's it. I feel like I can safely say that this is a game that can be enjoyed even by people who aren't a fan of the Dark Knight. You don't need extensive knowledge of the source material to understand the story, and the gameplay is something I think everyone can get down with. I guess where I'm going with this is that I would absolutely recommend Arkham Asylum. The game is really cheap nowadays, and if you play your cards right, you can even get the sequel in a bundle for under $20. What version you get doesn't matter in the long run however, as you'll be getting the great Arkham Asylum experience either way.

All images are the properties of their original owners. I wish I was talented enough to make this stuff.

The Silent Protagonist is totally the night.