The Well

[Bluedoom]

First and Current Impressions of Me, Senpai?

[Nightmare]

What is better: the original NGE or the remastered movies?

Original. The remastered movies change and remove some things that I thought were very crucial to the plot/character development. Too lazy to detail anything though. End of Evangelion is masterful though and everyone should watch it.

Thinking about it, I might actually swap NGE and TTGL in that list.

2) Top 10 games and why people should play them? It'd be cool if you could give shoutouts to silly things in them that aren't that important.

Oh man. What a question. Here goes, in no particular order:

1) CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT

Why people should play it: Everyone who knows me probably saw this coming. Among Metroidvania games, there are a couple other incredible ones, but for me Symphony of the Night takes the cake. It is meticulously, lovingly, beautifully crafted. Gorgeous areas, including majestic chapels and catacombs with haphazardly laid bricks (I could go on forever about it, so I'm stopping myself here), there's scarcely been a game that rivals its level of art direction and attention to detail. Moreover, the level design in every area is absolutely the best, leading to areas that feel very natural despite not being quite like an actual castle. The weight and momentum of the controls. The supremely gorgeous soundtrack. The myriad dumb, useless but ultimately cool stuff stuffed into the game. The stellar script and localisation (original PSX). Everything in this game comes together to form a beautiful harmony that I haven't quite seen in another game, and I feel there's scarcely a game that can rival its splendour. Shoutout to PEANUTS, the best food item in anything ever! Even nearly twenty years after its release, Symphony of the Night has not been rivalled, and remains one of the most incredible games of all time.

2) HOTEL DUSK: ROOM 215

Why people should play it: Nary a game out there executed with as much finesse and tastefulness as Hotel Dusk. The protagonist, Kyle Hyde, is a down-on-his-luck salesman. Finding his way into a remote hotel (the titular Hotel Dusk), he begins searching for "lost items that don't want to be found", a particular side-job of his. Over the course of the game, Kyle comes across many people from different standings, all staying at the hotel, and eventually realises every story here is tied to the other through mysterious means. Spearheaded by a powerfully written main character, Hotel Dusk is an incredibly immersive mystery where you can't help but really get into every single character's life story, accentuated considerably by the rotoscoped, film noir-inspired portraits and the chill, jazzy soundtrack. If Symphony of the Night's theme was gorgeousness, this game's is good taste! Allow me to cheat here and say that if you play and beat Hotel Dusk, you must absolutely play and beat the sequel as well (Last Window: The Secret of Cape West). Shoutout to the absolutely useless lipstick item you can get at some point in the game. It literally serves no purpose!

3) DEMON'S SOULS

Why people should play it: Impeccably designed 3D exploration/combat, Demon's Souls has oft been cited as a "3D Castlevania done right". While the first thing that may cross one's mind is "oh wow, it must be really spooky and cool then, with a rockin' soundtrack" and they won't be particularly wrong, it's said with a whole other reason. It's because the game's combat and locomotion most closely resemble Castlevania, as if it were perfectly translated to 3D. Timing, situational awareness, knowledge of one's enemy and mastery of one's own capabilities are all crucial aspects, but not so much reflexes as in other 3D action games. There's not a whole lot more satisfying in the video game world than conquering, one by one, the various different and lethal set pieces in each of Demon's Souls worlds. Coupled with an incredible and subtle handling of game lore, where you're fed information in bits and pieces through NPC dialogue, item/equipment descriptions and stage/world descriptions, and also a soundtrack that feels hollow, unnerving and surreal, a perfect companion to the lore and how it's handled, Demon's Souls becomes an incredible game that's complete on all fronts. Shoutout to the dumbest, ugliest character creator ever conceived!

4) CHRONO TRIGGER

Why people should play it: What can I say that hasn't been said before? Previously, I wanted to have a Final Fantasy and a Dragon Quest to build up for the reveal of Chrono Trigger, but then I ran out of space for other games I wanted to sell, and the list would have been too saturated in RPGs. But why build up with them? Because, as some may know, the game was created by the so-called Dream Team, comprised of Sakaguchi of Final Fantasy fame, Horii of Dragon Quest fame and Akira Toriyama, of Dragon Ball (and Dragon Quest) fame. Their creativity, visions and approach to (game) design came together in the most wonderful and balanced manner possible. Suffice it to say that Chrono Trigger's enduring popularity has its reasons. Firstly, it is very briskly paced. I can't remember a single instance of actually wanting a segment to be over with already, because no part of the game ever overstays its welcome. Second, it's a gripping tale of time travel and heroes from different eras of time pooling their strength and resources together to combat the greatest evil ever known. Third, the soundtrack is nothing short of incredible. Fourth, the combat system, though seemingly limited (especially in contrast to Final Fantasy), is anything but and features a great amount of freedom and flexibility. Fifth, the game is filled with cool set pieces and great boss battles. Sixth, it doesn't hurt that it's a time travel story done absolutely right! There's a lot more I can say, but...

Shoutout to the ability to drink a ton of cola and steal some poor old man's lunch!

5) SHINOBI III: THE RETURN OF THE NINJA MASTER

Why people should play it: When thinking of ninjas in video games, people often think of sleek and stylish action heroes. While Shinobi III isn't very different, it manages to be even ninja-er than most games you'd find out there, and that's a great part of the appeal to me. But the rest? It's a game balanced between wonderful action sequences and exciting bouts of platforming. Throw kunai (referred to as shuriken in the game) at your enemies, ranging from other ninjas to samurai to mechanical contraptions! Run and slash through them! Ride a horse and infiltrate the enemy's technological compound! Fight biological horrors! If things get a little hairy, just summon up your extraordinary ninjitsu powers for a variety of different effects! Rock out to the soundtrack! And eventually, reach the eponymous Ninja Master and have a true ninja duel to the death! There's an endless amount of fun to be had with this game, and among action platformers it is very likely to be the very best. Shoutout to the stage 5 boss being a rip-off of Mecha Godzilla! Looks like Sega didn't quite quit the "rip off pop culture" thing.

6) LIGHTENING FORCE: QUEST FOR THE DARKSTAR

Why people should play it: There's a staggering amount of good SHMUPs out there, but I chose Lightening Force to represent the genre in this list, and for good reason. There's variety in the stages presented in the game, each with their own gimmicks and graphical brilliance. With tight enemy and stage design, a rocking soundtrack and a great variety of different arsenals you can get, Lightening Force is packed with adrenaline and, I feel, is a good balance between all the different sorts of SHMUPs out there and sure to be as enjoyable as the best of them! Shoutout to the dumb name!

7) MYSTERY DUNGEON: SHIREN THE WANDERER

Why people should play it: If someone asked me "what is the best roguelike?" I would immediately point them to this game. I'd love to leave the reason at just that, but let me expound a little bit. While the game seems simple enough at first glance, it's actually deceptively deep and complex, and it's this quality that makes it so engrossing. Every little success you get is the most satisfying thing in the world. Every dungeon floor you clear feels like a massive reward. Filled with secrets. And on top of it all, it has a soundtrack composed by Dragon Quest veteran Koichi Sugiyama, packed with all the charm his soundtracks usually hold and of course, sometimes with a distinct Japanese twist. Shoutout to the one enemy who can turn you into a riceball/onigiri!

8) VAGRANT STORY

Why people should play it: Let me just say, first off, that whatever people may say about PSX 3D, this game is gorgeous and there's no contesting that. That's already a huge point for this game because God damn, it's always a feast for the eyes, and they even implemented a first-person view so you can truly admire how gorgeous everything and everyone is. Besides that though? This game is minmax heaven. If you're not into minmaxing, you're still in for some sort of heaven though! With a magnificent combat system consisting of targetting specific body parts and a variety of different weapon and damage types, precision is the name of the game. All carried by an epic plot of magic, politics and bloodshed and a stellar soundtrack courtesy of Hitoshi Sakimoto, Vagrant Story is among the richest of rich games, no matter how you wish to look at it. If you've played a Matsuno game before (Ogre Battle, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII), then you'll probably know what you're going to get, and it's going to be awesome. Shoutout to the Queen references and how every single room in the game has its own name!

9) THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU

Why people should play it: Incredibly innovative and novel RPG, all framed in the most stylish way possible: by taking place in Shibuya! There has never been a game where Testuya Nomura has been so, so, so appropriate. And actually really good, too! Join Neku, a whiny teenager, as he plays the mysterious Reaper's Game and eventually finds out THE TRUE MEANING OF FRIENDSHIP and that the world really does end with him. He will then find out what a wonderful world we live in. With fast-paced combat, gripping plotline, lovable characters and a soundtrack that puts the S in Style, TWEWY is a joyride from the very beginning to the very end and actually an incredibly heartwarming story. Shoutout to reading people's minds and also to getting the ramen guy to make all the useless ramen in competition with Shadow Ramen!

10) GOD HAND

Why people should play it: This is it. Finally, I get to publicly pitch God Hand. What's to like? Well, for starters, it's an adrenaline packed beat 'em up with a hell of an attitude. But it doesn't stop there, oh no. It's actuall a well-designed beat 'em up! Just about every enemy and boss can be beaten on skill alone. Sounds good? It gets better. You get to customise your moveset from over a hundred different moves to fit whatever playstyle you may have. Great, right? But you also have your ROULETTE WHEEL which enables you to pull off astonishing and over-the-top moves like nothing you've ever seen before! And if you get in a tight spot, just release your GOD HAND, giving you invincibility and considerably improved strength, speed and accuracy. What's that, sounds just okay? Well, how about this then? You also get to throw around your opponents into the different bits of the stage, like huge hazards, or destroy a beam supporting an awning to hurt them just a little bit more. You can stomp 'em while they're down. When they get dizzy, you unleash a barrage of fists, kicks or uh...butt slaps. Yeah. And suplexes. And all of this coupled with a dumb and hilarious story full of amazing characters, cliched and whatever it may be, and a brilliant, adrenaline pumping soundtrack from Masafumi Takada. Sounds amazing, right? Well, it's the best! Shoutout to like everything, everything is dumb and glorious.

Phew, there we go. It should be noted that this is just from my experience of playing video games, which is quite limited, and also that I had originally chosen 35 games to represent this list, and that was me holding back as much as I could and trying to choose games I really liked with as wide an appeal as possible. Also notable is that I tried to avoid repeating franchises and genres. All of this, unfortunately, led to a lot of titles I really love being cut, such as Strange Journey, Cave Story, Rondo of Blood, various other SHMUPs, and a bunch of other games. But take heart! I mentioned them here so you could check them out anyway! Also, Megaman 2 was included in the list, but I didn't feel like I could do it justice and would rather have mentioned other games, especially considering who asked the question. SORRY REFA!

What did you think about the Folgore Rangers thing?

Would you care if it ever got revived?

It was really funny and cool! Shin is kind of a genius when it comes to those things. I was also happy to be a part of the cast.

Most definitely, especially if it contains stories written by the original writers (i.e. Shin, Imp, you, etc.).

Who here has been around longer than you?

I am member 235. Any number lower than mine has probably been around longer than me, if they've been consistently active like me. So uh, Red Fox and Vincent, probably. And Freohr too, likely.

1) Rank your top 10 Metal Gear bosses, in order (I think I've asked you this before in a different context)

2) Rank the different types of Metal Gears, in order

3) Rank your top 10 Metal Gear characters, in order

4) If you were to re-use any avatar/sig set you've ever had (even though you tend to avoid that IIRC), what would it be?

5) Rank your favorite 3 avatars I've had that you can remember.

6) Favorite color?

1) You have! And let me think...

1. HAND TO HAND, MAN TO MAN WITH LIQUID SNAKE ATOP THE METAL GEAR

2. METAL GEAR REX (MGS1)

3. VOLGIN

4. THE FURY

5. THE SORROW

6. PSYCHO MANTIS

7. CYBORG NINJA

8. OCELOT (MGS3)

9. THE BOSS

10. LIQUID OCELOT

Roughly.

2) Hmm...

1. METAL GEAR REX

2. ARSENAL GEAR

3. METAL GEAR EXCELSUS

4. METAL GEAR RAY

5. METAL GEAR D

6. METAL GEAR MK. II

The rest go after them.

3) Let's see...

1. Liquid Snake

2. Volgin

3. Ocelot

4. Gene

5. Solid Snake

6. Naked Snake/Biggu Bossu

7. The Boss

8. The Sorrow

9. Frank Jaeger

10. Otacon

Probably something like that.

4) I do tend to avoid that, but if I had to reuse, there's always Hanekoma, and I think my Sasaki Kojiro (of Vagabond) theme was a little too shortlived. Then there's always the Simon and Alucard themes I had way in the past...

5)

1. Current one

2. Magneto

3. Uhhh...I just keep remembering Rolf from way back, but there was one with a guy standing on a thing, that one because I can't remember any more though I'm sure you had some cooler ones.

6) BLACK LIKE MY SOUL

First and Current Impressions of Me, Senpai?

FIRST: FELLOW ASIAN HELL YEAH SIMILAR CULTURES HELL YEAH

LAST: Actually really nice and peaceful guy who doesn't seem to have any ambitions.

[Koneko]

1 - What's your bucket list, if you have any?

2 - Is there anything you specialize in and if so, what are they?

3 - Say there's another EiMM, who are the top five people you would want to work with?

4 - What is the one thing that stood out to you this year in comparison to other years in SF?

5 - What are your first and current impressions of me?

[Refa]

[10:51:12 AM] Nightmare: dude that's the best

[10:51:52 AM] Nightmare: also thinking back I forgot to note a couple things, like how cool demon's souls aesthetic is, or how compact hotel dusk is, or how it's cool that god hand is pretty much hokuto no ken

[10:51:55 AM] Nightmare: OH WELL

[10:51:58 AM] Nightmare: can't win it all

3) First and current impressions of me questionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkperiod

4) How would you respond to someone, who you hated the guts of, asking a first and current impressions question?

Edited July 24, 2015 by Refa

[Nightmare]

1 - What's your bucket list, if you have any?

2 - Is there anything you specialize in and if so, what are they?

3 - Say there's another EiMM, who are the top five people you would want to work with?

4 - What is the one thing that stood out to you this year in comparison to other years in SF?

5 - What are your first and current impressions of me?

1 - SHINE! Shine so bright no one in the world will be able to ignore me! Shine so bright my existence is validated! Shine, so that maybe I can validate myself.

2 - I like to think I'm good at reading people. Otherwise, I specialise in not specialising, but rather adapting to things, people, and situations in ways which would be beneficial to me and/or others.

3 - You, Chen, Refa, Makaze, Mitsuki

4 - Well, I think I had a lot of personal growth, and I made a ton of new friends and reinforced some old friendships! Some of those new friends turned out to be like whoa great.

5 - FIRST: who is this seems okay oh it's the person who did all those art things sweet

CURRENT: WHY CAN'T I BE A HIGHER LEVEL THAN HER

also a really good friend and conversation partner, I'm very happy to have known you and to talk to you just about everyday

[10:51:12 AM] Nightmare: dude that's the best

[10:51:52 AM] Nightmare: also thinking back I forgot to note a couple things, like how cool demon's souls aesthetic is, or how compact hotel dusk is, or how it's cool that god hand is pretty much hokuto no ken

[10:51:55 AM] Nightmare: OH WELL

[10:51:58 AM] Nightmare: can't win it all

3) First and current impressions of me questionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkquestionmarkperiod

4) How would you respond to someone, who you hated the guts of, asking a first and current impressions question?

SNEAKY SNEAKY REFA

3) FIRST: man this guy seems kinda out of it, but he has a megaman avatar and is generally agreeable and also watched basil upon my recommendation that's okay I guess

CURRENT: Learned now that he's a really good guy and has a good head on his shoulders, also a great talking partner when it comes to just about everything cuz he engages and is engaging, very supportive and 100% hilarious 100% of the time

I would say something about bffs or something but that's way too mushy

4) Honestly? Honestly!

Edited July 24, 2015 by Nightmare

[Paperblade]

*muscles*

[Sunwoo]

What did you think about Sho getting lynched on D1 in Folgore Rangers mafia as Zeddmare, the most powerful scum role in the game?

[Nightmare]

*muscles*

*Muscles*

What did you think about Sho getting lynched on D1 in Folgore Rangers mafia as Zeddmare, the most powerful scum role in the game?

I couldn't sleep for months on end.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Nightmare

[Chen]

*muscles harder*

[Nightmare]

*muscles harder*

*MUSCLES HARDER*

[Makaze]

what was your strategy for eicyormm2? (tell me after game ends in thread please)

what were your strategies for the other eimms you played? (you may go for this one after this one ends)

I'm not sure which game that is, but my strategy is the same in every game: Hide my alias from everyone but my trusted circle, get BPVs, and gather as much info as possible. Minimalist thinking is better more often than not. Above all, have fun, even if it costs you the game.

I hope people still trust me after this one.

1. First and current impressions in and out of Mafia?

2. What are your strong and weak points in Mafia?

3. What about in life?

4. What is your ultimate criteria for belief?

5. Who is the fairest of them all (all interpretations welcome)?

Edited July 27, 2015 by Makaze

[Nightmare]

1. First and current impressions in and out of Mafia?

2. What are your strong and weak points in Mafia?

3. What about in life?

4. What is your ultimate criteria for belief?

5. Who is the fairest of them all (all interpretations welcome)?

1. FIRST outside mafia: this guy seems like a total loser elemayo but he has potential

CURRENT outside mafia: A powerful intellect and a fearless persona, and although not quite as empathetic as most people, a great friend and companion nonetheless, when it comes to pretty much anything.

FIRST inside mafia: haha suck it everyone else I'm with makaze guaranteed win

CURRENT inside mafia: haha suck it everyone else I'm with makaze but uhhh I might not quite win

2. Strong point is that I seem to gain myself some very loyal allies, idk besides that. I'd say my biggest weak point is that I have a very prominent lack of drive. It led to my downfall in buddycop and would have led to an unenjoyable game this time too.

3. A lack of drive is also present in my day to day activities. More than that though? I guess no big weakness I can think of. My strong points? I guess I really pride myself in my adaptability. Related to that, I like to think I'm a very fast learner. Also my memory and ability to retain most things I've learned. I guess those about sum it up.

4. Reason, married to emotion.

5. Me, of course!

[Makaze]

5b. Other than you, silly.

[Blitz]

thoughts on mafia?

best mafia game in your opinion?

thoughts on eimm?

what were your eimm strategies?

why didn't you add me to any of your groups?

how did you find out about Makaze shooting Chen?

[Nightmare]

3. A lack of drive is also present in my day to day activities. More than that though? I guess no big weakness I can think of.

Something I remembered: I tend to internalise things a lot, so my thoughts and feelings are usually abstract and difficult to express. Even if I have the right idea, I usually won't have the means to convey it in a proper manner. That's a big weakness I forgot, but I've been actively trying to neutralise it.

5b. Other than you, silly.

Other than me? Hmm...that's a hard choice. You're all so beautiful! If I had to narrow it down though, it's a toss-up between you, Kim, Refa, Euklyd, Chen and Kitty.

thoughts on mafia?

best mafia game in your opinion?

thoughts on eimm?

what were your eimm strategies?

why didn't you add me to any of your groups?

how did you find out about Makaze shooting Chen?

Standard mafia's not really for me. Like I mentioned before in this topic, the limited nature of the game stresses me out, and also I think it's boring.

Yours. For non-eimm, Naglfar's because that was the only one I actually cared enough to do things in.

It's really fun if you're into it and a bunch of your friends are playing.

I don't really have any concrete strategy. I just like to strategise as the situation calls for it. Generally though, I guess I like to lay low and gain dependable allies and do the bulk of my work through them.

I didn't really make any specific groups. It was 1-on-1 for the most part. Also I don't have your skype and I'm way too lazy.

It's all in the PM I added you to. I fakeclaimed to Agape and he told me that Makaze was the one who told him to shoot Chen. It all went on from there.

[euklyd]

LAST SECOND QUESTIONS:

9) How well did your experiences with people in EIMM / mafia mesh with your interactions with them outside of mafia?

10) obligatory "First and current impressions of me?"

[Sunwoo]

Do you like tea? If so, what type of tea?

[eclipse]

Why are you the best mod?

[euklyd]

[7/27/15, 10:49:45 PM] ixkm: someone should go ask natemare in the well what his favourite kpop song is so i don't have to

[Kaoz]

Nightmare's time in the Well is up after he answers the remaining questions.

Post nominations.

[Nightmare]

LAST SECOND QUESTIONS:

9) How well did your experiences with people in EIMM / mafia mesh with your interactions with them outside of mafia?

10) obligatory "First and current impressions of me?"

9) Pretty well, for the most part. They were consistent, at least with me. And then there are the people who I don't really know outside of mafia, so I can't tell.

10) FIRST: this loser doesn't want my brilliant nickname? his loss

CURRENT: Among the nicestest, cleverest and goodest friends I have. Always good company and I always appreciate talking about SERIOUS STUFF and getting his perspective on things. Still a loser though.

Do you like tea? If so, what type of tea?

I love tea! Among general tea types, my favourite is definitely black tea. I like ones with full, robust flavours, and in particular I really love it when it's brewed with apple peel, mint or cardamom, my favourite among those probably being apple. Otherwise, green tea is the bomb too, and it goes great with mint as well.

Why are you the best mod?

W-wow I don't know, I'm always under the impression that I'm the worst of the lot because I do so little compared to you guys! I'm dragging my feet, so to speak.

BUT THANKS ANYWAY, I guess it comes to me naturally!

[7/27/15, 10:49:45 PM] ixkm: someone should go ask natemare in the well what his favourite kpop song is so i don't have to

Probably Last Romeo.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Nightmare

[Shin]

I'm struggling to think who's even left;

Crysta

Rapier

Poly

[ZoesMad]

I'm struggling to think who's even left;

Crysta

Rapier

Poly

[riariadne]

Crysta

[Nightmare]

Crysta