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Community Showcase - June 2021

Although the next Showcase isn't until Tuesday, June 7th, at 2 PM PT, there are only a few days left in May. So if you're not staying at this tier in June you can leave your submission now. I'll be joined by Brad Ellis, and this will be the final Showcase we'll be doing from home. "E3" kicks off later that week, so there will be a lot of hype to manage and opinions to sort through. I'm looking forward to hearing what all of you are anticipating from the next wave of summer events.

- Brandon

Comments

You: "I haven't cried this much in any other anime" Me: *Sips tea and waits since I know what's coming for Shippuden*

R.F. Switch

In case of deletion again

robert7lee

MY PREVIOUS COMMENT WAS DELETED Hi Jones and Brad Just a random video I put together this month, hope someone can enjoy . I apologies for the quality of the capture footage, can’t seem to get descent capture from the PS5. I don’t apologies for the ending of the video, it’s a moment that might not happen again in my lifetime and I’m trying to saviour every moment of it. Hope you guys have an awesome day! https://youtu.be/tawaipA4JbY Robert Lee

robert7lee

Don't eat me Please

Harrison Holt-McHale

Hey Jones, I made this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDsFh1sKsAc&ab_channel=Hazz3r

Harrison Holt-McHale

One more attempt the morning after... Hi Brad and Brandon, I upped my pledge just to share this, which is a wall art project i've just finished earlier tonight. I present the wall of Chrono: https://t.co/FcmYXBWN3z These are the framed covers to one of my most prized possessions, the Chrono Trigger vinyl soundtrack box set. As a little Easter egg, I placed these in formation to slightly emulate the Epoch ship. Planning and placing all the hanging hooks to achieve this was a huge time sink that took me hours, but I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. Also these shots were taken at night under my ceiling lights which I think looks good, but seeing these in the daytime with natural light hitting the gold foil lettering and gold frames is quite stunning. Collecting video game soundtracks (and yes actually listening to them!) has been one of my biggest hobbies over the past 6 years. If any community member likes what they see and might be interested in video game vinyl, I suggest starting by seeking out the Facebook group Video Game Vinyl Collectors. They are a great, helpful, welcoming community, and they will occasionally host giveaway contests which are always fun.

umryan

.

Adam Hentschel

(So it seems like Patreon decided to eat the comment this month so I'm posting this again.) Hey Brad and Brandon! Instead of submitting some music this month, I ended up pivoting at the last minute and recorded a short little video over this past weekend. About a year ago, the world was introduced to Bluepoint’s Demon’s Souls remake and as it turns out, that specific reveal trailer was the final push that I needed to start playing through FromSoftware’s catalogue. While I did play and love Sekiro, this video is specifically about the Souls trilogy and more importantly, why those games resonated with me so much. Also, I’ll be damned if I don’t get SOME music in here so accompanying the VO is a piano arrangement that I had written last summer of the main theme from Dark Souls III. Thanks for hanging with this little experiment and I hope June treats everyone well! Adam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=munr3Nviiug

Adam Hentschel

I'm not sure if I am past the deadline or not, but I'm crossing my fingers I made it in.

Ian Alexander

Hello Jones and Brad! This month I have drawn a copy of one of Kentaro Miura's beautiful manga panels of Guts. Even attempting to copy his linework and inking is a challenge. I can't believe how amazing Berserk looked especially as his art evolved over time. https://imgur.com/gallery/HQ4hSuz Not only did Berserk inspire games like Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma, I think it was an inspiration for Final Fantasy 7, too. A guy with a giant sword and tragic back story who fights against those in power. We later discover in a flash back that he was once betrayed by a man he looked up to. A silver haired swordsman who sacrificed everything for power. I will miss this artist and his work greatly. L&R - Ian, @alexander_arts

Ian Alexander

Brandon, please check your Twitter dm as patreon keeps wiping my post whenever I paste my Google drive link. :(

umryan

(Sad to say patreon seems to have deleted my last post and I didn't have the forethought to copy everything beforehand. I'll try to keep this replacement post brief)

umryan

Hey Brad and Brandon Wingatakus here. E3 is here! I cant wait to see you all in the studio again this year feels like it might be a doozy. Brad hope you chat and the allies can check out my youtube and twitch channel GamePlayDismay we do Anime and Movie reviews and stuff like this clip. Stay safe all and love and respect. Jones from 3:00 to 6:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0-dqL2z1mg

John Wingate

Hey Brad and Jones! For my showcase post this month, I’m excited to finally announce that me and two of my best friends are writing a comic book, with our first issue set to come out next month! We started working on this story years ago, and over quarantine we connected with this amazing artist - J.R. Harris, and he has been crucial in getting this story off the ground. Not only is his art wonderful, but since he has worked on several indie comics already, his insight into the process has been priceless. A link to his twitter and personal website is below for anyone who wants to check out the rest of this work. The story revolves around a mysterious event that causes the world's greatest superheroes to disappear, and it's up to a rag-tag team of unexpected heroes to step up and save the day. The below images are 3 sets of in-progress images from 3 pages of the first issue. Each set contains the initial pencil drawings stage, inking stage, and coloring stage. The pages are still missing the final touches and lettering, but I think each set gives a good look into the BTS process of making a comic book. The First page is part of the fight between the main heroine of the story Marisa, and Razorwing - a villainous giant metal bird! Page 1 Pencils https://i.imgur.com/MtzrA9P.jpg Page 1 Ink https://i.imgur.com/WVWBtl0.jpg Page 1 Color https://i.imgur.com/3WAV5gg.jpg The second set of images is of Marisa and her new found friend as they set out in search for answers. Page 2 Pencil https://i.imgur.com/UpFVdIi.jpg Page 2 Ink https://i.imgur.com/yzS4UFy.jpg Page 2 Color https://i.imgur.com/2CIjocr.jpg Our final tease shows another villain, Hellekinesis facing off against Charlie, a museum guard who recently acquired a bond with a magic sword. The 3rd image of this set hasn’t been color detail yet like the previous two pages Page 3 Pencil https://i.imgur.com/kJhBQbh.jpg Page 3 Ink https://i.imgur.com/RoLdGD3.jpg Page 3 Color https://i.imgur.com/26I0DWc.jpg Link to the artist twitter and website: Twitter: JR Harris (@JRcomicarts) Website: http://jrcomicart.com/

Mo Grant

safety post

Samo Rozman

Aloha Brandon and Brad, I hope the month of June is treating you well so far. Going to keep this month short and sweet, as I was unable to complete what I originally planned to do. I was editing another slideshow video finishing up my trip to Disney World in 2014. But with being fully vaccinated now, I've had a avalanche of errands to run since I can leave the house. I'll leave the boring details out, but I did manage to visit Don Quijote after a year-plus long break and stock up on Japanese goodies again. Just in time for E3 too. Also went back to the theater again to watch a couple movies. Watching stuff at home is convenient, but there's nothing like the big screen experience. Also with E3 looming, what is your current white whale project? For me it is probably the rumored KOTOR remake that's been talked about. In recent years, there's been a bunch of Cease and Desist letters that went out to fan-made “remake” mods that were in development. Usually these fall under “Fair Use” since you need the original game to use them, but this type of lockdown is highly suspect. The only tangible thing I'm sharing this month is the two Lego sets I bought for May 4th to get the promo this year. As always, Mahalo nui loa for everything you do and E3 HYPE! Love & Respect, Samo Rozman @Namzor Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/adjX4vy P.S If you're interested on what the Apeiron Mod looked like prior to its cancellation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlegqVb5zk

Samo Rozman

For safety. Also, for context, I put a question mark after the first line because I wasn't sure if I played a game or just was going through an existential crisis.

Jason A. Sackel

Last month I played through Days Gone? I really don't know if I would have played it through if it weren't for all the bugs in the game. Most of the characters were a bit one note and the writing was pretty dreadful. There are also times where the main guy lies and it makes zero sense as to why he would or why it is necessary. Nothing in the story was ever really a surprise because of just how poorly it was put together. I'll do my best as always to not go into any specifics in case there are those that want to check it out that haven't yet. I really don't think the story or characters really mattered. I think they had the idea of a horde of enemies chasing you and decided to make a game around that. It just isn't put together well at all. For example, I went on a mission with another character. They said they'd meet me back at the camp. I go to said camp and go to a mission marker. Cutscene plays where I talk to that other character I was just on a mission with and someone else. I do that mission. I go back to the camp and that someone else asks if I had seen that other character in reference to two missions go where the main guy says they would meet them back at the camp. The game just constantly tries to rip away the immersion. There is a part where someone logs into something and the computer is like "It's been 751 days since you last logged in." Why? Why was that necessary? The pause menu counts how many "Days Gone" and it was in the 800s. Served no purpose. Anyhoo, we need to talk about the bugs, because this game is riddled with them. I knew I was in for a ride when enemies started defying physics. In a shootout, one enemy jumped just off the map. Another time, after a final hit, an enemy just launched into the air. Enemies constantly got stuck. In the sneaking missions, I had a time when none of the enemies spawned. I had to do a hard reset. Multiple times. I'd be driving around, and the road just wouldn't exist. There was a cabin where none of the assets loaded and if a cutscene took place, they'd be just standing on air with a map floating where I'm only guessing that a table should be. More forgiving are the standard bugs that come with open-world games. Entering a small little cutscene and talking to an NPC in the world map and an enemy pops in the area and starts screaming as the characters have some calm dialogue, even walking and swinging at my guy. That stuff has it's charm. It's the glitches that require a hard reset that are really irksome. If I had to say one good thing about the game.... whoops, already at 500 words.

Jason A. Sackel

Hi Brad and Jones, A few months ago, I replayed BotW to refresh my memory in preparation for the next Zelda trailer at E3. Although I still enjoyed the game overall, problems such as the short, repetitive divine beasts and low enemy variety were definitely more noticeable the second time around so I hope these problems will be addressed in the sequel. Anyways here are some screenshots I took during my last playthrough. Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13xF1I15tzcdDAILUXdSPEYo4990ab2Wn?usp=sharing L&R, UndercoverShiekah

UndercoverShiekah

Part 2 :This remaster has a feature which I don't remember the original game having. You can play the entire game with Japanese VO and English text and this felt very nostalgic. Not only did i remember several voice actors from nineties anime but the art-style and the overall plot was very much „of that time“ which was thoroughly enjoyable. It is a very colorful game with likable characters as well as a great soundtrack. The opening theme alone just oozes adventure :) Grandia ages very well thanks to the remaster and I easily recommend it to anyone who likes JRPGs with turn based combat a somewhat whimsical adventure as a plot. Depending on how much you like the dungeons and side dungeons this can be finished in 40 or 100+ hours. That's it for now. I will hopefully finish SMT 3 until the next showcase. Hope all the allies have a great E3 and June in general. L&R Alex PS: I have decided to bug brad as well with the recommendation to check out shining force 2 some day :)

Alex_AI

Hi Brad and jones, how are you today? Hopefully fine. In may I continued to clear up my backlog step by step despite it rapidly incresing with all the new releases like smt nocturne, famicom detective club, mass effect legendary edition etc. This time I tackled an oldie that was looking at me for quite a while now. It was finally time to beat the first grandia. My first attempt was actually on the ps one almost two decades ago. I remember liking the game but stopping because of some technical issues. I did not get far but ever since then this game had a safe spot on my backlog. A couple of years ago we got a remaster for both the first and the second grandia but by now there were too many other games so it had to wait. Finally as of may 20th 2021 i have beaten grandia one :) (continue in part 2 - which should be the reply to this comment)

Alex_AI

safty

Nextgenheff

Hey guys, While I did continue the campaign of the immortal viking Hardeknud in Crusader Kings 3, nothing really interesting happened. But, while experimenting with other mods, a new interesting norse character rose to power. His name, Oddr Orn. Located in modern day Italy, he started as a Catholic Norse duke in the holy roman empire. During his rise to power he decided to take the papacy from the Pope, making the capital of his land Rome. He then proceeded to create his own version of Christianity, a much better Christianity called Norse Christianity. Before splitting from the Holy roman empire, he took the holy city of Cologne, and then named himself the pope of Norse Christianity. While this was all going on, he became one of 12 immortals to walk the earth. After kidnappings, executions, and duels to the death he ended up the last immortal, giving him a right to invade any nearby kingdom once every 10 years. He used his first invasion to invade the Byzantine empire and take the rest of Italy for himself, splitting from the Holy Roman empire and forming the empire of Italia. While he did this, he took a few key cities from the Byzantines as well. Taking them allowed him to mend the great schism between catholicism and orthodox Christianity, insisting that his Norse Christianity is the one true religion. Included are screen shots of what happened in the world before and after he did this. Modded Crusader kings 3 is very fun to play, if you can you should give it a shot. L&R Nextgenheff Link for screen shots- https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zLUSQdt-O_Ise73Vk8e4Ou853Mrqw4P4FmpiT4JqpX8/edit?usp=sharing

Nextgenheff

Save?

Asbo Zappruder

Good afternoon, gentlemen, June is bustin’ out all over! I hope you’re both doing well. It’s a big week and I’m looking forward to sharing all the E3 excitement with you and chat. That’s not to say May wasn’t exciting. It was a particularly thrilling month on the island of Poppleton! Let me explain. 1. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DmlpqoGfAPFTiG5s1zplVpJoRqM5kNTR/view?usp=sharing It all began when this year’s soccer season kicked off. Unfortunately, our team, the Honeybees, wasn’t doing very well. Halfway through the season, we lost to the Scorpions, leaving us with an overall record of 0 wins and 7 losses. 2. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O2Zoh-X2shCJtk5FOJxKNZs_eu-iQbxj/view?usp=sharing This was apparently the final straw for Frobert. After the game, he informed us that he received an offer to join the Scorpions and he was taking it. 3. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gpuui9sNb-RO23H2qs7WC9tg096c7s6e/view?usp=sharing While I was still reeling from the news and wondering who on earth would want to join a team like ours, I was approached by our equipment manager, Zucker. He said he’d always wanted to join the team but was too afraid to ask. Left with no other options, I said yes. 4. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1llaDuoTdK4CBY3JvZrfyThJdu_bhXlXV/view?usp=sharing However, during our next match, Zucker kept running out of breath halfway down the field and we lost to the Ladybugs. 5. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9GlpL0Fntdy3pmak_RLXlPduRlNdc3b/view?usp=sharing During our next match, Boomer suggested Zucker take over as the goalie. And to everyone’s surprise, he turned out to be a natural! We finally got our first win against the Queen Alexandra's Birdwings. We managed to win our next six matches and earned a place in the playoffs. 6. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Colw6rAu7-3b-gzMSW1HdybRTFZxY_bF/view?usp=sharing Naturally, our first opponents were the Scorpions. 7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/16_LZaLpOWfjC-hyk_R8ySTXCXg81a7x6/view?usp=sharing It was a tough game but we managed to keep up. With the score tied, it all came down to a penalty kick. 8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RkPh5bWDE8SGn4-OqmSDv7bIwi16XBMm/view?usp=sharing But Zucker came through! 9. https://drive.google.com/file/d/14MchWvPA3CiRjpvfzgfZwUQOCBYTVQjw/view Of course, the Scorpions defeated us in the other two games of the series and ended up this year’s champions. But it was still an amazing season and we’re already preparing for next year. Anyway, that was May. I’m sure June will be much calmer. Until then, Asbo Zappruder / screaming_argonaut

Asbo Zappruder

saved

Chris Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynjP2QoT0f8 I think Brad's the only regular that dodged this.

Chris Park

Guess self clap is now an MS thing?

Trung Nguyen

Hey Brad and Brandon. As you read this I have already gotten my 1st vaccine shot *thumbs up. Let's go through drawings. Only linework because I totally botched coloring phase. Also still a bad habit on drawing on top of original. On my quest to draw glasses better because THAT is my fetish :) Still keeping up with monthly Chun-Li drawing and to celebrate Summer and how good weather has been lately, a bikini one. Almost done with June one too so going well. Sadly my bike's pedal broke so had to take it to the shop. Slowly going through Dragon's Dogma again and enjoying it. Also just started It Takes Two with a friend. And watching Cobra Kai. Better than I expected and ready for next season. Let's have a great Summer Game Fest and E3 June. Until next time. L&R TearjuEngi https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1395500854686404615?s=19 https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1391853648716648452?s=19 https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1393807657367183361?s=19 https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1395449936729321481?s=19 https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1395452975661912065?s=19 https://twitter.com/tearjuengi/status/1399683310268338177?s=19

Trung Nguyen

safety comment~

Elliette Kee

Some Context: I have been making perlers for a while (even sent you guys some) but I had the idea after Kyle played HamHam Heartbreak to do a time lapse video for the fan art portion of his stream. I really loved making it so I ended up spending about $50 on equipment and starting a tiktok! The first video was made with just my laptop webcam, and you can see the evolution from there! You can find me on tiktok and in twitch chat as hydroshutterbug. L&R!! google drive video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1waX67JZowHJr9WuSxMDvj0Z08MtaTDov/view?usp=sharing

Elliette Kee

Hello Brandon and Brad! Excited for E3 and the studio! Dare we hope? Normality is seemingly materializing again! At the time of broadcast, I’ll be less than two days away from my first Pfizer shot. Something different this time, still music, but with my face (though hidden behind a mask)! I was on holiday recently somewhere in Southern France and an unexpected musical opportunity arose. We were visiting the little town of (sorry Jones, more of my French nonsense, but I am genuinely not making this one up) Entraygues-sur-Truyères. (By the way, loved seeing you all getting relatively caught up on Astérix, which is practically in my DNA as a descendant of those Gauls fighting Julius Caesar’s Roman occupation in 50 A.D.). Anyway, while visiting Entraygues-sur-Truyères, we heard the local church organ from the streets and deciding to get in to have a listen. The lovely organist then proposed us to come up and see and try the instrument. Which means I have for you a few holiday clips of me trying a church organ for the first time! Sorry in advance, this was unexpected and I am only a very basic pianist on a good day, so expect many hesitations, shaky footage and people talking in the background. Oh, and watch until the very end for a silly thing I saw during this trip. Also, all my love to Isla of course, L&R, Kévin Gillet Link to the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1boaOewdFP3axhGoQSdux8-ws_t9lbBKp/view

Kévin Gillet

Hello Brad and Brandon, So ive been kind struggling on what I wanted to write, I kind of jumped on this super late so I will probably just recap some anime ive been watching, and man ive been watching so much these past few months so just going to throw out some quick ones. Then hopefully next month it wont be as crazy. Well I finally finished Naruto and as a whole it was great, I truly was heartbroken about sasuke and naruto, ending on that was quite crazy to me, I was not expecting them to take those big risks with the storytelling and it went ways I really wasn't expecting, Started up Shippuden now and oh boy the task seems daunting but i'm roughly on episode 15 now and its just been so great seeing them grow up before my eyes. I love it. finished up JoJo's Bizarre adventure and WOW what a series! Watching part 1 I really didn't see what the hype was about but after finishing it I saw what they meant. I haven't cried this much in any other anime before. As it goes along you can truly see the evolution of this author and it just gets better and better! I was pretty blown away! Almost done with Great Teacher Onizuka and talk about an amazing anime! You don't really get many shows that give us the student/teacher dynamic and this does it in a very wholesome way while still being very funny and witty. I highly recommend this one, its older but it really feels quite timeless. Lastly I wanted to mention a new chinese anime ive started called Link Click its so good. I really love its interesting premise and its amazing artstyle, music, and voice acting. It also ties in real world events, one episode had me in tears. Its such a hidden gem and I highly recommend. That's about it, sorry if its kinda all over the place, next month will hopefully be a bit smoother. I'm so excited for e3! can wait to see your amazing coverage through the week! :)

Megan Linart

Oh Valley of Plenty!

R.F. Switch

Hello! Hello! Not much to show this month. Decided to show my past failed UE4 Projects. L&R Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yRm2PZb84k&list=PLTGR_gTQ0GUg8F02_Jd1ky0TIYzsPBz56&index=3

Beau

Hey Brad, Jones, and chat. I would like to talk about how context can affect our excitement and enjoyment of a game. A recent example of this for myself was replaying Super Mario 3D World on Switch. After playing through the WiiU version just after it released, I sold the game right away because I didn't enjoy it that much, let alone did I imagine wanting to replay it in the foreseeable future. However, I got the Switch version and while I had a blast with the new mode, Bowser's Fury, I was surprised how much fun I was having playing through the base game. Now over seven years later, I appreciate Super Mario 3D world for being such a solid, unapologetic platformer. I believe why I was unsatisfied all those years ago was because I was starved for a more exploratory 3D Mario game, and a gem like Mario Odyssey was nowhere on the horizon. Of course I went into the game fully aware of what it was, but maybe I still played it begrudgingly, wishing Nintendo would take bigger risks with their formula. But now, after playing games like Mario Oydssey and even Bowser's Fury. Mario 3D World tastes like a delicious side of fries. Who knows, maybe the increase in movement speed and resolution is making a bigger impact than I'm noticing, but I believe the change in videogame variety and my more mature mindset have transformed the same exact game from a forgettable experience to something I can truly appreciate. Also, it's worth noting that seven years ago, I was still paying off my massive college loans, so my income was much less disposable, and the personal value of a $60 game was a much bigger concern. Now I don't feel the need to constantly consider if a game is worth buying or keeping. On a bigger scale, think about how the average Zelda fan reacted to the reveal of Twilight Princess versus their reaction to the Wind Waker. The trailer for Twilight Princess made the game look so epic, cinematic, and mature, but in the end, I don't think that's what we actually want from our Zelda games. It's just that, at the time, there was this underlining concern that Nintendo games were too childish, especially after the recently released Wind Waker had such a cartoony artstyle. But now, I think it's safe to say that more people would agree that Wind Waker is the superior title. Twilight Princess just felt like it would be a breath of fresh air, like Nintendo was taking off the chains and going wild, giving the fans what they actually wanted, or at least what we thought we wanted. Sometimes we don't know what we want until we have it, or if we lose it and get it back.

Joseph Caruso

safety

Ciaran Lyttle

Hey Brandon and Brad! I'll keep this post short becauase I feel a little guilty over having been involved in two showcase submissions last month that both went over the time limit (forgive me). So I'll just say this ones for Brad, in tribute to both his (I think), and my (for sure) favourite game of all time! FFVII - Jenova medley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtUeD_XEXT4 L&R (p.s looking forward Intergrade!)

Ciaran Lyttle

Weatherworn safety pin.

Jeremy Waltman

Hello Allies, The Weatherworn demo featuring main characters Pap & Pup is heading to Steamfest 2021: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1486180/Weatherworn_The_Adventure_of_Pap__Pup/?beta=1 The demo will include the animated opening cutscene, a sample quest, and the first map. For those new to the game... Weatherworn is an all-ages adventure about the young Pup and their grandfather Pap stranded on a dangerous world. It's a story-driven retro RPG, with a modern pace, about the seasons of life. Here's new key art wallpapers and in-game screenshots: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kj5Ty4f4F2x1OKa6EyutG3Pcex0KGtC4?usp=sharing L&R, Jeremy

Jeremy Waltman

(We can post if we want to. We can leave comments behind. Cause Patreon eats posts, and if it eats posts, well then no one can read mine. It's a safety post.)

lc

Hey Brandon, Hey Brad, (and shoutout to any Braddon’s and Brands watching this showcase), I’ve been rewriting this comment for the showcase a lot, struggling to think of what I wanted to express the most. But when I really reflect on it, so often the most important thing you can tell someone is thank you. So two things: first, thank you to Isla for being brave, true to herself, and just a genuinely awesome artist and human being. Second, thank you Brandon, thank you Brad, and thanks to all of the Allies for everything EZA has done over the past year. The world changed dramatically, but the fact that you still managed to adapt and make awesome content showed me that not everything that made the old days special had necessarily gone away. I hope it’s not too easy to take for granted that what may seem routine to you can inspire a lot of hope in others. You all were a huge source of that hope for me. L&R, and best wishes on your triumphant return to the studio! L&R, levelcapybara P.S. It was great getting to hear Brad and Bloodworth trading notes on three excellent soundtracks in the most recent episode of Soundtrack Club. Personally, I’d be curious to hear Brad’s thoughts on Chrono Cross sometime as well! I also realized I should’ve nominated Isla’s song / game submission from Concert for Brad a while back – it is technically a game soundtrack, and I’m pretty sure it was up for several GANG & GOTY awards when it debuted. Or it should’ve been anyway.

lc

SAFE?

Parasitepaladin

Hello you two! Another month, another excuse to talk about professional wrestling. New Japan has been stumbling a bit yet it is still enjoyable. Though their newish hour long weekly show NJPW Strong is just wonderful. Impact is forever an easy beezy fun watch. And All Elite Wrestling knows how to put on a good weekly show. Plus the fact that the three have been working together a bit is just super damn cool. Though my greatest love goes to Stardom, since it brings me the most joy. And I wanted to talk a little about my favorite wrestler, Tam Nakano. I started watching Stardom in 2020, but Tam has been wrestling since 2016. I will admit I don’t know a ton about her past, but I love her as she is now! I’ll have to decide how far back into the archives I want to watch her stuff at some point. She has had a couple of gimmicks from what I can tell. And for you Jones, from Wikipedia: a gimmick generally refers to a wrestler's in-ring persona, character, behaviour, attire and/or other distinguishing traits while performing which are usually artificially created in order to draw fan interest. She is currently wrestling as a typical Japanese “Idol” , always saying she is the cutest in the universe. Before this (which I sadly did not witness) she had a martial arts gimmick, I think it was kung-fu, based on her ring gear. She carried around a stuffed animal panda called p-chan. Not to sure gimmick was before her signing with Stardom in 2017, but I do know she wrestled in some deathmatches. In which she wore jumpsuit overalls. Make sense, those deathmatches were exploding ones where you probably wouldn’t want any exposed skin. The matches are not available to watch anywhere sadly, but there are some GIFs. Tam can sure swing and get hit with an exploding barbed wire bat like a PRO. Part of the whole idol thing is being cute, which she is successful in, maybe a big reason I like her! Who knows. She is one of the handful of wrestlers that has a baseline innocent demeanor and will at times switch to a super serious one when shit gets real. In the ring and in backstage segments Tam knows how to tell a story with EMOTION. Which is why she is the current Wonder of Stardom champion. She is also the leader of her own unit (faction/group) called the Cosmic Angels. I also love them very much. Absolutely overwhelmingly endearing. Tam Nakano is my favorite, and Stardom is wonderful. Thank you yet again for giving me an outlet to let this out. Love and respect!

Parasitepaladin

stick

FromTheVoid

Hello Jones, Brad and fellow allies, For this community showcase I will change things up a little bit. Instead of showing more obscure Mario characters, today I bring you Just Waluigi. Nintendo released a couple of Waluigi images recently and I had to make a whole video about him. Get ready for some obscure Waluigi lore! Hope you enjoy it. Join the FromTheVoid Games channel on Youtube for the whole Waluigi video and a lot more such as a list of hidden gems on the Nintendo Switch. Thanks, L&R FromTheVoid a.k.a. Arthur https://youtu.be/sr-5MTs6IcQ

FromTheVoid

Not with a skadoosh, but with a whimper.

Eric Jackson

Hey Brandon and Brad, Congrats on the impending return to the studio. There's a terrific meme that states "Being and adult is just saying "After this week everything will calm down" until you die", and I've very much been feeling that way lately. Little sleep and overworking myself in all aspects of my life, I almost didn't post this month, but after 5 and a half hours of constant talking for my DnD game the night before the showcase I thought, "Well why not." And hastily threw together another installment in the ongoing adventures of my players in my campaign. My voice is a little shot as a result, but I'm happy enough with the result, and I hope you all enjoy it. Long Live Nicator (Brad's first TTE character) I also want to plug the new Bo Burnham special on Netflix, INSIDE. It's edgy, it's funny, it's powerful and often uncomfortable, and forces an inward look during COVID life and showcases a focused look at mental health, but I love it so much. Worth a watch but certainly not for everyone. Stay safe, love each other, Trans Rights are Human Rights. Love and Respect, Eric Jackson, AKA JacksOnDeck in twitch chat https://soundcloud.com/user-914390028/the-ongoing-adventures-of-the-heroes-of-saga (DO NOT READ) Hey Brandon, I hope you're well. No real criticism here, but I noticed that the last couple/few (whatever it's been) showcase posts haven't included the exhaustive description of showcase submission guidelines, as well as deadlines, and I just figured especially for any incoming patrons or patrons adjusting their tier, it would be helpful that they would see all the information they needed to know captured within the post. No worries if I'm missing the mark there! Hope your mental health is well!

Eric Jackson

I finally played Republic Commando for the first time, and while I don’t regret playing it, there’s SO MUCH I wish was better: Only three locations so environments get old quickly, difficulty spikes at the end of the first two “campaigns” and the constant slog of the third wore me down, and the ending is anti-climactic as the game just ends. The best thing about it is the hook of playing a Clone Commando, but nine hours of nothing but increasingly difficult combat scenarios with repetitive enemies shows its age. I also turned 29. So, there’s that, I guess. If I had to associate “getting” anything to celebrate the occasion (though I already had my birthday for over a week), was Mr. Huber’s Resident Evil Village playthrough. I’ve said it a couple of times, but to share again: I was (and still am mostly) averse to survival horror and Resident Evil in general, but something about Resident Evil VII intrigued me and his playthroughs are enjoyable. There’s just something about them, of both sharing his love and passion for the franchise, and his high expertise of knowing most of the game, a.k.a, “All Blue Runs” that makes me want to watch primarily his streams. As of now, I would put Village behind 2 Remake and VII as my favorites I’ve seen. However, most of May (and an unknown amount for awhile) has been dedicated to the virtual impossibility of buying a PS5. The process is “hilarious:” I just need to not be working AND online at the right random time for it to be available, only to either sell out in seconds or if directly from Sony, sit on a page for 20 or 30 minutes to be told it’s gone. Best Buy let me go as far as checkout, but told me I couldn’t buy because it wasn’t in a store in my entire STATE. Sony had a glitch, appearing to be an early queue only to be a false alarm. Wal-mart took it out of my cart as I was putting in my info. Amazon, for the first time ever in over a DECADE, claimed “this address is ineligible,” after I had it in the cart. Again; “Hilarious.” And because of this, I’m prohibited from playing both Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade AND Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart until I get it. I’ll also reiterate: Why can’t companies take my info and payment AFTER launch, put me on backorder, and ship it when it’s my turn? I don’t care if it takes months, just give me the guarantee. To close, this month is a yearly tradition of mine: E3 preparation. Normally I would have all kinds of hype. But I’m tepid now, mostly because, like most, I have no clue what this year’s E3 will look like. Looking forward to seeing the Microsoft/Bethesda combo, and the Summer Games Fest kickoff stream, but I’m not sure how I’ll feel until heading into June 10 through the 13th.

Brandon K Gann

Safety post

Happy Gaming

What up Jones and Brad, Happy back in the office soon, and especially happy E3! This was an exciting month for us. My girlfriend and I are now fully vaccinated. We took a day this last week to go shopping for books and retro games. I’d completely forgotten just how much riding on a bus gives me intense anxiety, even before COVID, but now going and doing it again, it was especially nervewracking. Surprisingly the shopping wasn’t actually as difficult to dive back into as I was anticipating. It was a good outing though, even if the retro shop was mostly liquidated, and we’re looking forward to hopping over to the Alamo Drafthouse next weekend to watch In the Heights! In all honesty, I haven’t done as much gaming the last month as I typically do. I’ve been showing my girlfriend the Uncharted games recently and we just started on the third. I’ve more been catching up on shows and movies this month though. If you’re looking for a good documentary, I highly recommend Not for Resale. It’s about local and retro video game shops. It hits very close to home as a retro and physical game collector, with talks about the industry going towards a digital future. Despite how melancholic it is, I immediately texted my brother after it was done excited to talk about opening one ourselves someday. I know I promised to bring a review of Sakuna for this month’s showcase, but the month got away from me. I still plan on finishing it, but it may take a little bit more time as this month I’m going to begin a course to become certified to teach kids’ ESL classes. My goal is to be able to someday travel and teach (and eventually live) abroad in Japan or Korea. Beyond that though, it’s also a unique opportunity to choose my own hours working from home, which would blend really nicely with my side video production and podcasting if it all goes smoothly. That aside, this month I’ve got a review of ActRaiser on Super Nintendo for you! It’s one of my favorites from growing up. I apologize for the quality of the vocal track; my microphone’s cord or port is going out and it created a lot of popping. I’ve been looking at upgrading to maybe an AudioTechnica-AT2020 model. If you have any recommendations on USB microphones though, let me know! Hope everyone enjoys the review! As always, I love constructive criticism. If you’d like to watch my other reviews, feel free to hit up Patreon.com/HappyGaming to watch them all for free. We’re just a few days out from being able to pick up where I left off in FFVII Remake with Intergrade, and all that E3 spiciness is getting my mouth watering. Let’s go June! love you all lots, Black Lives Matter, be excellent to each other, party on dudes, Brian from Happy Gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74h1yPx_bcA

Happy Gaming

We've gotta hold this point!

Small Leviathan

Howdy folks! I recently marathoned the entire Dishonored series on a whim, so for this showcase I'm gonna challenge myself by summarizing my opinion on each part of the series in a hundred words or less. I'm counting Dishonored 1's DLC as its own thing, so that's four parts in total to get through. Ready, set, go! Dishonored: One of the first things that struck me upon replaying this game is just how good it looks nearly ten years after its initial release. The stylized character designs and the painterly landscapes really give the game a unique visual identity that stands out to this day. It's predictably the most primitive game in the series, especially if you're doing a nonlethal playthrough, in which case your toolset is heavily limited. The whole game also has a far bleaker and crueler worldview than its sequels, something that can definitively be a turnoff nowadays. Still a fantastic game, though. Best level: Lady Boyle's Last Party. Knife of Dunwall/Brigmore Witches: This two-part six-level DLC is about half the length of Dishonored's main campaign but that's probably a good thing because the result is an experience that is far more focused with a story that is better told and characters that are better realized than anything we see in the base game. The game also expands on the nonlethal options, though I have to admit something: I don't like the Chaos system at all. For all their attempts to dress it up, it's just a boring moral choice system that limits your options rather than letting you make dynamic choices. Best Level: The Dead Eels. Dishonored 2: I think the differences between the first and second games in this series are demonstrated aptly by the differences between their protagonists, Corvo and Emily (I know you can play as Corvo but Emily is canonically the protagonist). Corvo's powerset is largely offensive in nature leaving you with limited options if you're trying to avoid doing that, meanwhile, Emily's is incredibly flexible and diverse, lending itself to any playstyle you want. In much the same way, Dishonored 2 is a more flexible game with more options than ever before. Shame that the PC port isn't very good. Best level: A Crack in the Slab. Death of the Outsider: Just gonna say it: this is my favourite game in the series. By paring down your skillset to just three powers Arkane hyperfocuses the level design around the tools they know you'll always have, creating some of the best moments in the whole series. Also the Chaos system is gone, a change that opens up a fantastic sidequest system. I also think this is the best the story ever gets in this series. Billie Lurk is a fantastic protagonist and her role as the one making the final choice of the entire franchise makes for a great sendoff. Best level: Follow the Ink. That's my entire word budget for the month, happy pride everyone! Love and Respect, Small Leviathan, trans, bi and proud. PS: Splatoon 3 is absolutely going to be at E3 and Damiani is insane for thinking otherwise.

Small Leviathan

Hello Gentlemen! I've always been a sucker for a startling pair of eyes, and this guy's got some of the coolest of them all. I think this is my biggest project yet, 32 colors, 14,300 beads. https://photos.app.goo.gl/S4BBFRrjkdxchx3g9

Nathan Codiroli

Safety

JessieBlu

Safety

JessieBlu

Hooooooold!

JessieBlu

Hello Jones, Brad and Chat...Greetings from the Midwest! Well, this past weekend marked another year around the sun for me, and with the bright skies and warmer weather here, the hope and hype for returning to the studio is electric! I have been infused with the motivation to continue work on my new storybook series using books from Project Gutenberg and recording audiobook versions for Youtube and Soundcloud. I have a portion of the audio file ready and will be working to finish it. I will add a very simple video image of the book cover and some storybook background music to the beginning and end of each chapter. My goal is to get the files to be about 15-20min long and depending on the book, cover a chapter or two each file. I will be finishing up the first file this month and uploading it as soon as it’s done. I will make sure to share the link publicly once it is posted. Thank you all so much for your support over the past couple years and especially through the past year. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. Love and respect to all the Allies and lots of HUGS too! Regarding my submission, since I am starting with a book I already featured on a previous showcase, rather than repeating, I am picking up a little later in the story. (Jones please read the following in your official “Narrator voice”) “When we last left our heroine, Alice had fallen down a deep hole while chasing a white rabbit. I bring you the continuation of Alice in Wonderland, Written by Lewis Carroll and performed by JessieBlu”

JessieBlu

Who does Patreon fear more...? Sam or Derek?

R.F. Switch

Greetings Jones and Brad, That second COVID dose hit me like a few dozen trains… and I’ve been waking up at 6 in the morning for no reason while I’ve been recovering… Anyways, here’s another video about me explaining my inspirations with Themis the Catgirl. Last time Brad was on, he didn’t seem terribly interested in my series, which is fine, to each their own. But, there was something in that story that may have caught your interest or attention, which is what I’m gonna talk about today. Ok, let’s dive in and talk about the Swordsman and the Alchemist. Love and Respect, R.F. Switch P.S. Oh, and er, um, bingus bongus, my legal name change happened. P.P.S. I only have five chapters left to write before Book One, 'A Cat Named Justice,' is complete. After that, I'll start writing Book Two, 'Anime Coastal Chaos.' (Link Below)

R.F. Switch

Hold

kbhomes

Hold

kbhomes

Hello Brad & Jones! For a change, May was a good month for my gaming with a couple of things beaten and some good progress in others. We finally got 4 stars on all of overcooked 2 levels, something more than 6 months in the making and what I considered an impossible task after the cousin moved back to her hometown to spend the rest of the pandemic, but the wife really stepped up her game and we finally hit that milestone. Moving on to single player gaming, I beat all 300 puzzles of Mario’s Super Picross solving two a day every morning for the past couple of months. I’m really glad Nintendo added it to the Switch online thingy. I was hoping for an american release ever since they announced it for the wii virtual console in Europe, and lost all hope after the wiiU was canned, but it finally made it and it was totally worth the wait. And to close, after so many years in the backlog I started Xenoblade Chronicles for the wii, and it has been a mixed bag. I remember you, Brad, talking about it on frame trap and saying how the switch version really enhanced the character models. At the time I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but yeah, playing the game now I get you… those models look so lifeless, that it is easy to believe the switch update improved on that. It’s funny because I just beat Resident Evil 4 on that same wii 4 times prior to picking Xenoblade, and it’s hilarious how better RE4 models look in comparison, and that’s not even a wii native game, it’s a gamecube port that looks exactly the same as the game in the previous platform. Other than that, I think this will be my debut and farewell for the franchise. I have not progressed much, and while I have liked the story so far and the lots of things-to-do the game offers, the combat system is not my cup of tea. It’s funny because I have no problems with old school rpgs like final fantasy with their turn based and command based combat systems; but for Xenoblade, I don’t like that after approaching an enemy, I select an attack from a list while running around dodging the enemies or saving fallen teammates. Either map the attacks to buttons and let me do combos, or have me go into a battle screen where everything is commands. Anyway, that’s my take so far. Let’s see how that progresses in the following months. That’s it for my monthly gaming update. I’m really happy you guys (I just wondered if saying “you guys” is still grammatically and politically correct, English as a second language, I’m never certain of things) got all vaccinated and will be back in the studio in a glimpse. Estamos en Contact, César

César Villa

Hold!

Sage_Mode_Q

Hey Jones and Brad, well May is done and can I just say what a fantastic month for video games. with games like Monster hunter rise and Nier spilling over and the great new releases from the past couple weeks like Returnal and Mass Effect may has been wall to wall gaming. But in the end I think we can all agree that it was the month of Village! I don’t think a game has consumed me like RE8 in a long time. Like most people I beat it three times in that first week and I’m still going through hunting that platinum. I don’t really like to hundred percent games, I’m usually trying to just beat the main story and move onto the next just because of the sheer volume of my backlog but going back to 2 remake and so on with 3make and biohazard it’s become a little bit of a tradition for me to platinum those RE games shout out to Huber! Now our eyes turn to June and what is staring us straight in the face but none other than FF7 intergrade. I gotta say the rollout for intergrade is a little confusing to me. When can we actually buy it if we already own it? you think they would’ve said something by now with it coming out next month. I don’t know maybe they did and I’m just dumb. I was wondering if Brad had any knowledge on this or if he is just as lost as I am? Before I end this post I want to give a quick shout out to Hitman 3. After everything that’s come out this year hitman 3 is still my favorite game that I’ve played this year and with it being about the halfway mark of the gaming season I just wanted to shout it out and say that I’m going to be campaigning for it all year so that you guys do not forget about it come GOTY time. I do not want it to get the Jedi fallen order treatment where it comes out way at the beginning of the year and everybody forgets about it at the end. It is a phenomenal game that deserves its praise! love and respect!!!

Sage_Mode_Q

Don't skip me again, Jones.

Sara Knite

Hey Brad and Jones! Hope you guys are doing well. So, instead of putting my message in the video itself and not risk getting skipped entirely by Jones, I’m just gonna post my comment here. A couple months back I was tagged on Twitter by Michemagius to create 2 original arts and 2 fanarts. So, I decided to draw my 2 characters from my webcomic, Summer Days, and then made one of them a promo art for last month’s showcase. Doing the same thing this time with my other character, ‘cuz why not? Hope you guys are staying safe and I can’t wait until you are all back at the studio! https://youtu.be/7a8PuTqspjM Much love and respect, Sara Knite

Sara Knite

Hey Brad and Brandon, I want to start this showcase by acknowledging my inspiration and appreciation for Brad and his composure when playing tough games. I wish I had the patience and forthrightness of Brad-I feel those qualities make demanding games like Bloodborne, Sekiro, the Souls games games, Nioh and Returnal more tolerable. How does Brad cope with the constant deaths in these games? I assume his composure and diligence are out of this world. I've been playing quite a few interesting games so far this year and I thought I'd give some brief opinions of them below: -New Pokemon Snap- A nostalgic yet refreshingly new entry after 22 years of waiting-I was only 7 when the original came out and despite not knowing any Pokemon beyond generation 2-NPS tempts me to find out about Pokemon I formerly knew nothing about. -Little Nightmares II- A surprising sequel that cleans up the iffy tendencies of the original and doubles down on all the frightful Burtonesque delights that make these games stand out from its contemporaries. -Maquette-A brief but lovely puzzle game that contains a beautiful soundtrack and a gentle tone that's welcoming and wonderful. -Nier Replicant ver 1.22474487139- Despite the tedious fetch quests and its tiresome labyrinthine combat idiosyncrasies, Nier Replicant is extraordinary, elegant, touching, funny and awe-inspiring with one of the greatest modern videogame soundtracks out there. That Repose piece of music makes me tear up. Just don't go around saying Replicant's full name-it'll make you sound like a robot. -Resident Evil 8-Perhaps a little too reminiscent of previous Resident Evil games and doesn't captivate the way RE7 did in rejuvenating the RE franchise from the confused mess which was the sixth instalment-RE8 still packs in a gripping and entertaining jaunt and those weapons sound absolutely tasty. Ethan Winters could do with being less soppy and should stop stating the obvious-I know he's got personal problems to deal with but he could be a little more mentally sharper. -Control: Ultimate Edition- The map and the characters leave something to be desired but Control is the kind of empowering sci-fi videogame that makes you want to learn more and make use of all the game's abilities-a deftly constructed telekinetic powerhouse by developers who know how to tell captivating stories that are begging to be TV shows. Jesse Faden could do with being more emphatic with what she wants-we hear what she thinks but she doesn't act on what her brain is telling her- guess she's representative of our modern-day capitalist society where we know things are wrong but we don't do anything about it. -Terminator Resistance: Enhanced Edition- A One-dimensional Fallout-like FPS that is bereft of variety and packs in the cliched crafting and collectibles disguising itself from its true identity as a boring Terminator game that doesn't give us a good reason as to why it's squatting on PS5. Do any of the Allies like UFC or MMA in general? Thanks for all that you do. Love and Respect.

James Davie

Here’s some backstory I’ve developed for my 5th Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough: [image1] “Name’s V, I’m a solo. My farther caught stray bullet when I was six, my mother was hit by a car when I was nine. Grown up on the street, I quickly learned my way around firearms, which saved my life more than once. One night, when I was fifteen, I tried to rob some drunk corp and got hit by a gang who had the same idea. When I’ve zeroed them, dumb corp thought that I’ve came to save him and offered me to do it full time. Becoming a suit seemed better than what I had, so I said yes. For the next 11 years I was doing dirty work for him and enjoyed benefits that came with it. Then he went against wrong people and I’ve lost my job, my home, and all my eddies. At least, they weren’t interested in sending a team to off me, and I’m not interested in giving them a reason to reconsider by trying to get it all back. If anything, I’ve learned that it’s better to be just another name in fixer’s phonebook, than to be just another name in Night City’s columbarium.” [image2] “I grew up here. That room with light on second floor was ours. It wasn’t bad, but it was a place for a different me. And I’d rather keep that younger me in the past.” [image3] “View from my place when I was a corp. Street noise was nearly unbearable, but that huge tree almost within arm’s reach made it all worth it.” [image4] “This quickly became my favorite place to eat on my downtime. Food isn’t half bad, there’s always an empty table and owner doesn’t mind turning off TVs when I want to dine in quite.” [image5] “Once I had to kill some guy. I found him in docks, standing on the pier with his input, like the rest or this world doesn’t exist. Easy target, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. Still not sure why. Had to hire another merc to do the job.” [image6] “I was looking for secluded spots to dump hot bodies when I came here, but when I saw the view, I’ve decided to keep this place for myself. Each time Night City gets under my skin, I escape here.” [image7] “This part of the city I always try to avoid. Nasty things happened with me there and I still get the creeps when I get near.” [image8] “Once I had to guard a VIP in this house. Seemed simple enough, until his convoy got delayed. We were running low on food and I couldn’t call anyone, because his presence was extremely secretive. Luckily, our neighbor agreed to buy us some snacks and did exactly what he’d promised. I still send him holiday presents as a thank you.” [image9] “But enough talking. A new day begins in Night City and I’ve got a gig to do.” https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsxRquOgIVix-SruaoT0y1z_5iEa?e=oHsEvT

Alexander Zyryanov

Please don’t evaporate

Michelle Jackson

Hello allies! This month was a little hectic with my changing jobs, so no game update. Instead I made a video documenting one of my favorite hobbies, lolita fashion. (Disclaimer, lolita fashion has nothing to do with the book of the same name, it’s a Japanese street style based in Victorian and Rococo fashion, and the name is an unfortunate coincidence.) A few days ago I celebrated Summer International Lolita Day with my local community which hosted an ILD tea party. (Second disclaimer: I am fully vaccinated.) https://youtu.be/01CxLYdSo3g

Michelle Jackson


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