I don't really have a favorite genre, so I'm open to trying anything.
I've been watching anime since 2017 (not counting Pokemon/Yu Gi Oh, which I watched when I was way younger).
Feel free to leave a comment or send a friend a request if u want.
I'm more lenient in rating comedies and slice-of-life compared to other series.
Anything rated above a 5 is considered a positive rating in varying degrees.
A score below a 5 means I disliked it.
10 - Personal masterpiece.
9 - Amazing. Strongly connected with it in some way.
8 - Great. I might have some issues with it, but nothing too detracting.
7 - Good. It has substance, but also has some setbacks.
6 - Decent. Flawed, but still something worth experiencing.
5 - Watchable and entertaining enough, but mediocre.
4 - Subpar. I don't necessarily dislike it, but it overall isn't good.
3 - Bad. Lackluster and poorly executed.
2 - Terrible. Nonsensical and meritless.
1 - A waste of time with no reason to watch.
[Profile outdated]
Favorite Animanga/VN
1) Neon Genesis Evangelion + The End of Evangelion
2) Berserk
3) Attack on Titan
4) Hunter x Hunter
5) Oyasumi Punpun
6) Monster
7) Vagabond
8) Death Note
9) The House in Fata Morgana (VN)
Favorite Films
1) The End of Evangelion
2) The Godfather + The Godfather: Part II
3) La Haine
4) The Conformist
5) A Brighter Summer Day
6) Taxi Driver
7) Chinatown
8) The Man Who Sleeps
9) Fallen Angels
Favorite Video Games
1) Silent Hill 2
2) Red Dead Redemption II
3) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
4) Dark Souls III
5) The Wolf Among Us
6) Bioshock
7) Batman: Arkham Trilogy
8) Omori
9) NieR:Automata
Favorite TV Shows
1) The Wire
2) The Sopranos
3) Twin Peaks
4) Mad Men
5) Breaking Bad
6) True Detective S1
7) Bojack Horseman
8) Game of Thrones S1-S4
9) Deadwood
I also took spanish classes in high school, and the segments in spanish is very fundamental day to day speech so i bet you’ll be good with that background. Good to hear you like older styles of prose, lmk once you start it.
Fiction that understands that the setting should be just that, the setting, and not the primary driving force behind the narrative are often the most successfull i find. So far those are the characters i like the most, though Tony is so far eaaasily the best. I’ll keep you posted
That makes sense with the other characters in C&P, i was also just a bit eager to get through the book, ig i have to get better at taking my time while consuming fiction.
BM isn’t really like Dostoevsky with the insight in psychology, it is more so about depicting objective yet vivid depictions of events, combining it with deep philosophical dialogue and dream sequences that allegorically further the themes of the story. He is also ruthless when utilizing spanish for instance, there are no footnotes translating it. His prose is very archaic, and has taken allot of inspiration from the king james bible as well as moby dick. Lmk when you start it, there are many aspects of the story i am eager to discuss since they are so implicit and abstract in their writing.
On another note, i am currently on ep 7 of s1 in The Sopranos. I really like it so far, especially the subtle symbolism and how it centers around Tony’s mental issues and character in general rather than being a pure mafia series.
Solid top 3, i kind of expected it tbh. I totally get where you are comming from with C&P and Raskolnikov, i find it so impressive how Dostoevsky can write so different yet so similar works and dive into both the human psyche and more broad themes with such ease. Truly the goat author so far from what i have read. The reason one can relate to a character like Raskolnikov is probably due to how effortlessly dostoevsky writes him to be an extremely realistic person, we feel as though we are literally experiencing the story through the mind of an actual human being. If it had not been for the slow paced parts of C&P with some of the side characters not living up to Raskolnikovs standards, it would be even higher on my list.
A book i really believe you will appreciate allot, is Blood Meridian. The themes and how they are portrayed are from what i can gather right up your alley. It is very challenging, at least to me that is not a native english speaker, and i believe even to english natives he is very challenging. That being said, he writes the most hauntingly beautiful prose from what i have read, he manages to create vivid dream like landscapes filled with grotesque acts of violence while centering the narrative around themes like man’s affinity for violence and war, fate, and racism. The book portrays a deeply cynical and nihilistic view of the world and mankind, but i believe you can stomach it lol.
Glad to hear you can see my side of why i like it so much. I played RDR2 the spring before i went to college, so it would be kind of poetic to play it when i finish college. I hope my dad likes it too, experiencing a story through a video game will def be new to him.
Yeah one can really see how Freud was inspired by this book lol, as were so many other authors. How would you rank your top 3 books as of now, and what makes you like this one more/less than Crime & Punishment for instance?
Good to hear you also get something out of these discussions
I think i'll dive into The Divine Comedy once i finish Beyond good and evil, lwk silent hill 2 made me want to read it even more
I may have formulated myself a bit unclearly, i didn't imply that TLoU2 and RDR2 were similar in terms of themes and story, more so that TLoU in general, not just p2, had a very similar way of telling the story. The cutscenes and how they both to me at least manage like few games to get me into a hyperfixated state where i become completely immersed in the story and almost forget i am playing a video game, made them feel quite similar to me. In addition to this i just saw similarities in the development and personality of Arthur and Joel. I agree with the difference in themes, and i also agree that TLoU takes a far bolder stance on morality and revenge, but to me this doesn't make it better nor worse than RDR2's more understated manner. Also i disagree that TLoU does not perform a broad analysis of society, the entirety of part 2 deals with a city split into factions that in my interpretation serves as a microcosm of how conflict throughout history often plays out. In addition i feel that the level of complexity for both games is another element i find it hard to effectively quantify and compare, since one will always put far more thought into the aspects which resonates with oneself the most. I find them both to be equally complex but in different areas, in my opinion the interpersonal introspection of TLoU is more prominent than in RDR2, even though both games thematize how fragile relationships and one's sense of self really are, and combined with how excellent Ellie's journey is makes me like TLoU more.
A child thrown into a terrible reality, desperately trying to attain her childhood idealism of the world, and a broken man becoming the North star in her otherwise starless sky, made for a journey i'll not soon forget. The lie at the end of part 1 leads to Ellie losing the one person in the world she truly could trust, and this combined with how Abby took her chance to forgive Joel away, throws her moral compass and values into chaos and leads to the tragedy of part 2. These elements of interpersonal analysis are so pure and important, and the way they are executed made the series a true masterpiece to me. One of the most heartbreaking moments in fiction i have ever seen, was the scene when Ellie killed David and Joel had to pull her off. Up until that point we had witnessed how despite the dangerouse circumstances, Joel had tried to keep Ellie away from the really terrible decisions and realities they were faced with. Ellie was shown to put up a front of confidence and nonchalance against these elements, but we always knew they were having devastating effects on her psyche. In this moment we finally get to see and remember that she is only a child forced to those lengths, and this combined with their relationship truly reaching its purest, made for an intense emotional moment for me. After finishing the first game, as cliché as it may sound, i felt so ingrained in Joel's shoes that she almost could've been my own daughter.
I do agree that the winds of change in society is an extremely interesting aspect of RDR2, and this is accompanied with excellent character writing in especially Arthur and Dutch. I find it very compelling how they manage to thematize how resistant human beings are to change through an individualistic lense, combined with showing how impossible it is to stop society from evolving. On top of this we get the redemption arc of Arthur, which is just one of the finest stories ever told. I totally get if these and other aspects of RDR2 are more fascinating to you, they are brilliant to me as well. I look forward to replay RDR2, and i am curious to see if i have any new takes on it since it has been such a long time since playing it.
Comparing the two, i guess for me it just boils down to the state of my contemporary disposition, and right now where i am in my life, the story of a father gaining redemption through that little girl, and how both of their worlds are saved by each other resonated with me in a way i can’t even properly explain.
Your comments on TBK are exactly in line with my own biggest takeaways. I also grew to respect Religion more, maybe to some degree as an institution in a historical context, but more so in an individualistic fashion. Existence is overwhelming for many, and it can be difficult to accept the mysteries and greatness of our reality. I believe religion can for many be a beacon of hope, and be something that people can rely on to find happiness. It is as you said clear in the end which of the brothers ends up in the best place, and even though Alexei was portrayed as ignorant and naive throughout the story, he is in fact the one who embodies empathy and happiness within the human condition the most. An interesting allegorical take on TBK i have formed since reading it, is how the setting and cast of characters can in principle be views as a microcosm of the human condition. Each of the brothers have an exaggerated philosophy or psychoanalytical trait in three different directions, that if combined and balanced could represent an average human being. Dimitri is the sensualist, Ivan is the realist, and Alexei is the spiritualist. This could also be interpreted through freudian psychology, with his three insights id, ego, and superego. These basically mirror the three psychological elements i mentioned previously. The story could in all be viewed as an extension to describe all of humanity, and this is most prominent in the trial scene where every character has to face their struggles which in all cases directly relates to their disposition.
A total digression, but i just wanted to say that i find our conversations to be very productive and it seems mutually constructive to gain deeper appreciation for fiction. Not many people i would credit this to lol, so yeah i appreciate these discussions allot :)
I have also been listening to the OST allot these last few days, it really is good. Disco Elysium also has a very good OST, it is postrock style, and ik you like that melancholic postrock style of music.
I guess standards are pretty subjective, and it is impossible to effectively quantify objective quality of anything accurately. Either the style ressonates with you or it does not, can't really force something that does not come naturally. I just feel many similarities between RDR2 and TLoU, so i find it interesting how you love one and dislike the other, but it is what it is.
RDR2 was a monumental experience for me, i played it back in 2020 just before i turned 19 and got the bad honour ending first. I started my second playthrough just when i finished the first and got the good honour ending. What a story, and what perfect character development. The only reason TLOU surpassed it is because it managed to reach me to such a degree even after all the insane stuff i have watched, read and played. Will be revisiting RDR2 with my dad next summer probably, he loves westerns so i want to see him play it. TLOU just touched my heart in a way veeeery few fictional stories have, and i connected with the characters like never before.
Disco Elysium is mostly reading, so choosing stats that give you more interesting dialogue/inner monologue/exposition/descriptions will vastly impact how you experience the story. I would go through them and choose a build that fits your disposition and maybe psychological traits that are common in your favorite characters. Just ask me if you want insight on the various stats.
Thank you, i wanted to create some simple and cohesive mosaics for my profile this time around, getting straight to the core of what i like outside animanga. Would it be better if i included authors/series behind the plays and characters, or would that be superfluous?
Which of the plays have you not read/heard about?
I watched several cutscenes from the original SH2 on youtube last night, and the last scene made me very emotional, even more so than the first time due to my increased comprehension of the story.
I also wanted to say that i watched the HBO version of TLoU, and even though it has some good qualities i would never recommend it as a substitution to the game. The game obliterates it in almost every way, the characters does not feel the same as in the game. Ellie was shown as rude and obnoxious of the bat, and lost some of the childhood idealism/innocence she posessed in the game. When did you play the games, and will you ever replay them to see if your opinion has changed?
On another note, we should further discuss TBK sometime, lots to dissect there.
Yeah that makes sense about the body, i believe that too. It would make his character even better if the body is in the car with him since as you said his extreme denial prevents him from realizing it. How do you interpret the opening scene with the mirror? I feel like it is an indication to his loss of self after the incident, it almost seems like he does not recognize what he sees in the mirror.
I'll consider playing it then, but lately i am looking for more story driven games.
I agree that Maria is better in the original, i just thought that Angela, James and partly Laura sounded more realistic and organic in the remake. It also helped that the animation in the cutscenes is very good, so it becomes easier to recognize emotion in their faces and stuff. I would say i prefer the prison scene with Maria in the original, but i prefer the Angela staircase scene in the remake. The end scene in water is better in the original imo, and the opening scene is pretty equal.
Yeah i totally get what you mean and i agree, i meant from your favorite story games which were the most emotional. I also like the Witcher 3, but i dont really find the story to be that impressive tbh, have not played it since 2017 though. I'll consider some of those games from your top 7 in the near future, i already have Bloodborne downloaded on my ps5 though, so i might play that first. I have also looked into a game called "To the Moon", heard it is pretty good and it is only 4 hours.
I actually belive you will enjoy Disco Elysium more than me, and i would recommend reading up on the various stats a bit before creating your character as it impacts both the dialogue and how you progress the story. I found that the stats called "shivers" and "empathy" were the most interesting and fitted the atmosphere allot. When i played it i had to rush through it since i was travelling away, and that kind of killed some enjoyment for me. Therefore i recommend taking your time with it and trying your best to roleplay as naturally as you can.
Btw i updated my profile favorites if you want to check them out
That makes sense about Laura, initially i thought every person he meets were manifestations from his imagination, and i thought she could be the daughter they never had. Another question, do you believe it has been less than a year since Mary died considering what Laura says in the hospital? And when he drives his car into the lake with her body, he does not actually have her body with him it is just metaphorically or another manifestation made by him? I believe he has killed her recently, and either brought her body with him in the car or that she isn’t there at all im not sure.
Would you recommend Resident Evil 2 remake?
Yea i also loved those scenes, the staircase got better after reflecting on what it meant. The first scene wih Maria was also very good, especially viewing it in retrospect.
I have chosen to just watch a yt vid with all the cutscenes of the remake in order, and so far i actually really like them, though i have only gotten to the Maria meeting. The voice acting is better in the remake so far for several characters imo, in the original the delivery was a bit unorganic at times. *Update* i just finished watching all the cutscenes from the remake, and watching it made me appreciate the story waay more in retrospect, and i really liked most of the scenes as they did it. The rating of the game is now a 9/10 for me.
How would you rank the games you have played in terms of how good the story and characters are, as well as how emotional the game is?
You bring up several great aspects of the story, i really like the concept of the city itself, and as you said how it serves as a kind of purgatory for people who experience guilt and trauma. Something i found interesting was how James goes down seven levels into the ground, and this reminded me of Dantes nine hells, where the seventh represents murder and is in fact the place where James kills Eddie. If the city itself is a purgatory, it would make sense that James has to descend into hell before either "escaping" (leave ending) from his guilt, or succumbing to it (in water). I don't necessarily believe this to be an intended reference to TDC, but i nonetheless found it fascinating.
The symbolism was also a great aspect, and i picked up on some of them pretty early in the story. I quickly believed that either the events of the game were happening inside of his head due to him having repressed the memory of the actual events, or that he was dealing with some sort of manifested schizophrenia. I found it kind of hard to determine which of the characters were manifestations/real, since it was kind of absurd that a little girl was just roaming around an abandoned city. The themes were also supported by various kinds of symbolism along the way, prominently shown in the prison sequence with the hanged men puzzle and the great room puzzle. I thought the monsters also were him manifesting them to "punish" himself, but i didn't analyze them enough to get the specifics as the page you linked did.
I guess my biggest problem with the game was the puzzles, i really did not like having to go through every single room several times to make sure i had all the items i needed, especially when the mechanics are so clunky. This gameplay aspect killed the pacing for me, even though i only spent around 7 hours finishing the game. I have to admit i had a guide for whenever i got tired of being stuck. The combat was not very good yes, but i didn't really have a problem with it since i played purely for the story.
My favorite moments from the game would be the opening scene with the letter being read, i just found the writing of the letter combined with the setting and atmosphere to be totally enchanting. I also LOVED the video sequence in the hotel when he realized he was the killer, the directing of those scenes were so psychological and heartbreaking. The prison scene with Maria was another moment that really got me excited. The ending itself is also one of my favorite moments, and although i didn't get the in water ending, i still found the last sequence with the entire letter and the Father/Daughter moment (maybe who knows) to be beautiful. Maybe James could find happiness and redemption through raising this orphan who had such a strong connection to his late wife.
Regarding the ending i got, i find it to be fitting to how i personally would deal with grief and such if i view it from an rpg perspective. That being said, i agree that the "in water" ending fits the story and atmosphere better, but i was not aware of this ending until after i finished the game (obviously). The other endings you commented on are also thematically fitting in their own way as you said. Rn i am considering watching a play through of the remake, i didn't love it enough as a video game to bother spending 80 dollars on it myself, but i still believe there is more to take away from the story for me.
Hey, i just finished Silent Hill 2 and the dlc. The story, characters and atmosphere where all top notch, but the gameplay was dated and i am not the biggest fan of puzzles so my overall experience was like an 8/10. Would love to hear some of your thoughts on it, i can elaborate on specifics regarding the story and characters if you want me to as well.
I understand. I got Silent Hill 2 to ready to play now on my computer, was pretty easy to set up. I'll play it when i get back here in two weeks time after my trip home.
Good picks, especially War & Peace. Metamorphosis is also pretty good. After finishing "Blindness" and "Beyond Godd and Evil", i'll probably check out "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "The Divine Comedy", "The Idiot", "Faust" and "Don Quixote". It could change though, depending on what i feel.
I finished "Disco Elysium" today, and sadly it didn't really ressonate with me. The story and concept had potential, but the gameplay just became tiresom and tedious for me. I'll look into the Silent Hill download now.
All Comments (345) Comments
Fiction that understands that the setting should be just that, the setting, and not the primary driving force behind the narrative are often the most successfull i find. So far those are the characters i like the most, though Tony is so far eaaasily the best. I’ll keep you posted
BM isn’t really like Dostoevsky with the insight in psychology, it is more so about depicting objective yet vivid depictions of events, combining it with deep philosophical dialogue and dream sequences that allegorically further the themes of the story. He is also ruthless when utilizing spanish for instance, there are no footnotes translating it. His prose is very archaic, and has taken allot of inspiration from the king james bible as well as moby dick. Lmk when you start it, there are many aspects of the story i am eager to discuss since they are so implicit and abstract in their writing.
On another note, i am currently on ep 7 of s1 in The Sopranos. I really like it so far, especially the subtle symbolism and how it centers around Tony’s mental issues and character in general rather than being a pure mafia series.
A book i really believe you will appreciate allot, is Blood Meridian. The themes and how they are portrayed are from what i can gather right up your alley. It is very challenging, at least to me that is not a native english speaker, and i believe even to english natives he is very challenging. That being said, he writes the most hauntingly beautiful prose from what i have read, he manages to create vivid dream like landscapes filled with grotesque acts of violence while centering the narrative around themes like man’s affinity for violence and war, fate, and racism. The book portrays a deeply cynical and nihilistic view of the world and mankind, but i believe you can stomach it lol.
Yeah one can really see how Freud was inspired by this book lol, as were so many other authors. How would you rank your top 3 books as of now, and what makes you like this one more/less than Crime & Punishment for instance?
Good to hear you also get something out of these discussions
I think i'll dive into The Divine Comedy once i finish Beyond good and evil, lwk silent hill 2 made me want to read it even more
I may have formulated myself a bit unclearly, i didn't imply that TLoU2 and RDR2 were similar in terms of themes and story, more so that TLoU in general, not just p2, had a very similar way of telling the story. The cutscenes and how they both to me at least manage like few games to get me into a hyperfixated state where i become completely immersed in the story and almost forget i am playing a video game, made them feel quite similar to me. In addition to this i just saw similarities in the development and personality of Arthur and Joel. I agree with the difference in themes, and i also agree that TLoU takes a far bolder stance on morality and revenge, but to me this doesn't make it better nor worse than RDR2's more understated manner. Also i disagree that TLoU does not perform a broad analysis of society, the entirety of part 2 deals with a city split into factions that in my interpretation serves as a microcosm of how conflict throughout history often plays out. In addition i feel that the level of complexity for both games is another element i find it hard to effectively quantify and compare, since one will always put far more thought into the aspects which resonates with oneself the most. I find them both to be equally complex but in different areas, in my opinion the interpersonal introspection of TLoU is more prominent than in RDR2, even though both games thematize how fragile relationships and one's sense of self really are, and combined with how excellent Ellie's journey is makes me like TLoU more.
A child thrown into a terrible reality, desperately trying to attain her childhood idealism of the world, and a broken man becoming the North star in her otherwise starless sky, made for a journey i'll not soon forget. The lie at the end of part 1 leads to Ellie losing the one person in the world she truly could trust, and this combined with how Abby took her chance to forgive Joel away, throws her moral compass and values into chaos and leads to the tragedy of part 2. These elements of interpersonal analysis are so pure and important, and the way they are executed made the series a true masterpiece to me. One of the most heartbreaking moments in fiction i have ever seen, was the scene when Ellie killed David and Joel had to pull her off. Up until that point we had witnessed how despite the dangerouse circumstances, Joel had tried to keep Ellie away from the really terrible decisions and realities they were faced with. Ellie was shown to put up a front of confidence and nonchalance against these elements, but we always knew they were having devastating effects on her psyche. In this moment we finally get to see and remember that she is only a child forced to those lengths, and this combined with their relationship truly reaching its purest, made for an intense emotional moment for me. After finishing the first game, as cliché as it may sound, i felt so ingrained in Joel's shoes that she almost could've been my own daughter.
I do agree that the winds of change in society is an extremely interesting aspect of RDR2, and this is accompanied with excellent character writing in especially Arthur and Dutch. I find it very compelling how they manage to thematize how resistant human beings are to change through an individualistic lense, combined with showing how impossible it is to stop society from evolving. On top of this we get the redemption arc of Arthur, which is just one of the finest stories ever told. I totally get if these and other aspects of RDR2 are more fascinating to you, they are brilliant to me as well. I look forward to replay RDR2, and i am curious to see if i have any new takes on it since it has been such a long time since playing it.
Comparing the two, i guess for me it just boils down to the state of my contemporary disposition, and right now where i am in my life, the story of a father gaining redemption through that little girl, and how both of their worlds are saved by each other resonated with me in a way i can’t even properly explain.
Your comments on TBK are exactly in line with my own biggest takeaways. I also grew to respect Religion more, maybe to some degree as an institution in a historical context, but more so in an individualistic fashion. Existence is overwhelming for many, and it can be difficult to accept the mysteries and greatness of our reality. I believe religion can for many be a beacon of hope, and be something that people can rely on to find happiness. It is as you said clear in the end which of the brothers ends up in the best place, and even though Alexei was portrayed as ignorant and naive throughout the story, he is in fact the one who embodies empathy and happiness within the human condition the most. An interesting allegorical take on TBK i have formed since reading it, is how the setting and cast of characters can in principle be views as a microcosm of the human condition. Each of the brothers have an exaggerated philosophy or psychoanalytical trait in three different directions, that if combined and balanced could represent an average human being. Dimitri is the sensualist, Ivan is the realist, and Alexei is the spiritualist. This could also be interpreted through freudian psychology, with his three insights id, ego, and superego. These basically mirror the three psychological elements i mentioned previously. The story could in all be viewed as an extension to describe all of humanity, and this is most prominent in the trial scene where every character has to face their struggles which in all cases directly relates to their disposition.
A total digression, but i just wanted to say that i find our conversations to be very productive and it seems mutually constructive to gain deeper appreciation for fiction. Not many people i would credit this to lol, so yeah i appreciate these discussions allot :)
I guess standards are pretty subjective, and it is impossible to effectively quantify objective quality of anything accurately. Either the style ressonates with you or it does not, can't really force something that does not come naturally. I just feel many similarities between RDR2 and TLoU, so i find it interesting how you love one and dislike the other, but it is what it is.
Disco Elysium is mostly reading, so choosing stats that give you more interesting dialogue/inner monologue/exposition/descriptions will vastly impact how you experience the story. I would go through them and choose a build that fits your disposition and maybe psychological traits that are common in your favorite characters. Just ask me if you want insight on the various stats.
Thank you, i wanted to create some simple and cohesive mosaics for my profile this time around, getting straight to the core of what i like outside animanga. Would it be better if i included authors/series behind the plays and characters, or would that be superfluous?
Which of the plays have you not read/heard about?
I watched several cutscenes from the original SH2 on youtube last night, and the last scene made me very emotional, even more so than the first time due to my increased comprehension of the story.
I also wanted to say that i watched the HBO version of TLoU, and even though it has some good qualities i would never recommend it as a substitution to the game. The game obliterates it in almost every way, the characters does not feel the same as in the game. Ellie was shown as rude and obnoxious of the bat, and lost some of the childhood idealism/innocence she posessed in the game. When did you play the games, and will you ever replay them to see if your opinion has changed?
On another note, we should further discuss TBK sometime, lots to dissect there.
I'll consider playing it then, but lately i am looking for more story driven games.
I agree that Maria is better in the original, i just thought that Angela, James and partly Laura sounded more realistic and organic in the remake. It also helped that the animation in the cutscenes is very good, so it becomes easier to recognize emotion in their faces and stuff. I would say i prefer the prison scene with Maria in the original, but i prefer the Angela staircase scene in the remake. The end scene in water is better in the original imo, and the opening scene is pretty equal.
Yeah i totally get what you mean and i agree, i meant from your favorite story games which were the most emotional. I also like the Witcher 3, but i dont really find the story to be that impressive tbh, have not played it since 2017 though. I'll consider some of those games from your top 7 in the near future, i already have Bloodborne downloaded on my ps5 though, so i might play that first. I have also looked into a game called "To the Moon", heard it is pretty good and it is only 4 hours.
I actually belive you will enjoy Disco Elysium more than me, and i would recommend reading up on the various stats a bit before creating your character as it impacts both the dialogue and how you progress the story. I found that the stats called "shivers" and "empathy" were the most interesting and fitted the atmosphere allot. When i played it i had to rush through it since i was travelling away, and that kind of killed some enjoyment for me. Therefore i recommend taking your time with it and trying your best to roleplay as naturally as you can.
Btw i updated my profile favorites if you want to check them out
Would you recommend Resident Evil 2 remake?
Yea i also loved those scenes, the staircase got better after reflecting on what it meant. The first scene wih Maria was also very good, especially viewing it in retrospect.
I have chosen to just watch a yt vid with all the cutscenes of the remake in order, and so far i actually really like them, though i have only gotten to the Maria meeting. The voice acting is better in the remake so far for several characters imo, in the original the delivery was a bit unorganic at times. *Update* i just finished watching all the cutscenes from the remake, and watching it made me appreciate the story waay more in retrospect, and i really liked most of the scenes as they did it. The rating of the game is now a 9/10 for me.
How would you rank the games you have played in terms of how good the story and characters are, as well as how emotional the game is?
The symbolism was also a great aspect, and i picked up on some of them pretty early in the story. I quickly believed that either the events of the game were happening inside of his head due to him having repressed the memory of the actual events, or that he was dealing with some sort of manifested schizophrenia. I found it kind of hard to determine which of the characters were manifestations/real, since it was kind of absurd that a little girl was just roaming around an abandoned city. The themes were also supported by various kinds of symbolism along the way, prominently shown in the prison sequence with the hanged men puzzle and the great room puzzle. I thought the monsters also were him manifesting them to "punish" himself, but i didn't analyze them enough to get the specifics as the page you linked did.
I guess my biggest problem with the game was the puzzles, i really did not like having to go through every single room several times to make sure i had all the items i needed, especially when the mechanics are so clunky. This gameplay aspect killed the pacing for me, even though i only spent around 7 hours finishing the game. I have to admit i had a guide for whenever i got tired of being stuck. The combat was not very good yes, but i didn't really have a problem with it since i played purely for the story.
My favorite moments from the game would be the opening scene with the letter being read, i just found the writing of the letter combined with the setting and atmosphere to be totally enchanting. I also LOVED the video sequence in the hotel when he realized he was the killer, the directing of those scenes were so psychological and heartbreaking. The prison scene with Maria was another moment that really got me excited. The ending itself is also one of my favorite moments, and although i didn't get the in water ending, i still found the last sequence with the entire letter and the Father/Daughter moment (maybe who knows) to be beautiful. Maybe James could find happiness and redemption through raising this orphan who had such a strong connection to his late wife.
Regarding the ending i got, i find it to be fitting to how i personally would deal with grief and such if i view it from an rpg perspective. That being said, i agree that the "in water" ending fits the story and atmosphere better, but i was not aware of this ending until after i finished the game (obviously). The other endings you commented on are also thematically fitting in their own way as you said. Rn i am considering watching a play through of the remake, i didn't love it enough as a video game to bother spending 80 dollars on it myself, but i still believe there is more to take away from the story for me.
I hope you like it more than me, i also kind of rushed through it so that might not have been the smartest move
I finished "Disco Elysium" today, and sadly it didn't really ressonate with me. The story and concept had potential, but the gameplay just became tiresom and tedious for me. I'll look into the Silent Hill download now.