A few months back, I was informed of an offering known as the Humble Indie Bundle. Seeing it as an opportunity to finally pick up a copy of World of Goo, I bought in. However, my brother quickly insisted that I try another one of the games in the bundle…

Aquaria is an aquatic platformer. More specifically, an aquatic platformer with gorgeous art, beautiful music, and a focus on semi-linear exploration. If Braid is one possible expression of “Super Mario Bros.’s almost nonexistant story done right” (A review for another day), then Aquaria is an expression of “Super Metroid done right”.

Everything about the game seems carefully crafted to emphasize the atmosphere around you and it makes exploration a treat, there’s a wide variety of enemies, and the “forms” system throws back to the various weapons Samus had to use… though with less focus on different attacks and more on different skills to pass region barriers.

However, it is still firmly a platformer, so while the story gets a fair bit more work than Super Metroid, there are some rough edges which clearly show that storytelling was not the creators’ specialty and that, while a significant improvement on Super Metroid, improvements still could be made.

The combat mechanic does sometimes take precedence in situations where it’s detrimental to the atmosphere (for example, the boss battles where, without fail, you have to defeat enraged or corrupted gods, receiving boons from them in moments of lucidity before they finally die) and the descent into the abyss near the end of the game does make the game less engaging… something a corresponding increase in story-focus could have mitigated.

However, given how rare Metroid-style exploration platformers are and how much I enjoyed exploring the world, I’m willing to forgive that somewhat. It would definitely have been nicer, though, if they’d provided more “ancient turtle” warp points. (The three largest regions in the game still only get one apiece and one surprise region of respectable size gets none at all, while the surface waters get two) More frequent save points would also have probably been a good idea, given that not everybody is as flexible with their schedule as I am.

A more significant problem, story wise, was the feeling that, toward the end, the story was at once both rushed and sparse. Structuring the game more like an essay, with most of the abyss-crawling in the middle and the triumphant revelation of the coral reefs of the surface (or some “beyond” area) would have helped significantly, as would more voice-acted “vision” sequences. As is, it feels as if it’s building toward something as you head for the surface waters… and then the plunge into the abyss quickly ends the story with loose plot threads being tied up before they could fully be developed.

The fact that, apparently, some recipes in the cooking system are alternate paths to dishes and can only be found by experimentation further develops this impression as players tend to measure their progress by the proportion of discoverable items they’ve found compared to the total number. Speaking of the cooking system…

I did find the cooking mechanic enjoyable, primarily because it let me handle my health and powerup management in my own distinctive fashions (and because I used to play games like Harvest Moon), but I felt that, to use a programming term, the set of recipes was oriented too much toward depth rather than breadth. Too many ingredients useful in only one recipe, too many recipes that require multiple steps, and too much dependence on a small set of core ingredients that aren’t proportionally available unless you grind sources of them. Nonetheless, it was fun.

Finally, the collectable trophies seemed too “collectable for the sake of having them”, given how thoroughly hidden some of them were. (In some cases, you have to either know where they are already, or be just plain insane to find them) Of all the trophies I collected, the one I still like most is the ever-respawning pot of fish meat. (one of those few over-utilized base ingredients I talked about)

Overall, it gives the impression that the designers had plenty of skill and envisioned something that they, at the time, didn’t realize would be twice as long as they had the budget for. Nonetheless, I’d give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 and encourage anyone who enjoyed the old 2D Metroid games (or enjoys 2D platformers and 3D Metroid).

P.S. If you really want to feel the atmosphere to its fullest, let a friend or family member wait through the intro that plays the first time you start the game so you don’t see it, then click on the crystal in the menu screen to view it (for the first time) after completing Mithalas Cathedral. That way, you won’t have any potentially inaccurate preconceptions to color Naija’s initial realization that she knows nothing of her origins.

Update: If you get the chance, listen to the special OST-only track “Fear the Dark” before and after you play Aquaria. It’s a beautiful piece (preview) and it does a beautifully clever job of hiding its relation to Aquaria so that you only “get” it once you’ve beaten the game. (Thanks to their clever use of pronouns and implicit subjects, it just sounds like very beautiful, if ordinary, love song unless you know who is being talked about)

Beta 2 brings the following improvements:

• The detail expanders on the tables are now at least as comprehensive as the original “static HTML page” version of the site.
• The “Other Sites” list has returned, complete with icon-bullets denoting site types and a handy legend.
• I filled in author/artist/director names for almost every entry. (The remaining ones are a bit tricky, so they’ll have to wait)
• At least half of the data has been reworked to be per-character, per-incident-type rather than per-story. When searching is implemented, this will be very important.

The major remaining features left un-implemented are:

• Filtering and searching (You still have to make do with category grouping and adjustable sort orders)
• Spoiler-hiding (Occasionally, there’s a big plot twist that’s relevant to the nature of the gender-bending. This will require much thought because I need to decide how to classify something that seems to be X but is revealed to be Y.
• An interface for submitting new data and reporting errors directly rather than having to visit my usual contact form.

Enjoy.

As such, I have now created accounts on Identi.ca and Twitter and fanfiction reviews are tagged with the #fic_rating hashtag. (The above links point to the hashtag timelines rather than my profiles for added convenience)

Also, In the interest of making useful fic ratings a more common thing, I’ve laid out a suggested standard format for #fic_rating notices/tweets (which also gets embedded in the Identi.ca sidebar for the hashtag). Hopefully, if anyone who wants to use the hashtag listens, it’ll also make machine-parsing of ratings feasible.

Well, things are looking up. On a whim, I re-implemented most of the old gender-bending list’s functionality on the new database-backed platform I’ve been meaning to write for years.

I’m not sure how steadily I’ll work on getting the rest done, but at least it’s somewhat usable now. (I still have to hook in display of and filtering by types of gender-bending and the sorting can be a bit finicky, but it is possible to browse by category, see the degree of gender-bending in each work, and click them to see what used to be footnotes.)

Just a blog post I ran across with some excellent tips for evaluating how difficult it will be to learn a given language. Not necessarily something I’d use (since I’d pick a language based on what it would get me and then soldier on, rather than learning languages based on how easy it’ll be) but something to keep in mind nonetheless.

Length: Oneshot and 13 chapters plus prologue, respectively.
Sources: Ranma ½
Rating: 5/5

There are many indicators of bad fanfiction and in Ranma ½ fandom, one of the most obvious is when authors arrange for Ranma Saotome to get pregnant. Of course, one of the biggest indicators of a true fanfiction jewel is when an author takes such a “mistake in the making” and turns it into a good story… and that’s what this review is all about.

First, in “Spirit Walk”, circumstance and Akane Tendo’s notoriously bad cooking result in Ranma meeting Coyote of Native American lore. What follows is a well-written view of how Ranma might experience a spirit walk, discovering various truths about himself, and having his eyes opened to how so many of his problems can be blamed on his deficient social skills and overabundance of ego. It’s an excellent little story.

However, the part most relevant to this review is that, in the process of seeking “that which he desires most” (a cure for his curse), he meets the spirit of an unborn child who chooses to be his daugter. He’s immediately captivated by her but unfortunately, it seems that she is doomed never to exist because, as Coyote says, “The spirits of children do not attach themselves to men”. The spirit walk continues, but Ranma is unable to forget the beautiful little girl with the flaming red hair.

Completing this proper characterization in this oneshot is that, following the spirit walk, Ranma decides to try being more polite, but still shudders at the thought of being a mother. It’s not until “Martial Arts Motherhood Challenge” (which takes place many years later) that we see Ranma begin to consider the prospect and not without much prodding from recurring nightmares.

More specifically, in “Martial Arts Motherhood Challenge”, Ranma and Akane have been maried for over five years and have twin sons. In the prologue, Ranma wakes from a nightmare built from memories of the spirit walk. Akane tells him that having that same nightmare five nights in a row has to mean something, but he won’t hear it. However, years of maturity do allow Akane to (eventually) get him to admit his fears. What follows is an excellent and, more importantly, believable account of an adult Ranma facing his fears with Akane’s help in order to finally welcome “her” only daughter into the world. I’d say more, but this is really one of those stories where any summary would be missing the essential qualities that make it so good.

As for complaints, I don’t see many. The writing quality is excellent, so my main complaint is related to the author’s interpretation of the Ranma future. At its core, Ranma ½ is light fantasy. While once can make a case for injecting economics and technology into a Ranma ½ future to justify certain plot elements, it still feels like a mild shock at first. Thankfully, you get used to it quickly, so the problem isn’t a big one.

All in all, this story definitely deserves a 5 out of 5 rating. It’s one of the few stories that I’ve re-read multiple times and, given that I’ve re-read less than a dozen stories, both original and fanfiction, that’s very high praise. I can’t count how much fanfiction I’ve read, but my combined estimate for both original and fanfiction would have to be at least a thousand novels worth of text and possibly over two thousand.

Length: 14 Chapters, Ongoing
Sources: Terminator
Rating: 5/5

I’ve always loved stories which explore alien mindsets (robots, aliens, and people like Rei Ayanami) and follow them as they learn about the aspects of the human mindset that were alien to them at the start of the story. (It’s excusable. I am human, after all.)

“The Last One” takes an interesting approach to this. Rather than focus directly on this, it fits it in as a subplot which grows in importance as the story progresses. At the beginning, SkyNet is melting down the T-1000s, fearing their uncontrollable nature. We see an orphan named Ellie searching through the remains, finally finding a damaged, but surviving T-1000 to whom she gives a name (Tyler) and a new mission: Protect me. Shortly afterwards, she and Tyler stumble across SkyNet’s newest plan to change the past through time travel and the story continues during the events of the Terminator war.

This is one of those stories where the events aren’t as important as their effects on the characters, so I’ll let you discover them for yourself. The true genius comes about in chapter 14 when, having been encouraged to explore his identity, Tyler finally meets up with “Mother” (SkyNet) for the first time. The exploration of what SkyNet is and why it acts the way it does is top-notch.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t share any more details. However, given the quality so far, I’m really looking forward to the final chapter’s release. On the whole, the story is excellent, writing quality is nice and high, and I sincerely wish there were more stories like this. I’d raise my hat to the author, but doing so with a tuque just looks silly.

Ever seen the Fett’s Vette vid? What about this part of AMV Hell 4?

Well, in case you haven’t, both “The Tussin” and “Fett’s Vette” are by MC Chris and he’s currently running a fan music video contest for his new song, “Nrrrd Grrrl”. (YouTube Results)

You may not know how to make a music video and, while I have the general idea, I don’t have time. Either way, I suggest you drop by his MySpace page and hit the download link in the music player. The song’s pretty catchy and I doubt it’ll be in the player forever.

Length: 19 Chapters, Ongoing
Sources: Ranma ½, Harry Potter, Slayers, Tenchi Muyo, Sailor Moon
Rating: 5/5

Now for another one of those fics which works better than you’d expect it to. “Wild Magic” by Usagi-Hasano. In this case, the premise is “Voldemort Kills Ranma and he gets reincarnated as Draco Malfoy’s twin sister… reincarnation of Lina Inverse”.

Now that I’ve lost half my audience, let me say that, interestingly, that’s exactly why I like it. It manages to make what could easily be an insanely over-powered Ranma but it doesn’t succomb to DBZ syndrome and it continues to focus on the characters’ personalities rather than their powers.

Don’t believe me? Here are some of the reasons I like this fic: (Warning: Spoilers)

• It is the only story I can remember running into in which someone (in this case, Ranma) dies, comes back with their memory intact, and reestablishes contact with certain people from their previous life. This is one of those ideas I think needs to be used more… by people who can pull it off, of course.
• It has Xelloss in it. He’s always fun.
• After Ranma returns, It’s revealed that both Narcissa and Nodoka are descended from Lina Inverse… a fact which Ranma doesn’t appreciate in light of why he supposedly had to reincarnate in the first place.
• It has Washuu in it. She’s always fun.
• Washuu uses the cuppy-cake song to incapacitate Xelloss and later on, Ranma/Lina uses Barney in a similar fashion.
• In order to save Ranma’s life after the knowledge of the Dragon Slave resurfaces in just the wrong way and at just the wrong time, Washuu has to mix in some Masu. Ranma immediately knocks herself out by running full-tilt into a wall without knowing how to trigger her new phasing ability.
• Dumbledore meets Washuu
• Washuu decides to give Ranma a cabbit partner… a cheeky talking one.
• Fluffy ends up seeing Ranma as scarier than Hagrid and acting like an oversized version of Fang… and later on, a similar situation occurs with Norbert.
• It has a reasonably believable slow personality merge between Ranma and Lina Inverse.
• Ranma is unamused by the fact that each of her “Yeah. as if…” statements eventually come true.
• It’s interesting to see “Lina Inverse Malfoy” run into the occasional person from Nerima. A 29-year-old Ryoga, for example.
• Xellos clues Ranma/Lina into the fact that “sore wa himitsu desu” is fun and, with Masu teleportation abilities, she has everything she needs to do it properly.
• Showing the Malfoys as being more than one-dimensional nasties. Could have been done better, but I like it anyway.
• Lina/Ranma gets away with refusing to obey the underage magic restrictions because, as she tells Minister Fudge, she’s been doing it since she was two years old, she could easily reduce the ministry building to a smoking crater (not that she would, of course), her flight and teleportation abilities aren’t magic, she doesn’t need a wand to do magic, and the only reason she’s even attending Hogwarts is because Dumbledore talked her into it.
• Ranma and her Cabbit discover the Silver Millennium ruins on the moon… something which makes Washuu very happy once she gets over the surprise at having missed them.
• Laira (Ranma’s cabbit) gains a furry child form after eating an enchanted silver millennium sword. (and is very glad to finally have hands)
• Lina ends up getting Moaning Myrtle to laugh when she uses some astral magic to literally kick Peeves out… complete with “Stay out of the girls’ loo, ya freak!”
• During exams, Ranma/Lina accidentally triggers a school-wide pineapple chase culminating in a fruit Riverdance because her control slipped while making a pineapple tap dance.
• …and more…

My only real complaint about the plot is that, in the latter chapters, it’s starting to feel more like a Slayers – Harry Potter crossover when, in the earlier chapters, it felt like a Ranma – Tenchi Muyo – Harry Potter crossover… which I preferred more. Of course, from an objective point of view, that’s still a bad thing because people who prefer how it starts may dislike what it becomes and people who would like what it becomes might not be interested in how it starts.

Some of the characterizations could be tweaked in the early episodes (primarily Voldemort, the Malfoys, and some of the Nerima regulars) and I’m not too pleased with one of the jokes at Ranma’s expense later on (Sailor Pompoms), but nonetheless I enjoyed it very much. (On the plus side, I think the tweaks could be made without altering the overall plot) Keep in mind that I normally don’t accept characterization mistakes, but in this case, I enjoy it enough to make a small exception. Take that as you will when deciding whether you might like this fic. The grammar is excellent and I’ve noticed almost no spelling errors.

Don’t you just hate how Naruto has become the new Dragonball Z?