Nooks & Crannies #2 · 8:37am Feb 3rd, 2016
Came out a little late, but here it is: the second Nooks & Crannies! If you still remember the format, then kudos to you! If not, I'll give you the brief run through.
First we have the Pick of the News, where I'll gladly recap the week's stories; it would be followed by My Little Study, which gives a brief review of certain things, be it games, anime, TV shows, movies, art, literature, etc; after that comes Updates, which would be on a more personal note; finally, we will end it all with Music Of The Week, in which I showcase a song or album that I recommend you guys to have a listen.
Alright then! Now, onto the first portion:
The Pick Of The News
Much like Ebola last year, the world now braces for a new epidemic from South America: Zika! This story made news headlines across the globe after the World Health Organization declared it an international public health emergency, though it actually started in April of last year in Brazil and as of now, had spread to 27 other countries. The virus is mainly carried and transmitted by mosquitoes. Just when you thought those little buggers couldn't be more annoying, huh? Anyways, if you are living in the Americas, stay safe over there, alright?
Of course, on the Internet, people are reacting to a different uproar (see what I did there?). The Fine Brothers on YouTube came under fire after they announced REACT World, which was supposedly a project they created to licence and trademark reaction videos in the entertainment industry, as well as the words 'react' and the names of their various shows on their REACT channel. It was all one big mess of arguments over trademark laws, videos of people reacting to their big announcement and a massive plunge in subscriber counts. All of that was made worse when they released a video titled 'Update.' in which they showed us how to completely fuck over a PR campaign, which only stoked the fire underneath them even hotter. They've apparently gave an apology and had taken both their REACT World announcement video and their PR disaster video down, as well as rescinded their various trademarks. All for naught, really; post anything on the Internet and it will be immortalized until the end of time. As one picture sums it up perfectly:
My Little Study
SUBJECT of STUDY
Armello
Video game • Table-top styled RPG • Developed by League of GeeksTrailer
All you need is a great, thorough strategy and a pinch of luck.
Armello is a unique take on the turn-based strategy game genre. Developed by the Australian company League of Geeks, it is a game of tactics and luck. Basically, the game is set in a fantasy kingdom filled with anthropomorphic animals, where up to four players assume the role of a hero chosen by their clans to be the next ruler of the kingdom. Each of the heroes have their own specific strengths and abilities in the game, which can help out in certain scenarios.
On the aspects of design, the game looks beautiful. The characters were well designed, the landscape was amazing, the cards were animated (yes! The cards were animated!) and for an RTS filled with Zootopia-esque animals in a Game of Thrones scenario that the teaser trailers had given to me, this was something that caught my eye.
As for the system of the game, I was actually typing it out and concluded that it's a little too complicated to put down onto paper. So I'll put it simply like this: the four heroes play on a board with various tiles offering various effects, all of them can draw cards that can aid them in their quest, the combat system is decided on a dice roll and to emerge victorious in the end, a hero can opt for four options to win, all of which are different in their own way.
I played the game late last year when it came out, mostly on Single Player (Multiplayer was hard as my server isn't as stable over here). The AI can be a little bit predictable after a couple of rounds, but it's still makes a fascinating challenge. So far, almost each battle I've played, the game takes me differently to places where I loved and loathed equally; I've been frustrated and in awe by the game too many times to count! I'd have to say though, if you're looking for something worthy of a challenge, Armello is the game for you.
Updates
Once again, I'm going strong with Mamihlapinatapai and the next chapter, especially after the last chapter was snagged in a delay of Writer's Block coupled with wasted time on Fallout 4. Having it told in a non-linear way like this is kind of a first for me, especially in small bits and pieces such as this. Most of my time was spent on arranging the scenes to know which chapter contains which bit of information. For the latest one, I have already nailed down one out of the three and will plan to write it out soon!
Worlds is coming along slowly as well. For the whole of January, Chapter 2 was at a standstill, but I'm finding the drive to work on it again. I've got something for Lovely Days as well, though it would take a while to churn it out properly. I'm also about to write off the current adventure of Perhaps Death soon, though that would be out only in the beginning of next month. Diprosopus, as of now, is on hold to make way for the others. For everyone still reading these stories, thanks for putting up with me! I know I can be a little slow these days, so do hold on to your horses. Especially those reading Lovely Days and Perhaps Death. I guarantee something great is afoot for those two stories!
Music Of The Week
Play With Fire
The Reign of Kindo
Album, released on July 30th, 2013Jazz Fusion, Rock
If you had heard of this band before, you've probably read my Sunset Shimmer story, Doesn't That Feel Better: a story featuring and was inspired by one of the songs from the album.
The Reign of Kindo is eclectic in their jazz influences. Like the past two albums, they once again showcase their incredible talent of fusing these two genres to bring you a sound unlike anything I've ever heard before. From the light, toe-tapping rhythm of Help It to the Latin-styled Romancing A Stranger to the simple yet absolutely wonderful Sunshine, you'd find yourself nodding your head and swinging your jazz hands at tracks like Feeling In The Night, yet sway calmly to a tune such as Dust. All in all, this is jazz fusion done amazingly right and by the time you're done, you'd be humming their catchy melodies and put it all on replay again.
Stand-out tracks: Help It, Sunshine, Romancing A Stranger
So then, that settles our Nooks & Crannies! Again, please let me know of what opinions you might have! Who knows, we might start up an interesting discussion because of it!
See you next Tuesday!
