Does TTL’s Mega Charger port of Sonic 3 have zones from OTL’s Sonic & Knuckles or completely different zones that weren’t in the original Sonic 3 or OTL’s Sonic & Knuckles?
Battle Royale: The Last Generation Of An SNES-CD Saga
- Thread starter RySenkari
- Start date
Awesome job @HonestAbe1809!
I love it!
IIRC It's just OTL S3&K with slightly improved graphics and sound (to use the new hardware), along with the originally intended zone order.
So compare to OTL's "Sonic 3 Complete" or "Sonic 3 A.I.R.".
Nope, Nintendo doesn't do that ITTL, the All-Stars games will be sold indefinitely.
There are a couple of new zones, but it's mostly the OTL stuff.
I've always assumed that the nine mega charger levels was just the multiplayer courses and the four original levels from Mania.
Friendly reminder that was conceptualized before Mania... Is a little more sonic advance inspired with classic gameplay design
October 2019 - Everybody Wants To Be A Cat
*Footage from Untitled Cat Game is shown, with the Cat up on a shelf knocking glass trinkets onto the floor.*
Rose Alvarez: Swipe! Swipe! Crash!
Austin Watson: Y'know, there's so much potential in this concept, and while Untitled Cat Game doesn't QUITE live up to that potential, it's still a whole lot of fun.
*The Cat walks up behind a girl and hisses, scaring her and making her jump.*
Rose: It's such a cute game! I can't get enough of just wandering around with the Cat, going up to people and seeing how they'll react.
Austin: And it's a perfectly good open world cat simulator, though I do wish this world was bigger. At the end of the day, if you like puzzle games and you like cats, you'll love Untitled Cat Game, but know what you're getting into. It's not unlimited, you can't claw people, though you can claw their stuff...
Rose: Thankfully, people can't hurt the Cat either.
Austin: That is true, they can shoo you away but they can't hurt you.
Rose: The loving detail of the animations, the different behaviors exhibited by the humans in the game, it's so simple but it's so well done, and I found myself cracking up many, many times while playing.
*The Cat is shown leaping from a roof to the top of a car, before climbing into the car, hitting the parking brake, and jumping out as the car goes rolling.*
Rose: It's a wonderful physics simulator with all these Rube Goldberg-esque actions and consequences, and you'll want to play enough to see them all. It's one of the most creative indie games in a long time, and by the time you're done, you'll want to go back and play through it again.
Austin: The replay value just wasn't there for me like it was for Rose and most of the others here at GameTV, but there's still plenty to go around, and you'll have fun with Untitled Cat Game, but maybe not as much fun as people who streamed the preview seemed to have. I'm giving Untitled Cat Game a 4 out of 5.
Rose: And I give it a perfect 5 for being utterly hilarious, absolutely adorable, and surprisingly challenging, but in a really fun way. It's a must-play, especially at the budget price one would expect a short indie game like this to be.
-from the October 3, 2019 episode of GameTV
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Max Kellerman: Bottom line is, last night the Dodgers went out and finally did what we've been expecting them to do the last few years, and that's win a World Series, and congrats to them.
Stephen A. Smith: The bottom line is, they're lucky the Mets missed the playoffs this year! And they almost choked this one away too!
Kellerman: Almost? It went to six games, they would've had one more chance.
Smith: They were up 3 games to nothing. They should have swept this series, but the Yankees almost came all the way back and got 'em! But I will give credit where it's due, the Dodgers were great and Gerrit Cole was great last night, even if the closer almost choked it away. Credit where it's due, absolutely.
Kellerman: And the Dodgers are the early betting favorites to win it all next year too.
Smith: Watch them choke next year, Max!
Molly Qerim: Okay you two, we have to move on to the NFL, and I know Stephen that you're looking forward to this, because the Cowboys choked away a chance to beat the undefeated Atlanta Falcons last night in Atlanta.
Smith: Yes, I saw that, they blew a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter and it was ugly to watch! It was the ugliest thing I've ever seen, but Cowboys fans by now are used to seeing ugly things on the football field.
Kellerman: I'll tell you what wasn't ugly, and that was Elliot Hobbs' performance in the fourth quarter. He lit the Cowboys up last night for 28 straight points.
Smith: And you love to see it, he is absolutely the best quarterback in the NFL right now!
Kellerman: Andrew Luck, I think, would beg to differ.
Smith: They're 5-2 right now, but the Atlanta Falcons are sitting at 8-0.
Kellerman: Who has more Super Bowls?
Smith: We're talking about right now, Max! Right now, this season!
-from the October 29, 2019 episode of ESPN's First Take
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The race for the Republican nomination in next year's presidential elections continues to be a contentious one, and though the field has widened to 13 candidates, overall interest remains coalesced around a few. Front-runner Marco Rubio is still the candidate to beat, and when he's not in Washington for Senate votes, he's been visiting some of the most important states in next year's campaign, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, holding rallies and meeting with voters. He continues to be staunchly opposed to President Kennedy's fiscal agenda, and has also been increasingly pushing for a stronger military presence overseas to counter an aggressive Pakistan and what many conservatives are characterizing as a "growing terrorist threat" after two more attacks in India and a car bombing outside India's embassy in London which left four people dead last month. Rubio's opposition has been rallying just as hard, with Nick Freitas, still considered to be the current #2 in the race, heading down to Rubio's home state of Florida in an attempt to woo potential primary voters. Though Rubio is expected to win Florida by a considerable margin, Freitas has wanted to make his name more well known in the state, looking ahead to a potential general election against Kennedy.
Rick Santorum has also been campaigning hard, and his hardline social conservatism stands in contrast with many other candidates in the race, who are running on a more economics-based platform. Santorum is hoping to woo Republicans who believe the party has drifted too far to the left on social issues during the eight-year Jon Huntsman presidency, and back in 2008, Santorum was Huntsman's closest rival, even threatening at one point to run a third party campaign before Huntsman and party officials negotiated with him not to run separately. Santorum has been focused on the abortion issue and the Supreme Court, the latter of which could play a crucial role in the upcoming election, with two Supreme Court justices, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, said to be considering retirement. Then there's former actress and panelist on The View Stacey Dash, who threw her hat into the ring back in August. Though many have dismissed her odds of winning the candidacy, her skillful speaking and appeal to both African-American and women voters have helped her surge ahead in the polls. She's currently sixth, trailing behind Michigan's John James, who has fallen in the polls since Dash's entry. Sources close to James say that he blames Dash for, in his words, "splitting" the African-American vote, but Dash has fired back sharply, accusing James of inflammatory rhetoric.
There are two debates remaining before the upcoming Iowa caucuses in January: one in early November, and one in early December. November's debate is expected to feature the 12 leading candidates, which would currently leave only Nevada's Adam Laxalt as the odd man out. December's debate is expected to feature eight candidates, and could serve as a winnowing of the field before the Iowa caucus brings true clarity to the race.
These are the current polling averages for the top ten candidates as of October 21st:
Marco Rubio: 28.1%
Nick Freitas: 19.3%
Cindy McCain: 11.7%
Rick Santorum: 9.8%
John James: 9.2%
Stacey Dash: 4.5%
Lindsey Graham: 4.1%
Ken Buck: 2.8%
Matt Rosendale: 2.4%
George P. Bush: 2.1%
-from an article on Yahoo! News, posted on October 23, 2019
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Yves Guillemot Steps Down, Ubisoft Vows To "Clean Up" Culture Of Sexual Misconduct At Company
In a somewhat shocking turn of events, Yves Guillemot, co-founder and current CEO of Ubisoft, has stepped down amidst a wave of accusations of sexual misconduct leveled at various high-ranking figures within the company. Though Guillemot himself has not been accused of any personal wrongdoing, blame has been levied at him for covering up incident reports and protecting certain individuals within the company, and these accusations have mounted throughout the year, putting pressure on numerous executives and higher-ups. Guillemot's announcement comes on the heels of another announcement made just last week, in which Ubisoft's board of directors pledged full accountability for any and all sexual misconduct and other accusations, including abuse of workers and forced unpaid overtime, and that there would be a second investigation to follow-up on this year's earlier investigation that uncovered some reports of abuse but which many outside the company said didn't go far enough and didn't spend enough time looking into some of the company's highest ranking individuals, against which many of the accusations were levied.
(...)
Guillemot's resignation and the announcement of a second investigation comes at an important time for Ubisoft, in which two of the company's most anticipated titles, Tom Clancy Online 2 and Miraculous Ladybug 3, are launching within one month of each other, both having been somewhat embroiled in the controversy. It was uncovered that one of the directors of Tom Clancy Online 2 had been accused of sexual harassment against several interns and new employees, while the game had also been criticized for the extensive use of crunch in its development, with one programmer stepping forward to accuse another director of psychological abuse in the days leading up to a crucial developmental deadline. As for Miraculous Ladybug 3, while there haven't been nearly as many reports of crunch or abuse, the game has seen a significant personnel change, as co-producer Michel Ancel, considered by many to be a "legend" at Ubisoft for his work on franchises such as Rayman and Beyond Good And Evil, stepped down early in the project due to reports surfacing of psychological abuse directed at employees, and while Thomas Astruc, creator of the franchise's iconic characters, who took over as full project lead after Ancel stepped down, has not personally leveled accusations of misconduct, several sources close to the project claim that the two had a "bitter" relationship during the development of Miraculous Ladybug 2, with Ancel frequently said to have "bullied" Astruc and several of his close associates at the company during a number of creative disputes and to have privately insulted him in conversations with others. In the wake of the numerous scandals, Ubisoft's board has expressed a commitment to creating a "new culture" at the company, where abuse won't be tolerated in any shape or form, but only time will tell if their dedication to this commitment goes only as far as their bottom line is concerned.
-from an October 26, 2019 article on Kotaku
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Game Spotlight: Shenmue: Sins Of The Father
Shenmue: Sins Of The Father is an open-world adventure title exclusive to the Apple Virtua. Directed by Yu Suzuki, the game is intended to serve as a "coda" to the earlier Shenmue trilogy, and tells the story of Kei Hazuki, the 19-year-old son of previous series protagonist Ryo Hazuki, taking place twenty years after the end of the original series. While living in a new city, Kei is confronted by old faces from his father's past, just as he's attempting to build a new life as a university student, and only the player can determine Kei's destiny and what his ultimate fate will be. Similarly to other Shenmue games, Sins Of The Father allows the player to live out a fairly normal life in the city, dealing with events at their leisure while engaging in a variety of activities designed to simulate a real world experience. Though the game does move at a faster pace than the original Shenmue games, it's no Yakuza: it's still firmly grounded in realism, and operates at a slower and more deliberate pace compared to many open world titles on the market. While Kei's story is intrinsically tied to that of his father's, he also has his own life with his own circle of friends and his own hobbies, and his fighting style isn't even the same. Indeed, Kei prefers not to fight, instead trying to use his words to defuse most situations, and the player will have many opportunities to build up Kei's conversation skills and his connections throughout the game. Shenmue: Sins Of The Father has somewhat of a melancholy feel, as Kei is tormented by his father's old demons intruding upon his peaceful life, and the loss of innocence is a major theme of the game, symbolized at numerous times by the death of a number of cherry blossom trees throughout the city, each one dying to symbolize a part of the loss of Kei's innocence and that of those closest to him (especially if the player takes the story down a darker road). The game's quiet music reflects this as well. The game utilizes the Virtua's VR and motion controls to a great extent, and combined with the excellent graphics, this is one of the better Virtua games to play with the Oculus accessory. As the player goes through the game, they'll get to know not only Kei, but his friends and acquaintances, including his girlfriend Nomi (unlike in the Shenmue series, the player isn't able to date multiple love interests, Nomi is Kei's only love interest in the game, and the player must instead choose how they'll advance Kei's relationship with her), his childhood friend Sakada (who has ties to various criminal organizations, which are revealed as Kei uncovers more about Ryo's past life), and Ozu, Kei's nerdy friend from high school who serves as the game's comic relief to an extent. Kei's parents Ryo and Shenhua play a major role in the game, as does Kei's uncle, Shao, who reconciled with Ryo in the canon ending to Shenmue III, and who has been somewhat of a mentor to Kei, sometimes against Ryo's wishes, as Shao's approach to situations can be much more morally ambiguous. All of these characters play a critically important role in Kei's story, which plays out as old members of a gang that Ryo used to clash with begin to appear in Kei's life, threatening him and eventually reaching out to threaten his loved ones. At first, Shao offers to handle things and protect Kei, but Kei soon realizes that the criminals' vendetta against his father extends much deeper, and Kei is eventually forced to work for a gang in order to prevent his loved ones from being harmed. As the player moves through these stories, Kei will learn about Ryo's deeds, some of which he already knows about, while others he learns for the first time along with the player. Halfway through the game, Shao is killed regardless of the player's actions, and Ryo disappears, with Kei speculating that his father left to seek revenge. In order to save his father, Kei must confront the criminals directly, even at the risk of getting his mother and girlfriend killed. Kei eventually learns that Ryo's greatest sin involved killing the son of an old associate of Iwao's in order to protect his brother Shao from being killed. This old associate thus acquired a vendetta that has been stewing within his family for an entire generation, and it has been decided that Kei must pay the price for his father's sins. This culminates in the murder of Shenhua, though it IS possible with the right set of choices to save her. Kei must also save Nomi after she's kidnapped, and whether or not Nomi stays with Kei after she's rescued depends on the player's choices up to this point. Finally, Kei must confront his father's old foe, and the player's actions will determine whether it's Ryo or Kei who dies as a result of this final clash, with no option to save them both. If Kei lives (the canon ending), he'll either be alone, with his mother, with his girlfriend, or with both of them, and together they mourn Ryo while Kei also is determined to live his own life, free of his father's sins.
Shenmue: Sins Of The Father is released on October 22, 2019. It's a stunningly beautiful game visually, with gorgeous thematic motifs and beautiful animations, definitely one of the prettiest games the Virtua has to offer. The response to the gameplay is more of a mixed bag, with some reviewers calling the game excellent and positively comparing it to some of the other best adventure titles of its generation, including games like Jessica Saves Her Mom (And Maybe The World!), and others calling the gameplay slow and repetitive, and outdated (compare the response to OTL's Shenmue III). Overall, the game's review scores average in the low 8s, and despite the fact that it isn't a critical smash, it still manages to become one of the Virtua's most successful exclusives of the year.
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Other Significant Titles For October 2019:
Project Gonzo 2: Argonaut's follow-up to their 2016 horror hit Project Gonzo, this game introduces a brand new group of protagonists who are once again filming a documentary when they're beset by strange and horrific phenomena. Not too much has changed about the gameplay, but the graphics have gotten a bump up, and the game's a little bit longer than the original. Definitely visually appealing, and people who enjoyed the first tend to enjoy the second, but it's not as groundbreaking as the original and loses some points for originality, while also dropping slightly in sales from the first game.
Octopath Traveler: Squaresoft's retro throwback comes to TTL in the form of a Game Boy Zero title, and while TTL's game plays almost exactly like OTL's, it features an entirely new cast, with the only similarities being the first letters of their names (to keep with the OCTOPATH theming). Like in OTL, characters can get involved in each other's stories, though unlike IOTL, there's a bit more interaction between the characters, so it does pay to try out acquiring certain characters first, as anyone acquired earlier can get involved (to an extent) in that character's story. The Fairytale influence is heavy as well (many people who worked on Fairytale worked on TTL's Octopath Traveler), and there's even a fairy character named Aislyn who has a very similar backstory to Ashlyn from the original Fairytale. It's a really good RPG with beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack, and ends up being one of the Zero's best games of the year, eventually getting a port to the iPhone G and the Stadia.
Wing Commander: A remake of the classic Wing Commander on the Virtua, with CGI cutscenes and modern shooter gameplay, this is a solid title at a budget price (only $29.99), and definitely a worthy pickup even if it doesn't get quite as much hype as the Secret Of Mana or Snatcher remakes. The addition of VR and motion controls is also a nice plus, and reviews for the game average out to around an 8, while it also achieves fairly strong digital and physical sales.
Tom Clancy Online 2: The long-awaited sequel to the hit MMO Tom Clancy Online, this FPS/RPG combines elements from many of the different Tom Clancy game franchises while also introducing its own overarching plot. The last game was at one point the fourth most popular MMORPG, so there's a huge amount of anticipation for this game, and it doesn't disappoint, with review scores in the mid to high 8s and strong sales in its first three months. The original Tom Clancy Online remains popular for at least a couple of years after its release, but this new game, which gets updates once Nintendo and Apple's next-generation systems come out, is a worthy successor and most people eventually migrate to it.
Outer Wilds: This indie game, in which players must learn how to power up their spaceship and escape a deadly supernova, comes to TTL in pretty much the same form that it had IOTL, right down to lots of people confusing it with The Outer Worlds (which also comes out around the same time). As IOTL, it's a critical darling of a game and becomes a dark horse Game of the Year contender, with sales exceeding its production budget many times over.
The Outer Worlds: And this Obsidian RPG, a biting satire on capitalism/corporatism, is also fairly similar to its OTL counterpart, though with a fair amount of changes stemming to two major factors: the influence of the libertarian movement/Huntsman administration, and the existence of Obsidian's TTL hit Corona del Sol, which The Outer Worlds is somewhat of a spiritual successor of. Huntsman's influence mostly informs some of the game's dialogue and characters, with a few of them now stating TTL Republican/Libertarian platitudes, while Corona del Sol's influence encourages the developers to make the game more fantastical and lengthy, with more updates and DLC than the game got IOTL. Reviews are excellent, similar to OTL's game, and the game launches on the Reality, Virtua, Stadia, PC, and Mac, eventually making it to the next-gen Nintendo/Apple platforms as well, along with the Game Boy Zero, which has a slightly better time handling the game than OTL's maligned Switch port.
Rose Alvarez: Swipe! Swipe! Crash!
Austin Watson: Y'know, there's so much potential in this concept, and while Untitled Cat Game doesn't QUITE live up to that potential, it's still a whole lot of fun.
*The Cat walks up behind a girl and hisses, scaring her and making her jump.*
Rose: It's such a cute game! I can't get enough of just wandering around with the Cat, going up to people and seeing how they'll react.
Austin: And it's a perfectly good open world cat simulator, though I do wish this world was bigger. At the end of the day, if you like puzzle games and you like cats, you'll love Untitled Cat Game, but know what you're getting into. It's not unlimited, you can't claw people, though you can claw their stuff...
Rose: Thankfully, people can't hurt the Cat either.
Austin: That is true, they can shoo you away but they can't hurt you.
Rose: The loving detail of the animations, the different behaviors exhibited by the humans in the game, it's so simple but it's so well done, and I found myself cracking up many, many times while playing.
*The Cat is shown leaping from a roof to the top of a car, before climbing into the car, hitting the parking brake, and jumping out as the car goes rolling.*
Rose: It's a wonderful physics simulator with all these Rube Goldberg-esque actions and consequences, and you'll want to play enough to see them all. It's one of the most creative indie games in a long time, and by the time you're done, you'll want to go back and play through it again.
Austin: The replay value just wasn't there for me like it was for Rose and most of the others here at GameTV, but there's still plenty to go around, and you'll have fun with Untitled Cat Game, but maybe not as much fun as people who streamed the preview seemed to have. I'm giving Untitled Cat Game a 4 out of 5.
Rose: And I give it a perfect 5 for being utterly hilarious, absolutely adorable, and surprisingly challenging, but in a really fun way. It's a must-play, especially at the budget price one would expect a short indie game like this to be.
-from the October 3, 2019 episode of GameTV
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Max Kellerman: Bottom line is, last night the Dodgers went out and finally did what we've been expecting them to do the last few years, and that's win a World Series, and congrats to them.
Stephen A. Smith: The bottom line is, they're lucky the Mets missed the playoffs this year! And they almost choked this one away too!
Kellerman: Almost? It went to six games, they would've had one more chance.
Smith: They were up 3 games to nothing. They should have swept this series, but the Yankees almost came all the way back and got 'em! But I will give credit where it's due, the Dodgers were great and Gerrit Cole was great last night, even if the closer almost choked it away. Credit where it's due, absolutely.
Kellerman: And the Dodgers are the early betting favorites to win it all next year too.
Smith: Watch them choke next year, Max!
Molly Qerim: Okay you two, we have to move on to the NFL, and I know Stephen that you're looking forward to this, because the Cowboys choked away a chance to beat the undefeated Atlanta Falcons last night in Atlanta.
Smith: Yes, I saw that, they blew a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter and it was ugly to watch! It was the ugliest thing I've ever seen, but Cowboys fans by now are used to seeing ugly things on the football field.
Kellerman: I'll tell you what wasn't ugly, and that was Elliot Hobbs' performance in the fourth quarter. He lit the Cowboys up last night for 28 straight points.
Smith: And you love to see it, he is absolutely the best quarterback in the NFL right now!
Kellerman: Andrew Luck, I think, would beg to differ.
Smith: They're 5-2 right now, but the Atlanta Falcons are sitting at 8-0.
Kellerman: Who has more Super Bowls?
Smith: We're talking about right now, Max! Right now, this season!
-from the October 29, 2019 episode of ESPN's First Take
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The race for the Republican nomination in next year's presidential elections continues to be a contentious one, and though the field has widened to 13 candidates, overall interest remains coalesced around a few. Front-runner Marco Rubio is still the candidate to beat, and when he's not in Washington for Senate votes, he's been visiting some of the most important states in next year's campaign, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, holding rallies and meeting with voters. He continues to be staunchly opposed to President Kennedy's fiscal agenda, and has also been increasingly pushing for a stronger military presence overseas to counter an aggressive Pakistan and what many conservatives are characterizing as a "growing terrorist threat" after two more attacks in India and a car bombing outside India's embassy in London which left four people dead last month. Rubio's opposition has been rallying just as hard, with Nick Freitas, still considered to be the current #2 in the race, heading down to Rubio's home state of Florida in an attempt to woo potential primary voters. Though Rubio is expected to win Florida by a considerable margin, Freitas has wanted to make his name more well known in the state, looking ahead to a potential general election against Kennedy.
Rick Santorum has also been campaigning hard, and his hardline social conservatism stands in contrast with many other candidates in the race, who are running on a more economics-based platform. Santorum is hoping to woo Republicans who believe the party has drifted too far to the left on social issues during the eight-year Jon Huntsman presidency, and back in 2008, Santorum was Huntsman's closest rival, even threatening at one point to run a third party campaign before Huntsman and party officials negotiated with him not to run separately. Santorum has been focused on the abortion issue and the Supreme Court, the latter of which could play a crucial role in the upcoming election, with two Supreme Court justices, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, said to be considering retirement. Then there's former actress and panelist on The View Stacey Dash, who threw her hat into the ring back in August. Though many have dismissed her odds of winning the candidacy, her skillful speaking and appeal to both African-American and women voters have helped her surge ahead in the polls. She's currently sixth, trailing behind Michigan's John James, who has fallen in the polls since Dash's entry. Sources close to James say that he blames Dash for, in his words, "splitting" the African-American vote, but Dash has fired back sharply, accusing James of inflammatory rhetoric.
There are two debates remaining before the upcoming Iowa caucuses in January: one in early November, and one in early December. November's debate is expected to feature the 12 leading candidates, which would currently leave only Nevada's Adam Laxalt as the odd man out. December's debate is expected to feature eight candidates, and could serve as a winnowing of the field before the Iowa caucus brings true clarity to the race.
These are the current polling averages for the top ten candidates as of October 21st:
Marco Rubio: 28.1%
Nick Freitas: 19.3%
Cindy McCain: 11.7%
Rick Santorum: 9.8%
John James: 9.2%
Stacey Dash: 4.5%
Lindsey Graham: 4.1%
Ken Buck: 2.8%
Matt Rosendale: 2.4%
George P. Bush: 2.1%
-from an article on Yahoo! News, posted on October 23, 2019
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Yves Guillemot Steps Down, Ubisoft Vows To "Clean Up" Culture Of Sexual Misconduct At Company
In a somewhat shocking turn of events, Yves Guillemot, co-founder and current CEO of Ubisoft, has stepped down amidst a wave of accusations of sexual misconduct leveled at various high-ranking figures within the company. Though Guillemot himself has not been accused of any personal wrongdoing, blame has been levied at him for covering up incident reports and protecting certain individuals within the company, and these accusations have mounted throughout the year, putting pressure on numerous executives and higher-ups. Guillemot's announcement comes on the heels of another announcement made just last week, in which Ubisoft's board of directors pledged full accountability for any and all sexual misconduct and other accusations, including abuse of workers and forced unpaid overtime, and that there would be a second investigation to follow-up on this year's earlier investigation that uncovered some reports of abuse but which many outside the company said didn't go far enough and didn't spend enough time looking into some of the company's highest ranking individuals, against which many of the accusations were levied.
(...)
Guillemot's resignation and the announcement of a second investigation comes at an important time for Ubisoft, in which two of the company's most anticipated titles, Tom Clancy Online 2 and Miraculous Ladybug 3, are launching within one month of each other, both having been somewhat embroiled in the controversy. It was uncovered that one of the directors of Tom Clancy Online 2 had been accused of sexual harassment against several interns and new employees, while the game had also been criticized for the extensive use of crunch in its development, with one programmer stepping forward to accuse another director of psychological abuse in the days leading up to a crucial developmental deadline. As for Miraculous Ladybug 3, while there haven't been nearly as many reports of crunch or abuse, the game has seen a significant personnel change, as co-producer Michel Ancel, considered by many to be a "legend" at Ubisoft for his work on franchises such as Rayman and Beyond Good And Evil, stepped down early in the project due to reports surfacing of psychological abuse directed at employees, and while Thomas Astruc, creator of the franchise's iconic characters, who took over as full project lead after Ancel stepped down, has not personally leveled accusations of misconduct, several sources close to the project claim that the two had a "bitter" relationship during the development of Miraculous Ladybug 2, with Ancel frequently said to have "bullied" Astruc and several of his close associates at the company during a number of creative disputes and to have privately insulted him in conversations with others. In the wake of the numerous scandals, Ubisoft's board has expressed a commitment to creating a "new culture" at the company, where abuse won't be tolerated in any shape or form, but only time will tell if their dedication to this commitment goes only as far as their bottom line is concerned.
-from an October 26, 2019 article on Kotaku
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Game Spotlight: Shenmue: Sins Of The Father
Shenmue: Sins Of The Father is an open-world adventure title exclusive to the Apple Virtua. Directed by Yu Suzuki, the game is intended to serve as a "coda" to the earlier Shenmue trilogy, and tells the story of Kei Hazuki, the 19-year-old son of previous series protagonist Ryo Hazuki, taking place twenty years after the end of the original series. While living in a new city, Kei is confronted by old faces from his father's past, just as he's attempting to build a new life as a university student, and only the player can determine Kei's destiny and what his ultimate fate will be. Similarly to other Shenmue games, Sins Of The Father allows the player to live out a fairly normal life in the city, dealing with events at their leisure while engaging in a variety of activities designed to simulate a real world experience. Though the game does move at a faster pace than the original Shenmue games, it's no Yakuza: it's still firmly grounded in realism, and operates at a slower and more deliberate pace compared to many open world titles on the market. While Kei's story is intrinsically tied to that of his father's, he also has his own life with his own circle of friends and his own hobbies, and his fighting style isn't even the same. Indeed, Kei prefers not to fight, instead trying to use his words to defuse most situations, and the player will have many opportunities to build up Kei's conversation skills and his connections throughout the game. Shenmue: Sins Of The Father has somewhat of a melancholy feel, as Kei is tormented by his father's old demons intruding upon his peaceful life, and the loss of innocence is a major theme of the game, symbolized at numerous times by the death of a number of cherry blossom trees throughout the city, each one dying to symbolize a part of the loss of Kei's innocence and that of those closest to him (especially if the player takes the story down a darker road). The game's quiet music reflects this as well. The game utilizes the Virtua's VR and motion controls to a great extent, and combined with the excellent graphics, this is one of the better Virtua games to play with the Oculus accessory. As the player goes through the game, they'll get to know not only Kei, but his friends and acquaintances, including his girlfriend Nomi (unlike in the Shenmue series, the player isn't able to date multiple love interests, Nomi is Kei's only love interest in the game, and the player must instead choose how they'll advance Kei's relationship with her), his childhood friend Sakada (who has ties to various criminal organizations, which are revealed as Kei uncovers more about Ryo's past life), and Ozu, Kei's nerdy friend from high school who serves as the game's comic relief to an extent. Kei's parents Ryo and Shenhua play a major role in the game, as does Kei's uncle, Shao, who reconciled with Ryo in the canon ending to Shenmue III, and who has been somewhat of a mentor to Kei, sometimes against Ryo's wishes, as Shao's approach to situations can be much more morally ambiguous. All of these characters play a critically important role in Kei's story, which plays out as old members of a gang that Ryo used to clash with begin to appear in Kei's life, threatening him and eventually reaching out to threaten his loved ones. At first, Shao offers to handle things and protect Kei, but Kei soon realizes that the criminals' vendetta against his father extends much deeper, and Kei is eventually forced to work for a gang in order to prevent his loved ones from being harmed. As the player moves through these stories, Kei will learn about Ryo's deeds, some of which he already knows about, while others he learns for the first time along with the player. Halfway through the game, Shao is killed regardless of the player's actions, and Ryo disappears, with Kei speculating that his father left to seek revenge. In order to save his father, Kei must confront the criminals directly, even at the risk of getting his mother and girlfriend killed. Kei eventually learns that Ryo's greatest sin involved killing the son of an old associate of Iwao's in order to protect his brother Shao from being killed. This old associate thus acquired a vendetta that has been stewing within his family for an entire generation, and it has been decided that Kei must pay the price for his father's sins. This culminates in the murder of Shenhua, though it IS possible with the right set of choices to save her. Kei must also save Nomi after she's kidnapped, and whether or not Nomi stays with Kei after she's rescued depends on the player's choices up to this point. Finally, Kei must confront his father's old foe, and the player's actions will determine whether it's Ryo or Kei who dies as a result of this final clash, with no option to save them both. If Kei lives (the canon ending), he'll either be alone, with his mother, with his girlfriend, or with both of them, and together they mourn Ryo while Kei also is determined to live his own life, free of his father's sins.
Shenmue: Sins Of The Father is released on October 22, 2019. It's a stunningly beautiful game visually, with gorgeous thematic motifs and beautiful animations, definitely one of the prettiest games the Virtua has to offer. The response to the gameplay is more of a mixed bag, with some reviewers calling the game excellent and positively comparing it to some of the other best adventure titles of its generation, including games like Jessica Saves Her Mom (And Maybe The World!), and others calling the gameplay slow and repetitive, and outdated (compare the response to OTL's Shenmue III). Overall, the game's review scores average in the low 8s, and despite the fact that it isn't a critical smash, it still manages to become one of the Virtua's most successful exclusives of the year.
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Other Significant Titles For October 2019:
Project Gonzo 2: Argonaut's follow-up to their 2016 horror hit Project Gonzo, this game introduces a brand new group of protagonists who are once again filming a documentary when they're beset by strange and horrific phenomena. Not too much has changed about the gameplay, but the graphics have gotten a bump up, and the game's a little bit longer than the original. Definitely visually appealing, and people who enjoyed the first tend to enjoy the second, but it's not as groundbreaking as the original and loses some points for originality, while also dropping slightly in sales from the first game.
Octopath Traveler: Squaresoft's retro throwback comes to TTL in the form of a Game Boy Zero title, and while TTL's game plays almost exactly like OTL's, it features an entirely new cast, with the only similarities being the first letters of their names (to keep with the OCTOPATH theming). Like in OTL, characters can get involved in each other's stories, though unlike IOTL, there's a bit more interaction between the characters, so it does pay to try out acquiring certain characters first, as anyone acquired earlier can get involved (to an extent) in that character's story. The Fairytale influence is heavy as well (many people who worked on Fairytale worked on TTL's Octopath Traveler), and there's even a fairy character named Aislyn who has a very similar backstory to Ashlyn from the original Fairytale. It's a really good RPG with beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack, and ends up being one of the Zero's best games of the year, eventually getting a port to the iPhone G and the Stadia.
Wing Commander: A remake of the classic Wing Commander on the Virtua, with CGI cutscenes and modern shooter gameplay, this is a solid title at a budget price (only $29.99), and definitely a worthy pickup even if it doesn't get quite as much hype as the Secret Of Mana or Snatcher remakes. The addition of VR and motion controls is also a nice plus, and reviews for the game average out to around an 8, while it also achieves fairly strong digital and physical sales.
Tom Clancy Online 2: The long-awaited sequel to the hit MMO Tom Clancy Online, this FPS/RPG combines elements from many of the different Tom Clancy game franchises while also introducing its own overarching plot. The last game was at one point the fourth most popular MMORPG, so there's a huge amount of anticipation for this game, and it doesn't disappoint, with review scores in the mid to high 8s and strong sales in its first three months. The original Tom Clancy Online remains popular for at least a couple of years after its release, but this new game, which gets updates once Nintendo and Apple's next-generation systems come out, is a worthy successor and most people eventually migrate to it.
Outer Wilds: This indie game, in which players must learn how to power up their spaceship and escape a deadly supernova, comes to TTL in pretty much the same form that it had IOTL, right down to lots of people confusing it with The Outer Worlds (which also comes out around the same time). As IOTL, it's a critical darling of a game and becomes a dark horse Game of the Year contender, with sales exceeding its production budget many times over.
The Outer Worlds: And this Obsidian RPG, a biting satire on capitalism/corporatism, is also fairly similar to its OTL counterpart, though with a fair amount of changes stemming to two major factors: the influence of the libertarian movement/Huntsman administration, and the existence of Obsidian's TTL hit Corona del Sol, which The Outer Worlds is somewhat of a spiritual successor of. Huntsman's influence mostly informs some of the game's dialogue and characters, with a few of them now stating TTL Republican/Libertarian platitudes, while Corona del Sol's influence encourages the developers to make the game more fantastical and lengthy, with more updates and DLC than the game got IOTL. Reviews are excellent, similar to OTL's game, and the game launches on the Reality, Virtua, Stadia, PC, and Mac, eventually making it to the next-gen Nintendo/Apple platforms as well, along with the Game Boy Zero, which has a slightly better time handling the game than OTL's maligned Switch port.
The Dodgers not getting cheated out of a World Series win makes me happy. I still end conversations with "Have a great day and f*** the Houston Astros."
I'm not optimistic about the possibility of actual change, both in this fictional world, and in our own video game companies; it's relatively easy to weed assholes out in small places but, once your enterprise reaches a certain size, it's the kind of environment Dark Triad types find very easy to manipulate their way into, and to the top.
Deleted member 150598
Here's how I think the consoles ITTL could be sorted in generations.
Key:
Blue = SEGA/Apple (home)
Teal = SEGA/Apple (portable)
Red = Nintendo (home)
Purple = Nintendo (portable)
Green = Microsoft/Google
Orange = NEC
Black = Miscellaneous
Fourth Generation:
NEC PC Engine (1987)
SEGA Genesis (1988)
Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990)
SEGA Game Gear (1990)
4.5th Generation:
SEGA CD (1991)
NEC PC Engine CD (1991)
SNES-CD (1992)
SEGA Mega Charger (1994)
Fifth Generation:
SEGA Saturn (1995)
SEGA Venus (1995)
Nintendo Game Boy Color (1996)
Bandai Solaris (1996)
Ultra Nintendo Entertainment System (1997)
Sixth Generation:
Nintendo Game Boy Nova (1999)
SEGA/Apple Katana (2001)
Microsoft Xbox (2001)
Nintendo Wave (2003)
Seventh Generation:
Apple iPod iPlay (2004)
Nintendo Game Boy Supernova (2005)
Microsoft Xbox 2 (2006)
Apple iTwin (2007)
Nintendo Sapphire (2008)
Eighth Generation:
Apple Gemini (2011)
Nintendo Connect (2011)
Google Nexus (2012)
Apple Virtua (2013)
Nintendo Reality (2013)
Ninth Generation:
Google Stadia (2018)
Apple iPhone G (2019)
Nintendo Game Boy Zero (2019)
Hyper Nintendo Entertainment System (2020)
Apple Quest (2020)
What do you think, @RySenkari ?
Key:
Blue = SEGA/Apple (home)
Teal = SEGA/Apple (portable)
Red = Nintendo (home)
Purple = Nintendo (portable)
Green = Microsoft/Google
Orange = NEC
Black = Miscellaneous
Fourth Generation:
NEC PC Engine (1987)
SEGA Genesis (1988)
Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990)
SEGA Game Gear (1990)
4.5th Generation:
SEGA CD (1991)
NEC PC Engine CD (1991)
SNES-CD (1992)
SEGA Mega Charger (1994)
Fifth Generation:
SEGA Saturn (1995)
SEGA Venus (1995)
Nintendo Game Boy Color (1996)
Bandai Solaris (1996)
Ultra Nintendo Entertainment System (1997)
Sixth Generation:
Nintendo Game Boy Nova (1999)
SEGA/Apple Katana (2001)
Microsoft Xbox (2001)
Nintendo Wave (2003)
Seventh Generation:
Apple iPod iPlay (2004)
Nintendo Game Boy Supernova (2005)
Microsoft Xbox 2 (2006)
Apple iTwin (2007)
Nintendo Sapphire (2008)
Eighth Generation:
Apple Gemini (2011)
Nintendo Connect (2011)
Google Nexus (2012)
Apple Virtua (2013)
Nintendo Reality (2013)
Ninth Generation:
Google Stadia (2018)
Apple iPhone G (2019)
Nintendo Game Boy Zero (2019)
Hyper Nintendo Entertainment System (2020)
Apple Quest (2020)
What do you think, @RySenkari ?
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When the mega charger wasn't a console ( I consider It like a super expansion pak in that regard) the list was fine and you forget both the PC engine and PC engine CD
The game title already spoil his OTL equivalent
plus ITTL THE CAT ATE THE GOOSE AND AQDUIRED HIS POWERS
Hmm...I'm predicting a Rubio-Dash ticket for the Reps.
Wow...Damn...!
Either way a main protag dies in the end...!
I suppose the real question is how many players will choose to save each one their first time through, and how big is the outcry over not being able to save both?
The fact that both Cressida Lane and Games Over Matter were reporting heavily on this helped to push Guillemot out. Cressida Lane is headed by a gamer now (Lizzie Melman, who absorbed a lot of her best friend Polly's PTSD episodes back in college and who now comes down on sexual pests and predators like an avenging angel from her very powerful perch), and Jim Sterling (thank God for them!) is still working with Games Over Matter because Alex Stansfield lets them do pretty much whatever they want. So yeah, you can credit the two of them for forcing Ubisoft's hand in this matter.
I think it's a really nice list, thanks very much for putting it together! I will note that stuff like the 3DO and Jaguar still existed ITTL as well, but they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things
Not too terribly big considering that Shenmue's fanbase was already ready for some sad times. There's the usual people who are upset with it because they wanted a super happy ending, but for the most part the fans are okay with it.
Deleted member 150598
Thanks so much!I think it's a really nice list, thanks very much for putting it together! I will note that stuff like the 3DO and Jaguar still existed ITTL as well, but they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things
A New Generation Of Thrillseekers
Game Spotlight: Thrillseekers: Generation Z
Thrillseekers: Generation Z is an extreme sports video game and the fourth mainline game in the Thrillseekers franchise. Taking place ten years after Thrillseekers: All-Stars, it introduces a new generation of characters to the series, serving as a "soft reboot" while continuing the story of the original six characters as they serve as adult mentors to these new young women. Like most of the previous games in the series, Thrillseekers: Generation Z combines extreme sports gameplay with a lengthy campaign mode that tells the stories of these brand new characters as they come together and embark on their first adventure as friends. Generation Z's gameplay is fully revamped, updated for a new generation of consoles, as the gameplay engine that was used previously has been in use since Thrillseekers 2, with some slight modifications for 2013's Thrillseekers: Thin Air, and had been getting somewhat dated. This new engine adds more realistic physics while also subtly improving the controls to make gameplay more intuitive than ever. This does serve to create an "easier" experience for newer players, and some longtime veterans complain that it's too easy to pull off impressive tricks, but there's still plenty of things for experts to learn and do, and truly impressive tricks still take a great deal of skill to pull off, with a smooth learning curve for players. Generation Z, like Thrillseekers 3, streamlines the lineup of extreme sports down to ten: the five "classic" extreme sports that have been a staple of the series (skateboarding, surfing, BMX biking, wingsuiting, and snowboarding), brings back three favorites (kitesurfing, parkour, and paragliding), and introduces two new extreme sports: hoverboarding (not Back To The Future, this, and if you'll recall from an earlier update, they're much safer and more fun ITTL) and powerbocking. The sports have been differentiated from each other more than in any other game in the series thus far, with parkour and powerbocking focusing more on obstacles and timing than on individual tricks, BMX biking and hoverboarding focusing heavily on terrain to score points, and paragliding and wingsuiting aiming for glide time moreso than trick performance, though trick performance still plays heavily into both sports. In contrast with previous games in the series, the characters of Thrillseekers: Generation Z don't specialize so much in individual sports, but are instead rated on other physical and emotional characteristics, making the player's skill more important than which character is selected.
As mentioned before, Thrillseekers: Generation Z introduces six new characters into the series, meant to reflect the personalities and sensibilities of modern day people, and standing somewhat in contrast to their millennial counterparts. Less adventurers/athletes and more like influencers (though still with considerable athletic talent, especially Izzy, Destiny, and Julia, who have all competed in and won events before), these new characters are trendy and dynamic, easier for the game's intended younger demographic to identify with while being some of the series' most complex characters to date, written to be as beloved by this generation as the original six were to their own. The new protagonists of this generation of Thrillseekers are:
Isabella “Izzy” Vasquez: Izzy Vasquez is a massive fan of the original Thrillseekers girls, particularly Alex, who she considers her idol. She's an accomplished extreme sports athlete, focusing on skateboarding but she competes in many other sports and she only uses Thrillseekers-branded gear. Energetic and rebellious, she's excited to become a member of the new group but is a bit naïve about what that all entails. Izzy can best be compared to Alex amongst the original six, though with a quite a bit less angst. Izzy is voiced by Inez Delgado.
Zoe Siedel: Zoe is an extreme sports athlete with her own webshow. She's relatively famous already but is fairly new to organized competition. She's a bit quiet, but also somewhat snarky, and is also a bit cynical due to some obsessive fans she's had trouble with in the past. She and Izzy click immediately despite their clashing personalities, and they soon come to trust each other. Zoe can best be compared to Kirsten of the original group, though she trades the practical jokes for witty barbs. Zoe is voiced by Nicki Burke.
Anaya Sharma: Anaya is extremely energetic, even moreso than Izzy. She loves extreme sports and risk taking, and is a very positive person, a lot like Elissa without the dark past, though she doesn't focus on aerial sports. Her parents are quite strict and tried to discourage her hobby, but they couldn't keep her contained and she frequently defied them regardless. Now that she's 18, she can do whatever she wants and she's loving it. Anaya is Indian-American, and is voiced by Liza Koshy (in fact, Liza had somewhat of an influence on the character's personality, before she was cast, Anaya was meant to be a bit more of a nerd and Libby was somewhat more energetic).
Destiny Williams: Destiny is the series' first transgender character. She's African-American, and is somewhat of a stoic character, even moreso than Zoe. She focuses on aquatic sports but, like the others, is skilled at all of them, and uses extreme sports as a way to defy expectations and be herself. She's comparable to Vivian of the original six, the most mature and responsible of the group, who tries her best to mediate conflicts between them. Destiny is voiced by trans actress/activist Jessica Zyrie.
Libby Crane: Libby is the “nerdiest” of the six new Thrillseekers, though she isn't nerdy to the same degree as Stacy was in the original games. She uses her knowledge of physics to help herself learn extreme sports quickly, but is a bit of a coward compared to the others (again, not like Stacy who takes to extreme sports a lot quicker). She can be compared to Stacy but with a more analytical and timid personality. Libby is British, and came to America during her high school years. She's voiced by Kathryn Prescott.
Julia Esfahani: Julia is a girl of Iranian descent who has a sort of “cool” demeanor, more calm and less melancholy than Zoe. Amongst the six main characters, she's the one who was most popular at her school, but has sort of shied away from it, cutting her hair short from what it was in high school and trying to pave her own way. Her parents are quite lenient, and at first, Julia is seen as sort of standoffish (her new friends are worried that because she was so popular she might be mean), but once her friends get to know her, they realize how nice she is, if they can keep up with her. She can be compared to Marina, but with somewhat less “preppy”-ness and a bit more mystery, keeping quiet at first and letting her extreme sports skills do the talking. She's voiced by Zehra Fazal.
The game introduces several more minor characters, while also bringing back many of the old ones, including the original six protagonists, and the game's "free play" mode ultimately features 55 playable characters in the base game, with several dozen more eventually added through DLC, and the option to create your own character as well. Though Izzy is considered the "main" protagonist, the game doesn't center around her like the original game did with Alex and Stacy, and instead, gives all six main characters an equal chance to shine, with the player able to utilize any of them during many of the campaign mode's challenges. The game features a full contingent of free play modes, including online team matches and leaderboards, and an extensive camera mode as well (and, like in Thrillseekers 3, the game uses the character of Amberlin Parker, who's now all grown up and an award-winning sports photojournalist, as the "host" of the game's camera mode, with optional tutorials and evaluations of your shots). It's the most visually beautiful Thrillseekers game yet, pushing the Reality and Virtua close to their limits with full 4K visuals on the new versions of the systems, while on the Stadia, the visuals and animations pop to an almost lifelike degree, with full ray tracing and realistic shadows. It's loaded with popular music as well, from the hottest artists of the time (there's a few classic songs, but most of the songs are new). In addition to the new voice actors, all the old voice actors, including Avril Lavigne as Alex, return to reprise their roles. In addition, Thrillseekers: Generation Z brings motion capture to the series for the first time, with fully mocapped cutscenes. Stunt actors performed most of the extreme sports tricks, though some of the voice actors were taught some basic stunts to film, but all the basic dialogue scenes were mocapped, giving the animations an even more lifelike feel.
The game's storyline centers around Thrillseekers, Inc., the company started by the original six girls after the events of Thrillseekers 2. It's grown to become the world's leading manufacturer of extreme sports gear, while sponsoring many events around the world. However, the company has been having trouble keeping up in the age of online influencers, with some of the extreme sports world's brightest young stars signing to other companies or striking out on their own. Alex and Stacy, along with the company's CEO, Marina, get the idea to recruit six teenage girls to serve as the "next generation" brand ambassadors for the company. After a year-long search, which is depicted briefly in a montage cutscene, six young women are chosen: Izzy Vasquez, Destiny Williams, Libby Crane, Julia Esfahani, Zoe Seidel, and Anaya Sharma. Izzy is chosen for her enthuasiasm and tournament wins, Destiny is chosen for her activism and courage, Libby is chosen for her prodigious physics research, Julia is chosen for her skill and style, Zoe is chosen because of her internet popularity, and Anaya is chosen because of her sense of adventure. We first see Izzy in the game's opening credits sequence, which is set to "Feel It Still" by Portugal ft. The Man, in which we get a glimpse at Izzy's love for the Thrillseekers company and her skateboarding skills. We also get glimpses at Zoe's web series and a look at each of the other characters before they're all brought together at Thrillseekers, Inc. and told of their role as brand ambassadors, which consists of competing in tournaments, appearing at events, and serving as extreme sports role models, while also hopefully bonding as friends (Alex is inspired by how she and her friends bonded, and a big theme of the game is Alex hoping to recreate this experience with these six new girls). The six girls initially seem to gel as they get to know each other, though personality clashes do happen. Izzy and Zoe bond somewhat quickly, as do Destiny and Julia and Anaya and Libby, though even then, there are conflicts, with Zoe's internet popularity causing problems for her (she still has a creepy stalker, who serves as one of the closest things the game has to an antagonist, while the others somewhat resent her influencer career), Julia coming off as aloof and stuck-up to the others, Libby being a klutz, Izzy being somewhat arrogant, and Anaya annoying everyone with her loudmouth antics. Destiny's trans identity also comes up, and while all of the other girls are extremely accepting, not everyone else is, and some bigotry does occur, leading to tension.
As all of this plays out, each of the original Thrillseekers has their own role to play.
Alex serves as a mentor and idol to everyone, with Izzy practically hero worshipping her. She's still a bit foolhardy and reckless, though she's mellowed out a bit over the years thanks to her wife Stacy. Stacy is the lead engineer at the company, designing and testing all of the extreme sports equipment, and her role in Thrillseekers: Generation Z is somewhat like how Q is to the James Bond franchise: she explains the tech and how to use the tech, and even in her mid-30s, is an adorable science geek. Marina is the CEO and is the new girls' employer, and though she can be a bit stern at times, she has a big heart and doesn't hesitate to talk the girls through their troubles or stand up for them when they need it (despite being a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, she's ready to throw hands in front of cameras with a transphobe who misgenders Destiny about halfway through the game). Vivian, now an attorney, serves as legal counsel for Thrillseekers, Inc., and talks through them about various legal matters, though she's also somewhat of a "mom" to the group and also has kids of her own (she, Elissa, and Kirsten are the three members of the group who have children, while Marina is the only one who's single). Elissa, who holds a job as a high school guidance counselor, shows up at various times to comfort and counsel the members of the group, and later on she also helps Zoe fend off her stalker. Kirsten, who in addition to raising a young son with her husband also travels around the world as a geologist, scouting extreme sports locations, helps to promote the six girls through her web series, and also serves as a location scouter for their events. Other characters from the original series, including Rachel, Emma, Marie, and Marceline, also make cameo appearances at various times, letting players know exactly what they've been up to and just what an impact the original heroes had on them.
The storyline builds up to two major events: a world tournament in which various teams of six will be competing, and which serves as a major opportunity for Thrillseekers, Inc. to introduce the new girls to the world, and a fashion show in which extreme sportswear will be shown off, and which will serve as a make-or-break chance for the company to introduce its new line. The world tournament, which comes about 60 percent of the way through the main storyline, is the focus of intense training for the six, who, despite their differences, are able to bond as friends, and who start out in the lead as the competition plays out. However, tension ultimately leads to disaster, with the team finishing outside the top three (despite how well the player performs beforehand, as the last event will be shown as a cutscene and that's where the team ultimately loses). This leads to a major fracturing of the team, with each of the girls threatening to go their own separate ways, and the player having a chance to play with each and every one of them in their own individual segments which show each girl's reason for wanting to be an extreme sports star, and also illustrating the contrasts between the characters. Tension also brews between the original six, with Alex and Marina clashing about whether or not to let the girls out of their contracts (surprisingly enough, it's Marina who is willing to take the financial hit and let the girls go, while Alex, for more emotional reasons, wants to try and force them to get along). Alex remembers how miserable her life was before she met Stacy, and wants that for all the girls, but ultimately it's Izzy who reminds her that the six new girls aren't Alex and her friends, and that you can't just throw six people together and make them friends for life. What Alex and her friends have is special, and that can't ever be replicated, no matter how much Alex wants it. Alex is finally willing to let the six girls go, though she still wants to sign Izzy to the company. Izzy accepts, but feels bad about the other five even if they weren't really meant to be friends. However, we see that the other five, though all individuals with their own unique lives and experiences, do want to try and make things work together, and after helping each other through various trials and tribulations, culminating in the girls teaming up to help Anaya with her parents, disrupt a transphobic protest against Destiny, and finally, getting Zoe's stalker arrested, they decide that even though they're not as close friends as Alex and the other Thrillseekers were, they still like each other and like working together, they reunite just in time for the fashion show, where they work together to promote Thrillseekers, Inc.'s newest line and put the company back on top to stay. However, they also end up picking a fight with a rival company, leading to the game's last chapter, an extreme sports battle to the finish between the next-generation Thrillseekers and the rival company's six stars. After the rival company is defeated, the six girls are signed to their own individual promotional deals with the company. They won't be appearing in ads together, but they remain good friends and we see them hanging out naturally from time to time, charting their own individual paths and championing the future of extreme sports for the girls of a new generation. We then get a lengthy end-credits/cutscene sequence set to a remixed version of G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha's "Me, Myself, and I", with rap verses performed by Inez, Liza, and Zehra (in character as Izzy, Anaya, and Julia respectively).
Thrillseekers: Generation Z is released on November 15, 2019, for the Reality, Virtua, Stadia, and Steam platforms, while also coming to Game Boy Zero and iPhone G in 2020. Reviews are mostly positive, averaging in the mid 8s, praising the game for its graphics and gameplay, with most of the criticism leveled around the extensive use of DLC and the game's storyline (which, while well-acted and compelling, isn't quite as compelling as the storylines of the original two games or even Thrillseekers 3). The new characters, for the most part, are received quite well, especially Destiny and Julia, though all six main characters have plenty of fans even if they never become QUITE as popular as the original group. The game does receive some controversy for the character of Destiny: while transphobia isn't quite as prevalent as it is IOTL due to a lesser-charged political environment, it's still sadly all too prevalent regardless, and though many people love Destiny, a lot of people hate her as well, making her the year's most polarizing video game character, with transphobic comments leveled at both the character and the actress portraying her from numerous people in the gaming community. The game also gets controversy from a segment of the original Thrillseekers fanbase, who hate the new characters and want to see the old characters return, though most people are quite accepting and enthusiastic about the new cast. Sales are extremely good: it's the best selling game in the series since Thrillseekers 2, and would rank as one of the top 20 best selling titles of 2019, while selling even more copies once it's released for the handhelds and for the new Nintendo and Apple consoles that would eventually be released. It would of course become the subject of a merchandising bonanza, launching a new line of apparel and extreme sports gear, along with books, comics, and a brand new animated series that would launch on the Blockbuster streaming service in the fall of 2020. While the second generation Thrillseekers would never be quite as popular as the original six, the game and the new cast would indeed be successful in bringing the series to a whole new generation, having a positive impact in the gaming industry and beyond. There wouldn't be as many games featuring the new cast as the old cast, as, with this new generation, the series would no longer be annualized, but would receive major titles every 2-3 years or so, but it would remain one of Activision's most important franchises, with a legacy surpassing that of the original game that spawned it.
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November 22, 2019
Inez Delgado had been having the best year of her life. She was the star of a massively successful new video game, something she never imagined she'd accomplish, especially before turning 20. She was the star of two enormously acclaimed animated shows, one of which, Lyte and Darke, was generating more buzz than any cartoon in recent memory thanks to its shocking and tragic third season twist ending back in July. Life was good, and as she stood in a crowd in Miami, Florida, texting her friend Regan about what she was doing, she knew things might just get even better.
Regan: did you get to meet the president?
Inez: I'm not sure he's coming over here.
Inez was at a rally for the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, Jr., having been invited by one of his staffers to attend a speech he was giving in the city. He was hoping to gin up support in Florida amongst Latino voters, a demographic he'd been stumbling with as of late. Many Cuban-Americans had expressed increased frustration with the president's increased social spending, and rhetoric had grown especially harsh with Republican front-runner Marco Rubio stoking the fires of the conservative opposition. Many young Latinos had also turned increasingly against the president during his term, and though Kennedy was still ahead with a majority of Latino-Americans, his numbers were shrinking, especially when he was placed in a hypothetical race with Rubio in the general election. The speech was intended to promote a new, more open immigration policy that would take effect next year. Kennedy had been quite conservative on immigration during his term, reversing some of his predecessor's policies allowing for more immigrants from Latin America, while also quietly increasing enforcement of immigration laws and the number of deportations. This new policy was aimed at reversing some of those reversals and allowing for more immigrants, both skilled and unskilled, to enter the country, with Kennedy ultimately hoping to counter Rubio's push to allow for less strict immigration standards, which had served him extremely well in those recent polls. Inez herself was in Miami for an anime convention being held that weekend, and was invited to attend Kennedy's speech by the staffer after he learned she'd be in the city. It would be an exciting experience, as she'd never seen a president speak in person before, and had only gotten the opportunity to meet one once before, when her father had brought her along to a private dinner for Jon Huntsman several years back.
Regan: you're so lucky, JFK Jr. is hot for an old dude
Inez: Oh my god Regan shut up
Inez giggled, then put her phone away as she watched the president through the crowd. He was coming her way, though his path was obviously slowed by all the people in attendance and all the Secret Service agents around to keep them under control. She didn't know if he was going to walk past her, but he was quite happily shaking hands with everyone nearby, and her heart beat faster and faster as he got close.
This is so cool, thought Inez, her palms starting to sweat. Wish mom could've come to this, she's got such a huge crush-
Inez's thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang that erupted no less than twenty feet where she was standing. She jumped, her ears ringing, and looked back to where the president was, only to see a mass of Secret Service agents swarming him.
"Oh, my God!" Inez screamed, her screams drowned out by hundreds of simultaneous shouts and screams all around her.
Another shot rang out, and she hit the floor, hands clasped around the back of her head.
No, no, no! thought Inez, instinctively checking herself for any injuries. I'm fine, but.... oh, no, no!
"Shooter!"
"Get him!" came a loud, booming voice from the direction where Inez had heard the bangs. "Grab him, grab him!"
Another booming voice, from where the president had been standing.
"Get Jetplane out of here!"
Inez could feel people swarming around her as she knelt on the ground, hands clasped protectively around her head. Someone helped her up. She didn't see who. She didn't care who.
"Has he been hit? Has Jetplane been hit?"
Thrillseekers: Generation Z is an extreme sports video game and the fourth mainline game in the Thrillseekers franchise. Taking place ten years after Thrillseekers: All-Stars, it introduces a new generation of characters to the series, serving as a "soft reboot" while continuing the story of the original six characters as they serve as adult mentors to these new young women. Like most of the previous games in the series, Thrillseekers: Generation Z combines extreme sports gameplay with a lengthy campaign mode that tells the stories of these brand new characters as they come together and embark on their first adventure as friends. Generation Z's gameplay is fully revamped, updated for a new generation of consoles, as the gameplay engine that was used previously has been in use since Thrillseekers 2, with some slight modifications for 2013's Thrillseekers: Thin Air, and had been getting somewhat dated. This new engine adds more realistic physics while also subtly improving the controls to make gameplay more intuitive than ever. This does serve to create an "easier" experience for newer players, and some longtime veterans complain that it's too easy to pull off impressive tricks, but there's still plenty of things for experts to learn and do, and truly impressive tricks still take a great deal of skill to pull off, with a smooth learning curve for players. Generation Z, like Thrillseekers 3, streamlines the lineup of extreme sports down to ten: the five "classic" extreme sports that have been a staple of the series (skateboarding, surfing, BMX biking, wingsuiting, and snowboarding), brings back three favorites (kitesurfing, parkour, and paragliding), and introduces two new extreme sports: hoverboarding (not Back To The Future, this, and if you'll recall from an earlier update, they're much safer and more fun ITTL) and powerbocking. The sports have been differentiated from each other more than in any other game in the series thus far, with parkour and powerbocking focusing more on obstacles and timing than on individual tricks, BMX biking and hoverboarding focusing heavily on terrain to score points, and paragliding and wingsuiting aiming for glide time moreso than trick performance, though trick performance still plays heavily into both sports. In contrast with previous games in the series, the characters of Thrillseekers: Generation Z don't specialize so much in individual sports, but are instead rated on other physical and emotional characteristics, making the player's skill more important than which character is selected.
As mentioned before, Thrillseekers: Generation Z introduces six new characters into the series, meant to reflect the personalities and sensibilities of modern day people, and standing somewhat in contrast to their millennial counterparts. Less adventurers/athletes and more like influencers (though still with considerable athletic talent, especially Izzy, Destiny, and Julia, who have all competed in and won events before), these new characters are trendy and dynamic, easier for the game's intended younger demographic to identify with while being some of the series' most complex characters to date, written to be as beloved by this generation as the original six were to their own. The new protagonists of this generation of Thrillseekers are:
Isabella “Izzy” Vasquez: Izzy Vasquez is a massive fan of the original Thrillseekers girls, particularly Alex, who she considers her idol. She's an accomplished extreme sports athlete, focusing on skateboarding but she competes in many other sports and she only uses Thrillseekers-branded gear. Energetic and rebellious, she's excited to become a member of the new group but is a bit naïve about what that all entails. Izzy can best be compared to Alex amongst the original six, though with a quite a bit less angst. Izzy is voiced by Inez Delgado.
Zoe Siedel: Zoe is an extreme sports athlete with her own webshow. She's relatively famous already but is fairly new to organized competition. She's a bit quiet, but also somewhat snarky, and is also a bit cynical due to some obsessive fans she's had trouble with in the past. She and Izzy click immediately despite their clashing personalities, and they soon come to trust each other. Zoe can best be compared to Kirsten of the original group, though she trades the practical jokes for witty barbs. Zoe is voiced by Nicki Burke.
Anaya Sharma: Anaya is extremely energetic, even moreso than Izzy. She loves extreme sports and risk taking, and is a very positive person, a lot like Elissa without the dark past, though she doesn't focus on aerial sports. Her parents are quite strict and tried to discourage her hobby, but they couldn't keep her contained and she frequently defied them regardless. Now that she's 18, she can do whatever she wants and she's loving it. Anaya is Indian-American, and is voiced by Liza Koshy (in fact, Liza had somewhat of an influence on the character's personality, before she was cast, Anaya was meant to be a bit more of a nerd and Libby was somewhat more energetic).
Destiny Williams: Destiny is the series' first transgender character. She's African-American, and is somewhat of a stoic character, even moreso than Zoe. She focuses on aquatic sports but, like the others, is skilled at all of them, and uses extreme sports as a way to defy expectations and be herself. She's comparable to Vivian of the original six, the most mature and responsible of the group, who tries her best to mediate conflicts between them. Destiny is voiced by trans actress/activist Jessica Zyrie.
Libby Crane: Libby is the “nerdiest” of the six new Thrillseekers, though she isn't nerdy to the same degree as Stacy was in the original games. She uses her knowledge of physics to help herself learn extreme sports quickly, but is a bit of a coward compared to the others (again, not like Stacy who takes to extreme sports a lot quicker). She can be compared to Stacy but with a more analytical and timid personality. Libby is British, and came to America during her high school years. She's voiced by Kathryn Prescott.
Julia Esfahani: Julia is a girl of Iranian descent who has a sort of “cool” demeanor, more calm and less melancholy than Zoe. Amongst the six main characters, she's the one who was most popular at her school, but has sort of shied away from it, cutting her hair short from what it was in high school and trying to pave her own way. Her parents are quite lenient, and at first, Julia is seen as sort of standoffish (her new friends are worried that because she was so popular she might be mean), but once her friends get to know her, they realize how nice she is, if they can keep up with her. She can be compared to Marina, but with somewhat less “preppy”-ness and a bit more mystery, keeping quiet at first and letting her extreme sports skills do the talking. She's voiced by Zehra Fazal.
The game introduces several more minor characters, while also bringing back many of the old ones, including the original six protagonists, and the game's "free play" mode ultimately features 55 playable characters in the base game, with several dozen more eventually added through DLC, and the option to create your own character as well. Though Izzy is considered the "main" protagonist, the game doesn't center around her like the original game did with Alex and Stacy, and instead, gives all six main characters an equal chance to shine, with the player able to utilize any of them during many of the campaign mode's challenges. The game features a full contingent of free play modes, including online team matches and leaderboards, and an extensive camera mode as well (and, like in Thrillseekers 3, the game uses the character of Amberlin Parker, who's now all grown up and an award-winning sports photojournalist, as the "host" of the game's camera mode, with optional tutorials and evaluations of your shots). It's the most visually beautiful Thrillseekers game yet, pushing the Reality and Virtua close to their limits with full 4K visuals on the new versions of the systems, while on the Stadia, the visuals and animations pop to an almost lifelike degree, with full ray tracing and realistic shadows. It's loaded with popular music as well, from the hottest artists of the time (there's a few classic songs, but most of the songs are new). In addition to the new voice actors, all the old voice actors, including Avril Lavigne as Alex, return to reprise their roles. In addition, Thrillseekers: Generation Z brings motion capture to the series for the first time, with fully mocapped cutscenes. Stunt actors performed most of the extreme sports tricks, though some of the voice actors were taught some basic stunts to film, but all the basic dialogue scenes were mocapped, giving the animations an even more lifelike feel.
The game's storyline centers around Thrillseekers, Inc., the company started by the original six girls after the events of Thrillseekers 2. It's grown to become the world's leading manufacturer of extreme sports gear, while sponsoring many events around the world. However, the company has been having trouble keeping up in the age of online influencers, with some of the extreme sports world's brightest young stars signing to other companies or striking out on their own. Alex and Stacy, along with the company's CEO, Marina, get the idea to recruit six teenage girls to serve as the "next generation" brand ambassadors for the company. After a year-long search, which is depicted briefly in a montage cutscene, six young women are chosen: Izzy Vasquez, Destiny Williams, Libby Crane, Julia Esfahani, Zoe Seidel, and Anaya Sharma. Izzy is chosen for her enthuasiasm and tournament wins, Destiny is chosen for her activism and courage, Libby is chosen for her prodigious physics research, Julia is chosen for her skill and style, Zoe is chosen because of her internet popularity, and Anaya is chosen because of her sense of adventure. We first see Izzy in the game's opening credits sequence, which is set to "Feel It Still" by Portugal ft. The Man, in which we get a glimpse at Izzy's love for the Thrillseekers company and her skateboarding skills. We also get glimpses at Zoe's web series and a look at each of the other characters before they're all brought together at Thrillseekers, Inc. and told of their role as brand ambassadors, which consists of competing in tournaments, appearing at events, and serving as extreme sports role models, while also hopefully bonding as friends (Alex is inspired by how she and her friends bonded, and a big theme of the game is Alex hoping to recreate this experience with these six new girls). The six girls initially seem to gel as they get to know each other, though personality clashes do happen. Izzy and Zoe bond somewhat quickly, as do Destiny and Julia and Anaya and Libby, though even then, there are conflicts, with Zoe's internet popularity causing problems for her (she still has a creepy stalker, who serves as one of the closest things the game has to an antagonist, while the others somewhat resent her influencer career), Julia coming off as aloof and stuck-up to the others, Libby being a klutz, Izzy being somewhat arrogant, and Anaya annoying everyone with her loudmouth antics. Destiny's trans identity also comes up, and while all of the other girls are extremely accepting, not everyone else is, and some bigotry does occur, leading to tension.
As all of this plays out, each of the original Thrillseekers has their own role to play.
Alex serves as a mentor and idol to everyone, with Izzy practically hero worshipping her. She's still a bit foolhardy and reckless, though she's mellowed out a bit over the years thanks to her wife Stacy. Stacy is the lead engineer at the company, designing and testing all of the extreme sports equipment, and her role in Thrillseekers: Generation Z is somewhat like how Q is to the James Bond franchise: she explains the tech and how to use the tech, and even in her mid-30s, is an adorable science geek. Marina is the CEO and is the new girls' employer, and though she can be a bit stern at times, she has a big heart and doesn't hesitate to talk the girls through their troubles or stand up for them when they need it (despite being a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, she's ready to throw hands in front of cameras with a transphobe who misgenders Destiny about halfway through the game). Vivian, now an attorney, serves as legal counsel for Thrillseekers, Inc., and talks through them about various legal matters, though she's also somewhat of a "mom" to the group and also has kids of her own (she, Elissa, and Kirsten are the three members of the group who have children, while Marina is the only one who's single). Elissa, who holds a job as a high school guidance counselor, shows up at various times to comfort and counsel the members of the group, and later on she also helps Zoe fend off her stalker. Kirsten, who in addition to raising a young son with her husband also travels around the world as a geologist, scouting extreme sports locations, helps to promote the six girls through her web series, and also serves as a location scouter for their events. Other characters from the original series, including Rachel, Emma, Marie, and Marceline, also make cameo appearances at various times, letting players know exactly what they've been up to and just what an impact the original heroes had on them.
The storyline builds up to two major events: a world tournament in which various teams of six will be competing, and which serves as a major opportunity for Thrillseekers, Inc. to introduce the new girls to the world, and a fashion show in which extreme sportswear will be shown off, and which will serve as a make-or-break chance for the company to introduce its new line. The world tournament, which comes about 60 percent of the way through the main storyline, is the focus of intense training for the six, who, despite their differences, are able to bond as friends, and who start out in the lead as the competition plays out. However, tension ultimately leads to disaster, with the team finishing outside the top three (despite how well the player performs beforehand, as the last event will be shown as a cutscene and that's where the team ultimately loses). This leads to a major fracturing of the team, with each of the girls threatening to go their own separate ways, and the player having a chance to play with each and every one of them in their own individual segments which show each girl's reason for wanting to be an extreme sports star, and also illustrating the contrasts between the characters. Tension also brews between the original six, with Alex and Marina clashing about whether or not to let the girls out of their contracts (surprisingly enough, it's Marina who is willing to take the financial hit and let the girls go, while Alex, for more emotional reasons, wants to try and force them to get along). Alex remembers how miserable her life was before she met Stacy, and wants that for all the girls, but ultimately it's Izzy who reminds her that the six new girls aren't Alex and her friends, and that you can't just throw six people together and make them friends for life. What Alex and her friends have is special, and that can't ever be replicated, no matter how much Alex wants it. Alex is finally willing to let the six girls go, though she still wants to sign Izzy to the company. Izzy accepts, but feels bad about the other five even if they weren't really meant to be friends. However, we see that the other five, though all individuals with their own unique lives and experiences, do want to try and make things work together, and after helping each other through various trials and tribulations, culminating in the girls teaming up to help Anaya with her parents, disrupt a transphobic protest against Destiny, and finally, getting Zoe's stalker arrested, they decide that even though they're not as close friends as Alex and the other Thrillseekers were, they still like each other and like working together, they reunite just in time for the fashion show, where they work together to promote Thrillseekers, Inc.'s newest line and put the company back on top to stay. However, they also end up picking a fight with a rival company, leading to the game's last chapter, an extreme sports battle to the finish between the next-generation Thrillseekers and the rival company's six stars. After the rival company is defeated, the six girls are signed to their own individual promotional deals with the company. They won't be appearing in ads together, but they remain good friends and we see them hanging out naturally from time to time, charting their own individual paths and championing the future of extreme sports for the girls of a new generation. We then get a lengthy end-credits/cutscene sequence set to a remixed version of G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha's "Me, Myself, and I", with rap verses performed by Inez, Liza, and Zehra (in character as Izzy, Anaya, and Julia respectively).
Thrillseekers: Generation Z is released on November 15, 2019, for the Reality, Virtua, Stadia, and Steam platforms, while also coming to Game Boy Zero and iPhone G in 2020. Reviews are mostly positive, averaging in the mid 8s, praising the game for its graphics and gameplay, with most of the criticism leveled around the extensive use of DLC and the game's storyline (which, while well-acted and compelling, isn't quite as compelling as the storylines of the original two games or even Thrillseekers 3). The new characters, for the most part, are received quite well, especially Destiny and Julia, though all six main characters have plenty of fans even if they never become QUITE as popular as the original group. The game does receive some controversy for the character of Destiny: while transphobia isn't quite as prevalent as it is IOTL due to a lesser-charged political environment, it's still sadly all too prevalent regardless, and though many people love Destiny, a lot of people hate her as well, making her the year's most polarizing video game character, with transphobic comments leveled at both the character and the actress portraying her from numerous people in the gaming community. The game also gets controversy from a segment of the original Thrillseekers fanbase, who hate the new characters and want to see the old characters return, though most people are quite accepting and enthusiastic about the new cast. Sales are extremely good: it's the best selling game in the series since Thrillseekers 2, and would rank as one of the top 20 best selling titles of 2019, while selling even more copies once it's released for the handhelds and for the new Nintendo and Apple consoles that would eventually be released. It would of course become the subject of a merchandising bonanza, launching a new line of apparel and extreme sports gear, along with books, comics, and a brand new animated series that would launch on the Blockbuster streaming service in the fall of 2020. While the second generation Thrillseekers would never be quite as popular as the original six, the game and the new cast would indeed be successful in bringing the series to a whole new generation, having a positive impact in the gaming industry and beyond. There wouldn't be as many games featuring the new cast as the old cast, as, with this new generation, the series would no longer be annualized, but would receive major titles every 2-3 years or so, but it would remain one of Activision's most important franchises, with a legacy surpassing that of the original game that spawned it.
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November 22, 2019
Inez Delgado had been having the best year of her life. She was the star of a massively successful new video game, something she never imagined she'd accomplish, especially before turning 20. She was the star of two enormously acclaimed animated shows, one of which, Lyte and Darke, was generating more buzz than any cartoon in recent memory thanks to its shocking and tragic third season twist ending back in July. Life was good, and as she stood in a crowd in Miami, Florida, texting her friend Regan about what she was doing, she knew things might just get even better.
Regan: did you get to meet the president?
Inez: I'm not sure he's coming over here.
Inez was at a rally for the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, Jr., having been invited by one of his staffers to attend a speech he was giving in the city. He was hoping to gin up support in Florida amongst Latino voters, a demographic he'd been stumbling with as of late. Many Cuban-Americans had expressed increased frustration with the president's increased social spending, and rhetoric had grown especially harsh with Republican front-runner Marco Rubio stoking the fires of the conservative opposition. Many young Latinos had also turned increasingly against the president during his term, and though Kennedy was still ahead with a majority of Latino-Americans, his numbers were shrinking, especially when he was placed in a hypothetical race with Rubio in the general election. The speech was intended to promote a new, more open immigration policy that would take effect next year. Kennedy had been quite conservative on immigration during his term, reversing some of his predecessor's policies allowing for more immigrants from Latin America, while also quietly increasing enforcement of immigration laws and the number of deportations. This new policy was aimed at reversing some of those reversals and allowing for more immigrants, both skilled and unskilled, to enter the country, with Kennedy ultimately hoping to counter Rubio's push to allow for less strict immigration standards, which had served him extremely well in those recent polls. Inez herself was in Miami for an anime convention being held that weekend, and was invited to attend Kennedy's speech by the staffer after he learned she'd be in the city. It would be an exciting experience, as she'd never seen a president speak in person before, and had only gotten the opportunity to meet one once before, when her father had brought her along to a private dinner for Jon Huntsman several years back.
Regan: you're so lucky, JFK Jr. is hot for an old dude
Inez: Oh my god Regan shut up
Inez giggled, then put her phone away as she watched the president through the crowd. He was coming her way, though his path was obviously slowed by all the people in attendance and all the Secret Service agents around to keep them under control. She didn't know if he was going to walk past her, but he was quite happily shaking hands with everyone nearby, and her heart beat faster and faster as he got close.
This is so cool, thought Inez, her palms starting to sweat. Wish mom could've come to this, she's got such a huge crush-
Inez's thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang that erupted no less than twenty feet where she was standing. She jumped, her ears ringing, and looked back to where the president was, only to see a mass of Secret Service agents swarming him.
"Oh, my God!" Inez screamed, her screams drowned out by hundreds of simultaneous shouts and screams all around her.
Another shot rang out, and she hit the floor, hands clasped around the back of her head.
No, no, no! thought Inez, instinctively checking herself for any injuries. I'm fine, but.... oh, no, no!
"Shooter!"
"Get him!" came a loud, booming voice from the direction where Inez had heard the bangs. "Grab him, grab him!"
Another booming voice, from where the president had been standing.
"Get Jetplane out of here!"
Inez could feel people swarming around her as she knelt on the ground, hands clasped protectively around her head. Someone helped her up. She didn't see who. She didn't care who.
"Has he been hit? Has Jetplane been hit?"