Perfect chance for TT to connect their games together. Batman comes to TWD and takes down Clementine. Bring her justice or make her see the error of her ways and become his sidekick.
It was me syncing his calling Gabe a "pudding loving nephew" with the fact that Mariana was literally praying for a chocolate bar and had fairly basic characterization otherwise.
Kenny is the Boat god, Alvin is the Juice King(?), Mariana is the chocolate whore.
No, he didn't but I thought the design, personality, and voice was a pretty neat match, even if he was a little dick. That one moment when he captured Rangiku was also pretty memorable--for me at least.
Well, all I remember about him was that he was a little dick and Grimmjow murdering him to take back his Espada #6 position.
He apparently got his own spinoff after the Bleach anime was cancelled in Japan. Don't know if that's a good thing or not though. Hopefully it is!
It's very funny! You should give it a try
You can say that for a most of the female Genin, but she definitely got it the worst since she had no ties to Team Kakashi. Which is a shame cause her specialty/gimmick of using ninja tools almost exclusively was kinda neat in it's own right in a powerset pool dominated by jutsu, inherited eyeballs, and animals.
Agreed. I like Tenten's abilities with weapons. It would have been great if she had guns, too. Ino was also pretty cool. Wish she was shown more. In fact, I was rooting for her when she was fighting Sakura on The Chunnin Exams lol. She was going to win if it wasn't for Naruto...
Eh...I'm half and half on it, tbh. Like, I like the increased stakes with the Akatsuki, Sage Jutsu, and Snake!Kabuto, but yeah, the Uchiha really do get a bit out of hand as it goes on and I hear there's another family towards the end that's arguable worse.
They should have called it Uchiha Sasuke. It would have made more sense. Everytime Naruto thinks about Sasuke, talks about Sasuke, says "Sasuke" to himself, screams "Sasuke!!!" I want to give him a good smack on the face and tell him to get over it.
Sasuke is the worst character together with Sakura. Don't get me started on this bitch--I mean lady!
The other family's name is Otsutsuki.
His first appearance in the show was actually kinda terrifying, though.
Huh? When he was kicking Sasuke's ass? I was enjoying it. I was rooting for Deidara, Danzo and Killer B to beat him up. But Sasuke of course gotta spam the Susanoo, cough his plot armor cough.
You got a brother? That's cool! Brothers are awesome.
Which is funny because both Sonic X and the games have something of a bad reputation regarding "Sonic's Shitty Friends." It's largely just people not liking how they played in certain games.
True, true.
I meant in other media, too. For example, you like Jolene, who is a minor character.
Btw, I take it you're unfamiliar with the Archie Comics?
I've only heard of them, so yes, I am not really familiar with them.
I love Ururu, too! I wanted to see more of her.
I was wondering if they were gonna explain where she and Jinta came from, but as far… more as I know they never do.
This will sound ridiculous, but when I was little I thought Keigo had a crush on Ichigo But then I understood their friendship.He is definetely one of my favourites!
Considering he's always trying to glomp him, that's a little understandable. Especially with Chizuru in the same class.
Luppi didn't have much screentime.
No, he didn't but I thought the design, personality, and voice was a pretty neat match, even if he was a little dick. That one moment when he captured Rangiku was also pretty memorable--for me at least.
Loly? That's interesting. She was the girl that bullied Orihime, I think.
Yep. I thought the exact reason why she and Menoly were horrified by Orihime was kinda fascinating. The outfit also helps.
Poor Orihime had a bit o… [view original content]
Well, all I remember about him was that he was a little dick and Grimmjow murdering him to take back his Espada #6 position.
Yeah, that's almost the gist of it. Show up as Grimmjow's replacement, be a prissy looking prick, and get killed off afterwards with few people caring.
Agreed. I like Tenten's abilities with weapons. It would have been great if she had guns, too.
You know, I was gonna say that sounds a little...but then I remembered that Mecha Naruto is a thing.
Ino was also pretty cool. Wish she was shown more. In fact, I was rooting for her when she was fighting Sakura on The Chunnin Exams lol. She was going to win if it wasn't for Naruto...
Yeah, I always thought it was funny how she was seemingly introduced to give Sakura a personal enemy(which you could argue was successful) that'll make her look good going up againsts, but, aside from the Sasuke stuff and a few moments where she seemed bossy/bitchy/mean, she actually seemed like a better character than her, right down to actually knowing the meaning of teamwork.
With that said, I really did like that little motivational and backstory arc and it's the type of stuff that really made Naruto start getting good imo.
They should have called it Uchiha Sasuke. It would have made more sense. Everytime Naruto thinks about Sasuke, talks about Sasuke, says "Sasuke" to himself, screams "Sasuke!!!" I want to give him a good smack on the face and tell him to get over it.
I don't quite that bad going by what I've seen so far(waiting for Pain Arc to fill up on the DVR--really been waiting on that one) and I at least get the idea enough to be relatively level-head, but yeah, I've heard stories. Hell, a few things from my brother's 360 games raised an eyebrow.
Sasuke is the worst character together with Sakura. Don't get me started on this bitch--I mean lady!
Oh yeah, I fuckin hated them too. Sasuke at least mellowed out fairly early on, wasn't that bad to begin with, and grew on me somewhat when he really started to get backstory and motivation, but Sakura was one of the most aggravating characters I'd ever seen: a bratty, petty, and unnecessarily mean hypocrite, that one. She get some rescuing as the Chunin Exams progressed, really did mellow out considerably down the road and Shippuden definitely, but holy shit, babe!
The other family's name is Otsutsuki.
Aw yes, that's the one! I reserve judgment till I actually get to it(way, way down the road), though I hear they don't necessarily come out of nowhere so much as pop up once or twice before suddenly being super-important towards the end(unlike the Uchihas, ironically).
Huh? When he was kicking Sasuke's ass? I was enjoying it.
It was just his transformation and how it was animated, really. The fight itself was good, though.
I was rooting for Deidara, Danzo and Killer B to beat him up. But Sasuke of course gotta spam the Susanoo, cough his plot armor cough.
WHAT?! Oh, you mean each time. Okay, for a second there, I thought you meant they team up at some point.
You got a brother? That's cool! Brothers are awesome.
Eh. We have our differences that crop up occasionally, but I definitely wouldn't use Tsukiomi on him.
I meant in other media, too. For example, you like Jolene, who is a minor character.
Oh yeah, of course. I think everyone has a minor character or two that pop out for em, you know?
I've only heard of them, so yes, I am not really familiar with them.
Oh, okay. May or may not be for the best from a realworld standpoint.
No, he didn't but I thought the design, personality, and voice was a pretty neat match, even if he was a little dick. That one moment when h… moree captured Rangiku was also pretty memorable--for me at least.
Well, all I remember about him was that he was a little dick and Grimmjow murdering him to take back his Espada #6 position.
He apparently got his own spinoff after the Bleach anime was cancelled in Japan. Don't know if that's a good thing or not though. Hopefully it is!
It's very funny! You should give it a try
You can say that for a most of the female Genin, but she definitely got it the worst since she had no ties to Team Kakashi. Which is a shame cause her specialty/gimmick of using ninja tools almost exclusively was kinda neat in it's own right in a powerset pool dominated by jutsu, inherited eyeballs, and animals.
Agreed. I like Tenten's abilities with weapons. It would have been great if she had gun… [view original content]
Yeah, I always thought it was funny how she was seemingly introduced to give Sakura a personal enemy(which you could argue was successful) that'll make her look good going up againsts, but, aside from the Sasuke stuff and a few moments where she seemed bossy/bitchy/mean, she actually seemed like a better character than her, right down to actually knowing the meaning of teamwork.
It is funny, indeed!
She is better than Sakura,no doubt about that. I am glad Ino got over Sasuke. You know, she always seems more motivated than Shikamaru and Choji.
but yeah, I've heard stories.
Hell, a few things from my brother's 360 games raised an eyebrow.
I haven't really gotten the chance to play the Naruto games. I've just watched some videos on Youtube. So, what did make you raise an eyebrow?
but Sakura was one of the most aggravating characters I'd ever seen: a bratty, petty, and unnecessarily mean hypocrite, that one. She get some rescuing as the Chunin Exams progressed, really did mellow out considerably down the road and Shippuden definitely, but holy shit, babe!
I can write an entire essay about how much she sucks as a character and a person. Sakura is the definition of how you should NOT write a female character(together with Misa Amane).
It was just his transformation and how it was animated, really. The fight itself was good, though.
Oh! Well, considering Karin's face when he transformed, I have to agree!
WHAT?! Oh, you mean each time. Okay, for a second there, I thought you meant they team up at some point.
Sweetie, Deidara and Danzo die, sacrificing themselves to kill him. Killer B, however, tricks him into thinking he captured him(which was great!)
Eh. We have our differences that crop up occasionally, but I definitely wouldn't use Tsukiomi on him.
Haha! My brother and I are like besties, so no complaints on my side!
Oh yeah, of course. I think everyone has a minor character or two that pop out for em, you know?
I relate.
Oh, okay. May or may not be for the best from a realworld standpoint.
Well, all I remember about him was that he was a little dick and Grimmjow murdering him to take back his Espada #6 position.
Yeah, … morethat's almost the gist of it. Show up as Grimmjow's replacement, be a prissy looking prick, and get killed off afterwards with few people caring.
Agreed. I like Tenten's abilities with weapons. It would have been great if she had guns, too.
You know, I was gonna say that sounds a little...but then I remembered that Mecha Naruto is a thing.
Ino was also pretty cool. Wish she was shown more. In fact, I was rooting for her when she was fighting Sakura on The Chunnin Exams lol. She was going to win if it wasn't for Naruto...
Yeah, I always thought it was funny how she was seemingly introduced to give Sakura a personal enemy(which you could argue was successful) that'll make her look good going up againsts, but, aside from the Sasuke stuff and a few moments where she seemed bossy/b… [view original content]
This was one of the first areas where I had a problem with this game. As the player, I had no idea the gas belonged to anyone (and neither did Javier). It was in the middle of a junkyard amidst several other cars and no people were present. I didn't intend to steal from anyone, I just happened to find what appeared to be an abandoned car with gas still in it, so I took the gas. Here's where I have a problem: When Max and the others showed up, I wanted to comply with them. I even started off by telling them I didn't know the gas was theirs and offered to give it back to them. But then when they asked about my people, the game forced me to lie to them. The dialogue choices were three lies and silence. I was hoping I could just tell them the truth, get them to realize it was just all a misunderstanding, give them back what's theirs and be on our way. But the game, a game supposedly built on decisions, wouldn't let me. Then, when Javier and Lonnie were left alone, a similar thing happened. I, as the player, wanted to just wait for Max to get back and get everything sorted out peacefully. But the game gave me several options, none of which were any that I wanted and all of which were just different ways of attacking Lonnie. I didn't want to attack Lonnie. I was just given four "options" that are really just four slightly different ways of doing the same thing.
I never thought I'd be the guy complaining about the lack of choices in a supposedly choice-driven game, since I realize the difficulties in writing for many, real, different options. It just kind of pisses me off that in many instances in this season, it's like they didn't even try. The player has so little agency. Javier cares about his family, so the player is expected to also, even though they're given very little character building or development. Javier wants to lie to Max, so the player has to, and the "options" the player is given are just different lies he can tell. Javier wants to attack Lonnie, so the player has to, with the "options" just being different things to say before attacking Lonnie. I get that not every decision can be important or else there ends up being so many branching pathways that the game gets impossible to write. And I appreciate the times where the player actually does get to make a real decision, such as romancing or rejecting Kate.
I know this whole "all the choices aren't real choices" is the main criticism of Telltale's games in general, but let me explain why what I'm complaining about is different. In Season One of TWD, you're given the option to save either Carley or Doug. In the end, whoever you save gets killed anyway, so a lot of critics say this decision "didn't matter." I disagree. Even though the outcome is the same (both Carley and Doug die), your journey through episode 2 and the first half of episode 3 is very different depending on who you saved. But regardless even of if this decision "mattered" or not, it was at least an actual decision. Imagine if you were playing Season One, you got to the point where both Carley and Doug are about to die, and your two options are "Pull Doug away from the window" and "Push Doug away from the window." That's not a real choice. That's just two ways of doing the same thing. This is what Javier's interaction with Lonnie, among other instances in this season, felt like to me.
Believe me, I get that Telltale is trying to tell a certain story, and for that story to unfold certain things need to happen. So I get that certain plot points need to be hit regardless of the player's choices. But that's the thing: In Season One, certain things that needed to happen were able to happen regardless of the choices the player made, but a lot of the time in A New Frontier, the player doesn't even have choices, just different ways of doing the same thing. I'm going to propose an alternate way the interaction with Lonnie could have gone, just off the top of my head, just to prove that they could have given the player an actual decision here and it wouldn't have messed up the rest of the story. The player is given the option to attack Lonnie or not attack Lonnie and try to sort things out peacefully. If you choose to not attack Lonnie, then Gabe pops out and attacks Lonnie instead. Then Gabe and Javier hear Max coming back, so Javier tells Gabe to hide, so Gabe goes back into hiding, but Javier doesn't find a place to hide in time and ends up getting caught by Max and blamed for attacking Lonnie. There. Same result as Javier attacking Lonnie, but the player actually had a choice, and then circumstances outside the player's control (Gabe attacking Lonnie) occurred, which I'm fine with, because at least I made the decision I wanted to make, even if the outcome ended up being the same. And who knows, maybe later in the game your decision to not attack Lonnie could be of some importance, like maybe Lonnie also testifies against Joan in the end of episode 3. I'm just saying, there seem to be a lot of instances where your "decisions" aren't decisions because they're just different ways of doing the same thing. To me, that's different than actually having two or more DIFFERENT options that happen to have the same result due to circumstances outside of Javier's control.
Let's just assume that Badger didn't recognize that it was Clementine returning fire, and decided to go after Javier, the guy he previously … moreran into at the junkyard, who knocked out his buddy, escaped from the truck they put him in, and then returned to the junkyard with a group of people the next day, who ended up returning fire and killing a few of Badger's guys.
From an outside point of view, I can see how someone would construe this as Javi being some bastard thief. So you catch some guy trying to take your stuff, who goes on to claim that he wasn't trying to steal from you-- "Oh I didn't know it was yours" etc etc. You ask him questions, he seems sorta evasive. You leave to get something to tie him up, and when you return, you find that the guy knocked out one of your friends. You decide to have him driven back to your camp, but he escapes captivity. And finally, the guy returns to the same place the next day with a bigger group of pe… [view original content]
Perfect chance for TT to connect their games together. Batman comes to TWD and takes down Clementine. Bring her justice or make her see the error of her ways and become his sidekick.
Yeah. Kinda wish we got to see more of her though. Especially with her "makeover," ahem.
tell me
I haven't really gotten the chance to play the Naruto games. I've just watched some videos on Youtube. So, what did make you raise an eyebrow?
Aside from Amaterasu or whatever that Flame Spirit Aura thing is playing really weird in part due to apparentl being ridiculous to begin, there was one moment where he summoned a hawk out of nowhere in an anime cutscene and even my brother had no clue where that came from.
And I recall reading that he regularly pulls jutsus and skills out of this ass when backed into a corner, such as summoning Manda to escape Deidara's suicide attack apparently should've been impossible due to being so weak, low on chakra, and yet still being able that and somehow teleport them away.
(together with Misa Amane).
That's Death Note right? Is she the chick that's apparently very dependent on Light?
Killer B, however, tricks him into thinking he captured him(which was great!)
Yeah, I just recently saw that episode and I was wonderin how the hell he would get out of that situation since I already knew he trains Naruto how to control the Nine Tails at some point.
Sooo, should I read them or not?
Oh, that's totally up to you.
I will say that, while it might be hard to acquire and/or get through, read some of the very first 50 issues to get an idea of what the comic was originally built on(and/or watch a few episodes of the SatAM cartoon, which is what it was based on to begin with). Then skip to current writer Ian Flynn's material starting at issue 160 up till 247 for what many consider to be the best stuff.
There was technically a reboot about 5 years ago brought on by lawsuit by one of the oldest writers that forced the comic to drop 20 years worth of characters, stories, and concepts, but some of it(namely stuff originating from Sega, the first two cartoons, and the current writing staff of Ian Flynn, Tracy Yardely, and Tania del Rio) still remains in a much more game-based world. In fact, if you want, just read Order to Chaos(don't know issue numbers), Eggman Empire(Issues 173-6), and Enerjak/Evil Reborn from the main book alongside Journey to the East, Tails Adventure, Treasure Team Tango, and Scrambled from the Sonic Universe side book to get a vague feel of what was lost before starting to reboot stuff at Countdown to Chaos and Pirate Plunder Panic, which both happen immediate after the Megaman Crossover that coincidentally acted as a buffer for the reboot.
Or, to save you on time and money, look up recaps, scans, and/or the wikia page to get an idea of what type of stuff the comic involved and decide if it sounds like the stuff for you. The books have actually been on another unexpected hiatus since January with rumors of the book being at risk of cancellation(which I really hope doesn't happen) due to licensing and legal issues, so now is a decent time to brush on what's already there.
Yeah, I always thought it was funny how she was seemingly introduced to give Sakura a personal enemy(which you could argue was successful) t… morehat'll make her look good going up againsts, but, aside from the Sasuke stuff and a few moments where she seemed bossy/bitchy/mean, she actually seemed like a better character than her, right down to actually knowing the meaning of teamwork.
It is funny, indeed!
She is better than Sakura,no doubt about that. I am glad Ino got over Sasuke. You know, she always seems more motivated than Shikamaru and Choji.
but yeah, I've heard stories.
Hell, a few things from my brother's 360 games raised an eyebrow.
I haven't really gotten the chance to play the Naruto games. I've just watched some videos on Youtube. So, what did make you raise an eyebrow?
but Sakura was one of the most aggravating characters I'd ever seen: a bratty, petty, and unnecessarily mean hypocrite, tha… [view original content]
I am glad Ino got over Sasuke.
Yeah. Kinda wish we got to see more of her though. Especially with her "makeover," ahem.
tell m… moree
I haven't really gotten the chance to play the Naruto games. I've just watched some videos on Youtube. So, what did make you raise an eyebrow?
Aside from Amaterasu or whatever that Flame Spirit Aura thing is playing really weird in part due to apparentl being ridiculous to begin, there was one moment where he summoned a hawk out of nowhere in an anime cutscene and even my brother had no clue where that came from.
And I recall reading that he regularly pulls jutsus and skills out of this ass when backed into a corner, such as summoning Manda to escape Deidara's suicide attack apparently should've been impossible due to being so weak, low on chakra, and yet still being able that and somehow teleport them away.
(together with Misa Amane).
That's Death Note right? Is she the chick… [view original content]
That's Death Note right? Is she the chick that's apparently very dependent on Light?
Yup. That's her.
On what episode are you… more exactly? You are not really familliar with it.
Btw, I love how you like almost everyone from Bleach and then Rukia is nowhere to be found on your list.
Have you seen Fairy Tail?
I know you aren't. How many episodes have you seen was my question.
TVTropes spoiled you, didn't it?
Rukia is alright to me, too. Her fanbase can be kinda.... you know.
I feel like most of the viewers/readers are IchiRuki shippers...
You don't like Chad/Sado?
The female characters right~?
No, it's not by the same person who made One Piece. The artstyles were similar in the beginning, but Fairy Tail's improved.
One Piece's author's name is Eiichiro Oda.
Fairy Tail's author is Hiro Mashima.
On what episode are you exactly? You are not really familliar with it.
I'm not watching Death Note. What I'm referencing is the few … morebits I've seen when it was airing and certain things I read on TVTropes.
Btw, I love how you like almost everyone from Bleach and then Rukia is nowhere to be found on your list.
Well, she's alright. I tend to not include the Main Protagonist Characters on my list unless I particularly like them.
Have you seen Fairy Tail?
No, but I've seen...pics of the characters. Is it made by the same people who made One Piece?
I know you aren't. How many episodes have you seen was my question.
I don't know. Wasn't watching it frequently enough.
TVTropes spoiled you, didn't it?
If it did, I don't remember the exact details.
Rukia is alright to me, too. Her fanbase can be kinda.... you know.
I feel like most of the viewers/readers are IchiRuki shippers...
Eh, makes sense I suppose.
You don't like Chad/Sado?
He's alright. He definitely stands out visually and I liked the idea of his powers, but I know he suffers from being neglected in terms of spotlight and .
The female characters right~?
Well, yeah, as the only guy I recall seeing was the one with pink hair and the open vest. I've seen random screenshots, deviantart pieces, dvd boxsets, and the other thing around from time to time but never had any interest.
No, it's not by the same person who made One Piece. The artstyles were similar in the beginning, but Fairy Tail's improved.
One Piece's author's name is Eiichiro Oda.
Fairy Tail's author is Hiro Mashima.
I know you aren't. How many episodes have you seen was my question.
TVTropes spoiled you, didn't it?
Rukia is alright to me, too. Her fa… morenbase can be kinda.... you know.
I feel like most of the viewers/readers are IchiRuki shippers...
You don't like Chad/Sado?
The female characters right~?
No, it's not by the same person who made One Piece. The artstyles were similar in the beginning, but Fairy Tail's improved.
One Piece's author's name is Eiichiro Oda.
Fairy Tail's author is Hiro Mashima.
For what its worth, that was me syncing his calling Gabe a "pudding loving nephew" with the fact that Mariana was literally praying for a chocolate bar and had fairly basic characterization otherwise.
Kenny is the Boat god, Alvin is the Juice King(?), Mariana is the chocolate whore.
why don't you like Mariana? I'm curious.
She's one of the lazier ANF characters in terms of what she is, how she's portrayed, and/or how she affects the plot.
Primarily, she's an easy plot device that's ultimately pointless and a bit redundant for starters. I mean, she was seemingly designed and written to be shallow and pandering for the sake of making Javier look that much cooler early on and that honestly bothered me with the baggage we had going in. After everything between completing Season 2.5 and seeing the advertisements for this installment, the whole "Precious niece makes Hot Uncle look cool" thing elicited a "...Really? Alright then, I guess...." from me.
A NEW FRONTIER: War, Vengeance, Cheating Hearts, and little sisters who crave choco-latte--HEAVENS, DA DRAMA!.
I mean, you advertise this game as being very action driven and containing tougher themes like mish-mashed families, inter-family infidelity, and revenge and--what is this Hispanic Cuteness Proximity-bait doing here? And they make her the most easy, superficially appealing girl they could too, what with being the little sister, sounding like she's so smart and capable by simply being above conflict, and literally praying for chocolate bars. And it all made sense when easy Hate Sink Badger took her out--too much sense, because then I realized she was a plot device to make you want to go after the New Frontier even if you don't like the Garcias on principal.
Another thing that bothers me about her and some of my other least favorites this time around is just how much she apes on previous material: She's Clementine except ten years old and Hispanic! Making her Javier's insightful niece(or whatever the fuck the original idea would've made her) and Gabe's mature little sister(or cousin originally) was essentially just a formality for Clementine's connection to Lee and Duck. As I've said in the past, I don't minf basic concepts being reused as long as it has just enough to work as it's own thing and goes in a different direction. Not that Clementine herself isn't an easy character to begin with, but that blatant bit of seeming laziness that early in the game really did trigger most of my issues with her almost immediately. A New Frontier, indeed.
And the fact that she's yet another girl character wasn't really clicking with me since there's an overabundance of them--with variety too! Meanwhile, her brother Gabe was a boy, a subgender that's been very underrepresented and is almost entirely negative whenever it is, and his having a larger role compared to most of them meant there was a lot more risk and opportunities to having him around compared to her. Not to mention that, Michonne DLC aside, we literally just had a Season where Clementine was the main character and the cast also featured a somewhat frivolous Hispanic Girl that acted as her friend/student and a hardass survivalist that acted as her mentor/big-sister-figure, so Mariana ends up seeming that much more unoriginal, not to mention potentially offensive.
But what really seals the deal is, again, how pointless she is in the cosmic scheme of things. She's just there to get Season 1 Junkies(who incidentally complained about Season 2's cast) and new fans alike to get invested by appealing to the lowest common denominator possible and then having her by a Sacrificial Lamb to motivate them throughout the rest of the story. That also to the cast itself: Javier, Kate, Gabe, David, and Max all react to seeing/hearing her death at Badger's hands and it plays some small part in how they handle themselves. Which would be fine if her existence actually mattered beyond that: just in case you didn't know, her seeming apathy about certain things is partially because she was originally written as being Gabe's cousin rather his sister but this was changed fairly late in development to make her death more personal for him and David. This does explain some of the little oddities in her portrayal perfectly...except that Ms. Hutchinson confirmed in an interview that the episodes were undergoing rewrites as far back as just before the game's premiere, enough that she was initially surprised by how short the episodes were and wondered what happened to a lot of the content she recorded for.
And given that a major theme of this installment, even moreso than in previous Seasons, is family, you'd think the amazing flashback in Above the Law, alongside the rest of the episodes, would've changed/added a few things to reflect this. Instead, the characters barely mention her outside of obligatory mentions in regards to David's legacy and other girls' presence. So one of the only sources of unique traits for her character, particularly her relationships with brother Gabe, stepmom Kate, and dad David, go untapped and she just feels like easy motivational material that probably could've been omitted.
Her existence also has the effect of taking away some good spotlight for other characters for no particularly constructive reason. Gabe and Kate are far more important to the story and yet they mostly just deliver exposition while Mariana gets to have most of the spotlight and sentimental value with Javier, with Gabe in particular being...just there in Part 1 doing little beyond acting as philosophical(?) balance in David's absence and rushing to protect Kate. If I had a $5 for everytime I saw "The wrong child died in the junkyard," I'd probably have a Nintendo Switch and at least one game by now; not to mention that, quite frankly, NO child should've died in the junkyard because it's redundant to Kate getting worf'd and takes away a character that could be used to help develop the story for shock value. And then there's Clementine herself, who the story generated a fair amount of hype and speculation regarding the dynamic between her and Javier, which seemed like it wasn't gonna be very friendly at first. But a major undertone of their relationship is how Clementine is more or less a substitute for his fallen niece and an early determinant scene between the two is largely spent burying her and establishing that she has history with the New Frontier. It doesn't help that, compounded with how their relationship throughout the rest of the story is paced and the fact that her flashback sequences are really short, she becomes pretty superfluous to the plot herself after Above the Law.
dude chill she's only ten
For what its worth, that was me syncing his calling Gabe a "pudding loving nephew" with the fact that Mari… moreana was literally praying for a chocolate bar and had fairly basic characterization otherwise.
Kenny is the Boat god, Alvin is the Juice King(?), Mariana is the chocolate whore.
why don't you like Mariana? I'm curious.
She's one of the lazier ANF characters in terms of what she is, how she's portrayed, and/or how she affects the plot.
Primarily, she's an easy plot device that's ultimately pointless and a bit redundant for starters. I mean, she was seemingly designed and written to be shallow and pandering for the sake of making Javier look that much cooler early on and that honestly bothered me with the baggage we had going in. After everything between completing Season 2.5 and seeing the advertisements for this installment, the whole "Precious niece makes Hot Uncle look cool" thing el… [view original content]
To be fair, I do think the strength of her character's existence had she not been killed off was based around the fact that she is such a morality pet to the other Garcias, acting as a [ albeit unbalanced] foil to Gabe in particular. And in my opinion, that and what little characterization she had can be cobbled together to make something resembling a more defined character out of her and she is enough of a departure from most of the cast to add something small but notable to the group's dynamic.
Comments
Justice for the New Frontier? lol, no. The only justice that ill accept is the New Frontier being eradicated from existence.
Sorry I'm laughing so hard. Where did that "whore" come from lmao
Perfect chance for TT to connect their games together. Batman comes to TWD and takes down Clementine. Bring her justice or make her see the error of her ways and become his sidekick.
It was me syncing his calling Gabe a "pudding loving nephew" with the fact that Mariana was literally praying for a chocolate bar and had fairly basic characterization otherwise.
Kenny is the Boat god, Alvin is the Juice King(?), Mariana is the chocolate whore.
Well, all I remember about him was that he was a little dick and Grimmjow murdering him to take back his Espada #6 position.
It's very funny! You should give it a try
Agreed. I like Tenten's abilities with weapons. It would have been great if she had guns, too. Ino was also pretty cool. Wish she was shown more. In fact, I was rooting for her when she was fighting Sakura on The Chunnin Exams lol. She was going to win if it wasn't for Naruto...
They should have called it Uchiha Sasuke. It would have made more sense. Everytime Naruto thinks about Sasuke, talks about Sasuke, says "Sasuke" to himself, screams "Sasuke!!!" I want to give him a good smack on the face and tell him to get over it.
Sasuke is the worst character together with Sakura. Don't get me started on this bitch--I mean lady!
The other family's name is Otsutsuki.
Huh? When he was kicking Sasuke's ass? I was enjoying it. I was rooting for Deidara, Danzo and Killer B to beat him up. But Sasuke of course gotta spam the Susanoo, cough his plot armor cough.
You got a brother? That's cool! Brothers are awesome.
True, true.
I meant in other media, too. For example, you like Jolene, who is a minor character.
I've only heard of them, so yes, I am not really familiar with them.
Yeah, that's almost the gist of it. Show up as Grimmjow's replacement, be a prissy looking prick, and get killed off afterwards with few people caring.
You know, I was gonna say that sounds a little...but then I remembered that Mecha Naruto is a thing.
Yeah, I always thought it was funny how she was seemingly introduced to give Sakura a personal enemy(which you could argue was successful) that'll make her look good going up againsts, but, aside from the Sasuke stuff and a few moments where she seemed bossy/bitchy/mean, she actually seemed like a better character than her, right down to actually knowing the meaning of teamwork.
With that said, I really did like that little motivational and backstory arc and it's the type of stuff that really made Naruto start getting good imo.
I don't quite that bad going by what I've seen so far(waiting for Pain Arc to fill up on the DVR--really been waiting on that one) and I at least get the idea enough to be relatively level-head, but yeah, I've heard stories. Hell, a few things from my brother's 360 games raised an eyebrow.
Oh yeah, I fuckin hated them too. Sasuke at least mellowed out fairly early on, wasn't that bad to begin with, and grew on me somewhat when he really started to get backstory and motivation, but Sakura was one of the most aggravating characters I'd ever seen: a bratty, petty, and unnecessarily mean hypocrite, that one. She get some rescuing as the Chunin Exams progressed, really did mellow out considerably down the road and Shippuden definitely, but holy shit, babe!
Aw yes, that's the one! I reserve judgment till I actually get to it(way, way down the road), though I hear they don't necessarily come out of nowhere so much as pop up once or twice before suddenly being super-important towards the end(unlike the Uchihas, ironically).
It was just his transformation and how it was animated, really. The fight itself was good, though.
WHAT?! Oh, you mean each time. Okay, for a second there, I thought you meant they team up at some point.
Eh. We have our differences that crop up occasionally, but I definitely wouldn't use Tsukiomi on him.
Oh yeah, of course. I think everyone has a minor character or two that pop out for em, you know?
Oh, okay. May or may not be for the best from a realworld standpoint.
It is funny, indeed!
She is better than Sakura,no doubt about that. I am glad Ino got over Sasuke. You know, she always seems more motivated than Shikamaru and Choji.
I haven't really gotten the chance to play the Naruto games.
I've just watched some videos on Youtube. So, what did make you raise an eyebrow?
I can write an entire essay about how much she sucks as a character and a person. Sakura is the definition of how you should NOT write a female character(together with Misa Amane).
Oh! Well, considering Karin's face when he transformed, I have to agree!
Sweetie, Deidara and Danzo die, sacrificing themselves to kill him. Killer B, however, tricks him into thinking he captured him(which was great!)
Haha! My brother and I are like besties, so no complaints on my side!
I relate.
Sooo, should I read them or not?
This was one of the first areas where I had a problem with this game. As the player, I had no idea the gas belonged to anyone (and neither did Javier). It was in the middle of a junkyard amidst several other cars and no people were present. I didn't intend to steal from anyone, I just happened to find what appeared to be an abandoned car with gas still in it, so I took the gas. Here's where I have a problem: When Max and the others showed up, I wanted to comply with them. I even started off by telling them I didn't know the gas was theirs and offered to give it back to them. But then when they asked about my people, the game forced me to lie to them. The dialogue choices were three lies and silence. I was hoping I could just tell them the truth, get them to realize it was just all a misunderstanding, give them back what's theirs and be on our way. But the game, a game supposedly built on decisions, wouldn't let me. Then, when Javier and Lonnie were left alone, a similar thing happened. I, as the player, wanted to just wait for Max to get back and get everything sorted out peacefully. But the game gave me several options, none of which were any that I wanted and all of which were just different ways of attacking Lonnie. I didn't want to attack Lonnie. I was just given four "options" that are really just four slightly different ways of doing the same thing.
I never thought I'd be the guy complaining about the lack of choices in a supposedly choice-driven game, since I realize the difficulties in writing for many, real, different options. It just kind of pisses me off that in many instances in this season, it's like they didn't even try. The player has so little agency. Javier cares about his family, so the player is expected to also, even though they're given very little character building or development. Javier wants to lie to Max, so the player has to, and the "options" the player is given are just different lies he can tell. Javier wants to attack Lonnie, so the player has to, with the "options" just being different things to say before attacking Lonnie. I get that not every decision can be important or else there ends up being so many branching pathways that the game gets impossible to write. And I appreciate the times where the player actually does get to make a real decision, such as romancing or rejecting Kate.
I know this whole "all the choices aren't real choices" is the main criticism of Telltale's games in general, but let me explain why what I'm complaining about is different. In Season One of TWD, you're given the option to save either Carley or Doug. In the end, whoever you save gets killed anyway, so a lot of critics say this decision "didn't matter." I disagree. Even though the outcome is the same (both Carley and Doug die), your journey through episode 2 and the first half of episode 3 is very different depending on who you saved. But regardless even of if this decision "mattered" or not, it was at least an actual decision. Imagine if you were playing Season One, you got to the point where both Carley and Doug are about to die, and your two options are "Pull Doug away from the window" and "Push Doug away from the window." That's not a real choice. That's just two ways of doing the same thing. This is what Javier's interaction with Lonnie, among other instances in this season, felt like to me.
Believe me, I get that Telltale is trying to tell a certain story, and for that story to unfold certain things need to happen. So I get that certain plot points need to be hit regardless of the player's choices. But that's the thing: In Season One, certain things that needed to happen were able to happen regardless of the choices the player made, but a lot of the time in A New Frontier, the player doesn't even have choices, just different ways of doing the same thing. I'm going to propose an alternate way the interaction with Lonnie could have gone, just off the top of my head, just to prove that they could have given the player an actual decision here and it wouldn't have messed up the rest of the story. The player is given the option to attack Lonnie or not attack Lonnie and try to sort things out peacefully. If you choose to not attack Lonnie, then Gabe pops out and attacks Lonnie instead. Then Gabe and Javier hear Max coming back, so Javier tells Gabe to hide, so Gabe goes back into hiding, but Javier doesn't find a place to hide in time and ends up getting caught by Max and blamed for attacking Lonnie. There. Same result as Javier attacking Lonnie, but the player actually had a choice, and then circumstances outside the player's control (Gabe attacking Lonnie) occurred, which I'm fine with, because at least I made the decision I wanted to make, even if the outcome ended up being the same. And who knows, maybe later in the game your decision to not attack Lonnie could be of some importance, like maybe Lonnie also testifies against Joan in the end of episode 3. I'm just saying, there seem to be a lot of instances where your "decisions" aren't decisions because they're just different ways of doing the same thing. To me, that's different than actually having two or more DIFFERENT options that happen to have the same result due to circumstances outside of Javier's control.
Then Duck wakes up from the dead and K.O. Clementine's ass because ain't no fruit takes his place as Robin.
Yeah. Kinda wish we got to see more of her though. Especially with her "makeover," ahem.
Aside from Amaterasu or whatever that Flame Spirit Aura thing is playing really weird in part due to apparentl being ridiculous to begin, there was one moment where he summoned a hawk out of nowhere in an anime cutscene and even my brother had no clue where that came from.
And I recall reading that he regularly pulls jutsus and skills out of this ass when backed into a corner, such as summoning Manda to escape Deidara's suicide attack apparently should've been impossible due to being so weak, low on chakra, and yet still being able that and somehow teleport them away.
That's Death Note right? Is she the chick that's apparently very dependent on Light?
Yeah, I just recently saw that episode and I was wonderin how the hell he would get out of that situation since I already knew he trains Naruto how to control the Nine Tails at some point.
Oh, that's totally up to you.
I will say that, while it might be hard to acquire and/or get through, read some of the very first 50 issues to get an idea of what the comic was originally built on(and/or watch a few episodes of the SatAM cartoon, which is what it was based on to begin with). Then skip to current writer Ian Flynn's material starting at issue 160 up till 247 for what many consider to be the best stuff.
There was technically a reboot about 5 years ago brought on by lawsuit by one of the oldest writers that forced the comic to drop 20 years worth of characters, stories, and concepts, but some of it(namely stuff originating from Sega, the first two cartoons, and the current writing staff of Ian Flynn, Tracy Yardely, and Tania del Rio) still remains in a much more game-based world. In fact, if you want, just read Order to Chaos(don't know issue numbers), Eggman Empire(Issues 173-6), and Enerjak/Evil Reborn from the main book alongside Journey to the East, Tails Adventure, Treasure Team Tango, and Scrambled from the Sonic Universe side book to get a vague feel of what was lost before starting to reboot stuff at Countdown to Chaos and Pirate Plunder Panic, which both happen immediate after the Megaman Crossover that coincidentally acted as a buffer for the reboot.
Or, to save you on time and money, look up recaps, scans, and/or the wikia page to get an idea of what type of stuff the comic involved and decide if it sounds like the stuff for you. The books have actually been on another unexpected hiatus since January with rumors of the book being at risk of cancellation(which I really hope doesn't happen) due to licensing and legal issues, so now is a decent time to brush on what's already there.
Yup. That's her.
On what episode are you exactly? You are not really familliar with it.
Btw, I love how you like almost everyone from Bleach and then Rukia is nowhere to be found on your list.
Have you seen Fairy Tail?
I'm not watching Death Note. What I'm referencing is the few bits I've seen when it was airing and certain things I read on TVTropes.
Well, she's alright. I tend to not include the Main Protagonist Characters on my list unless I particularly like them.
No, but I've seen...pics of the characters. Is it made by the same people who made One Piece?
I know you aren't. How many episodes have you seen was my question.
TVTropes spoiled you, didn't it?
Rukia is alright to me, too. Her fanbase can be kinda.... you know.
I feel like most of the viewers/readers are IchiRuki shippers...
You don't like Chad/Sado?
The female characters right~?
No, it's not by the same person who made One Piece. The artstyles were similar in the beginning, but Fairy Tail's improved.
One Piece's author's name is Eiichiro Oda.
Fairy Tail's author is Hiro Mashima.
dude chill she's only ten
why don't you like Mariana? I'm curious.
I don't know. Wasn't watching it frequently enough.
If it did, I don't remember the exact details.
Eh, makes sense I suppose.
He's alright. He definitely stands out visually and I liked the idea of his powers, but I know he suffers from being neglected in terms of spotlight and .
Well, yeah, as the only guy I recall seeing was the one with pink hair and the open vest. I've seen random screenshots, deviantart pieces, dvd boxsets, and the other thing around from time to time but never had any interest.
Oh, okay then.
For what its worth, that was me syncing his calling Gabe a "pudding loving nephew" with the fact that Mariana was literally praying for a chocolate bar and had fairly basic characterization otherwise.
Kenny is the Boat god, Alvin is the Juice King(?), Mariana is the chocolate whore.
She's one of the lazier ANF characters in terms of what she is, how she's portrayed, and/or how she affects the plot.
Primarily, she's an easy plot device that's ultimately pointless and a bit redundant for starters. I mean, she was seemingly designed and written to be shallow and pandering for the sake of making Javier look that much cooler early on and that honestly bothered me with the baggage we had going in. After everything between completing Season 2.5 and seeing the advertisements for this installment, the whole "Precious niece makes Hot Uncle look cool" thing elicited a "...Really? Alright then, I guess...." from me.
A NEW FRONTIER: War, Vengeance, Cheating Hearts, and little sisters who crave choco-latte--HEAVENS, DA DRAMA!.
I mean, you advertise this game as being very action driven and containing tougher themes like mish-mashed families, inter-family infidelity, and revenge and--what is this Hispanic Cuteness Proximity-bait doing here? And they make her the most easy, superficially appealing girl they could too, what with being the little sister, sounding like she's so smart and capable by simply being above conflict, and literally praying for chocolate bars. And it all made sense when easy Hate Sink Badger took her out--too much sense, because then I realized she was a plot device to make you want to go after the New Frontier even if you don't like the Garcias on principal.
Another thing that bothers me about her and some of my other least favorites this time around is just how much she apes on previous material: She's Clementine except ten years old and Hispanic! Making her Javier's insightful niece(or whatever the fuck the original idea would've made her) and Gabe's mature little sister(or cousin originally) was essentially just a formality for Clementine's connection to Lee and Duck. As I've said in the past, I don't minf basic concepts being reused as long as it has just enough to work as it's own thing and goes in a different direction. Not that Clementine herself isn't an easy character to begin with, but that blatant bit of seeming laziness that early in the game really did trigger most of my issues with her almost immediately. A New Frontier, indeed.
And the fact that she's yet another girl character wasn't really clicking with me since there's an overabundance of them--with variety too! Meanwhile, her brother Gabe was a boy, a subgender that's been very underrepresented and is almost entirely negative whenever it is, and his having a larger role compared to most of them meant there was a lot more risk and opportunities to having him around compared to her. Not to mention that, Michonne DLC aside, we literally just had a Season where Clementine was the main character and the cast also featured a somewhat frivolous Hispanic Girl that acted as her friend/student and a hardass survivalist that acted as her mentor/big-sister-figure, so Mariana ends up seeming that much more unoriginal, not to mention potentially offensive.
But what really seals the deal is, again, how pointless she is in the cosmic scheme of things. She's just there to get Season 1 Junkies(who incidentally complained about Season 2's cast) and new fans alike to get invested by appealing to the lowest common denominator possible and then having her by a Sacrificial Lamb to motivate them throughout the rest of the story. That also to the cast itself: Javier, Kate, Gabe, David, and Max all react to seeing/hearing her death at Badger's hands and it plays some small part in how they handle themselves. Which would be fine if her existence actually mattered beyond that: just in case you didn't know, her seeming apathy about certain things is partially because she was originally written as being Gabe's cousin rather his sister but this was changed fairly late in development to make her death more personal for him and David. This does explain some of the little oddities in her portrayal perfectly...except that Ms. Hutchinson confirmed in an interview that the episodes were undergoing rewrites as far back as just before the game's premiere, enough that she was initially surprised by how short the episodes were and wondered what happened to a lot of the content she recorded for.
And given that a major theme of this installment, even moreso than in previous Seasons, is family, you'd think the amazing flashback in Above the Law, alongside the rest of the episodes, would've changed/added a few things to reflect this. Instead, the characters barely mention her outside of obligatory mentions in regards to David's legacy and other girls' presence. So one of the only sources of unique traits for her character, particularly her relationships with brother Gabe, stepmom Kate, and dad David, go untapped and she just feels like easy motivational material that probably could've been omitted.
Her existence also has the effect of taking away some good spotlight for other characters for no particularly constructive reason. Gabe and Kate are far more important to the story and yet they mostly just deliver exposition while Mariana gets to have most of the spotlight and sentimental value with Javier, with Gabe in particular being...just there in Part 1 doing little beyond acting as philosophical(?) balance in David's absence and rushing to protect Kate. If I had a $5 for everytime I saw "The wrong child died in the junkyard," I'd probably have a Nintendo Switch and at least one game by now; not to mention that, quite frankly, NO child should've died in the junkyard because it's redundant to Kate getting worf'd and takes away a character that could be used to help develop the story for shock value. And then there's Clementine herself, who the story generated a fair amount of hype and speculation regarding the dynamic between her and Javier, which seemed like it wasn't gonna be very friendly at first. But a major undertone of their relationship is how Clementine is more or less a substitute for his fallen niece and an early determinant scene between the two is largely spent burying her and establishing that she has history with the New Frontier. It doesn't help that, compounded with how their relationship throughout the rest of the story is paced and the fact that her flashback sequences are really short, she becomes pretty superfluous to the plot herself after Above the Law.
I think that just about covers it.
I get it now. I thought you meant that you didn't like her personality, but now I see how little personality she has.
To be fair, I do think the strength of her character's existence had she not been killed off was based around the fact that she is such a morality pet to the other Garcias, acting as a [ albeit unbalanced] foil to Gabe in particular. And in my opinion, that and what little characterization she had can be cobbled together to make something resembling a more defined character out of her and she is enough of a departure from most of the cast to add something small but notable to the group's dynamic.