#media thread 2025

[limayde]

61. Hades II: The Unseen Update

10/10 update, Mel and Eris get to fuck.

And the new weapons are cool too or whatever

[tajoma]

avatar: fire and ash /// avatar 3 (2025)

This is the last thing I watched in 2025! I watched it on December 31. It was good! Some story beats felt repetitive, and I don't think the story or most key characters progressed as much as I would have liked, but I still absolutely loved the new stuff in the movie, including what they got going on with Spider, he's a cool lad

also the gif of the scene where quaritch is high and having a bad trip is so funny to me oh my god i need to use it more

That's the end of the 2025 media thread, onto 2026.......!

[voidstarextra]

Media Thread 2025

StellaFangX 2025 media thread. I don't know if I'll ever keep it up, but let's go. #mediathread2025

[soundofseclusion]

82. Lil Kobold's Big Stew

Release: Oct 31, 2025, PC Beaten: Nov 1, 2025, PC (itch.io) Play time: 1h 4m

I almost gave up on this game after bumbling around for a bit, but eventually things clicked and I really enjoyed myself. It's a tightly designed experience which encourages fiddling and experimentation. The only element I didn't like was that I wished there was a more intuitive rewind mechanic: I feel like it would benefit from a one-turn-undo like some of the dev's other games (if this exists I never figured out the button for it).

[greatfunkystatic]

NEO The World Ends with You (2021)

MY GOD I took forever to finish this one, but genuinely this game EXISTING is still so unbelievable for so long my stupid gremlin brain told me that it wasn't the right time for me to play this game until now. That and also dropping around the same time as THE GREAT ACE ATTORNEY COLLECTION?? Like genuinely how the fuck did both "The Sequel to a Game I Love That'll Never Happen Because Squeenix Hates Me" and "The Duology to a Game Series I Love That'll Never Get Localized Because Copyright Laws Hate Me" both get announced AND dropped in the same year. Genuinely such an amazing year. I just realized I've been rambling for a while and honestly I have been wanting to make a post on this for my media thread for a while but a) my laptop had broken and I really hated doing media thread on my phone lol, and b) I just couldn't nag the feeling that for a game so long awaited and wished for by me for over 7 years at the time of release, I just couldn't write a short 300 character review on bluesky and call it a day. I had to give it all the love I can, even if my writing juices are all out and I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words.

TLDR: Game's an absolute blast, combat is true TWEWY goodness, the story had some pacing issues but I like it overall, and this feels like a true blue sequel to TWEWY in all aspects. Love it and won't stop thinking about it for the next decade oktybaiiii

I think the best place to start us off is at the game's best: the gameplay. When I originally saw the trailer and saw that the game was in 3D, I was both amazed by how well they kept the artstyle of the original TWEWY and also worried. Worried because the last experience I had with TWEWY was playing Final Remix and I had some severe gripes with the gameplay, mainly in that in touchscreen mode, the aspect of having to multitask between Neku and his partner were such an integral part to why the combat was so fun and also tied very greatly into the narrative. As you play the game more, the better you get at juggling between the two and passing the puck, and the more the partners get acquainted with each other. It was wholly unique to the game and was genuinely one of the best uses of a console's gimmicks I've ever seen in gaming. But with Final Remix's touchscreen mode (I haven't yet tried dual joycon, I might do that for a lvl 1 run someday), your partner gets reduced to basically a pin. No shared HP, no passing the puck (instead, you just have to alternate hits which is fun in its own way but not worth the tradeoff), no unique mechanics/interactions between the two screens. I even remember jokingly saying that Final Remix would've went crazy on the Wii U. But that aside, the whole point with Final Remix was that they failed to translate the feeling of coordination required for the Reaper's Game, and that worry carried over to my anticipation for NEO TWEWY. But by the time I had finished the first week of the game, I knew that this game's combat brought back the vital essence of TWEWY. And doing so by turning.... everyone into a pin? Wait a minute that doesn't make sense. But honestly, it really does when you think about it. Final Remix's main problem was that the partner felt latched on, and pretty insignificant in the moment-to-moment gameplay, but with NEO TWEWY, every member is contributing to the party equally. And it makes sense narrative too, considering nobody in the team would be as insane at psych usage as Neku would've been. But genuinely, the game feels like it managed to perfectly translate the essence of TWEWY's combat flawlessly into a 3D arena. Everyone's on the battle, you can use multiple pins at once to get sick combos, and get benefited for chaining each pins' combos into each other by giving you some Groove meter (essentially this game's puck system). There's a really great feeling of risk/reward with trying to time between your mashing pins, your charging pins, your hold pins, etc etc and trying to maneuver the noise's vastly improved movesets from the original. The game puts so much more emphasis on the movement aspect of the combat and honestly while it has a bit of a learning curve, once you get it. You Fucking Get it. And especially seeing some of the combo videos people have made after I finished the game, this game just seems limitless with its potential for player expression, and I love it. So combat overall, I absolutely adore it.

Also, can we talk about the game's whole aesthetic real quick? TWEWY originally was a game that was defined by the time that it came out and it showed by just how much style and street culture that game oozed from every facet. From the bangin' hip hop and rock music, to the graffiti used in any and all menus and the crazy forced perspective on every street, to even the importance of brands and how you style your clothes being a big aspect to the game. TWEWY is a game that SCREAMS underground/street culture, and honestly I think NEO TWEWY carries that spirit in stride. Now I'm not the most knowledgable about what's trending in Japan, particularly Shibuya, but I can tell just how much focus the developers put into putting as much style into the game as they can. Everyone's dressing mad fashionable, the music is still extremely bangin', but with a couple new genres to fit the now better, memes are now replaced with essentially signal boosts and sending each other Squeenix stickers on your smartphone, and the absolute STYLE in the menu continues to shine. And honestly seeing the forced perspective of the map come back so elegantly in 3D and not just a trailer footage thing was just. Man, it felt unreal. Also like, kinda side tangent but it's actually really great to see just how accurate they mapped Shibuya in the games. Like down to the streets and the stores, it actually felt kinda unreal visiting in real life and seeing just how accurate everything was. I know it's a bit of a nerdy thing to do but it was just really great to see how much attention the devs gave to recreating the streets of Shibuya.

Now as for the story, honestly I'm not going to go into spoiler territory because a) I don't think I'm smart enough to make any great revelations or deep analysis about the story, and b) I'm still trying to connect everything together. It definitely seems like this game is one of those types that require a replay to get it all together (along with the secret reports, of course). But overall, I really liked the story. At first I was confused as to how this game was going, partially because TWEWY originally was EXTREMELY blatant with its messaging from minute one and this game was, not so much lol. But it really started to become clear around the end of week 1 and I think the main themes and messaging was handled pretty damn well. The World Ends With You and allat. Altho I'll say, the game does have a bit of a pacing issue, in that some plot points/character dynamics aren't given enough time to develop, which also makes the issue with week 2 feeling like it drags with not much happening all the harsher lol. But nothing too drastic. The characters themselves are also really fantastic. I don't think the cast of NEO TWEWY hits the highs of the original TWEWY cast, but that's such a high bar already and the new cast do a really great job already. The game also brought a lot of the original cast back, because of course they would be involved in this, but honestly I think it was handled pretty tactfully. They were very much meant to be secondary characters and only there to both give a bit of fanservice but also support the main cast. It never really felt like the main gang was overshadowed. Hell, even Grim Heaper Minanimoto felt more like a new character from NEO TWEWY than a returning character. As for the new members, most of the main ones were really great, altho I will say in particular the game kinda fumbled for Ayano, Tsugumi, Hishima, and Motoi. But the rest of the cast was honestly all ranged from pretty damn good to fantastic. In particular, I REALLY love the main 3 members of the party: Rindo, Fret, and Nagi. Their developments and issues honestly felt fitting for a game that came out many years after the original. Just like how TWEWY struck me like a bitch back in middle school with its themes of having to expand your horizons and going out of your way to make connections with the people around you, college me is now feeling the same feelings all over again but with having to deal with trying to be authentic to my own feelings and thoughts, and trying to figure out what the fuck I am doing and want to be in life. It didn't strike me too hard at first, but it hits harder every time I think back on the story. And even now, I'm trying to follow through on both of the games and trying to turn my life around in terms of trying to avoid falling victim to my basest habits and trying to explore the world more.

Overall, I had extremely high expectations for this game for being the DECADE-LATE sequel to one of the most life-changing and meaningful games in my life, and I think this game did a great job carrying on that legacy while carrying its own identity and fresh new style. The gameplay was phenomenal and was just as meaningful gameplay-wise as it was narratively, the aesthetic of the game feels just as lived in and contemporary as the original TWEWY did when it came out, and the characters and stories carry so much meaning and charm to them. It's safe to say that the true meaning of TWEWY, both old and new, will live in my heart for many more years to come.

[limayde]

95. Pokémon Legends: Z-A

I quite enjoyed my time with this game, but I couldn't help but feel like it was lacking in some areas compared to PLA. It certainly wasn't lacking in fashion though, I looked slick as fuck the whole game. (The lack of skirts is very strange though, why are they all skorts?? I wouldn't have a problem with it if they were more like real skorts, and not like, skirt half in front, shorts half in back.)

The real time battles are cool, but I think I like the fights way more in Arceus. PLZA is fun too, but I found it didn't quite deliver on the "dodging and then firing back with your own attack." A lot of times when I'd try to get my Pokémon to dodge, I'd either do it successfully and try to attack them in return, just to get by a different move, or it would just lock onto them and I wouldn't be able to avoid the attack no matter what. So a lot of times it just became a spammy fight trying to kill the other mon before they killed mine. Gyarados and Charizard have committed war crimes against me with their stupid fast attacks and they will not be forgiven.

However, the Rogue Mega Evolutions slap so hard. That is a proper evolution to the Noble Pokémon in PLA, and just a straight improvement. That is where the combat of PLZA shines the brightest. Each Rogue as their own gimmick that you have to work around, and having to balance keeping your Pokémon and yourself safe is just so fun to juggle.

I think ZA has my favorite cast of human characters in the whole series. Canari, Gwynn, Corbeau, Lida, Emma, Lebanne, JACINTHE??? HELLO?? These are some top tier fucking characters. It's a real shame that Taunie/What's his fuck are real boring and a little annoying. The rest of the cast has so much character and personality, and Urbain is the guy I gotta listen to half the time?? Booooo tomato tomato tomato. Anyway they make up for it by having not one but two different lesbian couples 😎

I'm a little disappointed on the game being set entirely in Lumiose. Even though I don't like X/Y that much, I still wanted to go see the world beyond the city gates! I wanted to know how they would've expanded on some areas, or how they would've changed in the time between XY and ZA. Geosenge town is such a crucial part to XY, and we just don't get to see it. Or the power plant we never got to visit in XY? What about the Anistar Sundial? I can't help but be a little disappointed by the lack of locals. Keeping things smaller was probably a smart idea, but the whole city is remarkably samey, with most alleys being indistinguishable from others, making the whole world of the game feel smaller than it actually is. Getting to explore the Flare Lab was somehow a breath of fresh air, as not only is it the only area from X and Y that we can visit in ZA, but it's also one of the few moments where we get a break from the bland city aesthetic.

Other minor comments: Thank god the shiny sound is back. I was so tired of squinting at every Pokémon in SV. WHY DID THEY BRING BACK TRADE EVOLUTIONS? That was one of my favorite parts about Arceus, was being able to evolve every Pokémon without needing a second player. Their transgressions will not go unpunished. For a game supposedly about Zygarde, we sure didn't get a whole lot of Zygarde. Hell, we didn't get a whole lot of Xerneas or Yveltal. I was kinda hoping we would get more than what we did. The new Mega forms SLAP. Froslass is my queen, holy shit she looks so good with horns. I'm pissed mythicals are event locked again 😤 I wanted to use Diancie on my team so badddddd. Another point for Arceus.

[limayde]

81. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Silksong is to Hollow Knight, as Tears of the Kingdom is to Breath of the Wild. The only difference is that I actually liked Silksong.

I can't imagine how insurmountable the task of following up Hollow Knight could be. Hollow Knight is a nearly perfect experience, and I do think Silksong falls short of that. But what it makes up for in lower lows, are some very high highs. (I don't think you can top HK's finale, but some areas of Silksong come pretty close.)

I couldn't count how many times I, out loud, said to myself "this game is so fucking cool." The movement, the fights, the platforming, it feels so good to just exist in the world. I saw a few people complain about the lack of shortcuts to streamline backtracking, but I could not give a rat's ass about that personally. Learning the fastest routes between destinations and breezing through areas you struggled with in the past just felt so good.

Mount Fay and Sands of Karak were easily my favorite areas for the platforming challenges they provided. Although I am a little miffed that Coral Forest got replaced by Sands of Karak, and the only glimpse of it we got was a stupid enemy gauntlet.

Speaking of enemy gauntlets, there's so many of them. I generally don't have a problem with them, aside from the fact that they just...don't drop beads or shards? Like wtf, if I'm struggling on a hard gauntlet, I should be able to pick up some shards so I can keep using my tools?

Or, even better, JUST REMOVE SHARDS FROM THE GAME ENTIRELY. Shell shards are by none, my biggest issue with this game. Struggling on a boss? Oops, ran out of shards. Struggling in a difficult area? Oops no more shards. Getting my ass beat in the High Halls enemy gauntlet? Oops! No more shards! I do not understand why shards are in the game. My usage of tools is already restricted to sitting down at a fucking bench, why do I need to go out of my way to fucking grind for more shards instead of just going into a fight with all my resources without needing to worry about them? Everything in this game that requires shards can work just fine without them! Donation quests? It's Rosaries now. Tool Pouches? They already increase the amount of tools you carry. Architect Crest? It already uses Silk in addition to shards!!! FUCK.

I get even more upset with this fucking currency when I tried to buy and use the Snitch Pick, only to find out that I either got scammed, discovered it's bugged, or that it has a very misleading description. I was hoping to use it as a means to get shards from enemies and bosses during fights to fuel my tool usage, but it in fact, doesn't do that, and actively reduces the amount of Rosaries and shards dropped from enemies when used against them.

To make matters worse, did you know that in Steel Soul mode, there's an exclusive quest with a reward that gives you an infinitely regenerating shard bundle? That feels so backwards to me. It's not useful in Steel Soul since you aren't fucking dying every ten minutes, and therefor will probably have a pretty sizable amount of Shell Shards at any given moment, meanwhile in the main game I'm dying all the god damn time and am running out of shards all the god damn time! Putting that in the main game wouldn't have fixed the issue with shards, but it sure would've made it a whole lot more tolerable.

Okay, I know I just complained for like three paragraphs about the same fucking thing, but that is genuinely my biggest issue with Silksong. Anyway, let's talk about something more positive now.

The theming in this game is TOP-NOTCH. Rosaries are not only faith, but currency? Giving away your faith in return for goods and services is such a cool idea. And how the further up you get to the Citadel, the more Rosaries enemies drop? Only the faithful are powerful, it's such a cool idea. And the workers in the Underworks having to pay for temporary leisure is so fucked up in the best way possible?? The moment I saw that bench flip down after sitting on it, I fully understood how cruel the world of Pharloom really was.

The theming for act 3 fucking rules too. I think the execution of it was kinda....not so great, but it is so hopeful. Literall pulling hope from the depths of your mind to overcome great adversity is such an important message, especially in the current times we find ourselves in. It is such a shame that the actual final boss falls pretty flat. I mean, you were never going to top The Hollow Knight, ever present looming force of Hallownest. But if she just showed up way more often, and her and Hornet got to banter and bond, finding common ground despite being rivals, I think it could've been salvaged. But unfortunately she shows up like twice before then, and then you just have a repeat fight with her for the third time.

Despite that, most of the characters in this game are so charming and enjoyable. Shakra, my beloved, I always looked forward to hearing her song echoing down a hallway. Hornet too is so fun. She's a lot nicer than I was expecting her to be. Helping everyone she can, despite the gnawing instinct within her wanting to usurp the queen and rule over Pharloom. Second Sentinel and Twelfth Architect were very enjoyable characters I always loved to come across. And I can't forget about Sherma, love him. What a good little dude. And I love m dog Bell Beast :) It was just so nice to journey through a world with living and breathing population. Hollow Knight's atmosphere was top-notch, but it was so desolate at the same time. It was refreshing, to find and speak with so many friendly faces.

Anyway, Silksong is great, with a few unfortunate blemishes that hinder the overall experience. Highly recommend, especially if you liked Hollow Knight, just don't go in expecting it to be as flawless as HK was.

Oh and Shawkra is the best ship kbyeeeee

[limayde]

72. Game Changer (Season 7)

This show somehow manages to surpass themselves with each season. Each and every episode of this season was a fucking banger. They went all-out and it really shows, it's hard to even pick a favorite!