Bringing it to the Blog

Lost to the Aether’s been up for nearly a year by now.  You probably thought I’d have run out of ways to talk about myself by now, but I sure proved you wrong, haven’t I?!  During this year, we’ve made and lost friends, spewed way too many words about video games, and talked endlessly about how good I look.  Somehow, we’ve risen from having almost no readership to actually seeing a few people who seem to enjoy what I have to say.

And honestly, that surprises me a little.  Aside from some forum adventures, most of the stuff I’ve created is usually just seen by a close handful of people.  This is the first time I’ve tried blogging, and I really still haven’t settled on a consistent style for… well, pretty much anything.  Even after a year, I’m still working out my own approach to this.  And yet, even with all  other blogs out there, there still exist people who have read what I’ve written.  I’m so unused to actively writing for other people that I’m still wrapping my head around that.

Still!  This is probably going to be our last post for the year 2013, and I’m dedicating it to you, dear reader!  Specifically, I’ve been looking over how people have been finding this blog, and I figured I’d address some of the more interesting search terms.  Here we go!

video game female characters sexy

This post, in which I discuss what limited circumstances might provide for sexualized characters being appropriate for or adding to a game, is one of the most popular I’ve written.  However, it’s almost entirely reached by people searching for things such as this.  Something tells me they’re not quite finding what they’re looking for.

various Dark Souls search terms

So, something I had never considered.  I’m currently doing a blind Let’s Play of Dark Souls.  Meaning I’m writing up as I play my first time through the game.  I don’t know what’s coming next.  At least I didn’t, until I checked out some of these search terms.  People are looking for things waaaay in advance of where I am now.  I get spoiled on the game just by people finding me.

lilly satou h scene

Yes, another sex one.  I know I was asking for it by reviewing an eroge, but still.  One thing I find curious is that it seems to only be Lilly Satou people are searching for.  There are four other love interests in there, guys!  She probably has the least interesting sex scenes too, now that I think back on it…

stupid things on the internet

Hey!  That one hurts!

sex video aether

We’ve been getting this one since the first days of the blog, in surprising frequency given that I don’t know what exactly these people are looking for.  In any case, if you’re ever watching certain videos on the internet, and you get to wondering, no, that’s probably not me.

are left handed people better conbatants

Yes, absolutely.  In fact, we’re better at pretty much everything.  We’re better leaders, better lovers, better intellectuals… really you all should count yourselves blessed you get to share an Earth with we mighty southpaws.

why does ea ruin every game

This one’s a matter of opinion, I just thought it funny that someone decided to see if that answer to that eternal question could be found on the internet.

losttotheaether.wordpress.com

C’mon, you needed Google to find that for you?  That’s just lazy.

sexy playing video games

See, here’s a search term that captures exactly what we’re about at Lost to the Aether.  I’m incredibly sexy, I play a lot of video games, really, I’m just surprised that I’m not universally the top result for this term.

saints row series fanfic male boss love with viola dewynter

I swear that wasn’t me!!!  And I will deny that to my dying day!!!  Even though they’re a very cute couple and fit each other perfectly and omg did you see when the boss had to rescue her and they were like ! ❤ [NOTE TO SELF: delete this sentence before publishing]

tera patrik video hard

Got here as a result of my briefly writing of Tera Patrick’s role in Saints Row 2.  Whoever this was really ended up in the wrong place.

weight+gain+comic

That this would ever point anyone my way just hurts my feelings.

charlotte grewal middle name

You’re looking for Kendall’s middle name, which is Morgan.  There.  Now you can’t say I never did anything for you.

saints row why does he hate dex

Because the hardest mission of the first game was made so entirely because Dex’s AI drives like your drunk grandmother.  Also the betrayal, the attempted murder, and his traditional smug attitude.  But mostly that first one.

And… wow.  All that made me feel a lot more dirty than I thought it would.  Well, I’m off to go take a shower and scrub my shame off.  Happy 2014 everyone!

Visual Novel Theatre – Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies

I am a man who enjoys the finer things in life. I like good wine and fine company. I have an eye for the great wonders nature has to offer, such as the steadfast mountain vistas, the pristine lakesides, and of course, my own gorgeous hair. And, as anyone who’s been following this blog for a while is aware, I have a great appreciation for the twin arts of literature and video games.

For most of my life, I have been forced to enjoy these two loves separately. It wasn’t until 2005 that my eyes were finally opened, with the release of one specific game. A game that combined the two art forms, delivering action primarily through narration and dialog as a good book might while still requiring reader involvement to work through its many puzzles as a video game. A game that served as introduction to the world of Visual Novels for both myself as well as so many other English-speaking individuals. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

The original game definitely made an impact on me. With its unique blend of strong writing, adventure-style gameplay, and great characterization, the game drew me in so hard that I’ve replayed it more times than I can count, even after I’ve memorized the solutions to its logic puzzles. This was the game that brought me to the Visual Novels, and the series is still my favorite example of the genre.

So, I thought it fitting that with the recent release of the latest entry in the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies for the Nintendo 3DS, that I revive our Visual Novel Theatre and give the new game a good working over. Sound solid to you?

Rising to the Challenge in Dark Souls

Last time on Shame and Suffering in Dark Souls, we managed to kill a boss on our first attempt. Some might think I’d let such a glorious victory go to my head, but have no fear. My ego is already so massive anyway, such an accomplishment would have a negligible effect.

 

Anyways, today, we’re going to conquer the second half of the forest area, the Darkroot Basin! The entrance to this area is a slightly hidden path soon after the entrance to the Darkroot Garden. The location itself is pretty low-key. It’s just a slow walk on a mostly barren path down a cliff. There aren’t even any enemies around for much of it! The only other living thing I find is a small titanite lizard, a being that would much rather flee than fight. Well, if I let it, of course. What?! You think as small a thing as “not being remotely a threat” is going to stop me from destroying everyone in my path?

So, Dark Souls is technically a JRPG. From Software, the game’s developers, are a Japanese company, and Dark Souls is an action-rpg, doesn’t take a genius to figure out how that works. The thing is, Dark Souls plays nothing like a JRPG. While the game does have a story, it’s really opaque and you have to work to get it, rather than the typical JRPG’s strong focus on story-telling. The characters and locations are quite simple and dark in design. The game feels very non-linear, and draws a lot of focus to its open world. In all, it plays so much more like a modern western RPG than a typical JRPG. Guess it just goes to show how obsolete genre borders are becoming.

Heading down the cliff further, the path I’m following splits into two parts, one that levels out and is marked by another player’s message stating “Be Wary of Golem” and one that continues downward with the message “Be Wary of Knight”. I take the one downwards. I’ve got a feeling as to what I’ll…

 

Yep, yet another black knight. This one’s a little new, as he’s wielding a halberd rather than the blades we’ve been facing up ’till now. He rushes me as soon as a round a bend in the pass. I back off a bit, staying out of his range while drawing him into an open area where we’d have more room to fight. And fight we do. And then he dies. I’ve been going up against these guys all game now! The last two I fought had me while I was still a bit rusty an stuck in enclosed spaces. This knight has neither advantage. His new weapon might throw lesser warriors off, but I am the Best Chosen One, and he doesn’t last long against me.

A quiet, peaceful walk through the woods in Dark Souls

Some people say that you can never go home again. Last time on “Oh my God why is Aether showing us how much he sucks at Dark Souls?” we proved that those people are full of it by traveling back to our old haunt, the Northern Undead Asylum. Now, we’re never going to go back, because we’ve got almost no use for the place, but we totally could if we want to.

Instead, we go to our new home at Firelink Shrine! Land of mysticism, adventure, and total jerks but also Griggs and That One Guy! Speaking of Griggs, let’s see what he’s up to now!

Griggs is busy fanboying over his wayward instructor, Big Hat Logan. Logan was actually pretty happy turning undead, it seems, because that meant he could join the rest of the undead adventurers in prowling all over this land while not being quite as good a chosen one as I am. Griggs is convinced that Logan left him to go check out all the libraries in the land. Because of course books are much more important than the well-being of your proteges.

We knocked out one of our options last time, but we’ve still got our choice of new places to explore. There’s the forest outside of the Parish tower, and the Depths in the Lower Undead Burg. The plot is pushing me towards the Depths, because that’s one of the ways to Blighttown. I’ve played enough videogames to know that means all the best treasure is in the forest. Also, the Depths totally seems like an underground/sewer level, and it’s a matter of principle for me to put those off as long as possible.

A simple decision, really.

Of course, the forest is absolutely festooned with these Ents. They’re weak, but their attacks have some good range, and they’ve got a heavily damaging grab attack that can easily take of half my life. On top of that, they have a really high awareness range, so if there’s one anywhere near the area, you can be sure it’ll be coming soon. They’ll also hide for ambushes, appearing as simple bushes until you hit just the right place. Annoying foes, but luckily for me, I’m strong enough to slay them in a single strike. They drop mosses very frequently upon death, so they’re good sources if you’re looking to boost your supply of remedies.

 

The area’s divided into two parts: the Darkroot Garden, which makes up most of the forested area, and the Darkroot Basin, covering the nearby cliff and lake. The two cross over at several points, but we’ll but have their own unique features and enemies.