raycevick

Update + Q&A: Oct 24th, 2024

Normally I try to post Q&A's every other Wednesday, however, this will be an exception, as by the time you're reading this, I'm heading over to the Airport, visiting friends and Shambles competitors Jake & Vi at their Wedding, then I'll be in Toronto, and then I'll be in Rhode Island, arriving back home on November 4th.

I do have an e-ink Tablet for writing and do intend to make more progress future projects, including my next video currently about Ro...

Recommendations: War. by WHORES

Those who've seen me recommend the band's previous albums on Patreon, and even show them on one of my videos, won't be surprised by this, but for those that've never heard this raging band who should be more known (the name probably means they won't feature in any EA Sports games), this is a great place to start.

While I do like the production in the previous effort Gold a little more, this album's also way easier to listen start to finish, with a lot more breathing room i...

Subtly: A Storytelling Myth

This isn't about defending the most obnoxious writers, scenes, or characters ever to be witnessed...

Oh whoops, there seems to be a random image of David Cage games, bizarre.

No, instead what I'm focused on is the counter to obnoxious storytelling, a common piece of advice given in many circles, particularly amongst people who don't see the irony i...

Q&A: October 16th, 2024

Michael Gross Asks
As someone who has an interest in writing myself, I've tried to put together some things in my spare time. While satisfied I've pulled off short stories, reviews, etc. to various success I continue to feel as if my vocabulary is inadequate. Often, I'll come to a space where an adjective or description should go and feel stumped. How have you dealt with such problems in the past in your own work?

Absolutely.

It's a battle you can neve...

Recommendations: Mars Express

In a world of $200 Million dollars being wasted every other month on a reboot of a children's toy franchise, watching a movie this beautifully animated, well-written, perfectly paced, and nuanced, all made for ten million, gives me hope that no matter how stupid the entertainment industry gets, there's always some mega talent with the resources needed to make something great.

The facial animations in particular just floored me with their expressions, that feel hyper-real but never cross...

Post-Mortem: A "Mature" Sports Game

Three years ago, March 17th, 2021, I started a script called A "Mature" Sports Game.

And for three years, I revisted this idea over, and over, and over. After first playing the game and getting smashed in its career mode, after my friend parked her ass on the floor laughing at the game's cheerleaders, after I purchased a physical copy of Backbreaker for the Xbox 360. There's even a tweet of me talking about the ideas I just dropped, and one of them was this vid...

Recommendations: Rockstar's Table Tennis

Why didn't I post my usual recommendations yesterday?

'Cause I was playing Table Tennis.

...Seriously.

I've been going through a bunch of old 360 games with friend of the channel Kacey, and it's been a great time, but I'm not going to lie and highly recommend that you seek a copy of Rumble Roses XX or Backbreaker... okay, maybe one day I'll recommend Backbreaker with an asterisk or five.

Table Tennis however is different, and not just from Rockstar's usua...

For Granted

Originally, I was going to write and upload a post-mortem about my last video, it's certainly do. However, when my Mother happened to be over, I heard the news that someone she knew, an artist, a man who my Father had known for decades, one he made a show with, more like a brother than a friend, had died.

The man was very private, even in death; cancer, of which he told very few.

Let's call him, Vek.

I'm not writing out of personal sadness. Vek's privacy meant I only met him...

Q&A: Oct 2nd, 2024

[PRETEND ITS WEDNESDAY]

The_Surviv0r Asks
I've started to get in a Nine Inch Nails mood (yeah I'm quite late to the party I'm aware, you listen to a lot of random stuff doing endurance races in GT4 to pass time so I end up finding stuff I never gave the time before) and I was wondering if you had any album in particular to recommend?

It’s hard to go wrong in Trent’s catalogue.

I don’t know what tracks you’ve vibing with, ...

Recommendations: WRC: Rally Evolved

You know what's annoying about Sports/Licensed games?

They're all named the same thing...

All the ones that are special or have some unique quality that was never repeated in the genre, looks exactly the same on the shelf or Wikipedia as every other soulless cash grab in the same franchise.

I did play the original WRC game on PS2, made by the same developer who made this installment five years later, on my Dad's hacked PS2, and I unfortunately wrote it off as a basic racing ...

Recommendations: Mirror's Edge EP by Northlane

I've got a playlist called "To Rage" that's exactly what it says on the tin; put on a track, and you'll be head banging with the uncontrollable urge to rip things apart in ten seconds or less.

Nothing on this Northlane EP would go in that playlist, even though it's got guitars tuned Mick Gordon low, screaming vocals, and just an oppressive atmosphere throughout... it's also incredibly melodic, packed with electronics, and conclusions that are downright moving?

I've always fucked w...

The Rift Between Good & Bad...

Aw crap…

I already wrote this script.

Well, there's at least one major difference. The quality shift in question here is in reverse order, and took place in the same show rather than the same studio.

Earlier this week I recommended Harley Qu...

Q&A: September 18th, 2024

Duncan Gohl Asks
What’s a gaming memory that you can look back on that always makes you smile/feel happy?

I was actually just reminiscing about this with a Friend from the memory itself at lunch today. Back when I was a kid and my family was middle class rather than poor, I'd invite many of my friends to crash at my house for a week in the Summer.

One of those Summers, my parents bought me a Nintendo Gamecube with a copy of Star Fox Adventures, sweet...

Recommendations: Harley Quinn (Season 1-2)

Having my Wisdom Teeth pulled, I was in the perfect mindset of just wanting something to let me kick back, relax, and laugh a lot throughout every episode, and Harley Quinn is one of the most unlikely successes.

I've talked before about preferring absurdist or dark humor being played straight, that characters in the world and their scenarios are taken completely seriously in the world, rather than constantly mugging for the camera... yet, the editing, voice-acting, and wri...

Recommendations: Raka by Golden Features & The Presets

As often as I'm blasting 90's industrial music, and industrial music that sounds just like the 90s, I do still vibe to the sort of electronic music I imagine would get everybody dancing in a nightclub; this EP would perhaps be a little moody for a club, but it doesn't stop the title track and Control from being repeated over and over and over again as I walk through my hometown.

Sometimes you want to head-bang, run, or punch a wall, but for the times you just want to vibe, Raka's an eas...

Q&A: September 4th, 2024

Vsevolod Frost Asks
Have you considered making/participating in making a video game? What are your thought about it?

Just a few months ago, I was asking friends for advice on which Programming Language to start learning. Don't know how in the world I'm going to cram those lessons in-between writing, editing, and life, but... I hope to, as you can't exactly just sit and wait for the games you want to be made.

I am very much aware though of the cliche, ...

Recommendations: Get Carter (1971)

I enjoyed Glenn Powell's Hit Man, and I was thoroughly entertained by Lucy, however... I can't really recommend either film, at least not without some lowered expectations for the former and drugs for the latter, so, here's a classic.

If you're ever bored of Anti-Heroes with a heart of gold and a just cause, the original Get Carter might be exactly what you're looking for, with one of Michael Kaine's coveted roles as an absolute unapologetic piece of crap that somehow, can...

Art vs Art

Apologies for not posting this Yesterday… I was going to, but then forgot Black Ops 6's multiplayer beta started up last night.

That I'm writing about this game instead of Black Ops 6, should itself indicate my impressions. Not negative, but not blown away either. Speaking of games that didn't blow people away…

Atomic Heart.

I didn't need to enter into the de...

Recommendations: Blackkklansman

Outside one other film I swore was recommend on this Patreon before, but apparently hadn''t (that might change next month), I'm not familiar with Spike Lee's work. I know of him, but is yet another great name that I just haven't gotten around to combing through the discography of.

Blackkklansman however doesn't require familiarity to immediately note a vision that's as passionate as it is powerful.

The film is a roller-coaster, leaving my family and I nearly spitting out drinks in...

Objectivity

I just got back from the Pitch & Putt.

Twenty degrees Celsius, overcast weather, not packed, ran into a few familiar faces, and completed with five under par, completed with a long walk home humming to Chelsea Wolfe albums; I'd say it was a pretty great morning.

The main-reason being the end result; five under, even at a Pitch and Putt, is not my average. It's a good result, and even if I was depressed, I couldn't say it was because I messed up on the course.

Q&A: August 14th, 2024

Holy Shift Asks
The world seems to have moved on from QTEs as a test of reaction with a single button press in favor of button mashing to demonstrate exerting effort. Can we read something into this and have there been any QTE sequences that moved you? We know you like WET's death animations, but this is more on the funny side, what about the feels of timed button presses?

Perhaps this doesn't count, but MGS3's conclusion always stuck with me, forcing you th...

EARLY VIDEO: I Uh... Actually Still Deciding On The Title

For now, the file is called "The Sports Game Paradox", and before then, it was "A 'Mature' Sports Game", and in the video I mention Authentic right away and I wonder if that should be in the title as well, so I'm curious what what y'all think would be best, especially with the video for context.

As you can see from my "page" of notes, there's still many adjustments to make, ...

About Randomly Mine

I'm just about to leave for my second to last in-person Therapy session (Councillor is sadly moving to Calgary... then again, who isn't these days?) but before I go, I wanted to ask y'all a question I've been meaning to ask for a while.

And it involves the first poll since my Mirrors Edge Catalyst video...

Good lord.

Randomly Mine was a reference to an ancient series on Youtube by TheWineKone called Randomly Yours, which were a series of completely unrelated tangent...

Update: July 29th, 2024

Hey everybody!

Having missed last week's Randomly Mine, I figured it'd best to give an update for what's going on in-general.

I couldn't find the time to write last-week's randomly mine, prioritizing instead my next video, which I'm rewriting the conclusion of again, working with Stoofer for bespoke assets, and needs music from start to finish, but, is mostly laid out.

My persona...

Recommendations: House of Protection (Singles)

This week's recommendation is a little unconventional.

Two bands with songs I repeat all the time are Bring Me The Horizon and Fever 333. However, despite the success of both bands, they've both suffered the oldest artists struggle of creative differences leading to band members leaving.

However, probably because the two bands have toured together, Jordan Fish of BMTH simply teamed up with Fever 333's Aric Improta & Stephen Harrison to form a new band, House of Protection.

Q&A: July 17th, 2024

Panzerdeer Asks
When starting out on YT did you feel qualified to make videos analyzing video games and topics within that sector? Is there any advice you could give for someone starting out?

I answer the first question with a question.

Who is qualified?

Whatever the answer may be, there's definitely people who don't fit into that category, who do it anyway. So even if you don't qualify, Pandora's box has already been opened, so anybody's free to...

Recommendations: Rollerdrome

I'm sure those who've already played this game aren't surprised by this recommendation one bet. Like... Tony Hawk + Max Payne + Jet Set Radio? You could've stuck tongs into my brain and pull this game out of it.

What I wasn't expecting going in was there to be as much atmosphere and style as there is either, it's not just a physics-demo or a gameplay prototype, it manages to somehow feel complete yet pure.

Having played so many Indie games recently that are really enjoyable, but u...

The Disappointment

I had some gold in the archives…

Me, playing Need for Speed Underground 2 at my Dad's house, sitting on his Cadillac Captains Chair with a Logitech Driving Force GT attached. I just happened to have driven a Go Kart for the first time in my life, and after experiencing that rush of speed first hand, I knew I couldn't get it back whenever I wanted… but I could find a proxy.

Hence, the gloves, helmet, and visor.

And while my Hands sweat from the lack of ventilation in a st...

Q&A: July 3rd, 2024

OzarkTempses Asks
Over the years, I've always wanted to have a Mad Max-esque racing game in which you could conceivably both shoot your enemies and race but (aside from the fact that nobody is making those AFAIK) it always comes down to how to make vehicles resilient enough so they can cross the finish line while being brittle enough to actually be destroyed mid-race? There was this web game called Darkwind but aside from that, how would you balance such a thing without ma...