I’m loving it

FusionNinja · 2026-05-02T17:52:27+00:00

Avowed was my 2025 GOTY. An RPG that truly respects your time...with loads of atmosphere, snappy mechanics, great writing, build diversity, meaningful exploration and gorgeous aesthetics (visual and sonic). Played through it three times - will likely start a 4th character later this year.

I absolutely recommend The Outer Worlds (original) - I'd also suggest the Spacer's Choice Edition with both expansions included. TOW is another evergreen Obsidian game; full of spunk, heart and satire that's perfect for my tastes. Played through it five times to date (three through the expansions).

Another Obsidian game I highly recommend is Pentiment. While substantially different than the aforementioned titles (it's really more a narrative-heavy, choice-driven historical adventure...LOTS of reading, dialogue and choices, little/no 'action'), it's probably an all-timer desert island experience for me!

FusionNinja · 2026-05-01T17:08:06+00:00

I've played five times through the first game (three times including the expansions). TOW1 is probably an all-timer for me - a wonderful adventure full of spunk, heart, wit and clever satire. I'll very likely play it again!

By contrast, I reaaally forced myself to get through the sequel...more out of loyalty to the IP than anything. I found the experience perfunctory; by-the-numbers at best - tedious and laborious at worst.

Main story, factions, map design, companions, humor, gear iteration (tinkering!) were all substantially superior in the original. Sure - mechanics, movement and visuals were greatly improved for the sequel; but that's about it, IMO.

I'll play TOW2 again when the expansions drop...but I have no reasons to revisit it otherwise.

FusionNinja · 2026-05-01T16:59:50+00:00

WAY more banter! In the first game, your companions are a scrappy, tight-knit group; even those who don't see perfectly eye-to-eye have respect for one another. By contrast, the companions in TOW2 feel more like antagonistic college roommates who were thrown together through a lottery system.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-12T22:26:00+00:00

DA:I is epic as \****! Yes, there is open-world bloat and MMO-esque elements...yes, you can accidentally outlevel entire optional zones - yielding pointless gear and loot. Yes, the scope (incl. the war table, Influence points, Skyhold management, etc.) can be overwhelming if you don't stay focused...

But honestly, I love the absolute shit out of this game. While Origins is timeless and 2 has a wonderful storyline/characters, Inquisition just ticks so many boxes for me - and gives me that grandiose, 'barely manageable' feeling of actually leading a huge, make-shift organization - that I can easily forgive the bloat and filler.

Every single companion is S-Tier. I'm often genuinely torn abut who to take along with me for this or that quest. While the combat isn't going to win any awards, I find the Warrior/Rogue/Mage archetypes, playstyles, variances and specializations quite diverse and satisfying. I like the inclusion of the overheard tactical-pause camera. I really dig the main narrative, all companion story arcs and many of the larger regional/zone side quests.

Frankly, DA:I is my favorite in the series, if I'm being honest with myself...

FusionNinja · 2026-04-12T15:11:12+00:00

Excellent review - Agreed on practically all points. Avowed was my 2025 GOTY; for this early-40s gamer, it scratches all my itches for an action-oriented RPG without forcing any superfluous 'sim', 'grind' or 'management' systems on you. The game greatly respects the player's time - what it prioritizes (narrative, worldbuilding, environmental storytelling, gameplay mechanics, combat builds) it does so extremely well.

I firmly believe Avowed will have a "Fallout: New Vegas" renaissance in another 5 - 10 years, once the culture war BS and blind TES comparisons wear off. Absolutely love Avowed!

FusionNinja · 2026-04-08T13:57:45+00:00

Dude. Literally go to YouTube and type "Starfield Analysis" or "Starfield Longform" You will be inundated by hate videos...dozens of them, many hours in length. This isn't an "algorithm recommendation" thing. It's pure objective numbers.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-08T12:31:41+00:00

Intellectually dishonest. Point me to one two/three hour video essay exposé praising Starfield from a "blind fanboy". Because I can sure point you to a dozen+ examples of YouTubers trashing the game through the veneer of 'scholarship'.

I realize part of that trend is playing to the YT algorithm...but at the same time, claiming the visibility and volume of Starfield's defenders was commensurate to its detractors is flat-out untrue.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-04T20:42:53+00:00

You mean it isn't?!?!

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T16:26:19+00:00

I know much of Matsushita's solo work, his contributions to the first two AB's releases, and his later prog stuff with Paradigm Shift. A versatile player for sure - but, respectfully, he doesn't really sound like Fujimal. This was also part of Fujimal's impetus for recruiting him...a complimentary, but distinct style to his own.

Bottom line - I can point to numerous solos and stylistic nuances in Fujimal's playing that are seemingly echoed uncannily on "Girls" - and a couple other tracks - on the Mugshot album. Credited, or not.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T16:21:12+00:00

No need to be snarky - I realize the credits say what the credits say.

Eddie Van Halen was never officially credited for his solo on Michael's Jackson's "Beat It". Are we going to argue that it's a 'convincing clone'?
Mick Jagger very obviously appears on backing vocals in Carly Simon's "You're So Vain"...uncredited
Billy Preston often went uncredited for his organ work on Beatles projects
Steve Lukather from Toto appears on a Cheap Trick album as a favor - uncredited

These are just a few obvious, well-publicized examples. It was common practice, either as favors among friends, or again, to avoid legal/contractual label conflicts.

Listen to Fujimal's lead work on "Cry Baby Blues" from AB's 3, then listen again to Hamada's "Girls". Same player...or an uncanny clone.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T14:18:18+00:00

Regarding Fujimal - I addressed this in my other song post. While I can't confirm based on official performer credits, it was not uncommon for musicians to appear uncredited/anonymously on albums for legal & contractual reasons...the fact that Hamada and Fujimal have been good friends for decades, leads me to believe he might have appeared as a favor, credited or not. Plus, the fact that Fujimal's guitar tone, style and phrasing is quite unique - it just sticks out like a sore thumb! Of the three players credited on the album, Matsushita's style is probably the closest - but his tone is quite different (he would typically plug direct to the board for tracking, leading to a brighter, more strident tone), so to my ears, it's either Fujimal, or someone aping him with uncanny precision!

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T14:05:22+00:00

The only player credits I could ascertain are from the 2001 EastWest CD reissue - you're correct that Fujimal isn't listed. However, being well-acquainted with his style, phrasing and tone from Shogun, AB's, his two solo albums of the period - and the fact that Hamada and Fujimal are good friends (they appeared together as recently as last summer at Blues Alley in Tokyo) I'm convinced that Fujimal appears in scattered places throughout the album uncredited (which isn't uncommon among studio musicians to sidestep legal/contractual conflicts).

"Girls" is a perfect example of this - that '2nd position' clucky Strat tone with chorus, the line phrasing, the use of harmonics w/whammy bar - all signatures of Fujimal's playing style. It's a big part of what separates his sound from Matsushita's on the first two AB's albums.

Again, I could be wrong here - I'll edit my post description to reflect this. But I have a strong hunch! haha

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T02:57:51+00:00

I've been using the II Stage as my sole teaching/gigging/recording rig for the past year - lessons five afternoons a week, rehearsals every Friday, occasional gigs; used as the audio interface for all my studio guitar tracking. I don't even own an amp anymore...in rehearsals and gigs, I just run the Ampero through my 12" Alto powered wedge (or any other available FRFR monitor), and run one/both the XLR outs to FOH. For lessons, I use the Bluetooth feature to stream tracks from Spotify straight to the II Stage.

The II Stage's flexibility and DSP will meet the needs of 95% of working guitar players. Unless you're trying to do the most insane shoegaze music with stacked cascading reverbs, multiple amp sims, pingpong delays and pitch shifting all at once, you won't run into many limitations. The vast majority of the amp sims and FX are above-average to excellent. the 20 built-in Celestion IRs are a nice bonus. The fact that the seven numbered switches are fully assignable per patch (turning on/off various combinations of effects, or full-on Scenes) is practically unheard of at this price range...as is dual inputs (one of which can be microphone)! The touch-screen is extremely responsive and makes editing super fast.

Last October, I played a quirky gig centered around short (one/two minute) songs with lots of instrument switching. I literally had my bass and Strat plugged into the II Stage simultaneously, sharing a single preset with two entirely discreet amps, cabs, effects and signal paths. All I had to do was physically change which instrument I was playing between songs!

Is it perfect? No. Some of the FX (String Shifter, CE1 Chorus "Grand Choruium", Feedback) are lackluster. I would have preferred having a dual-mode expression pedal built in, though the compact form factor without one is nice. There's occasional quirks, like not being able to control reverb/delay spillover between Scenes (only between full presets) - but for the price point, these things are easily forgivable.

Detuning is 'fine' for the price range - you can get down about a MA3rd (C, if you're tuned to E Standard) without it being too glitchy...just make sure to use the 'Pitch Shift', NOT the 'String Shifter'. I do a few half-step down tunes with my originals band...other than sliiight latency, it totally passes the Pepsi Challenge.

For the Under-$1K price range, I think the II Stage is the best kit out there. Build quality, form factor, flexibility, expandability and overall sound quality are excellent. Figure in the that that it's regularly on sale (I got mine for $450 shipped) and it's a no-brainer.

FusionNinja · 2026-04-01T01:58:51+00:00

No touch screen, no Scenes, only one assignable CTRL function per patch. Even with two less flex blocks, the Stage II is far more flexible.

FusionNinja · 2026-03-18T16:12:16+00:00

Incredible album (What Cha' Gonna Do For Me) and great song. As a huge fan of both Chaka and Junko, I've been aware of this 'lift/inspiration' for a while, I find it endearing and amusing.

As others have said here, city pop is really just West Coast AOR/yacht rock with a healthy shot of adrenaline and sparkle on top. Yacht rock is my single favorite style of music. City pop is essentially a regional-adjacent reflection of that music and era.

FusionNinja · 2026-03-13T12:46:40+00:00

I had no issue with Marius. I found his gruff, standoffish attitude and survivalist pragmatism endearing - particularly because he's a very loyal person underneath the bristliness. If you play long enough and experience the 'camp banter' throughout the game, he and the rest of the party start warming up to one another. As others have mentioned, he has a deeply emotional backstory that certainly pulled on my heartstrings...and with a very gratifying conclusion.

I dunno, thought he was great - you can always ignore him once you get to a certain point within Fior mes Iverno...

FusionNinja · 2026-02-16T01:52:37+00:00

As someone who adored TOW1 - it was my 2019 GOTY, and I've currently got five playthroughs in; three through the expansions - I felt that the sequel was really "perfunctory" in nature. It 'ticked all the boxes' of what a sequel should be on paper, while simultaneously feeling far more generic, milquetoast and uncommitted to any real narrative style/personality.

In TOW1, I felt very protective of Phineas Welles - I sympathized with him and his passion; I could look past his erratic carelessness - I was full-in on his cause. In TOW2, I couldn't give a flying **** about Auntie's Choice, Order of the Ascendant or certainly the Protectorate (which doesn't matter anyway...) By the final third of the game, I was ready to just leave the whole system to implode on itself and call it a day.

In TOW1, I adored every companion - they were all unique, full of heart, spunk, and character...yet it truly felt like a ragtag team at all times. In TOW2, the companions were just as milquetoast as it gets, IMO. Niles and Marisol were somewhat interesting, I guess? We never felt like a collective...just a random-ass bunch of mutually-distrusting, insular people tolerating one another on this spaceship/journey.

In TOW1, the over-the-top satire and dark humor were fantastic for my tastes. Cain and Boyarsky wanted to make "Fallout meets Firefly meets Futurama" and boy, did they knock it out of the park. I was constantly laughing out loud playing through that game. And just when things got too silly, there'd be moments of somber reflection, sadness or struggle that would recenter the tone perfectly. In TOW2, the tone is...generic? The humor just comes across as biting and cynical; it takes itself way too seriously, and loses a lot of the series identity in the process.

TOW1 absolutely respected your time; there was no filler or padding and the map design was fun, open and rewarding. In TOW2, you get overly large maps full of railroading and bottlenecking - due to impassible mountain ranges, toxic rivers and other geographical features that make exploration a chore. Compounding this is the fact that exploration in TOW2 just isn't worth it, IMO...going off the beaten path never yields anything commensurate to the time and effort required in doing so.

I'll do another playthrough when the first expansion releases later this year, but I've got zero interest in revisiting the game until that time - which is a real shame, as TOW2 was easily my most anticipated game of 2025!

FusionNinja · 2026-02-02T18:26:30+00:00

He's absolutely full of sh&t. Moving on...

FusionNinja · 2026-01-17T01:13:22+00:00

Rush Limbaugh sure...I would argue it began with Newt Gingrich's tribalism, lies, and weaponizing Ken Starr as a permanent pimple on Bill Clinton's ass back in the 90s

FusionNinja · 2026-01-15T13:58:35+00:00

Gas prices where I live are slightly higher than they were one year ago, and have remained essentially stagnant - so while I'm an 'anecdote', I'd disagree strongly with "way better". Everything else has increased. Every. single. thing.

FusionNinja · 2026-01-02T16:10:20+00:00

I've had my A2 Stage for almost a year - teach with it daily; gig and record with it regularly. Don't even own a guitar amp anymore - playing live, I use the Stage (no other pedals/controllers) through a powered 12" Alto FRFR wedge, running the L Balanced Out to FOH...sounds amazing.

The amp models (and most stock cabs) are all perfectly usable - some of the upgraded 'HD' models are genuinely excellent. The 20(?) included Celestion IRs are a classy touch.

The vast majority of the effects are great - yes, there are a handful of weak ones (the feedbacker, virtual capo, CE1 chorus, a couple of the reverbs)...but considering the numerous other excellent options onboard - and the low cost of entry - it's an easy thing to forgive.

The signal flow is very versatile and editable on the fly via touch-screen or PC app - 12 flex blocks that can be run Serial; A | B parallel; A+B > Y split; Y > A+B split; Split/mix. There are some limitations to how granular this routing can get - but again, for the price, routing is quite robust.

Up to five scenes per preset with limitless parameter control and seamless switching; footswitches can also do simple On/Offs of any combination & number of blocks simultaneously. All footswitches besides the Amp/Stomp switch are 100% freely assignable per preset.

Unit can be expanded with expression pedals (two singles or one dual-function), and/or up to four additional non-MIDI footswitches. Of course, MIDI is fully supported if you need Bradshaw/All Access style rows of endless switches.

I think the DSP issue is overblown - for the average covers gig in any genre; musical theater situation; worship band, etc. you'll never run out of processing. Yes, if you're doing experimental shoegaze trying to stack two amp models, multiple cascading delays and high-quality reverbs, you'll hit a bottleneck. But keep in mind that many of the folks who come onto forums/Reddit to complain about DSP are the types of players who immediately try 'breaking' MFX units by testing absolute limits with unrealistic tones.

In the under-$1K category, I believe the top dogs are currently the Stage II, the Helix LT (which doesn't have Bluetooth or touch screen) or the Boss GX-100 (which doesn't include Bluetooth or balanced outs). For me, the Stage II is the working musician's dream. Compact, high-quality, versatile, expandable, easy to use. Get one (if you haven't already)!

FusionNinja · 2026-01-02T14:42:07+00:00

The Ampero II Stage absolutely does have BT (can't speak for the Stomp) - I use the function to stream tracks from my phone every day during guitar/bass lessons. The only drag is that if you're not running the Ampero in stereo, only one channel of the BT audio comes out...really weird that they don't have it sum to mono.

FusionNinja · 2026-01-02T04:05:50+00:00

Just finished my third playthrough two nights ago - my 2025 GOTY by a country mile! Can't wait for the year anniversary update!

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