Twilight Princess

Twilight Princess is probably my favourite game in the Legend of Zelda franchise. What I particularly loved about the game is how much darker and morbid it is than the other Zelda games, it creates a really immersive atmosphere and gives the game alot of depth. Not only is the game visually darker than most of the other Zelda games, such as Skyward Sword, which has a bright and more cartoon-like aesthetic, but the story itself is darker and has much scarier enemies. What really makes the game feel so dark is the sense of loneliness and isolation in it, you can visit locations that were in older Zelda games, for example, Lon Lon Ranch which was in Ocarina of time, but in Twilight Princess you find these places completely desecrated whereas before they were so full of life. The evil in Twilight princess can literally be seen, as a dark shadow falls over the land. The colors are darker and more somber, the music isn't quite as bright and upbeat; also the fact that during parts of the game you are playing through a never-ending twilight where people no longer really exist but don't realize there is something wrong really makes the game an atmospheric experience. 

Gudetama the Lazy Egg

Gudetama is a lazy egg with depression created by Sanrio. He has his own short 20 second animated episodes, where he does typical lazy egg things. I love how cute he is and his little bacon blanket. He is usally a fried egg but can also be in many egg forms, such as hardboiled or scrambled. He has quickly become one of Japans most popular mascots, following in Hello Kitty's footsteps. I think he's so loved in Japan because unlike most pop culture icons, he shows less expressed emotions like sadness and laziness. Japan seems to be really good at giving inanimate objects personality and making them internaitonally loved. He shows how we all feel at times, just wanting to retreat back into our shells - which he does literally. I like the Gudetama facebook page and seeing the animated shorts makes my day sometimes.

Me either

I got my own Gudetama flask in Tokyo

Life, Animated

For my research into autism in the Applied Animation module, my group and I decided to watch 'Life Animated.' The film was released in 2016 and produced and directed by Roger Ross Williams. The film tells the story of 23 year old Owen Suskind and his life, particularly how he deals with the challenges of autism through Disney films. I found the film really touching and it opened my eyes more to what living with autism is actually like, and a better grasp of what people who live with it experience. 

Although most of the film was live action, the animated scenes were really beautiful and i think the style suited the story alot. The animated scenes were used mostly to show points of Owens life when he used Disney animated films as a form of escapism, he would frequently be shown in a world of his own creation, The Land of the Lost Sidekicks, where he was shown as a child, with some of his favourite sidekicks, like Baloo the bear from the Jungle Book, and Sebastian the crab from the Little Mermaid. The darker times in Owens life were shown using a sketchier style of animation with very little colour, which contrasted alot with the vivid scenes when he had learned to cope through Disney films.

 I found it really interesting how he used different points in the films in order to relate to and cope with challenges he faced in real life, like leaving his parents home to live alone, or when his girlfriend broke up with him. It gave me a new appreciation for Disney because of how much it helped him to deal with lifes challenges. 

Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is one of my favourite games of all time. It doesn't have any action or a fast paced story, and provides a completely different experience than other games. The game is so simple; living in a town filled with cute animal neighbours; with simple goals like collecting fish or decorating your house. The sense of immersion and tranquility in the game is what makes it so special, it doesnt have to rely on action scenes or even amazing graphics to be thoroughly enjoyable to play. The adorable style of the graphics in the game make the towns you inhabit so picturesque and eventually you actually start to feel at home there. Another thing I love about Animal Crossing is the soundtrack; its so mesmerizing and tranquil, perfect background noise for the activities in the game. The themed holidays were also a favourite aspect of the game for me; because the game was in real time, you could go to you town and celebrate christmas day, new years, halloween, etc. This level of escapism is what makes the game so special and loved.
 I've owned 3 animal crossing games, Wild World on Nintendo DS, Lets Go to the City on the Wii, and New Leaf on the 3DS. My favourite, and the first one I owned, was Let's go to the City. There was so much exploring to do in the game and because it was my first time playing its got such a nostalgia now for me.

My Life as a Courgette

Because I didn't get to go to Manchester animation Festival last year, I had a lot of catching up to do hearing about all the great animations my friends saw there. 'My Life as a Courgette' was definitely the most talked about, so I decided to watch it online. I didn't really know what to expect at all because I knew nothing about the story, but once I started watching I found myself really enjoying it. The animation looked visually striking because of the characters big, tired looking eyes, which definitely lent itself to the story because it was very poignant. I haven't watched a stop motion i enjoyed alot in a while, so this was really refreshing, especially because the story itself was purely based in real life, not having and fantasy elements, which is interesting for a stop motion. I loved howcharming and emotional the story was and how it was simple but reallymoving.

The Walking Dead game

Telltale games make a few different brilliant games that all have the same comic book style graphics and distinctive feel. The walking dead game, which I played a few years ago, has remained one of my favourite games of all time. I love how you have to make decisions in the game that could potentially result in some dire consequences for the characters,it makes the game feel so intense and as if you are actually part of the story and in danger. The game is also extremely emotional in the way that it can so easily take some of your favourite characters away from you, and alot of the times it can be your fault. I love zombie apocalypse stories in general, and I played this game before watching the AMC tv show, which has a completely different story line and set of characters, and in my opinion the story is much weaker than the game. I got bored of the show after season 2, but the game is something i always go back to. I also love the comic book style of the game, it works so well as the walking dead is based off a series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, which I have read a few of.