Aboveup
@aboveup.bsky.social
Retro game enthusiast solo-studying Japanese. Fan of system-heavy esoteric RPGs and difficult action games.
https://www.youtube.com/@Aboveup
https://www.twitch.tv/aboveup
https://www.youtube.com/@Aboveup
https://www.twitch.tv/aboveup
I know I'm just going to get disappointed when I look up it, but Chrono Cross has *such* atypical interesting character writing going on.
Like Kid using strong masculine shonen protagonist language. Male pronouns and everything.
Like Kid using strong masculine shonen protagonist language. Male pronouns and everything.
December 19, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I know I'm just going to get disappointed when I look up it, but Chrono Cross has *such* atypical interesting character writing going on.
Like Kid using strong masculine shonen protagonist language. Male pronouns and everything.
Like Kid using strong masculine shonen protagonist language. Male pronouns and everything.
Reward game. All I know is that it has some of my favorite videogame music of all time.
December 18, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Reward game. All I know is that it has some of my favorite videogame music of all time.
The real time compression is the playtime when you manually need to set junctions each time the party changes. Did most of the side content in 7, but skipped it in 8.
You can thank Japanese players for loudly complaining enough, because that caused Square to patch that before western release.
You can thank Japanese players for loudly complaining enough, because that caused Square to patch that before western release.
December 18, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The real time compression is the playtime when you manually need to set junctions each time the party changes. Did most of the side content in 7, but skipped it in 8.
You can thank Japanese players for loudly complaining enough, because that caused Square to patch that before western release.
You can thank Japanese players for loudly complaining enough, because that caused Square to patch that before western release.
Done. Still not great in Japanese. Characterization is much better, story largely makes more sense. Time compression still feels like the writers didn't know what it was themselves. The timeloop also just kind of doesn't work.
Ending is a massive overreach and corny.
Ending is a massive overreach and corny.
December 18, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Done. Still not great in Japanese. Characterization is much better, story largely makes more sense. Time compression still feels like the writers didn't know what it was themselves. The timeloop also just kind of doesn't work.
Ending is a massive overreach and corny.
Ending is a massive overreach and corny.
lol, I googled スルメゲー in Images to see what'd pop up.
Drakengard 3. BoF Dragon's Quarter. MH Frontier, Slay the Spire, Romancing SaGa 2, Civilization, Death Stranding
Yeah, that tracks.
Drakengard 3. BoF Dragon's Quarter. MH Frontier, Slay the Spire, Romancing SaGa 2, Civilization, Death Stranding
Yeah, that tracks.
December 18, 2025 at 5:44 AM
lol, I googled スルメゲー in Images to see what'd pop up.
Drakengard 3. BoF Dragon's Quarter. MH Frontier, Slay the Spire, Romancing SaGa 2, Civilization, Death Stranding
Yeah, that tracks.
Drakengard 3. BoF Dragon's Quarter. MH Frontier, Slay the Spire, Romancing SaGa 2, Civilization, Death Stranding
Yeah, that tracks.
Instead I studied a lot. Started reading articles and books more in Japanese on the side. 40-50 new cards and 200-300 reviews a day usually.
This should be winding down next year, but then there's other study directions I want to head into.
This should be winding down next year, but then there's other study directions I want to head into.
December 16, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Instead I studied a lot. Started reading articles and books more in Japanese on the side. 40-50 new cards and 200-300 reviews a day usually.
This should be winding down next year, but then there's other study directions I want to head into.
This should be winding down next year, but then there's other study directions I want to head into.
I barely played videogames this year. store.steampowered.com/replay/76561...
December 16, 2025 at 11:35 PM
I barely played videogames this year. store.steampowered.com/replay/76561...
Apparently people really just mail order illegal fireworks through the regular mail carriers in unmarked boxes.
You'd think after the big fireworks incident last year, people would tone it down but no. That level of intelligence and compassion does not exist in this country.
You'd think after the big fireworks incident last year, people would tone it down but no. That level of intelligence and compassion does not exist in this country.
December 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Apparently people really just mail order illegal fireworks through the regular mail carriers in unmarked boxes.
You'd think after the big fireworks incident last year, people would tone it down but no. That level of intelligence and compassion does not exist in this country.
You'd think after the big fireworks incident last year, people would tone it down but no. That level of intelligence and compassion does not exist in this country.
I don't even think it was on sale. Can't remember the last time I randomly bought a game to play immediately on impulse instead of buying during a sale and playing it three years later.
December 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM
I don't even think it was on sale. Can't remember the last time I randomly bought a game to play immediately on impulse instead of buying during a sale and playing it three years later.
Oh yeah, I see how this original text led to the stilted words in FF8's opening. That text is in English too in the Japanese version, meaning the original staff likely did this before localization got involved.
Not that the game's localization is particularly good, mind. But it is better than that.
Not that the game's localization is particularly good, mind. But it is better than that.
December 14, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Oh yeah, I see how this original text led to the stilted words in FF8's opening. That text is in English too in the Japanese version, meaning the original staff likely did this before localization got involved.
Not that the game's localization is particularly good, mind. But it is better than that.
Not that the game's localization is particularly good, mind. But it is better than that.
This scene, and Rinoa intentionally drawing out Squall's catch-phrase, works so well in Japanese.
It's not that she guesses he'd say it. She intentionally drives the conversation to a point where he'd essentially go "... My bad."
It's not that she guesses he'd say it. She intentionally drives the conversation to a point where he'd essentially go "... My bad."
December 13, 2025 at 10:51 PM
This scene, and Rinoa intentionally drawing out Squall's catch-phrase, works so well in Japanese.
It's not that she guesses he'd say it. She intentionally drives the conversation to a point where he'd essentially go "... My bad."
It's not that she guesses he'd say it. She intentionally drives the conversation to a point where he'd essentially go "... My bad."
Watching The Triple Cross (1992) (Actual name, いつかギラギラする日)
December 12, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Watching The Triple Cross (1992) (Actual name, いつかギラギラする日)
It's kinda funny seeing people complain how much the Kabukichou area looks like Kamurochou. lol asset reuse
I've walked through that street. That's what it looks like. No shit it looks extremely similar.
I've walked through that street. That's what it looks like. No shit it looks extremely similar.
December 12, 2025 at 4:16 PM
It's kinda funny seeing people complain how much the Kabukichou area looks like Kamurochou. lol asset reuse
I've walked through that street. That's what it looks like. No shit it looks extremely similar.
I've walked through that street. That's what it looks like. No shit it looks extremely similar.
Furthest I got with this game. Never cleared it.
My disc 1 stopped working when I was near the end of it back in the day. Continued at a friend's place, taking my memory card there. Got to the Garden fight on Disc 2. Left it in my pants pocket one day.
That's how my memories got washed away.
My disc 1 stopped working when I was near the end of it back in the day. Continued at a friend's place, taking my memory card there. Got to the Garden fight on Disc 2. Left it in my pants pocket one day.
That's how my memories got washed away.
December 11, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Furthest I got with this game. Never cleared it.
My disc 1 stopped working when I was near the end of it back in the day. Continued at a friend's place, taking my memory card there. Got to the Garden fight on Disc 2. Left it in my pants pocket one day.
That's how my memories got washed away.
My disc 1 stopped working when I was near the end of it back in the day. Continued at a friend's place, taking my memory card there. Got to the Garden fight on Disc 2. Left it in my pants pocket one day.
That's how my memories got washed away.
If you think I'm exaggerating about Squall's "..."s and "Whatever"s replacing actual dialog a lot. Legends of Localization briefly skimmed over it and found a ton of examples.
legendsoflocalization.com/articles/ff8...
legendsoflocalization.com/articles/ff8...
December 11, 2025 at 8:23 PM
If you think I'm exaggerating about Squall's "..."s and "Whatever"s replacing actual dialog a lot. Legends of Localization briefly skimmed over it and found a ton of examples.
legendsoflocalization.com/articles/ff8...
legendsoflocalization.com/articles/ff8...
Bonkers movie in a good way. Recommend.
December 10, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Bonkers movie in a good way. Recommend.
His real life banner was the Holy Grail btw.
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
His real life banner was the Holy Grail btw.
Watching Makai Tenshou. All I knew going in was that this was a major inspiration to Fate/stay Night.
The movie opens on a character named Shirou being the sole survivor of a massacre. (To make it better, this Shirou is a historical figure who championed Christianity, Shirou Amakusa)
The movie opens on a character named Shirou being the sole survivor of a massacre. (To make it better, this Shirou is a historical figure who championed Christianity, Shirou Amakusa)
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Watching Makai Tenshou. All I knew going in was that this was a major inspiration to Fate/stay Night.
The movie opens on a character named Shirou being the sole survivor of a massacre. (To make it better, this Shirou is a historical figure who championed Christianity, Shirou Amakusa)
The movie opens on a character named Shirou being the sole survivor of a massacre. (To make it better, this Shirou is a historical figure who championed Christianity, Shirou Amakusa)
Also Raijin 雷神 and Fuujin 風神 are interesting in Japanese.
Fuujin only speaks in Kanji, when she does talk. No phonetics, only a bunch of kanji mashed together. These are often barely words.
Raijin has a speech pattern that kinda comes down to him ending sentences with "See?" or "You know?"
Fuujin only speaks in Kanji, when she does talk. No phonetics, only a bunch of kanji mashed together. These are often barely words.
Raijin has a speech pattern that kinda comes down to him ending sentences with "See?" or "You know?"
December 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Also Raijin 雷神 and Fuujin 風神 are interesting in Japanese.
Fuujin only speaks in Kanji, when she does talk. No phonetics, only a bunch of kanji mashed together. These are often barely words.
Raijin has a speech pattern that kinda comes down to him ending sentences with "See?" or "You know?"
Fuujin only speaks in Kanji, when she does talk. No phonetics, only a bunch of kanji mashed together. These are often barely words.
Raijin has a speech pattern that kinda comes down to him ending sentences with "See?" or "You know?"
To add to this, Squall is fascinating in Japanese. His speech pattern is different depending on if he's talking as a representative of SeeD, a party member, or his internal dialog.
December 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
To add to this, Squall is fascinating in Japanese. His speech pattern is different depending on if he's talking as a representative of SeeD, a party member, or his internal dialog.
Most games tend to scale like this in fullscreen.
I should probably get one of those programs that divides the screen into containers for these, if only to stop screenshots from having borders for no reason.
I should probably get one of those programs that divides the screen into containers for these, if only to stop screenshots from having borders for no reason.
December 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Most games tend to scale like this in fullscreen.
I should probably get one of those programs that divides the screen into containers for these, if only to stop screenshots from having borders for no reason.
I should probably get one of those programs that divides the screen into containers for these, if only to stop screenshots from having borders for no reason.
Not going to play it now, but booted up Dorf Fort for a sec because I wondered if it supported ultrawide.
Probably returning to this in a month or so, but this looks comfy. All that extra screenspace to monitor horrors on inflicted drunk dwarves.
Probably returning to this in a month or so, but this looks comfy. All that extra screenspace to monitor horrors on inflicted drunk dwarves.
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Not going to play it now, but booted up Dorf Fort for a sec because I wondered if it supported ultrawide.
Probably returning to this in a month or so, but this looks comfy. All that extra screenspace to monitor horrors on inflicted drunk dwarves.
Probably returning to this in a month or so, but this looks comfy. All that extra screenspace to monitor horrors on inflicted drunk dwarves.
Japanese media crossover: Character from X is in Y and you get to see unique interactions between characters and different settings not possible in the original work. Corporate, but has fan payoff.
Western crossover: Skinning dead media and wearing it on your player character
Western crossover: Skinning dead media and wearing it on your player character
December 10, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Japanese media crossover: Character from X is in Y and you get to see unique interactions between characters and different settings not possible in the original work. Corporate, but has fan payoff.
Western crossover: Skinning dead media and wearing it on your player character
Western crossover: Skinning dead media and wearing it on your player character
Make that three.
Hit Master with Mai.
Hit Master with Mai.
December 9, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Make that three.
Hit Master with Mai.
Hit Master with Mai.
I can't put my finger on why. But one of these screens was much more rewarding to reach for some reason, even though both were the result of the same effort using the same materials.
December 8, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I can't put my finger on why. But one of these screens was much more rewarding to reach for some reason, even though both were the result of the same effort using the same materials.