Nana MarfoA student with a passion for game development and all things Japan. Archives
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Hey all! These are post from when I wrote for game savvy, which is now defunked. This is main for people who may have missed these posts. Enjoy!
Wings of Glass is a game made by Eager Passion, a new game for the company From Soy Sauce, who created the first 3D bullet hell. It’s something that I have been interested in for a while, ever since the original concept, Glass Wing Capstone was announced I’ve been following the development of this game very closely. The developer, Sayuri Artsy has made it clear that the game will be episodic, and I feel like, with the way the story has been presented, it would work best that way. The game is a platformer that also contains physiological horror elements, however, the focus is mostly on the platforming rather than messing with the player’s head.
The story is centred around the mythology of Glass Wings, demons that, according to the villain of the game, Ferace, can save people from sadness. As such Ferace hunts down Mayfly, the protagonist of Wings Of Glass, and explains that all of his friends are dead and that he’s been researching a way to stop demons from becoming mindless monsters.
However, I found that my favourite parts of the game's story were during the cutscenes with Ferace, as they mostly involved interactions with the Mayfly that allowed me to play the game alongside watching the story. Sayuri’s visual storytelling is very dynamic, allowing the player to interact in cutscenes, giving the player a sense that they are really in the action.
The gameplay and general design of the game really made me think outside the box at several points. This game has a lot of emphasis on the puzzle parts of the puzzle platformer, as well as avoiding combat entirely. You don’t fight anything in this game, as most of the monsters you meet you either are meant to ignore or run away from. Furthering this mentality is the fact that Wings of Glass is very old-school with its design, not really telling you anything about how the game works. The game focuses on the main protagonist Mayfly and her gaining her abilities. In the forest, you gain the ability to swim faster underwater, though I didn’t really use it much because of another feature that the game boasts. Towards the end of the game, you get a Spinning Glide, Super Dash and a double jump, making for a very versatile Mayfly.
I felt the control was very smooth, I didn’t have any major hiccups with Mayfly, though I will say that the game does require you to very accurate with your jumps. I could count at least 3 times where I thought I made the jump, but it turns out that I undershot the jump, leading me to start the section over again.
There 2 types of bugs that attach to your feet and give Mayfly different platforming techniques, and they make the game very interesting to play. The purple and light blue bugs allow you to break certain platforms and when underwater, it allows you to have the same weight as you do on the ground. These bugs are very nice to have, but I prefer the light green bugs for one reason: you can walk in midair. This is such a cool feature, and I really hope I get the chance to play around with it more. The look and sound of the game don’t necessarily scream “horror”, but the look of the game is striking and colourful, and the sound design is really well thought out, having music that feels like it belongs to each area, and removing it to make the game feel creepy.
Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend this game to anybody looking for a good indie title. It’s fun to control Mayfly and learn about the mythology of the glass wings, and the old-school design makes for a very fun experience.
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Hey all! These are post from when I wrote for game savvy, which is now defunked. This is mainly for people who may have missed these posts. Enjoy!
Editor's note, Sayuri now goes by SayuriArtsy rather than Sayuri-Sensei.
Platformers have been making a return to old school formats, from the passionate Kick Starter attempts such as Yooka-Layliey, to outright returns to form in Super Mario Odyssey. However, I want to draw your attention to a game called Wings of Glass, currently under the name Glass Wing Capstone from what is an interesting history.
This game started off as a Game Jam in 2014 made by Sayuri Artsy, the person behind games such as the Bullet Life, the first 3D Bullet hell game, and founder of the now-defunct From Soy Sauce. The game is a physiological horror platformer and was going to get a remake in the form of the game Glass Wing Retold, which was going to be a new game that would tell the story in a different way, and expand on some characters.
But Sayuri-Sensei, as she and her fans often refer to her, was in college at the time, and with her final coursework project looming, she wanted at first to remake Bullet Life. However, in the end she decided to make a remake of the original game, under the name Glass Wing Capstone, which is the basis for Wings Of Glass.
Anyways, I have played the demo, and for me it seems to be a mix of old style gameplay, with how Mayfly moves like she was ripped right out from Super Mario Sunshine, with more modern elements inserted in, such as Ferace, the antagonist of the game, talking to Mayfly, our protagonist and playable character, in a mix of both gameplay and cutscenes. This may have been something used by Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot, but what makes it unique here the art style and ambience. Furthermore, Mayfly is referred to as a demon, which is clearly contrasted by her design, which, to paraphrase Sayuri-Sensei herself, is meant to be cute and huggable.
And it works. I keep thinking in my mind that there is no way that Mayfly is a demon, who Ferace takes an interest in because of her Glass Wings, but I keep having to remind myself that she is a demon. Ferace I find unique as a villain, because of the fact that seems both powerful and cunning, which I hope is expanded on the full game. However, it also excels as a game by being able to give you new abilities and platforming challenges that are admittedly a bit brain-racking, but also make it feel like it wouldn’t be out of place on an N64.
Sayuri’s normal brand of physiological horror is also present here. From the opening monologue to the heavy breathing of Mayfly when she is low on health. However, this also makes the game rely on Gotcha moments, where the only way you know something is there, is if you… know it’s there, and it can be annoying at times. The game also immerses you into the environment in different ways, as there is no Heads Up Display, and Mayfly’s health and different modes are tied to her wings, making the game more immersive. Though there is a hint mode if you struggling, so put it on if and when you need help.
Overall, I can say that the demo for Wings of Glass is worth checking out on itch.io. There is a lot of fun to be had in what I think is an old meets new styled platformer, not to mention the fact that this is just a taste of what’s to come.
I'm really sorry I haven't been blogging as much, but I have this and one more piece on Wings of Glass. I'm also working something about unreal engine 5, so please look forward to that!
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Hey all! I know I swore off long anime, but this series is another on that has been in my sphere for a LONG time now. I first heard of the series through DEATH BATTLE, and looking at the show had me interested, but I took one look at the episode count and... yea. As per the suggestion of @KingEphemera on Twitter, I'm gonna split this into arcs. However, since the first Arc in the anime according to the Wiki is only 2 episodes, this arc will make up my first impressions.
Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. That being said, let's see how much of this I can get done before they annoence the anime adaptation of 100 years quest. This is my first impression of Fairy Tail, as well as the review of the Macao Arc.
Fiore is a kingdom that uses Magic as a daily exchange, as spells can be bought and sold. I like this idea, as it encourages those who want to get stronger to buy more magic accessories, and train in how to use them. Powerful Magic users can join guilds, where they can use their magic for work, such as quests.
We then cut to a girl named Lucy, who is trying to use her feminine charms in order to lure a man into a magical key, which we later learn she can use as summons that by the looks of things... don't like her that much. She's trying to join the Fairy Tail guild, while 2 travelers, Natsu and Happy, enter the city of Haregon, are looking for a person named Salamander. While his name is being called in the city, when Natsu and Happy find him, they don't know who he is, as Natsu also recognises Salamander as the Dragon Igneel.
Lucy realised that the man Salamander was using a charm ring, which makes people attracted to him unless they know about it, which Lucy catches on. However, he claims he's a part of Fairy Tail, and Lucy agrees to go to his party in exchange for not saying anything about about the Charm ring.
The party turns out to be a trap, as Salamander wants to sell off Lucy off along with the other girls on the ship when the reach Bosco, however Happy and Natsu give chance dragging him back to Haregon, where Natsu is shown that he is a part of Fairy Tail, and that the man known as Salamander is not really Salamander, but Bora the Prominence.
One common complaint I've heard about A-1 pictures is that there anime's tend to all look the same, which I can see, but I get a different vibe from Fairy Tail, which I think is good looking for a pre 2010 anime, and it's more out there than SAO to me as well, really playing up the fantasy vibes, as SAO had more of a futuristic vibe. Also the fight choreography for a first episode is perfect, showing Natsu as powerful in his own right as fire magic user. The episode ends with Natsu agreeing to get Lucy into the guild.
I won't do this for every episode, but this a first impressions, so I have to make an exception this once, and say that I did enjoy this opening episode. On to episode 2!
Episode 2 begins with the council of magic looking over Fairy Tail's action and complaining about them, but a man with blue hair seems pretty intrigued about what they are doing.
We then head to the main Fairy Tail bar, where Natsu fights a dude who told him that the Salamander was in Hargon, and where we meet a lot of characters, such as Grey Fullbuster, a man who can't keep clothes on, Cana Alberona, a drunk, Elfman, a dudebro who likes to solves things by punching them, Loki, a flirt and Mirajane Strass, a women who usually acts as a bikini model in the Fairy Tail magazine.
Anyways, a huge fight breaks out, which is stopped by Mr.Makarov, the leader of the Fairy Tail clan, who wants the clan to break the rules and cause chaos in order for them to find their own strength. This is a nice change from usual as the leader usually wants his people to stay within the law, rather than break it and cause chaos.
Anyways, a kid called Romeo, asks where his dad Macao is, as he went on a quest to defeat the Vulcan's in the mountains, Makarov just shoves it off. However, Natsu after hearing this goes off to find Macao. I'll get to my impressions of Natsu in a bit. Mirajane explains to Lucy that everyone in Fairy Tail has backstory, I mean a hidden past, I mean backstory. After hearing Natsu's, she decides to go off with him. Natsu has problems taking any transportation as he always feels sick after doing so. They reach the summit of Mt.Hakobe, where Lucy gets captured by one of the Vulcans, which Natsu defeats. However, the Vulcan turns out to be Macao, in a plot should have saw coming but still took me by surprise. The episode ends with Macao and Romeo re-uniting.
Overall, I would say that the Macao arc is more one episode than a 2 episode arc, but it makes sense, as this is the introduction arc. However, none of the characters so far have made a real impact besides Lucy, who comes off as pretty kind and ambitious, and Natsu, who is pretty stupid, but wants strength and to defeat evil that comes his way.
This was good start to what is probably going to be a VERY long journey, so strap in folks because once you start, you have to keep going.
Finally, the Fairy Tail Series has begun! I can't wait to dive into what this series have to offer, which is a LOT. Also for those wondering, yes, I want to review the OVA's and the upcoming video game, but I need to figure out how to put those in there. That being said, thank you guys for reading, and I will see you guys next time.
Written by Nana Marfo
Art done by Naochan Doodles, with Character designs by Lilla and Jennivi Fairy Tail(C)A-1 Pictures
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Life Is Strange:Review13/8/2019
Well this took too long to write. School can do that to you, my friends. Make you forget you have games to play. Well that and making a bunch of other content, but that happens sometimes. Rules:
1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. This one in particular is very story heavy, so be warned going into the review. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3.I am covering the PC version. Also, this game deals with sensitive topics, and again, while I will talk about it, besides teens smoking, I will not show screen-caps. And be warned, I'm spoiling this game rotten, so if you haven't played it, please do, because regardless of my opinion on the game, I believe this game is something you should experience for yourself. And for those that have played before, I believe that where I made choices are clear with what I chose for certain choices. So, let's jump into the rest of this story. This is my review of Life Is Strange.
Story
*deep breath* OK, let's do this. Episode by Episode. I'm assuming you read my episode 1 review for the details on that one. Out Of Time So after Max and Chloe figure out there is a storm coming to the Bay, we spend some time helping Kate March, who is being bulled and picked on by Victoria among others.. She's someone that ended up that affected thanks to Nathan, a common theme in the story. Nathan drugged her and raped her, and recorded this and put it up on the internet. Kate asks Max if she should go to the police, and in my play-through I advised her that she should. After that, we ,meet up with Chloe who at her mother;s diner called the 2 whales, where she learns more about Max's time rewind power, but after going to the junkyard with Chloe, we learn that her power is limited, as Max begins to suffer headaches. We also meet Frank, a person that Chloe owes money to for drugs, and save Chloe from impending doom via train tracks. However this take a turn for the dark when Kate wants to JUMP OFF THE ROOF OF BLACKWELL. Max ends up saving her in my play-through. Also, note that Kate spoke to her teacher, Mr.Jefferson, before trying to jump off the roof. Overall, I would say the story of this episode was good, as it was still some setup, but gave the feeling that something big is starting to happen.
Chaos Theory
Max and Chloe infiltrate the school after hours, as Max suspects that something was up, where they find more dirt on Nathan, and then go to the pool. More on this in at the end. They then head to Frank's place due to him saying that he had a relationship with Rachel, and they are able to confirm this. This pisses Chloe off, knowing that the person she cared about a lot was with one of the people that they both hated. Seeing all the pain that Chloe has gone through, Max inadvertently goes BACK IN TIME. She ends up going far enough to the point where she able to stop Chloe's father, William, from dying. However, Chloe can't seem to catch a as ends up in a wheelchair for her troubles, as a result of getting into a car crash on with the car she got on her 16th birthday. I personally enjoyed Episode 3 as it feels like the one they want you to bond with Chloe the most. And I really felt that bond between them, but more on that later.
Dark Room
So it turns out that Max ended up in an alternate timeline, where William lived, but Chloe ended up paying the price instead. She's not able to use any of her limbs, and her days are mostly spent in a hospital bed. After talking with Max and going through memories, Chloe then asks you ASSIST HER SUICIDE BY TURNING UP HER IV. The devs like us making hard choices, huh? I chose not to because I couldn't bear to see her die. Max goes back in time again to fix things, letting William die, returning her to the current timeline. After that, Max and Chloe do some investigating, going round gathering clues from David, Chloe's douchebag father, Kate, Nathan and Frank. It leads them to an abandoned warehouse where they find the place called the dark room, where photographs of people have been taken, and they find a folder of Victoria with nothing in it, meaning that she's next. However, they also find a folder with Rachel's name and gruesome photo, and after going back to the Junkyard, they find Rachel's body, leaving Chloe pissed at Nathan. They head to the party to warn Victoria, but when they leave, Nathan implies that he plans to burn Rachel's body, but it turns out the real culprit was... Mr.Jefferson, working with the Prescott's, taking Nathan under his wing, and pretty much becoming his father figure.He sent the text from Nathan's phone, DRUGS MAX AND KILLS CHLOE. But things are not over yet. Episode 4 was pretty heart breaking to watch at points but I didn't expect that plot twist, and kudos to the developers for adding that assisted death choice.
Polarised
Mr.Jefferson takes Max to the dark room, and Jefferson does his creepy photography, toying with Max in the process. However, Max manages to find a photo to take her to the start of the week, making sure she hands in her entry for the Everyday Hero's contest, which changes the timeline to her winning, and the day is saved... for all of 20 minutes, as Chloe is caught out in the storm, so Max goes back to make sure she doesn't hand that photo, but ends up back in the Jefferson torture chamber, and with Chloe still dead. Max puts a fight and with some help from David, Max is able to escape the chamber, and goes to find Warren, her nerdy friend from school, so she can a photo that that they both took the just before the vortex party to save Chloe from going bang. She saves her, but passes out from her efforts, and the game then taunts in a Nightmare, where you apparently fall in love with the deranged photographer, show go through a stealth section that has the other taunting you on what you could have done, be taunted by dead spirits of William and Rachel, and reminisce your memories with Chloe, more on this a bit. When Max wakes up, Chloe realises that she might be the catalyst, and you are forced to make the ultimate choice, save Chloe or save Arcadia Bay?
Before I reveal my choice, I want to say that Life is Strange's story... is good! I really like the writing in particular, the interactions with characters make them feel like they are teenagers, and I like the atmosphere that the game gives you. The big problem that I have is that the game keeps playing up that the choices you make in this game affect the past, present and future. Of course I though that this meant that this affects the ending, but in reality, it doesn't because in the end,you have to choose between Chloe and the Bay no matter how you treat people. Hell when I took the photo back to where it all started in Episode 5, I thought that guaranteed me what I though was a bad ending, but then I realised that even if I did I still had to make that choice. That choice is HARD. VERY HARD. But this leads me into the what I think is the defining feature of Life is Strange's story, the relationship between Max and Chloe.
From the moment these 2 met, it honestly feels like they are grown up childhood friends. Max, while still a character that represents the player for me, feels like her own character because she actually has personality traits that make her feel like her own character. Though I will admit, she does feel a bit like a Mary Sue. Chloe is what I would call a tortured character, where she has had almost everything ripped away from her and when Max comes back, she's found some happiness in her life again.
The bond between these two feels like a romantic bond, no matter what happens they have each other, and you even get the option to kiss Chloe in Episode 3. Which I did do admittedly. The moments that Max and Chloe felt like it deepened their bond, and felt heart warming in most instances. For this reason, I saved Chloe. I thought to myself "F**k me if I let her die, she deserves some happiness in her life." That being said the nightmare also drove this choice because dream Chloe taunts you by being with other people while you are in the Dark Room, and this made me tense. Like I said before, I thought I got the "bad ending". I do like both endings though, the Chloe dies ending for the immense effort the devs put in, and the Chloe lives ending for the starting their Brave New World, just like Chloe and Rachel were going to do, in Life is Strange:Before the Storm. Life is Strange asks you in it's ending, "Is one person worth the world?". And for me, Chloe was.
Gameplay
Life is Strange plays like a point and click adventure. You go around an area and you look at thing, making sure that have the item that you needed to progress. Life is Strange also has you talk to people, and with certain interactions, you can the use the information given to help with other interactions. I like this, although the game is pretty slow because of this, and while I don't mind it because of the setting, I understand why it can be an issue for some. The big feature of this game how Max can rewind time at any given moment. This is mostly used for changing the outcome of choices, and at certain points see different outcomes. I found this helpful during major choices, where it was said that this action would have consequences, you can tell from the butterfly afterwards and the haze before you make the choice. You can also do this at will, but the game is very linear in where you HAVE to use the time travel mechanic, which makes sense, but again,this limits the impact the choices you make really have.
Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts
The game looks great, as the use cel-shaded graphics and quality of the models are on point, but the factual animation is awful to point of where I found it distracting. I understand that I may have more of an eye for this than others, but it still bothers me that a game that is 70% movie has facial animations this bad. Hell, I even got a glitch where Max's mouth DIDN'T MOVE FOR A SCENE. IT'S CREEPY. Thought I can say the voice acting makes up for it. Ashly Burch as Chloe and Hannah Telle as Max put in amazing performances, and the music choices for them are perfect. The vocal music(which, despite what REACT says, I don't think is Royalty Free) in this game is awesome, and the atmospheric music is pretty good too. Overall, I really enjoyed this game, but I feel as if Life is Strange is more of a experience that a game, which makes it hard for me recommend. However, if you are interested in this game at all, I urge you to pick it up, as it is an experience like no other in my opinion.
Huh. I'm surprised this isn't as long as the FF13 review with how much story I needed to cram in. And for those wondering, yes I'm planning to pick up the Comics that take place after the game, and the FF13 prologue book. Money is just hard to get atm. If you want to get them yourselves and help out the blog, you can get them at the affiliate links in the description.
Anyways, this week is A-Level results week so I'll let you know how it goes. And to any A-Level student reading this: Good luck on your journey. But for now, thanks for reading, and I will see you guys next time.
Written By Nana Marfo
Speical Thanks: Gwen AKA HellyonWorks and Omar, for the recommendation of this game. I hope this review did it justice. Life is Strange belongs to Square Enix and Dontnod Entertainment
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Kamen Rider Bulid:Be The One: Review9/7/2019
Bulid was a good Kamen Rider. I fell off towards the end because school got hard, but I caught up afterwards in the main series, and while there was a bit too much politics in play, and I felt that Evol was pulling BS out of his ass towards the end, it was fun. But how does the movie hold up?
Rules as always: 1.Spoilers(and I'm talking series, not just the film this time) are abounding folks. 2.I am watching TV-Nihon subs. This is my review of Kamen Rider Bulid: Be The One.
So before we begin, I should note that this film is canon to the Kamen Rider Build story between Ep. 45 and 46. If you go from here, I am assuming you have watched up to those episodes.
We begin with a flashback to Shinobu Katuragi, who talks about the energy of Pandora Box and how it could destroy Earth, and that the fate of Earth depends on someone, though if you watched the show, you know who it is already. We then cut to the present day, where Sento is talking to Sawa and Misora about the weather, as well as where the other Kamen Riders are. Gentoku is sleeping, while Banjo and Kazumi are visiting the graves of their fallen ones. The new governors of Touto, Seito and Hokuto make themselves known, with Kengo Ino, the new governor of Touto, saying to the people that Build should be eliminated He then puts them under mind control, and the Hunt for Bulid begins. Saigo Ryouka, the governor of Hokuto, goes to fight Bulid, but Grease(Kazumi) and Rogue(Gentoku) fight her off so Bulid can keep running from the people.
Banjo Ryuga on the way back hears about what is happening, but he ends up in a car with Goubara Mitsuomi, the new governor of Seito. He was also the one that chose Banjo's girlfriend to become a smash, because Banjo needed a reason to be pissed off? Maybe I'm forgetting something in the series, but this kinda comes out of nowhere. Ino shows up, activating Banjo's alien nature, making him pure evil, and granting him the power of the Great Cross-Z Dragon once again. Oh and Kamen Riders aren't affected by the mind control, probably because of the Nebula Gas injected into them.
Sento goes into the government Labs again to research the the Kiwami(extreme in Japanese, though I have seen it called Zenith in relation to Kiwami Arms from Kamen Rider Gaim) Project. This is where Sento meets Kengo Ino, who is a part of the Blood Tribe. This is the tribe that Evolto is a part of, and they were going to destroy earth together, but Evolto had his own plans of course. They also manipulated the wars for each region somehow, though they all saw of the light of Pandora Box(that's not a typo btw, just saying), which increased their motivation to go to war. Himuro Taizan wouldn't have of course(he sent Gentoku, his son in his place), so if we subtract Touto wouldn't Hokuto and Seito gone to war in the first place? Maybe I'm over thinking it.
With the help of Evil Banjo, Kengo is able to retrieve the Hazard Trigger, and combines that with the power of the other 2 governors(who can turn into smash) to become Kamen Rider Blood, a really cool looking dark rider form. He tries to kill Sento(they ended up fighting for the Hazard Trigger), but Evolto keeps him alive, probably to advance his own plans later in the series.
Sento ends up wandering in the rain for a bit, speaking to Katsugri Takumi, and if you haven't watched Bulid, why are you still here? Takumi is still worried about Banjo destroying the Earth, though in a flashback, we see that Shinobu said that Banjo holds the key to the Earth's fate. In that flash back Sento(possessing Takumi's body), asks why he became a scientist.
The next day, Sento goes to fight Kengo, and despite the people being against him, fights valiantly. Misora is saddened, despite being under the mind control, probably because of Vernage's infulence and Sawa seems to be the same way because of her smaller exposure to the Nebula Gas. Sento says he'll keep fighting even if no one is on his side, and using the Gold Rabbit full Bottle(they explain later that riders with High Hazard Levels can make bottles evolve), he's able to free Banjo, however Blood activates the Hazard Trigger to dig into the earth and destroy it from the core. Kamen Rider likes set piece final battles for the movies don't they? Ghost had the 100 Eyecons Battle, Ex-Aid had the City Being trashed while fighting Gamedeus, and now this. It's not bad, in fact it works for the movies, just a trend I've noticed.
Grease and Rogue take on the 2 smash, while Sento thinks of a using Gold Rabbit and Silver Dragon to stop Kengo, but Misora(now with the Vernage personality)combines 2 Gold and Sliver bottles with Genius to form Cross-Z Bulid, a really good looking form which you can is based off the Rabbit Rabbit and Tank Tank suits for inspiration.
Rogue and Grease defeat the smash, while Cross-Z Bulid, in what is a really cool fight scene, fight Blood, and reveals that Shinobu became a scientist for the reason that Sento and Banjo fight: Love and Peace. They defeat Blood, returning the people to normal, and Sento ends the film saying he's happy as long he can create a future for others, along side Everlasting Sky, which is a nice ending theme.
After the credits, Sento is taken to a world where other Riders are fighting, when Zi-O steps in and explains who he is after kicking the monsters asses. This is better than the Ex-Aid movie, because at it feels like the slot at the end was intended.
The story overall is pretty good, though one thing I will levy against it is that the Blood Tribe are not that interesting, which is a shame considering Evolt's character and personality. Kengo does comes off as a charismatic leader, and while a bit bland, I do like what they do with him, as he comes off as a more serious Evolt, but I feel like Goubara and Saigo could have been removed and we would have nothing really missed.
Another complant that I have is that Kazumi and Gentoku are absent for most of the movie, as you can tell the writers want to focus on Sento, more on that in a second. Utsumi also made a cameo, but it's nothing noteworthy. I also think that Misora could have been freed from the mind control earlier, given that she has Vernage's power within her, but for how she was used it was good. However, I can apprecate the focus of this movie on Sento.
Ever since Kamen Rider started doing post-series movie with a focus on the main Rider, just to wrap their story or see how they got on after their series. This feels like that, a wrap up of Sento's character and everything surrounding the relationship between him and Banjo, as well as him accepting that even if people hate his existence, he has to fight.
Overall, I can say that I liked Be The One. While there is a lot of pacing issues, characters that go missing and a few uninteresting elements, those are minor flaws for a good written story focusing on our hero Kiryu Sento.
Been a while since I reviewed a Toku show or movie. Hopefully I can get around to doing the Rider Time shows for Shinobi and Ryuki.
But for now, thanks for reading, and I will catch you guys next time. Written By Nana Marfo For Daichi Nobe, the suit actor for Hammer Bros. Kamen Rider/Kamen Rider Bulid (C) Toei
Note: If your thinking about buying either of the 2 belts, please check others sites first! Kamen Rider products have a tendency to be over priced on Amazon, even when new and in box.
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Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary: Review11/1/2019
Happy New Year! So, this has ended, and unlike Ulysses, I didn't drop it half way. But just how good is it exactly?
Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. So, what happens with the blade of fate for Yin and co.? This is my review of Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary.
So right after Episode 1, we get a flashback episode which shows Yin, Ning and Xhao in their lives before, and what exactly happened to Ning to make her lose her arms, begging this question: why not just start the anime here? However, this episode points out the pivotal plot point of the series, the love triangle(or now love square) between Yin, Ning, Xhao and Cheng(the empress).
After that Ning gets new arms, and tries her best to help her sister the best that she can. The 2 meet up with the band of Luminaries, who ask them to join them, and while Ning is hellbent on make the Taibai Empire pay, Yin says no, because she doesn't to be a hypocrite. However, they keep working with the mercenaries, as they keep meeting up with them.
Meanwhile Xhao is clearly being favoured by Empress Cheng Long, even being shown secrets by the Empress herself, and being promoted all the time. So when the trio reunite, Xhao asks Yin to come with him, but Yin refuse because of the principal of the thing, but in one last cruel twist, Ning, who has been as odds with her sister because of the fact she is still being a bit over protective despite her having new arms, goes with Xhao. Well that's good for Yin now, isn't it?
After meeting up with the leader of the rebels and a now defected Ho Meng, Yin learns about the Black Fire Armor. This was something for foreshadowed in episode 3. Black Fire gives great power to the user, but as Yin demonstrates while using the prototype, if it leaks into your heart, you basically go berserk.
Ho Meng was working on this to give the rebels the upperhand against the Taibai Empire, but that may have backfired because of the fact that Zhao is working on the Zhengtian, a giant black fire cannon that can fly. As Jim Carrey once said, war is hell. However, there is a civil war going on in the Empire thanks to Commander Meng Ji and Lady Pang. Pang was one of 4 wife's to the Emperor and she was jealous that he always favoured Cheng instead of her daughter, Juan. Pang intent is good but as an antagonist she only appears a handful of times in the series. Meng is better for me personally, because of the fact that his motivation for taking over comes from the treatment that Empress Cheng is giving Xhao.
As the Zhengtian is prepared, Pang is taken care of by the Empress's magic, and she also learns in the process that she killed her father(inadvertently mind you) because the mindf**ks were not enough at this point!
On the Zhengtian, the rebels, now with their own black fire armours, need to take out the black fire reactor, and Yin must fight a Black Fire Powered Ning(more on this in a bit, it relates to her character more than anything.) Xhao tries to take out the reactor after defecting(they realised that he had Ning, who was working with the rebels remember), but gets his eyes blasted in the process. After the reactor is taken out Xhao, Ning, and Yin meet, as Yin tries to save her sister from her own Black Fire rampage, and now has a golden sword for her efforts, but Ning loses her legs in the process, and as trio escape before the place explodes, Ning says that " It has just begun".
The Empress continues to wage war on the rebels, now with an iron firm grasp on destroying her enemies, and Yin continues to fight her with new family, giving her a somewhat happy ending, but it's bittersweet for Xhao and Ning who are together, but one cannot move, and the other is blind. Overall the story is really good, I really like how most episodes ended with a mindf**k to end each episode, and the ones that didn't had an even bigger mindf**k the next episode.
There are a lot of characters but most of them are not noteworthy, mostly the rebels. The only name I remember from them is Can Lang, and that's because his personality sticks out to me. I don't even see them as plot devices here, besides maybe a force that Yin has to ally herself with to have some sort of security.
However, most of the characters that are noteworthy are a joy to behold, and their arcs are very interesting. Cheng's is focused on her duties as empress, meaning that she to learn to put personal feelings aside, and learn to become cold-hearted, destroying her rival, but also trying to forgive herself, after having using Ning as a toy so to speak, and allowing herself to have feelings for Xhao. It's really well written, more so given the fact that the relationship between Xhan and Cheng is given plenty of screen time, allowing a bond to form naturally.
Xhao's arc is the best of the 4 in my opinion, as it deals with him coming to terms with new found power, and how he wants to use it to make better lives for Ning and Yin once he finds them. I do really like this, as Xhao is constantly thankful for his power, and it is nice to see that he appreciates what he is given.
Ning's arc is probably the most heart breaking. Some conflict arose between her and Yin because of the fact that when got her new arms, she doesn't want to feel helpless anymore, and she's mad Yin still treats her like she is. She's also somewhat bitter about the fact that she knows Xhao's true feelings lie with Yin. When she takes the offer to go with him, she may see as a way to not only get back at her sister, but also to make her dreams come true. However, this fails as she is caught, and while in the torture chamber, she begins to blame Yin for all her problems, and once saved, she is basically a pawn in Cheng's plan. I do really like that she hates the fact the feels helpless, and now wants to take revenge.
Yin is the least interesting of the four arcs, but it's not to say it's a bad arc. It involves her falling out with sister and and coming to terms with using her power in war. She keeps turning down the offers of the rebels because of the fact that she doesn't want to kill, and she eventually comes to terms with this, mostly thanks to the black fire armour and Ning before she went with Xhao. It also involves her coming to terms with her guilt over what happened to Ning and Xhao, and her accepting her new family as the rebels. I do like the last part, but besides that, Yin learning to become a hero feels ... a bit softer than the other story lines.
The ending theme, Negiai No Hana by 9nine, is really nice, the but ending visual(just one), while striking, is not very impressive compared to others. Thankfully Studio DEEN remembered to press render on all the CGI they used, and the animation, while rushed at some point is overall decent. I can definitely say say that this anime was worth my time... but I don't know if it was worth many other people's time, as no one really talked about this anime, which is a shame in my opinion, because there are some loose threads that would make a good season 2. While I can't recommend this to new comers because of the overly dark nature and rushed animation, I think there is a good chance that anime veterans will get a kick out of this.
The blog is back! Took 2 weeks off to recoup and recover, but we are back with some anime posting! I'm going to be honest with you all, 2019 will hard for me, because I have exams that determine my future in a few months, but like the end of last year, I'm going to try and post at least once a week. If everything goes wrong, at least something to I have to fall back on, right? And if I'm honest, that's not such a bad thing in my mind.
Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary(C)Studio DEEN/TV TOKYO
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Final Fantasy XIII: Review13/11/2018
So, I got this game in December 2017. It was the first game I ever bought and owned off Steam. I grew up watching a lot more about this game before I played it. I have heard both good and bad about this game. But what do I think?
Rules: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. This one in particular is very story heavy, so be warned going into the review. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3.I am covering the PC version. That being said, how does the part one of the Lightning Farron saga stack up as my first entry into this franchise? This is my review of Final Fantasy XIII.
Story
This game's story is long, so I will try to be as quick I can, but this is a LOT. A young women named Lightning Farron has broken out of a train that is mass executing people, in something known as The Purge, along with Sazh Kastory, in order to find Lightning's sister Serah. At the same time, a young man named Snow Villers, recruits a women, who says that "Moms are tough" into his resistance group NORA. However, she dies and her son Hope Estheim sees this and swears revenge. I won't do full character breakdowns for everyone, as you would be reading for an hour, but Hope is a little too whiny at the start for me. Always complain that things are not going his way, being very scared, he honestly is a bit too depressing at the start for me, and I get that's the point, but he does this every cutscene up to chapter 4. However, after Lightning kicks him in the teeth(figuratively), and he attempts to get revenge on Snow, he changes in to a quite likeable chap.
However, he along with a cute little girl named Vanille, head to the fal'Cie Anima to find and confront Snow, who has gone there to save Serah. Lightning and Sazh go to also save Serah, but all parties are too late as Serah has fulfilled her focus as a I'Cie. I will explain this more in a bit. Lightning and co fight the fal'Cie Anima, with Snow begging for Serah to be saved. This pisses Lightning off, as she didn't believe her sister at first, and this news came to Lightning on her birthday, the day before she got on that train. Life comes at you fast.
Anyway, they defeat Anima, but this comes a cost, as they are all branded I'Cie, and have a vision of the monster Ragnarok. I'Cie are basically are humans who have a limited time to carry out a focus, a set goal given to them. If the don't they become fal'cie, AKA monsters. If they do, they are turned to crystal, become Cie'th, and are given eternal life. Before they can do that, they have to get through a load of ice. They find Serah encased in crystal, but Lightning, regretful of her mistake, decides to leave her be, but Snow vows to save her and stays behind while the rest go on. Speaking of, Snow is... not that interesting. He only appears in a handful of cutscenes in the first half, which only really exist to introduce Fang and explain why Serah's fate is a kick in the balls for Snow. Beside that I do like his hero act, and he is voiced by Troy Baker in English. Does this man have money capped paychecks?
I should say this now before anything else. I played this game with Japanese VA, since I wanted that experience, and I have watched a cutscenes of this game in English, and I hate Sazh's English voice. Still, the English VA is good. I really like Vincent Martellte as Hope and Laura Bailey as Serah. And I know this is leading into the obvious, Ali Hllis can serenade me as Lightning any time, her voice is so sexy to me! OK, I'm jumping the gun a bit. Back to the story.
Anyways, as the 4 head on, Lightning delivers a beautiful speech about her motivations to destroy the Sanctum, and Hope decides to follow her and the 2 head to Palpoum. Lightning warms up to Hope(easier said than done for her, trust me), and while giving Hope a pep talk, inadvertently helps strengthen Hope's resolve to kill Snow...Oops. As they head in towards the city, they meet up with Snow and Oerba Yun Fang. Fang I love design-wise. Martial Arts get-up with a Dragon Tattoo to show she's a badass. Her story revolves around Vanille, and the fact that they are going through the motions again. Well without baggage for Fang, she is not infected by Anima after all(her I'Cie brand is even faded), but I at least find her interesting.
Anyways, After the attack on the 4 in the City, Hope ends up with Snow, and Lightning with Fang, Fang explains the connection between her and Vanille, and Lightning slaps her. Is it wrong that I like this scene?
Either way, Hope tries his hand at revenge and fails, but an attack on both of them leaves Snow injured. The 2 parties re-unity and Lightning cries over what she nearly made Hope do. F**k people that say she doesn't have a heart. Either way, we head to Hope's house, and going a bit more into Hope's Daddy issues, which I won't go into for the Sake of time. While there, the 4 are confronted by Yaag Roach, PSICOM Commander, who explains The Purge(which is also killing innocent humans) is a way PSICOM can stop the l'Cie out break, but is attacked by their own Ranks, and help with a Rogue Solider to sneak into the upper ranks of PSICOM, and all of this is just from Lightning's half, as Sazh and Vanille's half is overshadowed by something more sinister.
Sazh's story revolves around his son, Dajh, and the fact that he has lost him to The Purge. Over the chapters with her and Vanille, it is revealed that Vanille and Fang were the ones that turned him into an I'Cel. When Sazh finds this out, he attempts to SHOOT HIMSELF.And GOD DAMN, THE REVEAL THIS RIPPED MY HEART OUT OF MY CHEST, and my heart was already torn out thanks to Lightning's crying scene and Hope's Dad scene. Of Course he doesn't and the two end up captured by Jihi Nabaat.
With Sazh and Vanille in prison, Lightning and Crew go to save them, and take out Dysley, the leader behind this whole Purge. However, he turns out to be a Fal'cle call Bartandlus, and let me say this, he is a great villain, very menacing and haunting. Also I love his theme, it's so majestic. Though Nabaat ends up dead for some reason.
Anyways, he explains that they had of Ragnarok was one of them. One of them will turn into Ragnarok. One of them will destroy Cocoon. So because of this as they try to go to Cocoon, Yaag Roach shoots them into a Fal'cle training ground. Here they are confronted by Cid Raines, who helped Snow escape his captive state when he was found by Sanctum, as he always wants to save Coccoon, but he feel he has to eliminate the I'Cle to do that, but after his defeat he turns to crystal.
While in the camp, everyone agrees they have to fight their focus, barring Fang, who has second thoughts on the whole thing, and has to fight her Eidolon, more on this gameplay. After the training camp, they all head down to Gran Pulse, and after re-grouping for the night, they head out to find out more about this world, and Fang gets her memory back, remembering she became Ragnarok. After Lightning has an emotional talk with Snow, knowing that they have to get Serah back, the group climb the Tajien tower, and afterwards, meet with Serah, who turns out to be Bartandlus(you can tell when the bird is around him), who wants to use The Calvary to take out Coccoon, along with a revived Cid Raines, who is now Primarch. After another fight with Barthandlus, the group head to Coccoon.
All hell has broken loose on Cocoon, and Cid Raines has been shot down thanks to that Solder who helped use a while back. I will say Raines himself is interesting, he wants to do things by his own accord, but still wants to save Cocoon, which is why he goes after the a Fal'cle gang himself, but was their any point in bring him back besides shock value? He only appears in 2 cutscene after he is revived.
Either way, the gang head into Eden, and after one last fight with Yaag Roach, they make their way into Eden, and at the centre of it all, where Barthandlus and Orphan awaits. After the battle with Orphan, things get hectic for the gang. Fang agrees to become Ragnarok. again, in order to save everyone, however the rest, besides Vanille, turn into fal'cie After Fang tries to destroy Orphan as Ragnarok, the rest break out of the fal'cie state, and after Lightning gives one last amazing speech, and a really anti-climatic final boss battle, Orphan is defeated. However, the inhabitants of Grand Pulse become Ragnarok...including Vanille and Fang. Coccon's inhabitants is saved and Lightning, Snow, Hope and Sazh are left to start life on Grand Pulse, alongside a revived Serah and Dajh.
Overall, what else can say? The story was amazing, and it made care for all of the main characters.
Vanille's character arc is focused on how many lies she has told, and her dealing with the guilt what what she did to Dajh, and I have to say my heart hurt for her, watching her go through all this pain. I remember this quote from her: I've told so many lies, it's all a blur.
Damn. That line puts everything in perspective for me. It feels likes she is learning all negative emotions at a young age, something which emotionally f**ks with her, and it is portrayed very well, and makes Vanille a very strong character.
But this game has such a strong lead in Lightning(real first name Clare)Farron.
She is the reason why most people hate this game. I can't say I don't see why, she is a bit of a bitch, and really hates Snow in the early going. However, she is the leader of the gang, and she just has so much confidence in herself to achieve her goal, something that I needed while dealing the real world(TL:DR ver: Sixth Form is a struggle). When she made that first big speech, I couldn't help but be inspired.
I know I sound stupid for saying this(and this also applies to Kairi from KH), but when I see her picture, I can't but smile. I honestly believe she is the reason why I have gained so much confidence in myself over the past year and a bit. She is my confidence booster. Plus I have a soft spot for badass women, and Lightning is no exception. Also, I don't get the she doesn't have a heart complaint, she felt guilt for not believing Serah(I think that was her emotion speaking), and she cries over Hope nearly taking revenge, something that was inadvertently her fault. Speaking of, this game also has an underlying theme of family. One thing that I love is the bonds between Hope and Lightning(brother and sister like qualities) and Sazh and Vanille(Father-daughter like qualities). I also don't think I would have met Ellen if it wasn't for Lightning, and if you want a very personal look into this games, go check out her review of the Final Fantasy XIII saga. She does all 3 games justice much better than I could. Welp, that was long. Again, this game's story was a LOT, but it's really heart warming, and I loved every moment of it. Gameplay So now on the game it'self. The game has a habit of unlocking things as you go, for example the Paradigm system(Optima if your in Japan) isn't introduced until chapter 3. This is annoying at time, especially since they don't provide a in story reason for most of this, but I honestly don't mind, it makes games character feel they are getting progressive stronger, even it they are going the wrong way around it here.
Each character has 3 Paradigm to use in total. For example Lightning has the Commando, Ravager and Medic Paradigms. These names are different in Japanese for some reason, as the names are English, and it's not like they don't make sense. For example, Commando is Attacker and Medic is Healer. Localisation is weird.
Anyways, between you and your 2 other party members, you can use up to different Paradigm Formations. I used Relentless Assault and Diversity the most, because being honest, most of the game's common enemies can be taken down easily due to the stagger system.
Instead of having a turn based system, you have an ATB bar, this starts out with 2 segments, but you have up to 5 by the end. I would have liked to see a way to decrease the time that it takes to charge without using Haste, but the regular time is fine. You stock up you commands and when the bar is full, you attack you chosen enemy, and I LOVE, LOVE THIS. The combat is so fast paced because of it, and it feels like I'm playing an action game at times. Some of the abilities are awesome, like Lightning's Army of One which can be a pain to get(more on that in a bit), Hope's strong Magic Spells and Vanille who's curing is broken when going against common fodder.
The stagger system is pretty simple in how it works, you hit an enemy enough time, he staggers. Though some attacks such Fang's HighWind attack(Her ScreenNuke, which is OP, even for the late game) can stop staggers, so careful what attacks you use. After the stagger, enemies are weaker, and bosses in turn can change from being immune to certain elements to taking Damage. These weaknesses can also be modified with the Saboteur class, and you can fight with said weakness if you have the right spells in the Synergist class.
While being able to switch Paradigms is nice, I mostly stuck with one class for each character I played(Which after I got the ability to switch the Leader out was Lightning, Hope and Vanille). Lightning was the hard hitter, Hope was the magic power house and Vanille was White Mage b***h. Sorry.
Still, in the later chapters of the game, I found myself using the using the Paradigm Shift quite a bit to deal with tougher enemies and bosses, who were annoying in the first half of the game(they have unavoidable attacks), but after chapter 9, they become fun, barring the Last encounter of Yaag Roach and his Grasshopper mech. One common complaint I hear it that there is not real exploration in this game, which I can agree with but I don't think it's bad, because trains you to keep the pace fast. In fact the Open World is sort of odd to me. I felt I was playing a different game, because once a game trains you to think in a certain way, you don't feel comfortable changing, and it's very apparent here. You can level up you characters in the Crystarium, which is expensive as hell to manage, but with enough grinding and persistence, it becomes easier... in the second half. The first half of the game is not grind friendly to me, which makes no sense with the how expensive the some upgrades are.
This is Sazh's Summon, Brynhildr. Remember when I mentioned Eidolons? You fight these as bosses, and once you defeat them, they become your summons. Honestly, I only used Odin a lot, because I had Lightning as my playable character for most of the run. These are not very interesting to use and they don't really do much besides get you out of tight spots. Not worth the 3 Technical Points to use, though the other skills such as Libra, which reads the stat effects of enemies, are usually VERY useful. The shop is also a waste, as Gil is impossible to get via battles, only treasure chests. Not that I mind it(Medic and Synergist cover for this), but from a design standpoint, this makes the a bit bloated.
The rest of the summons I only used once for the sake of demo, and I LOVE THE STYLE AND FLARE IN THESE SEQUENCES. As a game dev, it's something I aspire to do someday. Here's Vanille, Sazh and Hope as examples:
Speaking of flare...
Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts This game goes a realistic look, which has aged a little bit, but this game does still look amazing today, the visuals look on point, and despite the dark setting, the game doesn't feel dank. The soundtrack is the cherry on top of this game, as the componation of fast paced battle music like Blinded By Light, haunting yet majestic tunes like Barntandus theme, and upbeat Jaunty music like Sazh's theme makes this a wonderful soundtrack to lisen to. The vocal themes in particular are just a pleasure to lisen to, ESPECIALLY Kimi ga Iru Kaka(Because You Are Here)
The animation can be rushed at times(you can tell when they also cheap out with camera angles), but the rest of the time this game is animated well, and CG cutscenes are in a league of their own! One of my favourite cutscenes in this game is the beginning Chapter 12, where Lightning and the Gang are just blowing things up, and using all their summons on the race track, it looks amazing!
Considering this game was in a development hell of it's own(alongside Final Fantasy XV, known back then as Versus XIII), it really makes me happy that Square managed to pull of a masterpiece of a game. While this game may be hated till the end of time by Final Fantasy Fans, and there is no sign of a remaster soon for any of the games(though all of the games are Xbox One X backwards compatible as of today), I have a lot to thank this game for as well. It helped me meet so many people, it engaged me it's story and gameplay, and it's lead character gave me confidence. I can't recommend this game enough. You can get it on the PS3, Xbox 360 or Steam.
...Goodness. This has to be the longest post I have ever done. Next RPG I do will probably be a Neptunia game, but I do want to play Final Fantasy XIII-2 and ESPECIALLY Lightning Returns. I also want to play the other Final Fantasies, despite VI starting slow as balls.
Either way, this has been my passion project for a good chunk of the second half of the year. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much I enjoyed writing it. As always, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo For Ellen, Hussain and all the people I have met because of this game. Neptunia(C)Compile Heart Final Fantasy XIII(C)Square Enix
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Final Fantasy XV X Terra Wars: Review2/10/2018 I honestly don't know if I will review Final Fantasy XV outside of the DLC episodes. I just keep getting lost in this game's world. However, I don't want to leave people without a taste of game. So, crossover review! This is probably going to be really short, but either way rules: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3. I am reviewing the PC Version. So, what does this have in store for us? This is my review of Final Fantasy XV X TERRA WARS. Story For a Final Fantasy game, not to mention the CREATOR of Final Fantasy, who was working on this, I was surprised how simple this story was. Noctus wakes up in this mystoris world and meets a girl named Sarah, the protagonist from Terra Battle 2. As someone who has not played Terra Battle, I do like Sarah's design, it really screams, old school Final Fantasy, while having a place in the modern era. Anyways, the story from there focuses on the Hiso Aliens. Sarah and Noct have to stop a force called The Eroder, as they are known as the saviors. After some chance encounters, and the Hiso Aliens taking some of Noct's stuff, they meet the Hiso Elder, head to The Eroder, Sarah gets her power coped into The Eroder, they defeat the Eroder, and Noctus and Sarah return to their own worlds. Overall, the story is very basic and fast, the DLC is no more than 45 minunits. However the interactions between Sarah and Noctus feels very natural, and I do like dealing with the Hiso Aliens. Noct even confuses Sarah for his friends at some points, which is really funny! Gameplay So I won't go fully into Final Fantasy XV's mechanics, but for now I can say Noctus handles the same has he does in the regular game, but your weapons are fixed to 3 weapons, with no guns or magic. Sarah has a special attack which has some good artwork, and Noct and Sarah have a special attack which is activated at random. A bit annoying at points. Speaking of, you are some what railroaded into a set path for this crossover. A big attraction of XV for me, is the open world, going from city to city and doing sidequests. Here, there is not a lot to explore, and makes it feel like a different game. It's not a bad thing for me, but it does take from the experience. Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts The World is a sight to behold in Final Fantasy XV, and the world they have made here is no exception. While you are railroaded, it helps give a really grand sense of scope. The soundtrack is a remix of classic Final Fantasy tunes, which is really nice on the ears. Overall, a really good crossover which combines the feelings NES/SNES Final Fantasy games with the untraditional Final Fantasy game. Go out of way to play it if you have the game, it's really fun. Well, this was short. Still with the MHA review, and the Final Fantasy XIII review on the way, I am kinda of glad this is short.
In other news, my blog is turning 1 this month. I will be putting on some new Website Graphics on this Friday, and on October 16, I will upload a special blog post. In any case, Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Final Fantasy XV(C)SQUARE ENIX TERRA WARS(C)Mistwalker
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My Hero Academia Season 2: Review11/9/2018 Huh, didn't take me 6 months to review. Still, does this season finally improve on what the first was lacking? Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. So, how does Deku become a hero? This is my review of My Hero Academia Season 2. So from the first episode, we go into the sport festival, which I will be honest about and in terms of the main plot, nothing really happens. Iida's older brother was paralysed by Stain but besides that... I'm sorry nothing really happens. Not to say that it's bad, it's focuses on characters, and has some of my favourite episodes, like Bakugo Vs Uraraka, Todoroki's origin episode, and In their Own Quirky Ways, where Deku gets his first Major Win. Anyways, things pick up after Episode 27, where they go off to do their internships, and during this time, Deku goes into the care of Gran Torino who was the friend of All Might's predecessor. However, Gran Torino says that he has not told him about All Might's predecessor. Iida on the other hand, is consumed with thoughts of revenge over his brother after Hero Killer Stain attempts to kill another Pro Hero, Native. He almost kills Iida, scolding him for not living up to be a true hero. Deku manages to save Iida, but texts his location to his classmates, so that Todoroki, who is rocking a new Hero Costume, comes to help them and the three of them take down the Hero Killer. Though the reason they cover it up is BS to me. They were on INTERNSHIPS, let them be HEROES! Still, it's nice to see Iida get some development, and finally see one of the things that pushed MHA into the anime spotlight. Anyways, when they get back the, the Final Exams happen, and again, nothing really happens plot wise. Characters are the main focus in MHA, and I think it really shines. Though the last episode really sets things into motion. Over the second part of season 2, the League of Villains has been building up to the point, where All Might explains the history of One for All, and that Deku will have to fight the deadly All for One, who can take power and distribute it as he likes. All for One hints that Shigaraki Tomura will surpass All for One, leading to a meeting between the two. Shigaraki hints the next time they meet, they will fight. Overall, this story is MUCH better than Season 1. The pacing is improved a lot, and this is thanks to not only the doubled episode count, but also the fact that they have reduced the arcs adapted from 4 to 3, which really helps the season shine. On the other hand, there is A LOT of setup towards future arcs, to the point where I found it really distracting. However, a lot of characters get some growth here. There's a lot small moments for characters, so I'll be as quick as I can with it. Mineta, for as much as I don't like him, and doubt his academic ability(see above caption). does has a very relatable motivation, in the fact that he wants to get the girls, but he realises he gone around it the wrong way. Again, for as much as I don't like him, they at least give a good explanation for why he acts the way he does. Koji Koda, a very minor character, gets some small development, he wants to push himself now he's in his dream school. Minor, but it shows he wants to do well. The 3 characters that I think develop the most(besides Deku) are Momo Yaoyorozu, Uraraka Ochako and Shoto Todoroki. Momo has her confidence knocked during the sports festival, where Fumikage Tokyoyami beat her ass HARD. She also ends up with a crappy internship, alongside Itsuka Kendo of Class 1-B, and Class 1-B don't have much bearing on many things, though I do like Kendo a lot personally wise. However she regains her confidence in the final exam. It's small, but it works. Ochako is best girl, and I really feel that she gets a lot of development. In Bakugo VS Uraraka, she fights very well, and uses some nice tactics against Bakugo, and even then she lost. I really felt sorry for her, as she gave everything. I honesty really like her development, and she also seems to have a crush on Deku, but that's for season 3. Todoroki story is more involved with the arcs. His story involves him dealing with his past and the fact that Endeavor is an asshole. Raping his mother, wanting to Shoto to fully fill his desire, just he sucks as a father. His mother was caring, but the thing stuck in his mind was the fact that his mother poured boiling water on him, while at the same time saying she was unsure if she could take care of him. Todo(as I call him) is shown to hesitant to use his fire side at first, but becomes more and more comfortable using it as the story goes along. This shows Todo as a really complex character, and makes him really relatable. Deku's arc this season revolves around making All Might's power his own, Gran Torino even saying that his admiration for All Might is a shackle. I really loved seeing Deku come into his own against Todoroki, Stain and All Might in his final exam. He also gains a new power up: All For One Full Cowl, which allows him to use his 5% of his power without breaking anything. Moving on to production values, the animation is incredible. Studio Bones really know what they doing, this is some amazing stuff(see first screencap). Speaking of, the 2nd intro, Sora ni Uteaba(If I sing to the Sky) is REALLY, REALLY good. The visuals are also really good, and I would say even better than the 1st intro. I LOVE THE NEW ENDING. The visuals are AMAZING, and Datte Atashino Hero(Because You're My Hero) is a really good song. I think the music video has made me attracted to LiSA. Overall, this was a masterpiece of an anime. Is it my favourite? No, but that's because New Game! hit a special place in my heart(Aoba is basically an older and more successful me), but I do think that this is one of the best anime of all time. MAN THIS WAS LONG. I try to keep my reviews a short as possible, but MHA Season 2 has a LOT of content to cover. Besides that, this blog is turning 1 next month! Yay!
Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo My Hero Academia(C)Funimation/Shonen Jump
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Recovery of an MMO Junkie:Review14/8/2018 So, after a LONG wait(because school and other thing like to get into the way) I finally finished this anime! But what does this rom-com gaming anime do well? Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. So, where does Moriko Morioka go from episode 1? This is my review of Recovery of an MMO Junkie. So after her embarrassment in the convenience store Moriko runs in the man again, and we learn his name is Sakurai Yuuta, who is actually the character Lily in Fruits De Mur, a character that Moriko has been getting too attached to and I think in the online world, nothing much happens. We learn of a few characters in the game, but outside of Sakurai and Moriko, we only know the shopkeeper Koizumi Fujimoto, who is Kanbe and to be fair, he does make a good plot device, as Moriko... "deceives"(massive air quotes here) the party into saying she is a University Student, and that she is really a man. When she is found out, she really is apologetic, but knowing about Sakurai and Lily, says not to ask Lily for advice. There is also this 21 year old girl who is plays as Lilac in the MMO, but we know nothing about and she may well rename nameless, more on that later. Anyways, Moriko goes to have drinks with Koiwai Homare, Sakura-chan's(the nickname Koiwai gives Sakurai) friend and former work colleague of Moriko. However, Moriko gets a make-over thinks that the drinks is a day early, and Sakurai runs into Moriko after getting said make-over. After this and a chance encounter with Moriko as a character from another MMO, Sakurai realises that Moriko is Hayashi. When he reveals that he is Lily to Moriko and after another encounter thanks to Koiwai they decide to start dating...but you are also not sure if they are a couple. Overall I enjoy this story a lot, if feels like it could be very real, and I know people who have met the Signifcant Others through MMO's. Not personally mind you, but still. There is not a lot to say when it comes to the characters of the series. All of the online characters are really fun to be with and serve their purpose, but outside of Kanbe, Lily and Hayashi, we know nothing about them in real life. Sure, Himerelda is Pokotaro's wife and a women in real life, but we know nothing else. Nico, we know nothing about, and that is going most likely going to stay that way. Hell, she doesn't show up that much in the series. Still they serve their purpose well, I just wish we knew the connections they had in real life. Koiwai is a very interesting character. There is not a lot of backstory to Koiwai, and he acts younger than Sakurai in my opinion, despite him being older. Still, he works as a good plot device acting both a block to Sakurai's chances, and then setting those 2 up at the end. Speaking of, Sakurai is only character that has some backstory revealed to us. He is the adopted son of rich parents, and after they died, he bought his own place and used MMO's have as a way to escape. He is a great character, and I think he's very relate-able. But I relate to Moriko the most, as her feelings and emotional state his I feel hit a personal note with. Somewhat self-depressing jokes aside, we get a lot of hints that Moriko was overworked at her old job, including the idea that "she chose the NEET life". The dream while she was knocked out in episode 2 gives us a great indication. She played another MMO during this time, where she played with an character called Molly, and she often played with a guy named Hearth, who was actually Sakurai. I didn't mention this in the main story as I feel it's there to re-amply the fact that they know each other more than they think, and it works, I just didn't want the review to feel repetitive. Still, I get a lot of her problems and I think that she is a great character for it. Overall, I thought this was a great anime. However, the future doesn't look too bright for this amazing show. Kazuyoshi Yaginuma(anime director) was let go by Signal.MD because of Nazi comments, and the Manga by Comico has been cancelled to Rin Kokuyō's(the creator) health declining, meaning if they make a season 2, their is limited content to make it from. Still, even if the show doesn't get a second season, I can't lie and say that this anime wasn't very enjoyable. Also, the OVA is AWESOME! Watch it, I could not stop Laughing.
Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Recovery of an MMO Junkie(C)Signal.MD/Comico P.S I send my well wishes and support to Ms.Kokuyō, and I really hope she gets better.
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Tomb Raider(2013):Review2/8/2018
So, this game was recommended to me by my good friend HellyonWorks. If you don't know her, I urge you to really check out her art, and give her a commission sometime. The odd thing is, I knew of Tomb Raider: but it was through the Angelina Jolie movies. I barely remember theme, but I can say they got Lara's personality spot on. But this is a very different game to the one older fans may know.
Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. While not super story heavy, be warned going into the review. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3. I am reviewing the PC Version. So, what does the reboot have in store for us? This is my review of the rebooted version of Tomb Raider.
Story
Tomb Raider begins with Lara Croft(now a lot younger) heading on expedition into the Bermuda Triangle, and her and her crew considering of Sam, her best friend, Reyes, a mechanical expert, Jonah, a New Zealand cook, Roth ,Lara's Father figure, Grim, the ship captain and Dr.Whitman, the tag along, head to the Bermuda Triangle, and their ship(The endurance) get wreaked, leaving Lara captured and having to find a way to her crew. After this they try to escape twice and fail, Lara realises 2 thing: Himiko is controlling the storms and Whitman is a traitor. This is very obvious, but to play up the Drama, Sam is the soul needed to revive Himiko. This involves Lara running into a man named Matius, the main villan who we only see a few time, and only wants to review Himiko for the sake of reviving Himiko. Anyways, Matius is defeated, Himiko is destroyed and Lara is prepared to look for the truth. More on that when I get to Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, you can really tell this is a younger Lara Croft who is not experienced at staying out in the wild. There is also a lot of death in this game, but the only one that meant a lot was Roth. Grim we only see once before his sacrifice, and I didn't mention Alex(since he is really insignificance), but his is at least somewhat meaningful, since he wants to be a hero, so he sacrifices himself on the endurance shipwreck. However, Roth means a lot to Lara. Remember, he when he dies, Lara has lost both her father and father figure. I felt very sorry for Lara. Speaking of, compared to the older games(or what I have see of them), she is much more emotional and I think this makes her a better character compared to the old Lara, just because it gives a lot more range than just her being a badass. Though I do need to play the older games.
Gameplay
We have a lot to get through, so buckle up folks. The basic mechanics now involve your bow and arrow, instead of dual pistols. This was my go to weapon, and this because you can get some great upgrades through the salvage system. Salvage can be collected from fallen enemies, but for this and other skills you have to buy this with skill points, which is earned by killing enemies. Honestly while I should be mad about not having this from at the start, I'm not, because of the fact this game takes place in the wild, you have to learn all these skills. Though skill points do take a while to stack up.
Another thing I like is that you don't have buy the extra weapons from a shop, you get them early in the game, and upgrades come through finding parts, or entering secret tombs or challenge tombs. These are small puzzles that shouldn't be too brain taxing, and you will need them for a 100% run of the game(which I wasn't going for, so I missed a lot of them). There are a lot of documents to find, if 16 hours of main story content is not enough for you, but I am satisfied.
You can still climb walls, they have marked paint, and with your axe you can climb certain rocks and attack enemies in close range.However, I don't like the melee system in this game, it feels very sluggish. I get that's the point(more focus on the shooting gameplay), but I think some good melee is also helpful in the wild.
Still, the guns you get are really nice. A shotgun(my go to in a shooter...when I play them), assault rifle that gets a grenade launcher, and a pistol, with the option to have a sliencer on it. You get FIRE arrows and GRENADE ARROWS. That's awesome. There is a focus on using stealth to get past, and enemies are very aggressive when you go all gun-ho, so go all out with caution. Finally, their are costumes(which are DLC) that while purely cosmetic, give a different look to Lara depending on what one you are wearing.
Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts
This game looks amazing on PC, though GeForce Experience messed up on giving me the best graphical settings. I will warning you though, the game has a lot of blood and gore, though it makes sense here, considering that this game wants to be more darker than the others. Like I said before, I love the cutscene cinematography in this game. However, in game, there is a lot of quick time events and situations where you are given partial control of Lara. This happens WAY too many times for my liking. The soundtrack is amazing, but I wouldn't find myself listening to any of these in the street or while working on a project. Still, it works, it's just fitted to the atmospheric. A bit odd. Overall, I found this to be a great game bar none. Older Tomb Raider fans may find this a bit alienating, as a lot of new elements may leave them alienated, but for new fans, or some one looking for a great game to play, I recommend this game to you. You can get it on Steam, PS3, Xbox 360, or the Definitive edition on PS4 or Xbox One.
Sorry that this took so long! The games I'm currently playing are Action games or RPG, and that does not mesh well with school! I do plan on finishing more games this summer!
Either way, Thanks for Reading, have a great night, share if it's not too much trouble for you, and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Tomb Raider(C) Square Enix
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So, this was annocenced at E3 and has released as 100% FREE game. But is it worth your time? Rules: 1.Spoilers are abounding, and depending on the game, can spoil the experience. This one in particular is very story heavy, so be warned going into the review. 2. I will not put aside any bias, but will try to be fair for games I do not like. This is my personal opinion. If you want to send your opinion, please do so in the comments below. 3.I am covering the PC version. Been a while since my last review, huh? This is my review of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. Story We begin with a 10-year-old boy named Chris Eriksen, who loves to tell stories about him being Captain Spirit, in his room on a Saturday Morning.. He lives with his Dad named Charles, who likes to drink, even in front of his kid. He also seems to very violent with Chris, as we see a bruise on Chris arm, something that his dad may have given to him. From the go, you can tell that the loss of Chris's mother has shaken Chris's dad, meaning that he's now a drunken alcoholic. However, I still get the feeling that he cares. From here, Chris is told to wake up his Dad when he has finished watching the game, so they can go shopping for a Christmas Tree. After you wake up Dad, you speak to a women named Clare Roberson, and afterward in a gut punching confrontation with the dad, you learn that Chris's mother died in a Car Crash. Yep, that it. The story is a bit disappointing this time round, but it makes sense. This is a demo, and they want to give you more of a taster of the world is like. The world revolved are Chris and what he chooses to do, but if you are rushing through the game, you may find it is a bit minimal for a game like this, so I while liked it, it also felt a less enjoyable than Life is Strange Ep.1. Gameplay As with Life is Strange Ep.1, the game is mostly choice based. You can walk around your house but unlike Life is Strange, the game is more open world. All of the tasks in this game are optional, and while this works, this is alienating for player who are playing this game and have played Life is Strange 1. I can't speak for Before the Storm, I haven't played Before the Storm. Still, I like the choice. You feel like a kid on a Saturday Morning. The big change between Life is Strange 1 and Captain Spirit is the superhero actions. Instead of being able to rewind time, with a press of a button Chris can do superhero actions. In my opinion, this really sells the fact that we are a 10-year-old. Using the power of IMAGINATION is always cool, and I can't wait to see what they will do with it in Life is Strange 2. Looks, Sound and Final Thoughts The game looks great! The graphics seem slightly touched up from look of the first game. I am also really happy to say the facial animations are much better than the first game, but I feel they still need some work. One thing, I can never fault Dontnod for though, is their music choices. Death with Dignity is a perfect fit for this sort of game. Overall, I can say I enjoyed this game. While the story may not be there, the new gameplay features and music were enough to draw me into the game. If you are an fan of Life is Strange, or plan to get Life is Strange 2, get this, it is 100% FREE! However, I will say don't get if your a newcomer to the franchise. Play the original first. Either Way, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed and take care!
Written By Nana Marfo The Awesome Adventure of Captain Spirit/Life Is Strange (C) Square Enix/Dontnod Entertainment
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New Game! Season 1:Review3/6/2018 Kept you waiting huh? Anyways, we are back on New Game! If you recalled the first impressions, I loved the first episode! But was it an enjoyable game through and through? Rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. Also, just a quick heads up, I won't be looking at the OVA in this review. I just learned about as I was writing the review, and I don't want to rush it into this. I will look at it sometime in the future. This is my review of:New Game! Season 1. The story revolves are Aoba learning to work in a game development environment. The story feels more like we are getting an inside look at how Eagle Jump is developing Fairies Stories 3. We also meet Nene Sakura, Aoba's best friend and as well as the part time debugger for Eagle Jump for Fairies Stories 3. I have heard that this anime is a "Cute Girls doing Cute Things" Anime. I can see why because this anime(Like a lot of anime that I have watched(I swear it's a coincidence, I don't know too much about them.)) focuses on the characters and the character interactions. I love the bonds between the characters, despite Aoba and Nene being new, they really feel like a family. It's nice to see in both the heartwarming and funny moments. I would say out of the Leaders(Ko, Rin and Hazuki) Ko has to be my favourite. (Warning: The Images Below may not be safe for work) She is the leader of the character team, and her personality is very bubbly and outgoing. According to Hifumi , she did not used to be like that. She was a lot like her. But she wants to change to become a leader. I really think that's admirable, and I understand her struggle as some who is admittedly shy in real life. She is the AD for the next game, so I want to see where that and her relationship with Rin goes. As for Rin herself, we don't learn too much about her. It's forgiveable in the grand scheme of things, as we learn a lot more about her relationship with Ko than anything else. She is the Art Director, going to be producer for the next game. I want to see if her laid back personality will suit the producer role. Hazuki is very interesting, but she is also the worst character in my opinion, just because we know next to nothing about her. She is not... boob dragon(I refuse to type her name) bad, as she has some interesting traits, and has genuinely funny moments(search Lap Pillow Rejection and Hazuki's age), but I feel she wasn't needed. Umiko Ahagon(please don't shoot me) is part of the programming team, and she likes her FPS games and military gear. She likes playing Airsoft in her spare time. She was skimmed over in the first episode, but after episode 7 she is a lot more involved with the team. She leads the debugging team including Nene, who I won't say too much about. She is very kind and heart warming, and that about it. We do get a lot of hints about how they became friends, and to be honest, I think it works! Doesn't waste too much time, and makes the family vibe stronger. Anyways, lets get to the main 4. The one I found the least relevant to me is Yun. She had a story on going with her weight, which didn't mean much. She often clashed heads with Hajime, a person from the motion team that is working with the character designers. She is a ton of fun. The episode where she goes meow is awesome! I admit development wise, she means less that even Yun, but because she is a really fun character, so I am willing to forgive that. Hifumi is has been on the character team for the longest time out of the 3 (Aoba, Rin and Hifumi), and she has a arc to where she wants to be able to overcome her shyness, and it's very heartwarming. She has a pet hedgehog named Sojiro, and she confines in him somewhat. It's cute to be honest. However, Aoba is best girl and I will not take anything other comers here. She is the one learning what it means through and through to become a part of a company. She is very committed to her job, and is provides the fun when needed. She is just 18 when starting out, and she is now possibly going to take Ko's place as character designer. I really want to see where that goes. She also really want's to become a adult, and these are all really relate able in the grand scheme of things for me. Going to see her game announced and released were life changing experiences for her. Speaking of, a minor nick-pick I have is that they tend to use one part of the Autodesk name but not the other. Again, I know licences are weird, but come on! Surely it can't cost that much to get a licence for a part of the name? It would, now that I think about it. Use Blender next time, everything is free. The anime looks like a standard anime, which is fine for me. The game is handed with the 3D instead of 2D, as well as the Autodesk May- Saya interface. The ending theme, called NOW LOADING! is great and I love Aoba's theme entitled CONTINUE..?
Overall, I would recommend this anime to both new comers and long-time anime fans. While I do agree that it is a "Cute Girls doing Cute Things" anime on the surface, looking deeper, there is a lot I love here. This is my favourite anime I have watched so far. In other news, thanks for the love on the Life is Strange and Bahamut blogs! We are now close to 300 views in a week! Thanks for Reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care. Written By Nana Marfo NEW GAME!(C)Kadokawa Pictures Inc.
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I love Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. I felt the final arc was rushed due to the episode count, but I love the suits,story, characters, video game theme and you can not deny that the villains were some of the best Kamen Rider has ever seen. However, what we have here is a epilogue set after the events of the main series. Gamedeus is back? Hurricane Ninja? Another pandemic? What has happerend to our heroes? Rules: 1.Spoilers(and I'm talking series, not just the film this time) are abounding folkes. 2.I am watching TV-Nihon subs. That's it. Kamen Rider doesn't really get not safe for work, so let's jump into my first Toku review. This is my review of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: True Ending. We begin with a look at Johnny Maxima, CEO of Machina Inc, and Kagenari Nagumo, or Kamen Rider Fuuma, looking for a test player to play their game for them. Let's talk Johnny Maxima for a bit. Maxima was shown in the last few episodes of Ex-Aid, as his company agreed to distribute Kamen Rider Chronicle worldwide(The game was only shown to distributed in Japan), if he got a game driver. However Masumane Dan had his own plans and had to stop the Riders. Of course, he was defeated, and Johnny was left hanging until now. Metal Gear jokes aside, Fuuma goes to the Hospital, where Emu is looking after a patent named Madoka, who is the test patent for the game Fuuma's game, Hurricane Ninja. Ex-Aid, Brave, Poppy and Snipe fight Fuuma and Greyfoxes, but all except Emu(Ex-Aid) are knocked out thanks to the ninja stars inserted. Poppy and Kirya(when he goes to the world) retain themselves due them being Bugsters, but Hiiro(why is his name not just Hiro) Taiga and Nico are now a part of the world. As such, Emu now has to go into that World thanks to Mighty Creator VRX and Kuroto D- I mean Neo Kuro- I mean God Kuroto Dan! Man, I can't keep up with this guy. Anyways, I like the Mighty Creator VRX suit. I really like the white, and the Chronos style and Voice really make this sound powerful. After Emu helps everyone escape the world, we move into the Gamedeus plot, where we found out that it was Johnny Machima along. He is even called Gamedeus Machina(Obvious Joke). After Madoka is given surgery(she is termally ill), Emu Defeats GameDeus, and to say this next part is not relevent, would be an understatement. Bulid shows up after Emu is called out to fight a sudden Bugster breakout, only for Bulid to gather his "supplement". More on that, when I get to Heisei Generations Final. The story is pretty basic, but it helps that the main rider films are only about an hour long, So the plot doesn't really drag on. However, this comes at a cost. Characters are given no development(which I don't mind since the series did tie up all the arcs well in my honest opinion), but I do like how Emu is given a lot of the focus, since he's not getting another movie to end off his character. Ex-Aid's fight is over. Speaking of Fights, HOT DAMN the action was good. I loved the Ninja fights, and Fuuma VS Mighty Creator. Overall, I enjoyed this film. While it wasn't the best Kamen Rider Summer film, everything it did do it did well(Besides the Bulid Cameo). And I will say this right now, if you are looking for somewhere to start, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid is a great place to start.
Thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if it's not too much trouble for you and take care. Written By Nana Marfo Kamen Rider Ex-Aid(C) Toei
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My Hero Academia Season 1: Review2/3/2018 So, with the pressure of Maku and Tiff(In preparation for Season 3, somewhat), I binged this. And this being the first Shonen Jump Anime I have watched/review, was it good. But how good was it? Same rules as always: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. This is my Review of My(Boku no) Hero Academia Season 1. So the story is a bit all over the place. After episode 1, where Deku meets All Might, we learn that he can only stay in that form(See picture for true form) for 2 hours due to an injury he sustained from a fight with a villain. He sort of puts Deku off his hero dream, but seeing him going to save Kacchan re-ignites the sparks in him. Because Deku showed that he had the courage, and will, All Might says that he is worthy to inherit his power. This is kinda of our prologue, and I like the start this gives us, but to say the pace gets jacked up, would be an understatement. After he says that, Deku goes on a training spree that allows him to become a vessel for All Might's quirk(All For One), however he can't really handle the power, because of the fact he is a rushed vessel. This is more than evident in the Hero Exam, where he breaks both his legs and his left arm, in order save a girl called Ochacko. He enters the school, does a few practical exams, meets a guy call Ieda, and not make it sound I'm skimming through things, but besides the Deku Vs Kacchan episode, nothing happens to advance the main story. Everything is more or less focused on Deku and All Might for obvious reasons. The other students class is given their moments, which I don't mind, but besides Iida, we don't learn anything besides their quirks. I am not saying that as a bad thing, mind you. They do have personality. Anyways, things begin to come to a head around episode 9, where villains let the press into the school to trigger a false alarm, then when the class goes to training they are in invading by villainy. Their leader Tomura Shigaraki, and his bio-engineered All Might rival, Nomu, search for All Might, who comes, but not before the students do a fantastic job defending themselves. Overall, the story is ok. Again the pace is a bit all over the place, and like I said before characters outside of Deku and All Might get little to no development. Again, with the wide cast I don't mind it, because they all have personalities, but I feel this is a consequence of the 13 episode season one, as season two has nearly double that amount. Deku himself is limited on the development he gets, as the show shifts development between Deku and All Might, with the hero getting a lot of the development over the rookie. However, he does learn courage, and I do like how his backstory contributes to his development. He can't really control his power, and I really want to see his courage, his determination and his passion to grow stronger. Speaking of strength, All Might is the best character in the show! His charater in his true form, to be honestly kinda of depressing. He says he smiles to trick the fear inside him, and as a hero, it shows. As All Might, he is bold and heroic, willing to help out anyone in a pinch. He needed help to see the bigger picture, as he was too focused on his time limit, his arc is really the main focus of the season. His battle with Nomu really highlighted that he is the Symbol of Peace. Speaking of, the shows animation level is secound to none. The style is more or less typical anime, and the fight scene are great to watch, but a bit too fast paced for my liking. Overall, I liked this anime. Not as much as others, but I think that might change from season 2 and beyond.
Thanks for reading, have a great day/night share if it's not to much trouble and take care. Written by Nana Marfo. Special Thanks: Maku and Tiffany for making watch this. My Hero Academia (C)Shonen Jump/Funimation
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Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Review26/1/2018 So I just finished Dragon Maid this week, and if we recall my first impressions post of it, I liked it. However, as we go through the show, does it get better or worse? Rules are the same as the first look, but please also note this is my opinion, not an unbiased review: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. 3. I am watching the subbed version. So, how good is a Dragon's antics? This is my review of Miss Kobayshi's Dragon maid. The story focuses more on an episodic structure, but for this shows it very much focuses on the character relationships, which is what makes this so heartwarming to watch. It's about Dragons trying to live in a human world, and humans who have had their lives flipped upside down. That being said, the human characters are a bit bland, and while they are meant to represent the viewer, that is not an excuse to be bland. Some of the dragons are underdeveloped as, and this leads me into a bit of a rant. Lucoa is the worst character in the show. She doesn't change at all in the course of the show, and her skit her trying to be accepted by a mage named Shouta. While it is funny, she doesn't really change at all, and if that is the case, then what's the point? She has no real reason to be there. Also the secret about how she was exiled(She is not a dragon, but an "Ex-Goddess") is not revealed. Disappointing! Anyway, Elma also lacks in character development, but I dismiss that to the fact she showed up at the halfway point. She gets 1 episode to herself, but that is more of a Thoru episode, in something that had been hinted at a few episodes before, but we'll get to that. She does act cute as a representation of the lone female worker(basiclicy a more lively Kobashchi). Fafinr is my favourate charater in the show, he doesn't get a lot of devlopment, but what he does get is heartwarming. He starts off very hostile, but he gets a place with Makoto. He is then transform into an gaming otaku that says "Maybe humans are not so bad". This line shows how far he has come as a character. He uses games to warm up to humans. Sure, a it's only one episode, but it's enjoyable. He also tries to sell curses in the fan service ... I am not kidding. Kanna is cute(No, I am not making the joke, I don't get it), but her character developmeny is a bit strange. She has a sort of relationship with Sayaka and their bonding is adorable, but I she doesn't really change as a character at all. However, I can forgive it, as I can tell her role was to have a good relationship with Sayaka, and act as Kobayashi's and Thoru's child. It feels nice to have a sort lesbian nuclear family. No, I don't watch yuri, I just got into anime! Speaking of, Thoru is Best Girl! She changes the most out of everybody in the show. At the start, she is a want to be human who falls into what she sees as a forbidden romance, as humans dragons are not really allowed to interfere with the afairs of humans. However, by the end she is a fun, bubbly young women, who has a real heart on for Miss Kobyashi. Looking at how she reacted when Georgie and Kobyashi were talking about maids(I won't spoil the story there for you), or when she was teaching Elma about how to be a human. Her wide range of emotions really help me get a grip on the character, and how she changes vastly. The ending theme is amazing. Ishukan Communication sums up the show perfectly. It's also up for an anime award, so VOTE FOR IT! The animation is a bit flatter in colour than some anime, but it looks cute, something which the flatter colour helps with.
Overall, I think this is an anime that everyone should check out. Decent story, Amazing characters, and catchy music. In other news, we are close to 250+ views in a week! Thank you guys sooo much! Thanks for reading, have a great night/day and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid(C)Seven Seas Entertainment
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Start Your Story: Event Review6/11/2017 Hello, and welcome to my section of Event reviews! I will be going to events that have to do a career in Game Development. After approaching Bradford University at Create your Future, I got invited to an event, which I enjoyed. I have to say though, the panel was bad, but I do think that is down to the available time they had. The event hosted by Hannah Morrish from the Student Room, started with a video saying we should choose to go to Bradford University. It was a nice video. The panel involved Enzo Cilenti, Lisa Lambert, Carlton Reeve, Benson Taylor and Iki Ikram. The panel only had a few questions asked by both Hannah and the Audience, and even with the time constrates(one of the ghests got in Late), it felt very rushed. The networking part is where the event really shines. I spoke to Carlton and Iki, and the advice that they gave was good. I even managed to show Iki some of work and he gave me some critiques. This was my favourte part of the event because I finally got the advice I needed, such as working on timing. Overall, I would recommend this event to anyone who wants to be in the creative indesturies. They do give a lot of general advice, so if you want specific advice, this is not the event for you. However, if you need to bulid networks, see if you can get in for next year. Also, if you went to Create your Future, the pack given is the same. Sorry for the short review, in the middle of a Game Jam + School asessments, so I have to give somewhere. Thanks for reading, have a fantasic day/night and take care. YWritten by Nana Marfo
Event hosted by Bradford University. Special Thanks The Student Room, for co-hosting this event All Panellists. #SYSCreative
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Sword Art Online Season 1: First Impressions22/10/2017 So.... I am really late on this... to the point where I think I will get mass amounts of hate. I heard of this series thanks to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, and I thought "Why Not?" Before people say anything, I know of GAMERS! and NEW GAME!, I just haven't got around to them. Same rules as before: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. Just a heads up, but with this anime, you should be fine. 3. I am watching the subbed version. This is my first impressions of Sword Art Online. "In 2022, Humanity has created a fully virtual evori. We start in the year 2022 with a kid putting on a VR headset of some sort and logging in to the virtual world for a popular game call Sword Art Online, or SAO, presented by ARGUS. They have managed to create a virtual environment. It launched that day, however, the boy, named Kirito, was a beta tester, so he knows how the game works. Like with most anime, the intro is at the end the first time of airing. However, I feel I should talk about it now. I like it. Crossing Field is a nice song, that talks about the two main characters past(despite us not meeting Asuna in this episode, but I can say she is cute), haunted them and that they want to be together no matter what. Put song subs in videos, Crunchyroll! Fan subs do it , so why can't you? I still don't know what the Dragon Maid intro means. Still the intro has nice and flashy visuals, which I hope the series plays up. Anyways, we also meet Klein, a beginner who to know how to play the game, because he keeps getting his ass kicked or rather, his crotch kicked. However, Kirito teaches him the basics including motion input. It is nice to see Kirito teaching this, but isn't he on a bed? How is he moving? Anyways, lets get to the real meat of the episode. After Kirtrio describes the idea of the game, Klein realises that he can not log out. The two realise that this is problematic for games future, as well as the fact they can't move their real bodies(I guess that answers my question). Klein takes it well. Anyway, we already get our first bombshell of the show, where everyone is forced to teleport for a system annoncement. We learn from the Game Master Dan Ku- I mean, Kayaba Akiniko, that the game must be cleared before they can log out. This is an intresting concept, espally as a game dev, what if humans were left to surive in a real life MMO? And, like Kamen Rider Ex-Aid,if you die in the game, you die in real life. I'll speak about how Ex-Aid handled it later, but it is always intresting to think about. He also gives everyone mirrors, reverting everyone back to their true selves, as the Nervegear can read what you're face looks like. Imagine if the HTC Vive could do that. Anyways, Game Master says that he created the game to have a world and intervine in it, which has done, before ending the tutorial. Kirito and Klein part ways, and Kirito says he will survive in this world. A quick note on Kirtio, I think he is cool, but he says he feel more alive in SAO, rather than in the real world. I think this could lead to an intresting dynamic of him wanting to stay in this world, rather than to clear the game. Overall, good first episode. I can't wait to see what happens next. Let me know what you guys thought in the comments below.
Thanks for reading, have a great day/night and take care. Written by Nana Marfo Sword Art Online (C) Aniplex
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*This is a WordPress repost* As much as I love Japan, for the games and joy it brings me in Sonic, Kingdom Hearts and Kamen Rider, I haven't watched an anime outside of Pokemon, and even then that is when it came on TV. Dragon Ball Z Kai was on Kiz, but when I saw the ads, I wasn't interested in the series. I started with FullMetal Alchemist, and BlazBlue: Alter Memory, but left them because I had exams to focus on. In between that period, thanks to cosplay of all things, I thought, why not see this. I watched the 1st episode on Friday, and I am here to give you my thoughts. 3 things: 1.Spoilers are abounding here folks. If you want to watch it blindly... go watch it. Spoilers are here. 2. Depending on the Anime, this can get NSFW. Knowing the characters(and having seen one scene out of context), were not at the worst of it yet for Dragon Maid, but just a heads up. 3. I am watching the subbed version. Kamen Rider has got me used to reading subs off a screen, and I am sticking with that. But OK then. Let's see what this Comedy/Slice of Live Anime has to offer. This is Mrs Kobayashi's Dragon maid. "Dragons." "The most powerful creatures there are." "An imaginary creation that breathes fire, flies, and sometimes uses magic." "Or....so I thought." A dragon flies right over to the door of Kobayashi-san's apartment and transforms into an adorable anime girl. Meet Tohru, and I will get into the characters later, but I love her already. The opening theme is kickass and the visuals match up so well.Watch the intro when you get the chance. Seriously, Aozora No Rhapsody (Blue Sky Rhapsody) Is great to listen to. I just want to know what the words mean, the subs I watch don't have a translation for the song lyrics. So, how did Dragon girl get here? Well, Kobayashi-san was drunk, stumbled upon Tohru in Dragon form, freed Tohru from her wounds from a fight in a different world(revealed at the end) and offered her a place to stay. I had to laugh here, people. I am easy to amuse. But why couldn't she just pass out? Anyway, she reluctantly agrees, and after a Maid training course, Tohru confesses her love for Kobayashi-san. Well, that was fast. This was a bit weird to me. Not that I'm against Lesbians or it was a WTF moment, it just feels a bit soon. However, I understand this is a 13 episode anime, so they have to rush things. Also, you met her drunk! But let nothing encapsulate my first WTF moment in anime than the bar scene. Not that it's a bad scene, I laughed all the way through it but OH MY GOD! We meet Makoto, Kobayashi's work colleague, who sees Kobayashi-san as "One of the guys", and is secretly an otaku. However, Tohru didn't get the memo that they are just friends, leading to a funny scene where Tohru wants to feed Makoto to the wolves, which is really good. Kobayashi-san is then shown to be drunk, and she and Makoto talk about maids, until she forces Tohru to STRIP NAKED. I kid you not that is what happens. Don't worry, this is not a hentai, and I was laughing my ass off because I am a big fan of random humour, but still, WTF? In terms of characters, Tohru is my favourite so far. Kobayashi-san, while interesting, comes off more as a yelling plank of wood who likes to drink, and likes being a loner. Makoto I can't judge yet because we know next to nothing about him, but he seems cool. Tohru is a ball of energy so far, and that is what makes her awesome so far. She has a love and will do whatever it takes to be with her. She looks cute, sounds cute, has a licking fetish, you see what I am getting at. She's a ball of fun, and very different to any sort girl in western cartoons, which I like. Overall, I like what I am seeing so far. Good Characters, nice fast pace and lots of fun.
Thanks for reading, have a fantastic day/night and take care. Written and Edited by Nana Marfo Special Thanks Tasha Leigh For introducing me to the characters that got me into this series. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid(C)Seven Seas Entertainment |