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Strider Hiryu

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Status Updates posted by Strider Hiryu

  1. Well I just landed myself a PS5 thanks to an email invite, thank fucking god. On a fricken adrenaline high right now and so freaking pumped because it means I finally get to play Cyberpunk. Gah!!!!!!!

    If you'll excuse me I'm going to go calm down now and let this adrenaline high subside.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. slippers

      slippers

      congrats man. for me though it kinda sucks i still havent found anything suitable to play on ps5 yet, so im stuck with playing pc games for now

    3. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Thanks.

      Good god I didn't think it was a massive as it is. Freaking thing is taller than my PC's case. My poor Switch looks so tiny next to it.

      I don't have that problem. Got so many PS4 games on the backlog that my PS5 will get plenty of use (until Endwalker comes out, then it'll just be a media machine for awhile). Sadly though there a very few PS5 games I'm currently interested in and since this blew my spending budget for the year I won't even be able to buy the PS5 games I even want.

    4. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      My brother recently bought a m.2 ssd with a heatsink for his PS5. Set him back $200 with tax just to upgrade the PS5 with an extra 1 TB of space. I heard the PS4 games run great off an external hard drive tho.

  2. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grant-imahara-dead-mythbusters-host-was-49-1303101

    Can we just end this fucking year already before it starts getting anymore ideas?

    Fucking gutted over this. Grant was always my favorite host on Mythbusters.

    This news comes even more at a shock considering I also found out one of my old co-workers also died from the same thing.

    God this year sucks.......

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Wow... unbelievable... 😢

    2. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      God that is horrible. :( Thats devastating. I always hoped Discovery channel would fully revive Mythbusters with the trio and give them more seasons to do fun entertaining stuff. Damn thats sad. :( 

  3. Since I'm on my weekend atm from the new job (after 6 days of hell, fuck this essential business shit people be crazy) I decided to watch the new Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 that was put up on Netflix last Thursday. Note that this is only half of what we're supposed to get so my opinions are only reflective of that and they may change come the release of the final 12 episodes. With that in mind lets begin.

    As most of you know I'm a huge fan of the GitS franchise ever since I saw the first movie over 15 years ago and have since seen and read everything released since then with the exception of side stories never released in the US (and own all of that as well) so my opinions on this are coming from a long-time obsessive fan so please keep that in mind. Also I will refrain from divulging any spoilers as you'll probably watch this anyway when you get a chance (please note its in Japanese only with English subtitles due to the "rona").

    Quite honestly I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this as a whole. On one end it's not bad I might go as far as saying it's pretty good for a cyberpunk show but this is not GitS and this is not SAC for me. Hell I never thought I'd say it but Arise is a lot better then this and I have way to many gripes about that show to even begin. At least Arise felt like a GitS show and story even if it was blandly done with some pretty bad writing (the Arise movie was grade A GitS though, I definitely suggest watching that).

    My major gripe is they explain nothing of what happened in the 11 year time span between Solid State Society and this, nothing. They go over world developments and why things are the way they are but they in no way explain major plot elements behind why the Major and her crew are in the US (2045 starts out in the US, not a real big spoiler), they vaguely explain the main premise driving the plot forward from that point (a point that does not seem very GitS like to me), why certain characters are no longer seen or heard from (until later in the 12 eps), and just all around weirdness that is this post Solid State Society world. It's aggravating because the way things were left at the end of SSS you would of thought we'd be getting another procedural GitS season driven forward by strong character driven episodes and interesting plot lines, instead we're left with boring long winded arcs that get nowhere (and maybe 2 enjoyable episodes not part of the overall plot) and in the end we're left with a major cliff hanger at the end. It's aggravating honestly and it seems more like this season was made to pander more to western audiences with short attention spans instead of the original core fanbase (sorry, venting a little. I felt very betrayed by this). Like I said though if this was non-GitS related I'd say it was a good show if not a little pandering.

    Music wise (yes I'm a huge fan of the SAC soundtrack, there's a reason I own all 4 soundtracks) I was utterly disappointed. Yoko Kanno is nowhere to be found here and it's extremely noticeable but it's to be expected as she's mostly retired from the industry. This left a sour taste in my mouth since, as I noted above, I'm a huge fan of the SAC soundtrack and it was one of the major reasons I enjoyed the first two seasons so much. Don't even get me started on the OP, not my cup of tea and certainly not something I'd associate with GitS (though I do like the ED).

    Animation wise I can't stand the full CGI or the character redesigns. This felt way to much like I was watching cutscenes from a game 10 years ago. Not to say the CG isn't crisp or anything it's very well done and the fight scenes are a joy to watch. Sadly this isn't Pixar level CGI and it shows. Maybe I'm bitter because they went full CGI instead of the traditional/CG blend they did with SAC and 2nd Gig but I found this to be way more off putting than I thought it would be. Plus the Major's redesign makes her look like a 14 year old teenager and that's just not my jam (where's my hot, sophisticated badass woman?).

    Thankfully the characters are the same and that was a joy to behold. Watching them interact with each other was extremely enjoyable and I'm happy to see they weren't changed one bit (this goes for the Tachikoma's as well so if you found them annoying they're still going to be annoying (I, personally, love the adorable little trouble makers)). The new characters are just as enjoyable and I just love Purin, she's beyond adorable with her little crush on Batou.

    All in all like I said above I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the show. Part of me wants to destroy all the masters and make everyone forget this and the other part of me just thinks it's a below average GitS that just so happens to be somewhat enjoyable. Granted we're only 12 episodes in and my opinion might change once we get the last 12 episodes (did they ever announce when that'd be?) but those are my current thoughts on the show. If I had to give it a rating out of 10 it'd mostly likely be a 6 (which pains me to do considering how generous I was with Arise). Do I suggest watching it? Honestly that's for you to decide. I gave my honest thoughts so take them how you will though but if you are a major fan of the GitS franchise don't get your hopes up to much (then again maybe this is to your liking).

    1. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I didn't realize this was supposed to be a sequel to continue on the GitS series. I thought it was a standalone soft reboot or something? I guess the fact that theres a huge plot hole at the beginning not explaining why they're in the US might work out more for my benefit because I haven't watched any of the recent GitS shows or movies in years so I won't feel punished for not being current on everything. I really need to catch up, I just haven't gotten to it yet. x_x Maybe I'll try to watch this after I finally resume and finish Violet Evergarden. I recently finished a couple shows and now I'm backlogged on my youtube videos. lol. Thanks for the review! I'm not looking forward to the upscaled Playstation 1 animation or 14 year old looking Major though. XD 

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      I'd go more like PS2 era animation then PS1. Like I said it's not overly bad but it's a definite negative for me considering how crisp the animation was in Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig. My major gripe with the CGI is the lack of texturing as everything just looks so god damn smooth and unrealistic.

      As long as you have a passing understanding of the SAC universe you'll understand whats going on for the most part and how it connects to SAC/2nd Gig/SSS. Then again going in blind is probably the best way to enjoy this as I've seen most major fans of the franchise bashing 2045 (not overly harshly mind you, there's a few good eps in the first 12 but it starts out so bland and slow it's hard to keep interest beyond the first 2-3 eps). Most who have gone in blind only have minor complaints (animation, music, plot are the top three complaints I've seen).

      Yea, the 14 year old looking Major is kinda hard to get used to. Especially considering the others actually look their age and somewhat resemble their original SAC designs. Granted the Major is known for having multiple bodies of various ages and genders so she might have gone with a younger looking one while in the US (she's pretty well known in the SAC universe in her normal body) but it's just so hard to get used to. Gah, give me her original SAC design.

      Yes god dammit get Violet Evergarden finished man. I just finished watching it for the 4th time during my two weeks of unemployment. It's so fucking good and worth it for all the feels. I totally get the backlogged shit, I'm having a hard time keeping up with youtube and anime right now due to the new job as it's completely fucked my watching schedule of 3 years up.

    3. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      Sounds good. I'll watch it after Violet Evergarden. I can't remember if Netflix has other GitS anime I haven't seen yet. I should check. lol. I'm only on ep 3 of Violet Evergarden, I think I'll start it over from the beginning since it was like 4 months ago when I last saw an episode.

  4. Welp second round of layoffs today at work (oh we weren't going to have anymore my ass) and I got myself a permanent vacation from work again. At least this time it's not an outright firing and I did get paid for the whole day plus I'm getting paid for the entirety of next week as well. Also get to retain my health insurance to the end of the month (which means my ass needs to get down to the pharmacy and get my HBP meds refilled before I lose it).

    Fucking sucks after putting all that time into that fucking company and learning shit I never wanted to learn in hopes it'd help keep my job. Fat lot of good that did. They also had the audacity to say I'm able to be re-hired once market conditions favor them hiring more people. When will that be? Fuck knows but I have no intention of going back unless they're willing to hire me back at more or equal to what I was getting paid (though, in all honesty, not fucking worth it).

    Now I get to experience the joy of finding a new job again in a market overflowing with job seekers and nobody's really hiring in my area right now due to this epidemic. Not only that I need to find a job that pays roughly what I was getting which is going to be hard around here as well. Looking like I'll have to go back to retail which will be a massive hit in pay for me.

    I also get to experience filing for unemployment for the first time in my life. So looking forward to that.

    Sigh, on the bright side I have plenty of time to watch anime and play games until I find a new job. Guess that's a silver lining.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I just read an article about unemployment. Apparently with the stimulus package you can get an extra $600 a week on top of whatever you'd get from unemployment for 4 months.

      https://www.businessinsider.com/stimulus-package-unemployment-benefits-increase-2020-3

      That seems like alot of money. I'm guessing its so people can get the COBRA insurance and be able to afford health insurance. I'm guessing alot of people wont do that and will bank the money instead. Get that unemployment ASAP @Strider Hiryu there might be weekly cut off dates for when you can apply. I hope you get the max benefit you can.

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Yeah thats fucking shit. I was a bit worried for you when you said No more "planned" layoffs. I've been there, and I hate that fucking word. Cobra is so expensive. I remember getting the package when my store was shut down, and I was like "I guess I'll just risk it" I couldn't blame anyone for banking that money. That's groceries and gas, and whatever you can put to the side.

      Retail sucks, but I'm glad I work it in right now. Hopefully you can catch on, I know around this region of the country not only are the retailers hiring like crazy but so are the distributors. Maybe Coca-Cola or a beer distributor is worth looking into? I know Coke is starting people at $18 an hour with no experience here, which is extremely high for this city.

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      @SledgstoneYea I'm currently looking into the unemployment but since my state is so god damn slow they haven't put into place the COVID measures yet. I'll be filing a claim next week as I'm still technically getting paid for next week but I'll try my luck and hope the COVID measures are in place (and there are weekly cut off dates, I have until 11:59 pm Saturday of the week I'm trying to get benefits for). Fuck we're one of the 10 or so states that hasn't even implemented shelter at home policies (because our Governor is a fucking idiot) so I'm honestly not that surprised. COBRA is something I'll only if necessary, I have some job leads but I have until the end of the month until I have to worry about that (plus I won't get the COBRA packet till then anyways).

      @DeathscytheXYea you said it. I saw the writing on the wall yesterday pretty early based on how people were acting and my Production Lead (the guy under my supervisor) said he thought they were doing layoffs again so I had somewhat of a heads up (even if I did think I was safe). Fucking Supervisor vanished like a fart in the wind about an hour before the layoffs happened so I'm pretty fucking sure he's the reason why I was chosen (he's new and I don't think he honestly liked me all that much, damn my issues with authority (j/k but I'm still pretty sure he didn't like me)). I find it funny though, they fucked my department over massively as I'm the only one who was trained to do my job so I wish them luck in getting shit done the right way (plus they let go of another person in my department that I know of so that leaves them down to two people right now). Really hope it bites them in the fucking ass (yea, I'm a vengeful guy).

      Luckily I have some job leads already and put in one application today to Menards (the Midwest's wests version of Lowes/Home Depot even though we also have them. My mother works there and she's going to try and see if she can get me hired). With my 11 years of retail experience I'm pretty sure I can get in as long as they're still hiring (as far as I know they are). I might see if I can't get into a local internet provider as a field tech as I have some training in that field as well (plus one is hiring, I just need to get a hold of the company).

      Sadly none of the distributors in my area are hiring (was one of the first things I checked yesterday). I'll chat with one of my distributor friends and see if his company is hiring (they're pretty much a distributor of multiple things (beer, soda, etc)) and also see if he can put in a good word for me (I've known him for years so I'm sure he will). Honestly most of the jobs in my area are linked to the oil field so with them down it's hard as fuck to find anything but scraps for work (and I mean scraps, $12 an hour or less depending on what it is. I can't afford to live on that wage).

      If worse comes to worse I'll just do construction until something else comes up. One of the local construction companies is hiring general laborers right now and I don't mind that kind of work (I just need to be trained).

      @slippersThanks, taking it one day at a time.

      Overall though I'm not that worried right now. I have plenty of money saved up and while losing my health and dental insurance at the end of the month is going to suck I'll get by. I can always defer my student loan payments and save quite a bit of money for a few months (not ideal as I've done it before but you gotta do what you gotta do). It's times like these that I'm glad I'm extremely cheap and frugal with my money (I never eat out (rarely order pizza), I buy maybe 2-3 games a year (though this will mean I probably won't be getting Ghost of Tsushima right when it comes out and I might have to cancel my Cyberpunk pre-order if this unemployment carries on too long), and I've cut way back on the amount of anime I buy now (only doing one order a year)).

  5. They done went and did it like I was predicting,

    Finally. I've been wanting to play this since I beat Automata and now we'll get to play a remaster. Was kinda hoping they'd remaster both games but I'm quite happy with one of them (as the story beats are only slightly different between Gestalt and Replicant). Now if only they'd give us a release date (better not be in September, that's Cyberpunk time x.x).

    Not entirely sure what this will be about but we're also getting a smartphone game. Still haven't announced if it's getting a release over here or not but still cool to see we're getting more Nier titles to continue the fantastic lore of this universe.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I still haven't played any NieR games. x_x

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      If I had to guess, I'd say Automata will be a PS+ free game if not by the end of this year, then sometime into the PS5's first few months. In fact, I bet it will be the month this game comes out just to boost interest.

    4. DeathscytheX
  6. So over the last two weeks I've finally taken the time to watch two of both Arkada's and Geoff's most recommended anime both of which scored pretty highly on each of their respective top anime of the decade videos. Those of course being anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and A Place Further than the Universe. I also watched them because they've been sitting on my lists forever but I thought I'd open with that little bit.

    We'll start with anohana. Quite frankly I honestly don't see where all the love Geoff has for this anime comes from. Don't get me wrong it's a good show and I actually did cry during the final episode (extremely emotional and it's really hard not to let it hit you right in the feels) but I just can't see why it's highly praised. The story is alright (dealing with the loss of a friend and the drifting apart of close friends after said death), characters are so-so with most being bland or downright unlikable  (Poppo is the only real character I actually liked, Naruko being the second after I got over my initial dislike for her), animation is top notch, and the soundtrack also gets high marks. Sadly though it felt like a lot of the events in the show were just placed there to add extra, unneeded drama and filler to continue the show for it's 11 episode + movie run (note I haven't seen the movie yet, not available on streaming services and I have not got around to dling it). Again I liked the show overall I just don't know how it gets such high marks from people when there are other shows and movies that do drama and loss so much better then this one. Still recommend giving it a watch if you want to ball your eyes out in the last episode (and for Poppo's hilarious antics and lovable nature).

    As for A Place Further than the Universe I'm totally on board with Arkada's gushing about it. This show was a pure joy to watch and I'm actually extremely sad it was only a 13 episode run. It's definitely one of those cute girls doing cute things shows but it's also so much more then that. You have four girls going to Antarctica for completely different reasons (one to make the most of her youth, one as a job and to embark on a journey with actual friends, one trying to run from her past and do something interesting, and one looking for closure after a past incident involving the frozen continent), becoming friends, facing various hardships, and growing as individuals before the climax. Throw in a bunch of cute antics here and there, some minor and major drama, fights, penguin obsession, long sea voyage with plenty of sea sickness, and interesting and hilarious side characters and you pretty much have one of the best shows to come form the 2018 Winter season and season as a whole. Quite frankly this is another of those this is what Strider looks for in an anime shows and I rate it as high a Violet Evergarden (in fact it's the only other show outside of VE that's gotten a 10/10 from me in the last five years). Sadly it doesn't have a dub as it didn't get a BD release in the state as of writing this (which disappoints me just as much as the lack of a VE BD release) but if you can get over having to watch it with subs I highly suggest giving this one a watch, it's definitely worth it if you're looking for a laid back, relaxing show.

    I would talk about Sound! Euphonium as well (finished watching it before I started anohana) but I kind of want to watch the movies first (which I can't find anywhere x.x) and I really don't want to sit here tying up a novel. Suffice to say I loved every minute of this anime and would also recommend it (I mean it deals with a school orchestra band trying to get to nationals but the character interactions alone are worth watching this if you don't want to watch school band the anime).

  7. I'm going to take a moment to say that out of all the games I've played throughout my time as a gamer Nier: Automata is probably one of the best games I've had the pleasure of playing in a very long time. By saying this I have just beaten it (well I beat it last night but I went through to get ending D today (I cheated so I didn't have to do the whole tower section again and reloaded at my save right before the final two fights). I'll most likely be redoing the whole Tower chapter again tomorrow so I can get D on my main save file so I can get ending E, the true ending. Wish me luck because I hear the final section to get E is a nightmare) and yes it took me forever but I'm glad it did. I've played many games that have great stories, great characters, great world building, great gameplay, and yes even great soundtracks (you'd be lying to yourself if you didn't think the OST for Nier was a major component of it) but none of them have ever encapsulated me this much (I say this having a complete obsession over the Suikoden series of games, by far my all time favorites when it comes to world building/story/characters).

    I've never come to care for characters so much as I have with 2B, Pascal, and A2 (screw 9S, sorry to everyone that likes him but I do not like his character and don't get me started on actually having to use him in combat. Worst parts of the game for me even with his story being so damn good). Everything they go through and everything they experience from the minor gains to the major losses all resonated with me (and in some cases absolutely gutted me, I'm looking at you Pascal). I won't be ruining anything about their stories here or giving a major plot developments but DX will definitely understand where I'm coming from. You really grow attached to these characters in ways you don't notice until something major happens. Hell I've never been attached to a character as much as I am to 2B. Watching her grow throughout the entirety of her play through (and 9S's), watching as she struggles with the things she had to do before the events of this game, watching as she gradually opens up more to those around her, and watching her become more accepting of the new truths around her was amazing. Most main characters never get this treatment with all these minor nuances and most are lucky if they get the character growth she did. A2 is similar in a lot of ways but her growth comes a lot faster and it's harder to get really attached to her since you don't spend as much time with her (but damn do I love her sassy personality, her interactions with Pod 42 are gold). I really wish she'd of gotten more attention than she did (and you really don't even understand the depth of her backstory and character unless you read about the stage play Yoko Taro did that tells it (it's briefly mentioned in game but not much is said)). I won't get into Pascal other than he's a very well written character, lovable, and gets the shaft hard and it really sucks because he's so lovable.

    Story wise it's really just your typical sci-fi plot and while good is nothing really to write home about as it's the characters that make this game so good (not trying to undermine it by any means but it's certainly not Tolkien levels of epic). It also pays, while not necessary, to have prior knowledge of both the original Nier's story and Drakengard's story as it actually helps you understand a lot of the what happened in the past to lead to where this game is at storyline wise (hell three of the NPC characters are directly from the original Nier). I'm really glad I went and read up on them before beating the game, it really helped me understand a lot of what I was seeing toward the end and helped elaborate on a bunch of the in-game text documents you find. Though it might be easier to get that backstory soon as rumor has it we might be getting a remake/remaster of the original Nier or maybe we'll get a brand new game.

    The OST is where this game truly shines (so much so I bought it, a rarity for me as I usually don't buy game soundtracks (the only other exception being the Journey OST)). As I said above it's a major component of the game and a major factor behind why I love this game so much. Hell I can't even listen to Weight of the World anymore without getting teary eyed (such a great song, don't think I'll be able to do the Nier raid in FFXIV anymore with the music on. Might end up ugly crying (and they won't be manly tears)). It really sets up all the pieces quite well and adds a lot of the emotional undertone to the game.

    As for gameplay I'm not the biggest hack and slash fan. Never really have been as I've always gravitated toward RPG's and Strategy games while only playing the occasional hack and slash (I mean before this my only real forays into the genre were the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors games) but I gotta say I really enjoyed the combat in Nier. After getting used to it (which did take awhile) I started to really enjoy dashing in, slashing like a mad man, evading when needed, and rotating in Pod Programs (I'm a big fan of Mirage, so OP with fully leveled weapons). Bosses are a blast as well if not somewhat annoying depending on which one you're fighting (I'm looking at you eyeball of death). My only two complaints about combat are the Pods (outside of programs they're practically useless (and I say this knowing full well how many times the missile pod saved my ass)) and the 9S hacking mini-game (god was this one of the most annoying parts of the game for me and it sucks that its so fucking powerful. I just hate the randomness of what you'll get every time you hack into an enemy).

    I really don't know what else I can say about this other than I finally understand why everyone has been praising it since it came out, it really is that good. I can't recommend this game enough and it's definitely worth the money (I only wish I'd of waited on buying it until they released the Game of the YoRHa Edition so I could get that damn dynamic theme and avatars). I also need to thank Platinum Games for making it and Yoko Taro for creating such a wonderful world (he's a mad lad and I love it, I really hope we're getting a remake/remaster of Nier or another Nier game in the future as this man needs to be at the helm again). This truly has been one of my best gaming experiences in a long time (outside of Detroit, which is still a masterpiece imo).

    Now to move on to other games finally. Maybe now I can finally get Horizon beaten or maybe not as I did get Pokemon Sword for Christmas and that will probably eat up my free time until Cyberpunk (hey don't judge me, I actually still like the Pokemon franchise and this one, from what little I've played, is really fun and I'm liking a lot of the new editions to the main game play loop).

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I don't remember E being terribly hard but then again by the time I did it, I was probably on my 6th play through (or 2nd depending on how you look at it) and a really high level. My build focused around no staggering and HP regen off damage. I pretty much was unkillable after I came up with my chip sets. I think I got rid of most of the UI except the HP bar in favor of bigger chips for combat. It was pretty much god mode after awhile as the game stops scaling after very few cycles and everything fold over like paper, even bosses. I was level 80 I believe last I played, I was tempted to get to 99 to fight the secret boss, but after 60 hours, I couldn't find time to invest in it anymore. (I probably had a good 15+ play throughs with zero skips via chapter select)

      I fully agree about A2. I really wish the 3rd play through was more dedicated to her. Instead we got a play through an a half of 9S. The game would have been even better if you could character swap at any time during 2B/9S's story, and only made you play 9S when necessary on play through 2. Every facet of the story was amazing, Hell even some of the side missions were extremely intriguing, especially the ones you just stumble upon by chance. But 9S's playstyle was just so dull. The hacking thing was cool until it got repetitive outside the larger maze story driven ones. They should have given 2B an extra ability like A2's overdrive mode (can't remember what it was called atm), and let 9S have weapon swap while hacking just may provide a debuff on larger enemies rather than just blowing them up and making him extremely OP.

      I know it will never happen, but damn I'd love a prequel that focused on A2 and the Commander. The world is so interesting, I'd love to dive into it again. I loved the game so much I got every weapon upgraded to max and each pod which was a fucking repetitive grind from hell. The music was definitely everything, They completely made the tower sequence, and the cult factory sequence which was probably my favorite moment of the whole game. My blood was pumping hard through my first play through of that as 2B. (become as gods, become as gods!).

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      The E ending requires you to literally fight the credits in an Asteriods on crack scenario using the cursor thing from hacking, it was pretty fucking brutal (and of course they play the YoRHa version of Weight of the World so I was trying not to ugly cry). Only reason I beat it is because you have the option of having backup help you in the form of other people's save data spawning in as more cursors to act as a shield (which gets lost if they're destroyed, sorry to all of you who sacrificed your save data for me. I really appreciate it and you are definitely the MVPs of the game. Sadly I didn't offer up my save data as I'm going to slowly work on getting all the trophies now (which will require me to get to level 99 and get all weapons fully upgraded, damn you boss who I shall not name)). Boy do they ever leave it open for a sequel though (unless he's going to use the XIV collab as a pseudo-sequel).

      My build focused mostly on health regen in and out of combat with minor boosts in melee strength and evade range increase. I spent more time pulling guerilla style attacks and focusing on counter moves and pod usage (as much as they're worthless you can't write off that damage they can put out). It's not overly the best strategy to play with but it worked for me and I only really ran into problems when fighting those EMP machines and the long ass snake like ones. Everything else was a cake walk. I ended at level 61 (I literally level after the last boss before you choose who to back).

      You mean Berserk mode? While I liked it (and I still need to get the trophy for it) boy was it a double edged sword with my build. The few times I used it would of ended in death had it not been for the auto-use items chip. 9S could of really used a secondary weapon but I found using Combat Bracers with him to be the best strategy and they're practically long-range weapons and deal a hell of a lot of damage.

      You never know, Taro might adapt the stage play into a game (I mean we already know what happens but it'd still be a fun jaunt). All depends on what Platinum and SE have him working on these days outside of the FFXIV collab. I highly doubt he's finished telling the story he set up all the way back in the first Drakengard game.

  8. So just found out Spotify has all of the My Hero Soundtracks (I now have epic music to game to) and all the music from Zombie Land Saga on it (even the insert songs, I get to listen to Saki's song legally now. Fucking yay!). Completely lost my shit when I found out.

    Glad to see Spotify is starting to get more Japanese music streaming rights and is finally getting all those anime OPs/EDs that I love. Makes listening to them so much easier now (instead of rummaging through my 191 gigs of music). Now if only they'd get there hands on Myth & Roid's shit (outside of the one album) so I can listen to some Shadowgraph (they're extremely protective of their stuff as it all used to be up on Spotify then it was all removed suddenly).

    1. DeathscytheX
    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      You mean I get more Saki and Tae, fucking sign me up. God this has been a long wait for season 2, spring can't come fast enough.

      Also god damn is Jiraiya's voice actor getting a lot of work recently (narrator in the trailer), I've been hearing his voice so damn much lately (not complaining, I love his Japanese VA (he's the voice of Hakurou in Slime, damn near lost it when he started talking in the first season)).

  9. So yea Fire Force is pretty fucking amazing and you should all be watching it. Not entirely sure what else to say about it outside of the fact its animated by the guys that did Soul Eater, it's out special teams of fire fighters that fight literal fire demons (well humans turned into infernals as they call them) using pyrokinetic powers (or none at all in the case of some of them), and it's everything I didn't know I ever wanted wrapped up in an anime. Yea, I'm extremely onboard with this show. I'm just sad episode 3 is delayed for a week but it's completely understandable considering the tragic loss of life this week with the KyoAni fire.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Meh, I'm more partial to Maki and Tamaki then her (though Hibana is a fucking badass). I don't usually like ditzy characters like them but god damn do I love them.

      Can we say that Hinawa is probably the most badass character in this show? God damn is he fucking brutal XD

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Maki is my second best girl. Shes just all around badass in physical combat. I loved when she straight up handled Arthur and Shinra on the roof top. Her sensitivity to being called "strong" is charming. XD Despite being totally ripped shes super feminine and I'm always about those contradictions.  At first I just figured Hibana was a fan service piece, but damn her power is crazy, plus her backstory is interesting to me. Even though shes probably just a much more minor character thatn Maki and Tamaki will be.

      Hinawa is great XD He reminds me if a way more intense, no BS, grizzled version of Iida from MHA. XD

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      God damn he does remind me of Iida XD Just imagine if Iida was that way, fucking MHA would be even more off the chain

  10. I have to say I've played many MMORPG's over the years from good to bad but I don't think I've ever played one that has consistently proceeded to exceed my expectations like FFXIV has and Shadowbringers has more than done so. I think this expansion ranks up there as probably one of my all time favorites RPG's in general and all time favorite FF game ever (yes beating out FFIX) that's how wonderful it is.

    Yea I know, FFXIV fanboy praising his addiction but SE and the XIV team have really outdone themselves with this expansion. The story is phenomenal from start to finish with a very emotional plot, some of the best dungeon's I've ever had the pleasure of grinding through (with the exception of one), phenomenal boss fights (that final fight is amazing, I can't wait to see the Extreme mode of it), great character writing (even better than before, I'm more attached to these NPC's then I ever was before), and an amazing soundtrack (I refuse to listen to music while playing in 90% of the zones because I love it so much). Granted this is just the base Shadowbringers, there's still two years of patches to go through and my opinions might change later on (I mean we still don't have raid access and the Nier 24-man doesn't launch until Oct) but I don't think I've ever felt this complete and satisfied with a game expansion/dlc. Yoshida and his team really outdid themselves this time and I look forward to the next two years of content and the next expansion to come.

    On another note I've learned that I can't do hardcore gaming hours anymore. After 3 days of 12-16 hour gaming sessions (Friday - Sunday) I'm really feeling my age (sad to say when I'm only 33). I've never been this physically and mentally exhausted in my life (and my job is both on a daily basis). Thank fucking god I'm on vacation this week to recover. Don't think I'll be doing this for the next expansion but is was totally worth it for the payoff we got in the end. Also thinking I should post updated pictures of my character since she's gone through some pretty drastic changes since the last time.

     

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I ended up starting out with Archer, purely for thigh highs XD. Nah, in reality I always play tank classes so I decided to go with something different. But I've barely put in any combat, mostly just running errands right now. I will say this game is fucking beautiful. I do like how the movement controls are like GW2. Sweet Christmas its rare to find an MMO that doesn't rely on an action camera or the mouse cursor to turn your character/camera rather than A/S/Q/E. I think Blade and Soul would induce my vertigo because I'd fidget the mouse while in combat making the camera sway back and forth. 

    3. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Archer is pretty fun to play, especially once it becomes Bard (it's a blast at 80 from what I hear which is great because Bard is my 4th favorite job to play after Samurai, Ninja, and Scholar (still need to level it to 80 though)). Lucky for you the trial goes until level 35 so you can unlock Bard and try it out (as well as any other class and job that's not locked behind an expansion (Dark, Astro, and Machinist are locked behind Heavensward. Samurai and Red Mage behing Stormblood. Dancer and Gunbreaker behind Shadowbringers)). I'll warn you though the ARR content is a rough grind through (it's fun in the early game but gets tedious as fuck once you clear the main story of ARR) and causes a lot of potential new players to quit due to the sheer content to go through.

      Not going to lie with the tank changes they are so much more fun to play then they ever have been. Sadly you're stuck to Glad/Paladin and Mara/Warrior but both have their fun aspects if you want to try out a tank (I prefer Paladin since I like to solo old content but Warrior is a freaking beast in the right hands).

      Hmm, must be your router settings then. I dl'd all of Shadowbringers in 20 minutes on a 6-12 mb dl (after I had to fuck with my setting because it kept killing itself, didn't stay constant). Then again you were downloading the entirety of ARR which is pretty fucking huge (Shadowbringers was only 7.5 gigs or so).

      I honestly think you'll enjoy it once you start getting further along. Dungeons are a blast to play through and the story is pretty fucking good in ARR (not Shadowbringers good sadly but still good. Sadly a lot of the quests are rather repetitive but what quests aren't in an MMO). Plus the community is awesome and most people are always willing to help you out if you need it (don't know what server you're on but for the most part every server is full of helpful and friendly people).

    4. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I do like that there is kill credit for enemies someone else engages. Not quite like GW2 where you get full XP, but better than every other MMO outside of these two. Repetitive quests for me only get bad when you're fighting with someone else to kill things to complete it. XD I also have to get use to how armor works. I totally screwed by picking a hooded chest peice not knowing you can't wear head gear when its equipped. I regret it mostly because it looks like trash and I only picked it for its higher stats. But meh, It'll be replaced soon enough.

      I dunno if it was my router settings. GW2 updates download at 10mbps. Anything outside of a launcher downloads at 60-100mph. Launchers have always downloaded way slower than my internet speed. I just figured it was launchers.

  11. So it might be a tad bit early but I'm thinking that The Promised Neverland is going down as my anime of the year (beating out Boogiepop, Demon Slayer, and Fruits Basket). Man was that a fun trip through some pretty gruesome themes and interesting concepts. Highly suggest watching this when it gets dubbed (unless you want to watch it subbed (I mean come on it's that good)).

    I knew going into it that it was a horror/psychological anime but boy do they trick you when you first start watching it as it's all fun and games right until the end of the first episode. Quite honestly I really don't know how to summarize my thoughts on the show because it's hard to really say anything without ruining the shows premise and horror element (which they really drive home in the latter episodes).

    I will say the story is pretty damn good from start to finish even if they leave you with more questions then they do answers (I know they'll get into that later (it got greenlit for another season) but they really do a bad job setting up why things are the way they are in the first season but I guess its the same in the manga), the characters for the most part are intriguing and interesting (most of the secondary cast it rather bleh but the main characters really sell the show and does the main antagonist)), animation is top notch and damn well done (some of the best this year only taking second to Demon Slayer for me), and the soundtrack is damn good (that opening though, not Demon Slayer topping but still damn good).

    Honestly I'm disappointed I didn't watch it when it was airing but I'm glad I could just marathon through it in three days because waiting each week for one new ep would of been painful. Happy its getting a second season but I'm sad that won't be until next year at the earliest. Solid 9/10 for me (would of gone 10/10 but there were a few things I had issues with toward the end). Now I just need to watch Kaguya-sama and Quintessential Quintuplets and I'll be caught up on last seasons shows that I wanted to watch.

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      So early to call. XD Currently Slime is a top contender for me. But I have no doubt it will get knocked off by something as there's still plenty of months left. I just watched the first ep of shield hero and i find it hilarious people got mad about this ep. It was nothing compared to Goblin Slayer's first ep. Then I'm watching YU-NO where the main characters step mom is blackmailed into intercourse. It didn't show any of it, but heavily implied it with wet bed sheets and a trashcan of condom wrappers (How is this TV-14 funi? wtf?). Honestly, that one made me cringe harder than the other two. Although I don't think I'll ever get as angry as when Lafter got murdered out of the blue in IBO.

      Wow. that was a tangent. Anyways, yeah Shield Hero... pretty good so far... but man, Isekai is becoming to anime what FPS is to gaming. I kinda wish we could go back to a Mecha golden age.

  12. Forgot to post about this earlier in the week but I got around to watching Magical Girls Spec-Ops Asuka (finished it Tuesday night) and I gotta say it wasn't as bad as everyone has been saying it is (a solid 7/10 for me). Don't get me wrong it's far from perfect (that animation quality is terrible, good lord are we back in the 90's here) but it was an enjoyable mess from start to finish. Quite honestly outside of animation issues as I mentioned and the story (don't get me started here, to much to nitpick and honestly I wasn't watching it for the story) everything else was good (the music was good (that OP is a banger), the characters were somewhat bland (though well written for what the show is) and they don't really spend enough time introducing anyone outside of Asuka, Kurumi (that sadistic little nurse, I don't know why but I like her character) and Asuka's friends (a big disappointment, I'd of liked to have gotten to know each of the other 3 magical girls (especially the Taiwanese one, they give us a short 10 min intro and then bam it's done). Plus the fight scenes were gory as hell and quite enjoyable to watch (though the torture was a bit much).

    Honestly hope this gets a 2nd season but I highly doubt it based on the ratings it got (I mean they obviously leave it open for a 2nd season and there's plenty of material for them to adapt for another season). Though if it does they need to get a different studio to animate it because it's obvious LIDENFILMS can't (again that animation was terrible and wonky as all hell).

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      They definitely could have done a lot better with it. You pretty much covered it all. Its entertaining all the way through if you just take it for what it is. I always wonder what popular classics wouldn't have reached their cult status if critics and content creators had as much influence today as back then when they were non existent. Not saying that Asuka would be considered a masterpiece if it was from that time or anything. XD

  13. Watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse tonight and I have to say the movie was spectacular and definitely lived up to all the hype surrounding it. Probably one of my favorite superhero movies now and I fully understand why it won an Oscar.

    Story was great from start to finish, though I really don't know what to think of the animation style it certainly worked in this movies favor (a little jarring at first but I was definitely starting to feel it toward the end), and while I'm not usually into the music used into the show I have to say the soundtrack is fucking awesome. Kinda wish I would of went to see this in the theater but that didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the movie.

    Really hope we get another one like this (seems there is a sequel of sorts in the works and a few spin-offs as well) because it definitely deserves one. I also have to say the Spider-Man Noir is probably going down as my favorite Spider-Man.

  14. Totally hyped for the new expansion for FFXIV, Shadowbringers, after this mornings announcements at the Fan Fest in Paris. We're getting a 24-man raid devoted to Nier called YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse and Yoko Taro is overseeing its creation, fucking sweet. It's supposed to further the Nier story as well (and if the concept art is to be believed it's sometime after the Automata storyline).

    Say what you will about FFXIV but god damn do we get some awesome shit due to Square-Enix properties and their connections. I just fucking hope I can finally get my 2B glamour I've been wanting for my character. This just mean I need to quit being lazy and beat Automata before October (when this should probably launch since the expansion comes out in July).

    1. Show previous comments  3 more
    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Really I'm more underwhelmed by certain aspects of the game, mostly the gun play (it feels really slow and clunky with and emphasis on certain weapons. Don't get me wrong Destiny 2 has a lot of issues but the one thing I thought Bungie did right was the gun play (though their constant need for balance fucks that up more often then not)). Don't get me wrong I had fun when we tried to do the Stronghold and I certainly did enjoy certain aspects of what we were given I just feel the game still needs a lot of work. I get this is a 6 week old build but if that's the state the game was in 6-7 weeks ago I don't really have high hopes for the final build (yes lots of work can be done in that amount of time but still). Plus it's obvious EA/Bioware really needs to beef up their server structure because the amount of issues it had was not good. Honestly I don't feel I'd get my $60 worth if I bought it in it's current state. I'll wait for reviews and opinions from those I trust before I make the decision to buy it or not but with me dropping $200+ on Shadowbringers on Wed (when pre-order goes live, I must have the Collector's Edition (yea I'm obsessed with CE's)) I need to pick and choose what I spend my money wisely this year game wise (kinda the reason why I'm also not purchasing The Division 2 (well that and the fact that I have no faith in it being better than The Division)). And again I'm just having issues getting excited to play games on my PS4 (fuck I've barely played my Switch and I adore SSBU, I just haven't had the time).

      I will beat Nier before October because I'd be doing myself a disservice of not doing so. I love the story so far, the combat has really grown on me (though I do find myself having some issues here and their), and I love the amount of exploring and random shit I can do. As I said time constraints and being lazy has pushed it to the side (and I was doing so good to, I was trying to get in 1-3 hours on Sundays but then I started getting sidetracked by shit on Netflix and Youtube) and FFXIV hasn't helped any with that as well (which is odd since I'm in the middle of major patch content without much to do, I find myself doing minor shit that's not important to what I'm currently trying to do).

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      The gunplay is underwhelming. It took me a while to realize why I was having such ammo trouble until I realized the game is more about L1 and R1 spam while using the guns to fill the gap. Which already presents a problem since the max damage comes from primers and igniters. Yet they've bothered to put in some skills that aren't either. People are already expressing concern over build limitations and stale metas. We'll see how it plays out.

      The Division 2 mechanically will most likely be the same. I'm fine with that. The TTK is better, and the engine has been upgraded to handle aspects of the game better like the armor revamp that will do away with those one shot shotgun rushers that plagued the first game for the sake of "difficulty". But you're right, it will most likely follow a similar formula in a new setting. It works for me. I dunno what it is about it, but the game has always had a gritty old school charm to it. With all the expansions being free for year one, I just have to dive in.

      Speaking of SSBU, I reallllly want 2B with A2 as her echo fighter. I'm kinda jealous Soul Caliber got her.

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      My only worry is the story. I get it not everyone played The Division for the story but I actually enjoyed it and they never continued the main story from vanilla The Division which always rubbed me the wrong way (yea I know there's audio files and what not down in the Underground that kinda give you some semblance of where Keener went but the 3 dlc's never continued that story). I was kinda hoping they'd continue that story with the 2nd game (back before we knew we were getting one) and it looks like it won't due to the setting and what little we can glean from the trailers. I actually really liked the gameplay for the original, it's probably one of the better looter shooters our there even if the drop RNG sucked balls originally (I really like what they did with the game by adding it loot caches for leveling up and adding that new pier area, it really added more to do). My only real problem is the fact that while you can, technically, play the game solo it's obvious the game is structured to be played with friends and The Division 2 even more so (while that's not difficult for most people to accomplish it's hard for me when I have no other friends buying it besides you, all my other friends hated the original and have no interest in this one) and that really sucked the fun out of it for me which is why I quit playing The Division. I honestly hope its a good game but I won't be buying it unless it gets stellar reviews (much like my thoughts on Anthem).

      Heh, 2B would break SSBU like she did Soul Caliber so maybe it's a good thing she's not in it (though I would not be against it and it's not like there aren't plenty of other characters that break the game).

  15. So after counting the cash and gift cards I got for my birthday in Oct and for Christmas I finally just broke down and ordered a Switch today all because I want the new Smash Brothers (damn you Nintendo, why do you do this to me. You know I have an obsession with SSB).

    So yeah, I now get to start the journey of being a Switch owner (I just wish it didn't cost so much freaking money x.x).

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Smash is amazing. I beat World of Light two days ago. It took me around 34 hours. Quite impressive for a "campaign". It wasn't perfect, and there were a lot of things they could have improved on it to make it truly in depth and interesting. But for what it is, it's a blast for sure. If Kirby, Mario, Marth or Shiek isn't one of your best, you might be waiting a long time to unlock someone you love though. There is a cheese method, but I went with the legit route. At least the larger, heavier characters are worth plaything. They're quite nimble while keeping their power. Bowser was super clutch for me at times when I needed more damage per hit, and I've never liked playing as him. By the end of it I was flipping between my main Ness, Lucina, and Fox, with a sprinkle of Captain Falcon, Belmont, and Bowser.

      Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild are fantastic games as well. I have a lot of smaller games like Mega Man 11 and the Blaster Master remastered. I typically save those for when I'm sitting at the repair shop waiting on maintenance. It may not be my most played console, but its def the most clutch console for boring situations.

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Good thing I was good with Marth in the Gamecube version (though that was years ago) though I was even better with Roy or Link (and I'm not to shabby with Kirby or Pikachu). I've seen quite a bit of the game through watching streamers and that's what made me want it (well that and my co-worker gushing about it). Can't wait until it gets here next week because this should provide me with plenty of shit to keep me busy until Ace Combat comes out (well Nier as well, I'm still nowhere near beating it yet).

      I'm thinking once I get the money I'll be picking up Octopath Traveler (I'm a sucker for old school JRPG's) and I might pick up BotW (I'm not overly that interested in it since I've never been the biggest Zelda fan (the only Zelda game I've ever enjoyed was A Link to the the Past) but the open world aspect had me intrigued (and from what I've seen of it the story is phenomenal)). I'm pretty much getting it for those reasons as well, will be nice to have for road trips and the occasional visit to the mechanic instead of staying glued to my phone like I usually do.

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      If you like Marth, Lucina is freaking amazing. I instantly fell in love with her when I tried her out after unlocking her. She has the same move set, but her sword does damage equally across the whole blade rather than the tip having the most power like Marth. To me it just feels better all around. The last one I played was Brawl, but not very much of it as I didn't really care for Wii and I never got a Wii U. That being said, a lot of the characters are brand new to me since I missed a lot of time. I logged endless hours on Melee, I'm sure you'll get your bearings quick once you jump in like I did. For the most part, all the classic characters feel exactly the same, except Gannondorf, they changed some of his moves slightly, I guess to make him less of a Captain Falcon heavy. They also got rid of a lot of cheese. Its much harder to back carry someone off the side and toss them with DK, or ledge drop and spit with Kirby.

      I'm not an old school JRPG fan, but I almost did get Octopath, and then Ys: VIII caught my eye and I never looked back. The great thing about Octopath is it will be one of those games that lasts  the full 6 hours off battery.

  16. Sigh, I actually had to break down and get a FunimationNow account because half the shows I was planning on watching on CR got pulled yesterday (and I didn't actually realize Funi had the license). Going to go broke if this shit keeps happening >.<

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I figured this was going to happen. Content wise I figured CR was getting the most benefit from the deal. I guess they thought taking a gamble that people will sub because of lost content was more valuable than free content from cross licensing.

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Honestly I didn't lose much is this split. I'm just sad I have to spend $6 a month just to watch the shows I had planned on watching since CR had them (like Chrono Crusade and Time Travel Girl) and I can't afford to buy them/take a chance on not liking them. Once I watch the 8-10 shows I had planned on I will be ditching the Funi account because, in all honesty, CR has much more to offer me then Funi ever will since I watch subtitled anime exclusively (plus CR has, with few exceptions, had most of the simulcast licenses for years). Plus CR didn't lose everything, only stuff they have actual physical releases for before putting them up for streaming (like the aforementioned titles). They still have the streaming rights to shows like Saga of Tanya the Evil, One Piece, Dragonball Super, My Hero, Attack on Titan, and etc.

      Honestly everyone kinda loses out but I do agree CR got the raw end of the deal if you were using it for Funi sub titles exclusively but for those like me it really wasn't much of a loss. I'm just glad I got to finish watching Heat Guy J before this happened (well I would of watched in on Funi I guess but I'm just glad I got it watched before hand).

  17. Originally I wasn't going to say anything until I actually finished watching the series (which should be Monday or Tuesday night) but you were right DX, The Ancient Magus' bride is spectacular and I say this after only watching 15 episodes.

    I have to say it's up there with Violet Evergarden for both visuals and story (and it's been awhile since I've seen a show that has completely drawn me in to the point that I sacrifice sleep just to watch another episode). I honestly didn't think the premise would suck me in this much but I'm glad it did (and both episodes with Nevin were extremely well done (I shed some manly tears they were so emotionally impacting)).

    I honestly have to say this is probably going down as one of my favorites shows from the last few years (which isn't really hard considering my problems with the last few seasons), only taking second to the masterpiece that was Violet Evergarden. I can't recommend this show enough for those who want a story driven show focused on character development and world building (I'm just sad I only have 8 episodes and 3 OVA's left, really hope this gets another season once the manga gets further along).

     

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Chise's character development really makes the show, and they do a wonderful job of world and lore building along side the character development without stalling or dragging things out to do it. We definitely need more quality content like this and Violet Evergarden. 

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Yes it does and they do such a wonderful job of showing her progress as she goes from being a shell to finally being the person she is. The world building is wonderful especially how they slowly introduce you to the various different things to be found on the magical side (from introducing you to the land of the dragons to the Fae Lands).

      I finished the OVA last night and the main series Monday and I have to say overall this show was a complete joy to watch. I'm not really hip on how they ended the series but I understand that that was all the material they had to work with as the manga isn't really much further then that (nor am I to happy with how things turned out for Chise, being stuck in a situation like that kinda sucks). The OVA was a nice look into Chise's past and really helped cement how bad her childhood really was (and boy was it horrible, I feel so sorry for her having to put up with that (I do find it funny how it mirrors Natsume's childhood from Natsume's Book of Friends (an extremely wonderful show that I think you'd like if you haven't seen it yet, both shows deal with ostracized main characters but the over all story is completely different))). Overall I really loved this show and can't recommend it enough (so fucking happy Funimation has the license for this, totally buying it when it comes out on BD).

      Sadly I don't mark it as high as VE because I think VE sets the bar extremely high but I don't disagree, we really need more quality content like this and VE. I'm really sick and tired of all the harem shows, over-the-top action shows (a few here and there are fine but the market is over saturated (though I believe we need more MHA, way more MHA), and the general run of the mill shit we always get (I can't add school related shows here, I actually enjoy those).

  18. So I finished watching the first season of My Hero Academia tonight and you were right DX I absolutely love the show. I think most of that has to do with my absolute adoration for All Might but I could be wrong (but I'm sure I'm not, you can't hate the man he's just fucking perfect).

    Gotta say for a shounen series it certainly has a lot going for it. Great humor, awesome character development and characters , a good story (I only say good for now as it's only S1 that I've finished, I hear it gets a lot better), and a pretty kick ass soundtrack. Not going to say I don't have any problems with the show (it suffers from some of the things I hate about shounen series) but those are greatly overshadowed by everything I said before.

    I'm honestly looking forward to starting S2 tomorrow (thank god I'm on vacation) and hopefully starting S3 before I go back to work (if I don't get lost in the myriad of other things I have to do this week).

    1. Show previous comments  3 more
    2. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I think what makes this series shine over other shounen is it never drags ass. The sports festival was awesome because every fight and event was finished in 2 episodes or less and moved on to the next. Flashbacks were kept to a minimum. Overall the series stays focused. Season 3 doesnt waste anytime, just now are we finally given a breather with the last two eps.

    3. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      The constant action and focus on continuing the story has been rather refreshing and the nice little 2-3 ep bridge episodes are rather nice (and very informative). Finally a shounen series with no filler (my god I think the world might end).

      Yeah my friend warned me (and I already knew) that shit gets pretty intense at the start of season 3. I decided to hold off starting it until tomorrow because it will only take me 3 days to get to current (ep 53 as of yesterday/tonight) and then I can switch this to my normal Saturday night shows (when I sit down to watch Steins:Gate and Overlord) and I can finally finish re-watching Mai-Hime.

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Bah, now I feel lost. Finally got caught up to current and I'm sad because I can't just watch 5-6 episodes a night anymore. Been a long time since I've had this feeling while watching an anime.

      Man that fight between All Might and All for One was spectacular. Such an intense two episodes (not to mention the whole training camp). God damn I'm glad I picked this up. Now I'm just curious about how they'll end season 3 (I really hate my inability to just be surprised, all the possibilities they can use (though I hope they go with what I'm predicting, will make Season 4 even better if they do)).

  19. Absolutely gutted and devastated to hear of Anthony Bourdain's death, turned an already shitty day into an extremely shitty day. I would of said something earlier but I had to come to terms and sort out my own thoughts on this (and of course get through a 10 hour work day).

    The world truly is a bit darker and a lot less interesting today with his loss. His passion, gift for storytelling, humanity, and all around awesome attitude were what drew me in when I first started watching A Cook's Tour (his first show) so many years ago and what cemented my love for this man during the run of No Reservations. Sadly I never did get around to watching Parts Unknown or The Layover but I can only imagine they were as good as the other two. This man truly had a gift for opening his heart and mind to people and their culture as well as getting them to open up as well.

    RIP Mr. Bourdain, not only have you opened my eyes to new things, given me countless hours of enjoyment, and been an all around awesome person you've also inspired my love for travel (that one day I will hopefully get to do) and my love for other cultures. You will truly be missed and my heart goes out to your daughter and family in this extremely tragic moment. I can only hope you've finally found the peace that so eluded you in life.

    1. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      He was a man of the world. It's a shame he took his own life. He always seemed so enthralled to meet new people and cultures. He was a great entertainer and I bet he made friends in every city and country he visited. He'll be missed. 

  20. After four days of playing I finally beat Detroit: Become Human or should I say finished my first play through and boy was it a pleasure. It's been a very long time since I've played a game with such an amazing story behind it and it's been even longer since I've felt such emotion while playing. This is my game of the year and nothing will come close to over taking it. A little early to be saying this? Probably but the chances another game as rich in story, character development, and emotional attachment coming out this year is slim to none. Games like these are what influenced my decision to get my degree (even if I'm not using it or working in the industry) and it's games like this that I've always wanted to create.

    True, the story has problems (and an extremely slow start after the first mission (the demo mission if you haven't played it)) and borrows heavily from real life events (civil rights movement is the big parallel with Markus coming off as the android MLK (depending on what choices you make)) and covers some pretty heavy subjects (domestic abuse, drug use, what does it mean to really be alive, etc) but they are few and far between and do little to detract from the narrative being told (in fact I think it gives the story more character). This game also does an extremely good job of making you feel the consequences of the choices you make and drives those points home later on down the line (every choice you make effects how the story ends, even the most mundane).

    All three main characters are interesting in their own ways and it was a joy seeing them all evolve throughout the course of the story and while I admit some of them were bland (Connor coming to mind, his character arch is the most interesting but his character is rather bland until about half way through the game) that hardly detracts from the story. If I had to choose I'd say Kara's story was my favorite for pure emotional reasons and Connor's being the most enjoyable (mostly due to the Detective he works with). Don't get me wrong Markus's story is good and the beginning of it really makes you feel for him but overall it doesn't outshine the other two. Plus the actor's they got to play these characters did an extremely amazing job bringing these characters to life so much so that I became emotionally attached to each one of them (this goes for secondary characters as well, I had to make some real hard choices at the end of the game and it was heartbreaking to do so).

    While I'm not one to gush about graphics I must say this game is beyond beautiful and the motion capture and animation are top notch (not to mention the starting screen is probably the most unique one to date). It's obvious this is a game and everything is CG but sometimes you forget given how well they nailed the likeness of the actors/actresses they used (almost all the main characters and certain side characters share their likeness with the actor/actress that portrayed them). I also have to say the soundtrack is rather amazing (now to rip it off my PS4 for my listening pleasure).

    All in all this game was an emotional ride and probably the best $70 I've spent on a game in years. I can't recommend it enough but I warn you this game is not for everyone. There is very little action (and what little there is completely consists of quick time events) and it's completely character driven, think of it as a CYOA movie that takes some input from the audience. Plus if you've never played a Quantic Dream game (Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls) then you probably won't really enjoy it. However if this sounds like something you'd like I highly recommend it. As I said it's been a really long time since I've enjoyed a game this much and I can't wait to play it again this weekend to try out the paths I didn't take (and to get all the trophies, this will probably be the only game I 100%) and see the other endings (I got what could be considered the best ending).

    1. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      Sounds great. Lady liked heavy rain back in the day. I bet she'll really like this. :D

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      While I have yet to play Heavy Rain (I got a copy of the PS4 remake/remaster with my purchase of the Digital Deluxe Version of Detroit, will probably start playing it here soon) if she liked it I'm pretty sure she'll love Detroit. I can't stress enough how much I love this game (you can ask my co-worker, it's all I've been talking about since yesterday (luckily he hasn't been annoyed yet because he's been playing it too)).

  21. I'm going to preface this by saying I'm normally not a fan of Super Robot mech shows (more of a Real Robot guy myself (Gundam/Macross)) and never really have been (there are exceptions but they are few) so that will tell you just how much I adored this show.

    It took me 11 years to finally sit down and watch it (and it's spent many years on my Netflix to watch list (I watched in on CR though) but I finished Gurren Lagann tonight and I have to say I absolutely fucking adored it. I don't understand why it took me so long to finally watch it but god am I glad I finally did. I haven't been this pumped after watching a show since I finished Kill la Kill (funny considering Trigger is also responsible making that gem). I'll admit it was a little rough in the beginning and if it wasn't for Kamina I would of dropped it but man am I glad I stuck through it, it only kept getting better. I'll admit, my taste for shows like this has dwindled over the years and I'm not really into the over the top, ridiculous shit anymore but god this just scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. Sure, I have my issues with the show (some pretty poor character development in some of the secondary characters, story is a little hard to follow after a certain point, some of the mech based science bugs me, and the whole Spiral Energy thing is ridiculous) but god damn do they seem insignificant when put up against an awesome soundtrack, awesome visuals (a little jenky considering how old it is), and a downright stellar main cast.

    If it wasn't for my absolute love for Zeta Gundam this might have taken the place as my all time favorite mech anime (you all know me well enough to know how high of praise this is). I can't wait to watch the movies this weekend (yea they're recaps but apparently the second movie makes the final fight even more epic then it already was) and I'm sad to think there is no more of this wonderful show to watch (manly tears were shed at this realization).

    1. Show previous comments  5 more
    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Finally got both movies watched and I have to say for recap/condensation movies they were pretty damn good.

      The first one was what you'd expect from a condensation of the first 15 episodes and while it was good some of the changes were kinda weird (like the final battle with the Four Generals, while I like this version somewhat more than the original fights it left out a lot of what motivated Simon to break out of his meek self and into the person he became) and a little off-putting. Overall though enjoyable.

      Now the second one was, well I just don't know how to put it because I don't think there is a word in any language that can describe just how pure fucking awesome it was. Again some of the changes were weird and off-putting but that final battle was beyond awesome, probably the most enjoyable 30 minutes I've ever seen in a movie. Pure fucking insanity is the only real way to summarize it.

      Without a doubt this is probably going to go down as one of my all time favorite mech anime and anime of all time (nothing will ever beat out Zeta Gundam for top mech anime but this is a close fucking second and Aria will always remain my all time favorite anime but this is close up there (displaced by like 5 or 6 other shows, definitely in the top 10 though)). After watching the movies I just can't talk myself out of buying this now and I must own this for my collection (I just wish it didn't cost so much x.x). I didn't think Trigger could top Kill la Kill for me but they did and did it before Kill la Kill was even created, god damn this show and the movies were amazing (I just wish it didn't take me 11 years to finally watch it).

    3. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I never did watch the movies but now I'm going to after reading what you said. I always thought since they were just recaps of the series that it'd be better to just rewatch the series but that second movie must be amazing.

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      For the final fight alone the second movie is worth watching, it's just that fucking awesome. As I said there are some changes that just seemed weird to me (mostly with story and character flow, they retconned a lot of what happened in the last 3-4 eps and completely condensed the whole Anti-Spiral reveal/Simon arrest into like 10-15 minutes) but the movies are worth a watch (though overall the story is laid out better and the characters progress more fluidly in the series) if you want to say you've had the complete TTGL experience (though they underplay Kamina a lot more than I'd of preferred, he's still a major focus but it seems they really rushed through his arc to get to the more meaty story bits which felt like a complete disregard for his importance (the second movie does a good job and establishing how important he was but it felt really underplayed in the first movie)).

  22. Fucking hell that was a ride. Just finished watching Steins;Gate and I have to say its an amazing show. I finally understand why people love it so much. Characters are pretty interesting (pretty bland and stereotypical but none-the-less interesting), story is completely bonkers (we're talking Serial Experiments Lain and Boogiepop Phantom levels of bonkers) and amazing, and the sheer emotional ride this puts you through is both terrifying and exciting.

    Sure it starts out pretty slow but once you get to the halfway mark it seriously starts moving at an intense pace. I normally don't praise anime this much but this is truly a great show, almost a masterpiece if I've ever seen one (probably one of the only shows I have rated at 10 on MAL that actually deserves the rating for all the right reasons, not just pure enjoyment). I highly recommend watching it if you haven't, it's definitely worth the time investment (and I'll admit it's not for everyone but if you want a show that tears your emotions to shreds and makes you think this is definitely one for you).

    Seriously can't wait for Steins;Gate 0 to start airing on Thursday (really hope CR has the simulcast for it). Now I just need to find time to watch the movie and the OVA before it starts. Also need to hope the VN this is based off of goes on sale on Steam so I can see the actual story that wasn't adapted for the anime (and to see all the other endings).

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      It eventually goes somewhere and that slow buildup doesn't really help it any in the beginning but its definitely worth slogging through those first few episodes to get to the good stuff (I won't lie I did almost drop it around episode 4 (Okabe's personality rubbed me the wrong way (as much as I find it funny it was infuriating)) but things start moving around that time and amp up at episode 12). The craziness doesn't ever really go away but it gets seriously toned down after shit starts hitting the fan (its really hard to sell this without leaking any of the plot, you'll just have to take my word for it).

    3. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I finished it, and enjoyed it enough to watch 0 when Funi starts airing it on the 30th. It was all around depressing though as wild as it was past ep 12, all the way through the end. The OVA was a nice bright spot after all of that.

    4. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      0 is going to be a wild ride as well if the first episode is any indication so I'm really looking forward to whats to come. Besides FMP and Amanchu it's the only thing I'm excited to watch this season. Don't know if you were able to watch it (I don't know what Funi has posted, CR doesn't have the OVA/Movie/or the ep I'll talk about (had to dl all of them)) but you should see if you can watch the alternate version of episode 23 as it sets up 0 (nothing really different until the last 10 minutes) and will give you a good idea of where the story will be headed.

      The movie is a fun little romp, not as good as the actual series but it ends the Steins;Gate perfect ending (which is what they adapted) nicely and takes place right after the OVA (don't know if Funi has it on their service, I know they have the license for it though).

  23. Finally got around to seeing Thor: Ragnarok (just finished in fact). Gotta say it was a really good movie, really enjoyed where they went with it and thought it was a downright blast.

    Good amount of comedy (I thought it was a nice direction considering what we'll be getting in a little over a month), nice action sequences, and seeing Thor get the snot kicked out of him by Hulk was pretty damn funny. Was also nice to see Thor actually use his damn powers for once (the bridge fight was pretty fucking epic). If I didn't love the first Guardians as much as I do I'd say this would probably be my favorite Marvel movie (considering how much I hated the first two Thor movies that's pretty high praise from me).

    1. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I loved ragnarok. One of my favorite scenes was Loki shouting: "That's what it feels like!" XD that rock guy was hilarious. XD

    2. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      God I loved Korg, he was probably the best part of the the whole Gladiatorial section of the movie. The whole Doug thing was great.

    3. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      "Get out of here ghost!" *kick* XD

  24. Normally I'm not a fan of live-action adaptations for manga and anime but I gotta say the Blade of the Immortal movie live-action adaptation was fucking amazing. Gory as fuck, full of action, and just down right fucking awesome.

    Please note that I have not read the manga, I've only seen the anime adaptation so I don't know how well they adapted it but I gotta say just based off of what little I know they did a stellar job for having to cram that much story into a 2 1/2 hour movie. Definitely recommend it if you're looking to watch something along these lines (and hell if you read the manga maybe you can tell me how well they adapted it), can't go wrong with senseless violence.

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      I've seen the trailer for this and it looks pretty sweet. I'll have to check it out. I don't know if the Studio that did all those Tony Jaa movies did this one, but its their page that is always sharing it.

    2. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I haven't read the manga or seen the anime. I'll skip both and watch this movie instead. 

  25. Finally got around to watching Black Mirror since, you know, I'm bored because I can't work (and as much as I try I just can't bring myself to play anything game wise outside of FFXIV and a little bit of Destiny (I'm stuck at 267 and have no urge to do the Exotic quests and I really don't want to level another character right now)).

    Gotta say this is definitely one of my favorite shows now. Really love how they're stand alone episodes that have no interconnection with each other (well they seem to all take place in the same year and same world (based on little hints I picked up in various episodes) but they're completely separate stories of their own). Some of the episode are really fucked up (the last episode of season 3, while not fucked up, is pretty fucking dark and has given rise to a new fear for me (saying what it is will ruin it if you haven't seen it), still one of my favorite episodes though) and some are really well thought out and emotional (the San Junipero episode is really fucking good).

    All around it's a great fucking series (better be it's British, yeah I have a thing for British television) and I highly recommend it. Figured I'd start Stranger Things this weekend since it sounds like I'll be out of work for another week (according to my surgeon's nurse when I talked to her on the phone, I'll find out more tomorrow) and be ready for when season 2 airs in Oct.

    1. DeathscytheX

      DeathscytheX

      Stranger Things is a must.

    2. Sledgstone

      Sledgstone

      I haven't watched Black Mirror yet, but I will at some point since you recommended it. Stranger Things is amazing. Do you have amazon prime? If so watch Orphen Black. Its another british series and very well done. They have every season except the final one on amazon prime streaming (then again the final season might be on there now, I haven't checked in a while).

    3. Strider Hiryu

      Strider Hiryu

      Yea, I'll be watching Stranger Things starting Sunday since I'm out of work until the 9th now. Nah, I don't have Amazon Prime ($100 a year is a lot to pay when I rarely order anything from Amazon (besides the occasional CD but I've gone almost completely digital with music so I buy mostly digital albums now), not to mention how many other subscriptions/services I pay for (subbed to two MMO's, subbed to two Twitch streamers, CR sub, Netflix sub, and a PSN sub)) but I've heard of Orphen Black. I'd really like to see it but tis the joy of everyone having their own fucking streaming service now instead of consolidating it in one place like it used to be (I really miss the days when Netflix was the only sub service).

      I highly recommend Black Mirror though I suggest you don't binge watch it. If you really want to go ahead but I suggest enjoying the series and drawing it out as long as you can (it's only 13 episodes for 3 seasons with 6 more on the way sometime this year), give yourself time between episodes to dwell and think about the episode(s) watched and think about the message being said. I watched two episodes a day up until S3 when I did 3 eps a day (really wish I would of just watched 2 a day to draw it out longer). My only real complaint is how short the series is currently but then again I should be used to it based on how many British series I've watched. Really hoping they do a season 5 after 4 is finished.

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