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Found 49 results

  1. I'm sure that many of us have some sort of fictional work, a movie perhaps, that's had a major impact on our lives. Something that we love to death and that we never get tired of. Something we grew up with and that potentially shaped us as a person. For me, that would be the Star Wars films. I've been a fan ever since my mom and dad introduced me to the franchise at an incredibly young age with A New Hope (I wouldn't be surprised if it was the first movie I ever saw, this series is huge in my family). With Rogue One on the horizon and my annual watching of the films (which I should really start doing more than once a year), I thought that it'd be fun to share my thoughts on each of them as I watch them. I don't know if I'd really call this a review; I'm sure most of us have seen at least one of these movies at some point. It's really just a way of sharing my personal feelings on this incredible series, hence the quotation marks around the word "review" in the thread title as I had no clue what else to go with. My plan is to watch one of them a day starting today: I'll be doing the Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, and then end off with The Force Awakens. If possible, I'd absolutely enjoy doing a little write-up for Rogue One after I see that one as well. Now, without further ado, let's go back a long time ago, to a galaxy far, far, away... Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) The very first Star Wars movie, originally given the simple title of Star Wars but later given the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope to fit in with the five other planned episodes of the saga, was a massive hit. Being born 20 years after its release, I didn't get to experience its roots first-hand, but even today, this film is incredibly iconic and popular. Inspired by prior science-fiction, Western, and Japanese Samurai films, A New Hope was able to successfully garner the attention of the masses and spawn two trilogies, two additional upcoming trilogies, and a massive Expanded Universe of content. To think that so much came out of this one movie is incredible, but every time I watch it, I'm reminded of just what makes it so great. To clarify for the purposes of this "review," The version I watched was the 1995 VHS release, which was the final release before George Lucas put the Special Edition into circulation and stopped producing the original cut. While none of the home releases were the exact same as the original theatrical release, any version released prior to the 1997 Special Edition set is about as close as you'll get. I'm not going to go into detail on the differences between the older releases and the Special Edition cuts, but for those unfamiliar, the Special Editions were George Lucas' way of expanding upon the films after their release through the usage of CGI. These editions of the movie are controversial among die-hard Star Wars fans (The most popular example being the "Han shot first" debate that's still raging to this day), but if you pick up a DVD or Blu-Ray release, it's going to be the Special Edition. I personally found these VHS copies over the Summer at a local Goodwill for $1 a piece, so if you're looking for them, thrift stores would be my recommendation. Now, with that out of the way, let's get to talking about the movie itself! For anyone who's been living under a rock for the past 39 years, let me give a quick synopsis of A New Hope's plot. The film tells the story of Luke Skywalker, a young man living with his uncle and aunt on their moisture farm on the desert planet of Tatooine. One day, he comes across two droids named R2-D2 and C-3PO, both of whom had been caught in the midst of a war between the oppressive Galactic Empire and the Rebellion. R2-D2 contains a message from Princess Leia, an important leader of the Rebellion: the message's intended reciver is a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke and the droids meet Ben Kenobi, an old hermit living in the Dune Seas of Tatooine, and learn that he is actually Obi-Wan, a former general in the Clone Wars and a Jedi Knight who knew Luke's father. This chain of events sets the four off on a journey across the galaxy where they meet smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and the evil Darth Vader. The film ends with the climactic battle between the Rebellion and the Empire to destroy the Empire's space station; while it ends in victory, Darth Vader is blasted away in his TIE Fighter beforehand, allowing him to survive... One of the greatest things about this film is the characters and their team dynamics. Each character develops: Luke goes from being a farm boy uncertain about his future to a courageous hero of the Rebellion, while Han begins as an uncaring smuggler who's only in it for the money but later decides to stay and help the team in their final battle, and those are just a couple of examples. Their interactions are genuine, and every major character feels important. In addition, the villain, Darth Vader, is an intimidating, cruel, and terrifying man. He doesn't get a whole lot of screentime, but every time we see him, he proves how threatening he is. Every character in this film is portrayed in an excellent way. The world-building is another one of my personal favorite aspects of the series, and it all begins here. Despite only really taking place on one planet, a moon, a space station, and a ship, the world itself feels expansive. The alien technology and terminology, the varying settings, and the vast shots of how huge this galaxy is really show how fleshed out this world feels. There are all sorts of alien species, from the Jawas to everyone's favorite Wookie, and no place brings this out as much as Mos Eisley. All sorts of varying aliens, people, and droids show up here; the cantina especially is filled with all sorts of interesting characters, even though many don't even speak a line of dialogue. It makes the world feel incredibly expansive and alive. This is probably what gave me a love for expansive, fleshed-out worlds in the first place: the world of Star Wars is massive and it's easy to get that sense. The special effects were yet another thing that made this movie incredible when it first came out, and still to this day. Back before CGI was such a widespread effect, the Star Wars team had to rely mostly on practical effects; the droids and aliens are all puppets or people in costumes, and this helps them seem more alive than they would be if they were simply CGI; for comparison, the CGI aliens added in the Special Edition just feel out of place. The ones in the original cut feel natural. Of course, the effects for the battles also worked. The smooth flight of the space ships, the bolts of blasters, and the iconic lightsaber were impressive for their time, and still look fantastic today. Even though their age shows a bit more these days, the effects still hold up very well. The sound effects are memorable as well: every shot of the blaster, the screech of a TIE Fighter, and the crackling of the lightsaber are sounds that are impossible to forget for fans of the franchise. The effects, visual and sound-related, made the movie even more alive. Of course, going off of the sound effects, it's impossible to give a detailed opinion piece on the paper without going into the music. John Williams' composition for the film is fantastic; the iconic main theme I included above is obviously the most memorable piece, but the entire soundtrack is incredible. The character themes fit their characters perfectly, the battle themes are just as tense or exciting as they need to be, and the concluding fanfare is the perfect piece to end the movie off on. There's probably a lot more that could be said about this movie, but I've gone on for long enough already. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is a cultural icon and one of the most influential and important films of all time; it's amassed many sequels, prequels, and a huge following, one that I'm proud to be a member of. Looking back on this movie, it's easy to see how it created such a massive franchise: all of its individual elements come together in a way that's unique, fun, and mesmerizing. How could anything possibly follow up after this movie? Well, we'll find that out tomorrow when I discuss Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back!
  2. Persona 4: Dancing All Night, the game that no one really asked for but it's a game people should play. So P4DAN(how I'm going to refer to it for now on) was announced back in 2013, along with a bunch of other Persona related announcements (i.e Persona Q, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and the almighty Persona 5). Personally, I found P4DAN the odd one of the bunch because 1. I felt that Atlus was kiiiinda pushing the P4 series with this title and 2. was seriously not expecting a rhythm game from a series know for its semi-serious story and action gameplay. So I was able to grab this game last year on Black Friday and check out it (because school and other things, I couldn't put much time into it). For the story aspect of the game, I feel like it's pretty weak. It didn't really hook me like P4/P4G or P4A/AU did only until near end game. Basically, there are missing idols, who are a part of Kanamin's Kitchen, who are trapped in the Midnight Stage and the Investigation Team has to go rescue them while they were in the middle of practicing for a festival (or something like that ) while Dojima, Nanako, and Kanamin, who's one of the members of the idol group obviously, has their own adventures. I feel that there were too much text, I was falling asleep because it wasn't interesting. The voiced segments were, of course, great. Atlus with their awesome dubs and, sadly, this was the only game in the Persona 4 line where Laura Bailey did not reprise her role of Rise and was replaced by Ashly Burch. Now for gameplay. Like in previous Persona games, you have to defeat shadows but in this game, you have to defeat them by DANCING! Yeah, every time I hear the characters say something like "We have to beat them by dancing", I died a little bit inside. It was very cringy to me. But besides that, the rhythm game portion are pretty good but, to me, I feel like there are not that many songs in the story mode and a bit difficult if playing on a big screen, i.e PS TV, because the buttons comes from the center and to the sides of the screens. If you played a Project Diva game (mainly the PSP games), it plays similar to them because it was made by Dingo. You can also add challenges to the songs to make the songs easier or harder to let you gain more money or get a better status. There are costumes/accessories you can unlock by play/replaying songs to get in-game currency & one unlockable secret character. There are also other costumes/accessories that you can get, 3 DLC characters, and 8 songs under paid DLC. So overall, I give this game an OKAY. I say grab this game if you are a huge Persona fan and want all the games or if you're into music and rhythm games. But hey, you don't have to take my word for it (insert Reading Rainbow ba dun dun here).
  3. So, it's that time once again! It's been a while since I last reviewed a game so I decided to go with Atlus's 2011 Puzzle/Platformer: Catherine!
  4. Now, looking back at how I treated this movie when I first reviewed it (here's a reminder if you're unaware), I think it's obvious that I was just a little too harsh on it overall. I mean, when you really get down to it, this movie just isn't the cinematic equivalent of having somebody shit in your own mouth that I once thought it was. After looking at things from a new perspective, I can safely say that this movie is a pure masterpiece. And to prove how sincere I am, I've written yet another review that shows just how much I appreciate the nuances of a story so greatly crafted such as this one. Have a look: ... And that's not all either. I have even more to say about how much I love the Citizen Kane of superhero movies: So in short, this movie was a gift handed down by the gods named Sami Raimi, Marvel Studios, and of course, Sony. 5 scenes of Peter Parker dancing his little heart out out of 7. Better than both sex and/or a stiff right hook from a German saxophonist.
  5. There's good anime, bad anime, and shitty anime. In this topic, I'll review five of the most shitty anime of the decade. Also, if you like these anime, I respect your opinion. And now..........the top five most shitty anime of the decade. Let's begin. 5: Sword Art Online This anime had potential. It could have been the big thing besides DBZ Super and One Piece. But like most animes, the series turn into shit after the first couple of episodes.This is one of those animes where fanservice isn't a good thing. The show revolves around the main character Kirito and his in-game (and later IRL) girlfriend Asuna and their story after they get trapped within an MMO that causes its players to die for real if they die within the game. It seemed like an interesting concept that was executed in all the wrong ways.orld and the quest to level up and beat the final boss to "escape" the MMO. However, instead of focusing on that quest, the series focuses heavily on the romance aspect of the series. Much of he leveling and dungeoning processes are simply skipped over in favor of giving the main male lead Kirito more time with one of his many lady friends (namely Asuna). At one point during the show, the series goes way off track when Kirito and Asuna decide to get married in game and go have a honeymoon for 2 whole episodes. Why directors, why? We want action, adventure, and unique themes. Not this love bullshit. main character Kirito is 100x worse. He is by far the worst gary stu I've ever seen in an anime. The series essentially revolves around proving how awesome and special Kirito is. (When he's not cool at all.) Kirito, like Asuna, is originally described as a loner that prefers to play alone, also known as a "beater" in the game. But, can they least show some challenges for the main character? He always kick some boss or beat someone up with ease like he's Superman or something. How the f*** can he easily beat enemies. Did he grind early in the show? Or just using power boosts all the time? We'll never know due to this love shit. The second season is the same thing expect there's incest, Asuna getting captured like Peach, and no deaths. The third season is the same as the first, but we actually got a villain, who is f****** generic and nothing special. He uses a gun to kill people. Hooray. -_- Also, Kirito is a girl. Way to promote rule 63. If you want a proper MMO anime, watch Horizon Log. It has action, adventure, a good plot, and comedy. 4: K-ON! K-ON! is another entry in the moe slop-bucket of shitty anime. Once again, all the girls are totally cute(But wtf with the blonde girl eye brows), and we get to see their adventures of daily life. Nothing much happens. We pretty much watch normal teenage girls do stuff. That must be why it is so popular. It can’t be the plot (it doesn’t have one), it can’t be the action (it doesn’t have any), it can’t be the incredible acting (it doesn’t have that because the acting is shitty), and it can’t be the amazing character growth (it doesn’t have any). If the writers/director/animators had put one tenth of the effort into storytelling that they did into making cute character designs, then this show could have been ok in anime standards. It would be better if it ended like this: Then the anime would be less shitty. 3: School Days Is School Days the worst anime ever? No. It is the worst THING ever. I only watched it because if its noterity, and it is well deserving of all the hate it gets. The story is barf inducing and the charecters are some of the worst people in any story line. The main character gets killed and the voice acting is terrible. The anime is so terrible and bland that I don't want to go in greater detail. Just avoid this anime in all costs. 2: Kill la Kill This show is, without a doubt, the most pure, unadulterated bullshit I have ever watched, with a story more contrived than Bleach, ten times the asspull of Naruto and death note combined, and characters more obnoxious than even Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. If it were not for the way it was delivered, and the obvious satire on ridiculous shitty anime tropes that this show embodies, it would be one of the worst anime of all time. The anime is about a transfer student who looks a person who you don't want to f*** with, Ryuuko. And how she's trying to find her father's killer. (Her father looks like Dr. Wily. Surprised that Capcom didn't sue) On her disposal is the half of a scissors blade and her faithful fighting suit which was designed by her father and reveals as much skin as possible, pretty similar to what you would see in a strip club where the dancers aren't paid enough to go full nude (It seems people forgot about plot than nudity) Also, the suit is alive. The first time they met looks like a freakin hentai situation. The suit feeds on her blood to give her power. At this point it's almost impossible not to make a period joke but I'll show restraint. (Because I don't want to hurt the females feeling) The whole school (if you can call it that, honestly there's been a max of like 2 scenes where we see a lesson) wears some short of battle suits and because of the school leader's order everyone is aiming at Ryuuko to kill her. Yeah, the plot is shit and filled with unintresting stuff, it's just an excuse to fill the episodes with over the top action, transformation scenes, and nudity. The school leader, the second most important character in the series Kiryuuin Satsuki is supposedly the daughter of a cloth-making company, has a similar suit to Ryuuko's and knows who Ryuuko's father's killer is, but won't reveal it to her because... Because the script writers wanted us to be amazed by the "sudden" twist that Satsuki was not actually the killer (And she's Ryuuko sister. So Ryuuko x Satsuki ship is dead unless you like incest). Satsuki is as strict and always angry looking as possible which after a while becomes rather boring and annoying. The side characters are boring, one sided or just plain assholes. Satsuki gang or students are unintresting with nothing unique about them. One is a over confident sword wielder like most anime characters, second is a nerd who has the mind of Xehanort, third is a great giant dude who character is I really like (Because he protects students from harm), and a pink overconfident asshole who likes music. Ryuuko best friend or aka joke character is unintresting at best. She mostly runs/teleport around the place cheering for her friend. Or just eating with her awesome family. Mostly she's eating. Oh yeah, later in the story she faces her mother with Satsuki. Both team up to kill their mother who kill herself believeing clothing is supreme. Anyway, it's pretty shitty and should be avoided. 1: Lucky Star For some disturbing reason, the latter half of the decade was plagued with an onslaught of “cute” flat-chested girls who sit around and do nothing. (Thank god One Piece and new original animes saved us from this massacre of anime) Lucky Star is the shitty epitome of everything that is wrong with the current state of anime. No plot, super moe, unfunny, nothing f******* happens, no action, no character development, and a completely vapid waste of time. Now, I know what you’re going to say, “BUT DUDE THEY ARE TEH UBER CUTE AND IT'S A SLICE OF LIFE ANIME LOL” Sorry, but you’re so wrong. What’s “entertaining” is subjective, but not what’s good. Lucky Star can be entertaining to people who are functionally awesome and don't know what's is life, but nobody with any standards in storytelling would find it appealing. The latest T-Pain song may entertain you, but you probably wouldn’t say it’s good like something by The Beatles or KISS. This is trash anime, the pinnacle of horribleness, the anime version of Satan and Hitler’s child. It only solidified the popularity of the vapid-moe/slice-of-life trend, and for that it deserves the title of shittiest anime of the decade. Plus, its opening song is an audio holocaust.
  6. Hey guys! So, I’ve been wanting to do a review like this for a while now, and I decided that now would be a good time, for whatever reason. Hope you guys like it! Also, there will be NO MAJOR SPOILERS for the anime nor the manga of One Piece. The only things that will be spoiled are the names of certain locations and characters. No major plot points will be brought up. Overview: One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, released in August 2015 in North America and Europe for PS3, PS4, PSVita & Windows PCs, is an action game published by Namco Bandai and developed by Omega Force. It is, clearly, the third in the Pirate Warriors series, which is a series of One Piece games made in the same way games like Dynasty Warriors and Hyrule Warriors are. Now, Warriors games in of themselves are very subjective. Several people love them, and several people hate them. It really is just a case of, “Will you get bored with this in 15 minutes?”. With that being said, let’s get on with the show! Presentation: Pirate Warriors 3 looks very good. The environments have nice and fun details to them, and all the visual effects for the characters’ attacks are fun to look at, too. The character models themselves are just alright for the PS4, but considering they look pretty much identical to the PS3 version, it’s not that big of a deal. And of course, the number of enemies that can be on screen is truly amazing. There can be hundreds of enemies on-screen at once without any slow-down. Though this number of enemies really is only limited to the PS4 version, as the PS3, Vita, & strangely even the PC versions cannot have that many enemies on-screen at once. This is really the only reason to get either the PS4 version over any of the others if you can. The voice acting is, sadly, completely Japanese. There’s no way to change the voices to English. Which is a shame, because the voice acting in the English dub of the One Piece anime is great, and having all the voice actors come back for their roles would be great. However, in the end, it’s not that big of a deal. Story: The story is...well, pretty much how it’s followed in the anime/manga. Though for anybody curious, without any major spoilers, here’s a basic run-down: Monkey D. Luffy, a young man with a straw hat that can stretch his body out to insane lengths, journeys out to sea so he can find the One Piece and become the king of the pirates. Along the way, he meets several characters that join him in his crew, including Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. Together, they adventure through the East Blue, the Grand Line, and the New World, helping others along the way and defeating powerful foes, both other pirates and Government officials included. That’s a basic summary of the plot. If it sounds interesting to you, I recommend that you check out the anime or manga. The game itself only follows the most important parts of the story, and you’d get a much better experience of the story with either of those. With that being said, there is one part of the story, the final chapter specifically, that is considered non-canon to the actual story of One Piece. Gameplay: This is the biggest, and best, part of Pirate Warriors 3. Gameplay in this game has you mowing down thousands of enemies per stage, pressing buttons to perform ridiculous combos that give you a great sense of power. And of course, each character is unique in play style. As you play as a character, you can level him/her up, and use coins to upgrade your character. The game also has several modes for you to play through. Legend Log is the basic story mode. You play through important locales throughout the series on a stage-by-stage basis. Doing certain things within these stages, such as getting an S rank on them or doing in-stage missions, will get you coins that you can use to upgrade your characters’ stats, or unlock new costumes/special moves. Also, naturally playing through all of Legend Log unlocks most of the characters in the game, as well as several costumes. Free Log lets you play through any stage in Legend Log with any character and any costume. Most of the same things in Legend Log apply here, except you may need to play some stages in Free Log to unlock some things, like costumes. Dream Log is one of the more unique modes in the game. This mode has you walking from island to island on a world map. Each island is a new stage for you to play through, and several islands have powerful foes for you to fight against. The first time you play through it, each powerful foe that you defeat adds him to your roster of playable characters. And of course, awaiting at the end of it all is Red-Haired Shanks himself! Nightmare Log is the same thing as Dream Log, except all of the islands you go to are Level 100; 50 levels above your typical maximum. You need to unlock certain coins to make it so that your characters can break the level 50 level cap. And even then, good luck trying to beat all the islands. Nightmare Log is a huge challenge, and you’ll be lucky to die only a dozen handfuls of times. With all of that out of the way, I do have a couple of problems with the gameplay. First, the camera can be bad at times, though this isn’t too often. Second, and this really is just a small and personal bias, I feel like several characters that should have been playable in the game just weren’t. Hody, Arlong, and Kuro just to name a few. Though neither of those are massive problems. Rating: One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is a fantastic game, not just for One Piece fans but also for fans of either high-action games or the Warriors games. While it does have a few minor problems, the game is still amazing. I give Pirate Warriors 3 a rating of… 9/10!
  7. Rightyo, time to kick my return to KH13 off with a bang by reviewing EA Sport's next lineup of copy/paste yearly releases, FIFA 16. Now, I am a big football/soccer fan, I've lived growing up with it all my life, so it's a no brainer that I would be interested with the FIFA name alone. No, I'm not talking about the corrupt, blackmailing, money laundering FIFA, I mean the video game. From an outsider perspective, FIFA is no more than the same game every year, you kick a ball around a park until someone kicks it in the net. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. Every year, they are constantly putting in small clinks to improve the graphics if anything else. Whether it be the only recently implemented vanishing spray of referees or the moving of the corner flag. EA Sports never tend to improve upon the gameplay, they always keep it the same or, in this FIFA's case, degrade the gameplay. Which brings me to the point of this post. The review. As with all of my reviews, there will be given categories on different aspects of the game/anime/movie/etc, in this case game. These categories will be the following. Gameplay Story (Kind of non-existent here but I will improvise) Animation/Graphics Music With that out of the way and set we are off and I hope you enjoy this review of arguably the most demanded sports game of the gaming calender, EA Sport's FIFA 16. GAMEPLAY: Ahh... Here we go. The gameplay of FIFA 16 is... Very flat in accord to other FIFAs. It lacks the edge needed to take over the Sports genre, although still being worlds ahead of its closest competitor, Pro Evolution Soccer. The game lacks what past FIFAs have had in abundance, pace. The game is very slow to go, the movement of players is sluggish and the overall pace of the game has been toned down dramatically, whether that be for better or worse, you decide. We are still at the stage where Per Mertesacker is catching up to Cristiano Ronaldo, which is not good as in FIFA 16 they have a pace difference of 61 ratings, as demonstrated in this picture. The goalkeepers have not improved like EA promised they would. Goalkeeping AI is still awful, there have been many time already where my goalkeeper has let me down on a questionable conceded goal or mistake, making me frustrated enough to want to throw my controller across the room. Referee's decision making is still absurd, calling offsides when the ball and player are clearly onside or vice-versa. I have also noticed, along with many other people in the FIFA community, that not only is the play slow and sluggish, the AI seem to hold up the ball way too much. The AI, if playing them on World Class or Legendary, will pass it around, backwards, sideways, backwards, sideways for around 30 minutes a half, depending on how many minutes a half you are playing on, and then somehow ping a ball from their box to yours with the vision of a god, leaving your defense like lost puppys scrambling back to the box, also leaving many times where it is 2 v 1 or 1 v 1. Luckily though, the goalkeepers, despite having ridiculously dumb AI, are very dependable to the point where they are OP. Which brings me to another point, there is a MAJOR lack of goals scored or even goalscoring opportunities in this game, has anyone else realized that? Most games in FIFA 16, I have found, have ended in boring 1-0 games or even more boring, 0-0 draws, with there being less than 10 shots during the entire match, and leaving the opposition with around about 65%+ possession, further proving the stupidity of the passing moves the AI makes. And don't even get me started on when the AI try to hold up the ball at your corner flag when they're drawing or winning in a bid to waste time as I and many other can agree it is one of the most frustrating things in the world. In previous FIFAs, you could cross it easily and at least have a chance to get a header on target, but this time, 9/10 times the goalkeeper will come off his/her line and either parry it away or catch it. You could also, with a good enough winger, cut inside and have a good chance at goal or even a chance to scrape out a penalty, but in this FIFA, the dribbling is so sluggish that defenders have to put in little to no effort to get it away from your feet and either pass it away or clear it to high heaven. Ultimate Team is still there, I guess, however still holds the controversial Price Ranges on players in an attempt to stop coin selling websites, There are, however good things about this game, very minor and too far and few between, but nonetheless there. Crazy, I know, considering how I have criticized it thus far. The introduction of the woman's game of football is a very nice and welcomed feature to FIFA, the possibility of playing with the likes of Hope Solo and the current Woman's Ballon D'Or holder, Nadine Keßler. The passing has also somewhat improved in the gameplay of this game, with it becoming more easy to string together a number of passes and make an attack at the other side. But, unfortunately for FIFA 16, there are way too many negatives outweighing the positives in this iteration of FIFA, which has inevitably lead to a much more inferior game to FIFA 15. Which leaves me to score the gameplay of FIFA 16 with an embarrassing 5/10. Not a very good start for FIFA 16. STORY CAREER MODE: As you can see, as there is no set story in FIFA, Career Mode is going to be the subject of this category instead as it is, in essence, create your own story, either take an already well renowned team such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich and continue to dominate the world of football, or take a smaller team from the lower leagues and build them up, taking them through the ranks of many countries and their numbers of divisions such as England's Barclays Premier League, Football League Championship and Football Leagues 1 and 2 or Spain's Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante and build them up to be the best of the best and fighting for the coveted League, Domestic Cup and Champions League treble. Sounds like an amazing feature, right? Too bad that EA Sports squander the chance to make an amazing feature for those who are not interested with Ultimate Team or Head to Head Seasons. First of all, and most obvious. It is basically EXACTLY THE SAME AS FIFA 15's with the exception of the Training mode which allows you to, over multiple sessions over a season, train up to 5 players, or even the 1 player in specific stats, possibly upgrading their Technical, Mental or Physical ratings or even their overall ratings over a season. This is the only major change in career mode, is it great? Yes. Does it justify the lack of development and innovation in this year's Career Mode? No way in hell it does. There is also the addition of Pre-Season Tournaments, where as a smaller team you can join to build up budget upon winning the tournament, or to just get a bit of backup cash as a bigger team. However. After about a week of playing Career Mode, I just found I was either simulating the whole tournament or flatout declining the invitation because at the end of the day, it is still just the boring old friendlies we're used to seeing, and with Crystal Palace and a budget of £29,000,000, I did not need an extra £2-3million. Overall, there isn't exactly much to talk about in this year's Career Mode. In regards to smaller changes, budgets have become a lot more reasonable this year which is a small positive, also, EA Sports said that in this year's Career Mode, Transfers were going to be a lot more realistic, with not many big transfers going around in Summer or even January Transfer windows. That is huge blatant lie as in every Career Mode I have started, which means 5/5 Career Modes, David Alaba has moved to Juventus. This is even WORSE than the last FIFA where at least there was a little deviation between what club a player moved to as Edin Dzeko would move to either Roma or Arsenal or Sergio Aguero would move to Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Whereas in this FIFA, there is no deviation whatsoever. It's the same every single Career Mode. There isn't much else to talk about in regards to Career Mode as pretty much nothing has been changed with the exceptions of adding Training Mode and Pre-Season Tournaments into the mix. It's very frustrating to have to give Career Mode such a low score as it's my favourite mode on FIFA 16, it just has not been innovated and developed enough. EA Sports should take a leaf out of 2K's NBA 2K16 as it has a much more fleshed out and immersive Career Mode-type experience. So with heavy heart I have to rate Career Mode with an even more embarrassing 4/10. Not the score I wanted to give it, but sadly it's needed. ANIMATION/GRAPHICS: Finally. Something I can talk about in a positive light. One of FIFA's best assets has always been its ever changing and developing graphics. And this year EA Sports have hit the nail on the head with the graphics as they are stunning, realistic and very representative of the world of football. There are many more new player faces added into the game, adding for its immersion, however to have a small gripe, they could have added even more, especially for the likes of the bigger leagues like the Barclays Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Liga BBVA, Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie. The player animations are smooth and sleek, despite the gameplay it is corresponding being sluggish. There are a more plentiful amount of player interactions in the real-time gameplay, like arguing with the referee, or even having both teams be near close to a brawl if a red card has been issued or a career ending tackle has been made. There is also a few more celebratory animations, such as running up to the camera to celebrate, creating a new way to well, celebrate, very reminicisent of Steven Gerrard's old celebrations of kissing the camera at Liverpool too bad he didn't kiss a Premier League trophy. You can also celebrate with subs that are training at the dugout which is a great way to celebrate if you score a last minute effort in a cup final or even a league game that decides promotion, relegation or even winning the league. EA Sports have also added the license of the Bundesliga and now includes graphics from the Bundesliga. They did this in FIFA 16 with the Barclays Premier League. I am very glad that that they're gathering more and more league licenses as it's adding to the immersion more and more. They have also included nine new stadiums into the game, being the inclusions of the three newly promoted teams to the Premier League Vicarage Road (Watford), Vitality Stadium (Bournemouth) and Carrow Road (Norwich City), as well as El Monumental (River Plate), BORUSSIA-PARK (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Fratton Park (Portsmouth, as a tribute to the late Simon Humber, Creative Director of EA Sports, who was a huge Portsmouth supporter who sadly lost his fight with cancer earlier this year), Stade Vélodrome (Olympique de Marseille), CenturyLink Field (Seattle Sounders FC) and King Abdullah Sports City (Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli). All of these stadiums are welcomed additions, however it would be very nice to see even more stadiums introduced into the game. Overall, the graphics are as solid as they've ever been, ever developing and getting better with age, however this is sadly the only good asset this game is able to acertain, and as we all should know, graphics do not hold up a game if the game itself is terrible. But, these are the graphics and they've been given a solid score of 9/10. MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN: There... Isn't exactly much to talk about in the terms of the music in this game as in game, there is no music, that much is to be expected. However, I can say that the sounds of the crowds is near spot on. The sounds of the crowds corresponds to the moments played in the game as perfectly as you can expect. When a red card is given, the crowd will burst in a roar of boos and shouting, when a goal is scored, the crowd will get excited, you get the picture. There are also special team chants that get played when you are playing at home with certain teams. Back to the original point of this category, the music isn't its strongest point as the music is only played in the menu, obviously, so this is a lost cause for a category as it cannot really be assessed, so I'm going to rate this based solely on the sound design. As there was not much to cover in this category, it is based on sound design, which does hold up pretty well, in accordance to the graphics, they mix quite well and lead me to give a generous 7/10. Great sound design holds it up, just a shame that the music is a sort of void factor in the rating of this game. OVERALL ENJOYMENT: Now then, the overall judgement of FIFA 16. I have had it for around 4 weeks now, and I can safely say it was a very underwhelming experience. It takes around the 4 weeks I have had it to get used to the feel of the game and to get used to the massive downgrade in pace. The game is very boring compared to other FIFAs, it's repetitive with its constant 0-0 and 1-0 games. The lack of goals leads to a very boring and tiring experience that isn't enjoyable at all. I struggled through 1 season of Career Mode, simulating a lot of games where on another FIFA I would have played every single match. I did however get some kicks out of it when I scored a good longshot or the goalkeeper made a great string of saves, but other than that it is a very laclouster and mediocre experience. Compared to one of its closest competititors in the Sports video game market, NBA 2K16, it is starting to lag behind with NBA constantly developing and ever growing gameplay and innovation, something FIFA is really lacking in. Which leads me to rate my overall enjoyment of FIFA 16 with a mediocre rating of... 5/10 With a recommendation to avoid this FIFA rather than to buy it. There are many other games that can this money can be spent on. Ace's personal alternatives: As I said, NBA 2K16 is very good, I am not a fan of basketball however NBA 2K16 is much more innovative than that of FIFA 16, and I highly recommend getting that instead. You can currently get this for around the price of £42 or US$59.99. Another good game I recommend getting instead is Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment, it's very good as an RPG, I've been playing it for some time now and I have enjoyed myself with every second of it. You can currently get this on the Playstation Store for around the price of £15.99 or US$19.99. I hope you guys enjoyed this review of FIFA 16, if you have any thoughts or opinions, please do reply, I'd love to see them, thank you~~!
  8. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Kingdom Hearts nerds of all ages, it is time once again for a review, and not only with this be for a cartoon, it’s going a cartoon film, a made-for-TV cartoon film and grand finale for a series that I already reviewed some time ago, that being of course “Ed, Edd n Eddy”. The movie was originally released on November 8, 2009 on Cartoon Network. After it’s premiere, it was supposed to be on DVD, but just like the cartoon series itself sans the first and second season, CN doesn’t seem interested in releasing it. You can still find it on iTunes, though. I mentioned in my “EEnE” review that this movie is different from the whole of the series, and I was not lying. Not in the slightest. I’ll explain more in the review, but in summary, it’s pretty much an experience that any long time fan of the show would appreciate. Without further ado: *walks up to glass case on wall that reads “In Case Of Review, Break Glass”, breaks glass, takes out a peanut* Wait, a peanut? Huh. Cheap review… I mean, uh, let’s get into it. Now, you might notice that I did this review a bit differently, sort of providing more summary than just review. I did this mainly because I wanted to fully showcase the examples that fell under my analysis and to better prove my point. It’s mostly because it’s easy to get a hold of the underlying theme of the premise. Either way, I hope you enjoyed and stick around for more reviews! Next up… well… you know…
  9. Finally getting around to this and believe me, I’m glad I did. I still have the “Spider-Man 3” and “Will Of Fire” re-reviews to do and then I went ahead and threw out a notice for “Ed, Edd, N Eddy’s Big Picture Show”. Sheesh. In any case, I’m gonna hammer them out as fast as I can (while of course not so fast that they turn out to be crap) so I can get them out of the way and move on to bigger and better things to review because this shtick is too damn fun. On today’s agenda: “Spider-Man 2”, the sequel to the superhero smash I reviewed not too long ago, released in 2004 and directed once again by the King of Cheese himself, Sam Raimi. With it came some old faces, some new faces, some overhauls and some, uh, back-peddling so to speak… but with all that said, how does it stand as a sequel to “Spider-Man”? How does it stand on its own? What has changed? What stayed the same? What was better? What was worse? Did it continue on that tidbit I mentioned with the first movie on how it set a bar for comic book movies? All of these questions will be answered… right now. Without further ado, let’s swing into action… again. Well, now I only have two more re-reviews to do before I can focus solely on new material. And if you think it was a hassle for me to handle “Spider-Man 2”, then as for “Spider-Man 3” … I-I don’t even want to think about it, to be honest…
  10. I just happened to go to a movie theater today and on the turn of a dime, I wound up watching this movie. I was planning on seeing Ant-Man originally, and I have to say, despite everything that led up to this point like he info. on the production and reviews from people who already saw the movie, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised w-okay, you know what, f*ck it, I'm not sugarcoating this bullshit. The movie was trash. Depressing, uninteresting, not-even-in-the-ballpark trash. I can barely comprehend how trash it is at the moment. Were there good parts? Who gives a f*ck! There was so much bad that it literally swallowed up the good that I liked and made me not care anymore. It's that bad. It leeches off any chance for it to be good. Some people may think I'm overreacting, but I'm not. It's really that bad. And you know why? I'll tell you why right now. Without further ado... j-just listen up: Not putting a spoiler tag because I don't care enough about the story to talk about it without spoiling it. The plot is predictable and shallow with no sense of pacing, so if it's not going to try, neither am I. Spoilers all up in this bitch. Now, if you're not familiar with the concept of the Marvel superhero team, the Fantastic Four are Mr. Fantastic (with the power to stretch his limbs), Invisible Woman aka Mrs. Fantastic (with the power to turn herself invisible and make forcefields), The Human Torch (with the ability to surround himself with fire, control fire, and fly) and The Thing (with the power of... a giant orange rock monster that smashes stuff) who all gained their powers through an accident with cosmic mumbo-jumbo. They get matching outfits, and a pair of underwear/pants to cover up The Thing's rock-dick, and shenanigans ensue. Got all that? Good. Now, let's start off with the plot: a young Reed Richards (Fantastic) teams up with his schoolmate Ben Grimm (Thing) to create a device that allows an object to be transported from one place to another. They start this experiment when they're in elementary school and continue to improve it for seven years until they are eventually approached by Franklin Storm and his daughter Susan (Invisible Woman). Storm gives Reed a scholarship to his fancy-smancy smart people school to continue his work and perfect his experiment as he believes it can do a lot of good for humanity or whatever. Storm then assigns Victor Von Doom (who later becomes the 4's biggest villain Doctor Doom) to help work on the project as well as his son Johnny Storm (Human Torch). Blah blah blah, test run, blah blah blah they send a chimp in and he successfully transports to and back from another dimension. Then, on a very stupid and drunken whim, Reed calls up Ben in the middle of the night to help him, Doom, and Johnny test out the newly finished machine on themselves. They use it, shit hits the fan and they get slimed with some other-dimensional stuff and it gives them all, including Susan, powers, with Doom being left behind in the dimension, possibly dead. The film then gets all horror thriller on us as it reveals that the gang have been locked up in some military base as scientists poke and prod at them in the name of science. Reed manages to escape and then... *sigh*... cut to seven years later, and Susan, Ben, and Johnny are basically the government's lapdogs but have also mastered their new powers and perform special government-assigned tasks in return for the government helping them find cures for their altered states. Yadda yadda yadda, Reed is forced back to use the machine again, Doom's back, he's f*cked up, wrecks the base, the team chase him into the dimension before he can suck up the Earth through a black hole, fight scenes, escape from the dimension, and cue the happy/cheesy ending. Why yes, I did lazily sum up the plot like that on purpose. This movie doesn't respect my intelligence enough to spark any interest in me with its pacing so horrible that it literally feels like barely anything even happened and yet so much in such little time, so screw it, I'm not respecting its story flow. It's just bad. It's horrible even. And I can go on: the cast, while made up of good actors, is flat and don't resonate with you in any way because the movie doesn't care enough to establish their traits, motivations, or anything else interesting. They're all just wastes of space at the end of the day. Johnny is the only one I like only because Michael B. Jordan seems like the only guy having fun. Speaking of the cast: Doom. Motherf*cking Doom. I was very very very skeptical about his character from the moment he was described as being a blogger and surprisingly, his character was better then what I thought it was going to be, what with his cynical and almost anarchic approach on the world and whatnot, but even then, it's f*cked up because again, no development, and his plan doesn't even make sense. He wants to suck up the Earth and create a new world in the other dimension? How the f*ck does that work? What, are you gonna re-populate this world by f*cking some space rocks while the people of Earth and your only other chance of having inhabitants are killed by your black hole bullshit? Blegh. Did I mention this movie was depressing? Goodness gracious, these people are supposed to be superheroes with awesome powers and yet they're always talking about getting rid of their powers and being sad/mad about their current lives and about how the government is holding them down and other mooding and brooding of that dumbass variety. This is "Daredevil" levels of sucking the fun out of being a superhero and is easily the worst offender of this movie overall. What can I even say I liked about this movie overall at this point? Some decent visuals? One or two action scenes that looked cool? Character interaction that was good and went somewhere? Doesn't matter. All of that is taken away as soon as you remember that everything besides that stuff is horrible. Now you're probably wondering: "Geez, Firaga, what is the deal?" I'll tell you what the deal is: this is simply unacceptable. This is 2015! We're past the dark ages of the early 2000s where superhero movies were either giant broodfests, asnine shitfests, or both. Bigger and better Marvel movies, Hell, better movies about superheroes in general are far superior than what this trite was trying to be. It is a waste of time. It doesn't even have a leg to stand on, and frankly, I'm already sick of talking about it. "Fant4stic" gets a non-fantastic 4 out of 10.
  11. I’m making history here folks, as this is the first review where I tackle a cartoon series. This one is particular is my favorite cartoon of all time. Created by a wacky Canadian named Danny Antonucci, “Ed, Edd, N Eddy” is one of the most popular shows to come out of Cartoon Network in the 1990s and the 2000s, and one of the original “Cartoon Cartoons”, a selection of original programming that helped put Cartoon Network on the map. After all the other Cartoon Cartoons had ended, EEnE was the last one standing until its eventual end in 2009, lasting a full decade after its original premiere in 1999. The show went on for 130 episodes, four specials, and a movie, and while I am in the camp that would love to see more of this show in the future, I’d say that as it is, it’s pretty much complete. It’s one of those shows that no matter what time you’re living in, you can go back, watch, and enjoy everything that happens: the same stories, the same morals, the same characters, and even the same jokes. It’s that reason why I consider this my favorite cartoon of all time: it’s absolutely timeless. Now then, let’s get to the review! That’ll be 25 cents… ha-ha, just kidding. Well, I got that out of the way, but I'm not necessarily done yet. I mentioned that there was a movie, right? You see, In 2009, the first ever movie for the series was released, titled “Ed, Edd, n Eddy’s Big Picture Show”. I’ll be covering that in a separate review, for even though it is related to the EEnE series, it is a completely different beast all of its own, especially considering its tone and bookends. Butdon'tworry,I'llgettheSM2andmaybetheSM3reviewoutofthewaybeforethat.
  12. Hey everyone! I thought I would give video game reviewing a shot, starting with my most recent completed game, Batman: Arkham Knight! Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Arkham Asylum became the definitive comic book video game. It captured every essence of the Batman lore that makes Batman a favorite amongst fans. Arkham Knight is no different. Every element from previous installments that fans loved has returned: Crime scene investigations, free flow combat, predator combat, nods to the Batman universe, tons of gadgets - old and new, and a long list of villains to take down. Let's take an in-depth look at how these elements were utilized in the game. Story I feel like I should preface this with the fact that Scarecrow has always been my favorite Batman villain. I love that he never gets involved with direct combat, and would rather make you fight yourself. In true Batman fashion, figures from Batman's past continually haunt him after his exposure to Scarecrow's fear toxin. For the first time in the Batman Arkham series, I got scared. There were parts of this game that just made me jump out of my seat (i.e. Joker appearing for the first time, and randomly encountering Man Bat for the first time). The atmosphere was near perfect throughout, but one complaint I have is the identity of the Arkham Knight. I didn't have a problem with who it was, but I did have a problem with how painfully obvious they made it hours before the actual reveal. They could have kept me guessing longer. Additionally, the Joker virus inside Batman seemed to disappear after a bit. The virus became part of Arkham Knight's plot, but there was never a conclusion. It was THE pivotal moment in Arkham City, so I expected it to be a huge part of this game, but it ultimately didn't matter. Other than those nitpicky things, the story was very well thought out, and there was just the right amount of "but wait, there's more!" Lastly, I really enjoyed the endgame content, such as Deathstroke (my FAVORITE DC villain!) and the Riddler challenges. Gameplay This game felt like an Arkham Game, and that's a good thing. It really felt like I was just revisiting Arkham City, but with better gadgets and a Batmobile. Speaking of which, let's cut right to the chase: the Batmobile was a fantastic addition to the Arkham series. It was a lot of fun, and was much faster than gliding and grapnel boosting everywhere. However, I absolutely dreaded the "stealth" tank missions. That is such an oxymoron! If I'm controlling a tank, I want to go head on in combat and blow things up. I don't want to sneak up behind someone in a tank. It just doesn't work. This also made the fight with Deathstroke VERY disappointing. His fight in Origins was my favorite by far, so that was just a let down. Other than stealth tanks, the gameplay was excellent. I found that the enemies were a lot harder thanks to the weapon combos they had and the Medics. I noticed that I used quick gadgets a lot more often than I had in other Arkham games. Thankfully there was a lot more strategy involved. Verdict I know I complained a lot, but that's because the Arkham series has raised its own standards so high. This felt like a Batman game, and that's really all I need to say. The Batmobile was a great touch, but it was used stealthily, and that just didn't sit right with me. There was a lot to do, and Scarecrow was used well. The mystery of the Arkham Knight was fun, but was given away far too early. In the end, still a must-play for fans of the Arkham series. Score 8.7/10
  13. Surprise! It's time for another review, and this time I'm covering a movie. Not just any movie. "Big Hero 6": A superhero movie brought to us by Marvel and Disney... you know, in hindsight, that doesn't like such a big deal anymore. lol Anyways: this is going to be a special kind of review, because I'm currently writing off my exact thoughts on the movie after literally watching it for the first time. Usually, the stuff I review needs more digestion on my part for me to really dig in and analyze it, but I decided that I would just shoot from the hip. And believe me, this type of movie is something that is easy to write on after only one viewing. Want to know what I mean? I'll tell you. Now, let's put on some spandex! ... Not my best line. And that's my review of Big Hero 6. Tell me what you thought of my review and give your own thoughts on the movie. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm hungry for an invisible sandwich.
  14. Back again for another anime review. Now, most of you have heard me sing nothing but high praise for this series, and let me tell you: … well, its true. I love this anime. It’s definitely up there as one of my favorite anime of all time. lol However, I’m not going to be biased. Just like how Attack On Titan was an anime I thought was subpar but still had to talk about the good things, Kill la Kill is an anime that I absolutely adore but still have to talk about the bad things. I assure you that my opinion will be as fair as possible. Now lets strap in. Or in this case, strap on. *rimshot* (spoiler tabbed because of its huge, huge length) Whew. That was a mouthful. Really fun, though. Now then, my next objective in terms of reviewing will be re-doing reviews I’ve already done, such as for the third Naruto: Shippuden movie and the Spider Man film trilogy, because let’s be honest, I’m not that good at this. lol
  15. I've just published my film/cinema review of Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron after seeing it in a three-way movie marathon with Avengers Assemble, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and finally Avengers: Age of Ultron! Hope you enjoy! You can see the review below or on my website via the link below. What do you think of the review? Any good? Fair? Comments are most welcome below, and on my website too. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON andrew-hankinson.co.uk/film/ageofultron Hello and welcome to another one of my movie reviews. This is the big one! This is the film that I’ve been looking forward to probably the most in 2015 besides Star Wars (possibly)! I can’t contain my excitement for this film, so once again you are warned; spoilers will be present! The long anticipated IRON MAN 5…sorry, I mean AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON! Once again the team assemble for a film to fight the evil forces of Hydra; apparently they were all too busy to help out during Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What they weren’t prepared for were two new super-villains; the twins, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. And before Tony Stark realises it, Scarlet Witch plants an idea in his head that leads to the creation of Ultron; an artificially intelligent robot given life from Loki’s sceptre, who unfortunately has thought that destroying all of humanity is the key to it’s evolution. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a problem for the Avengers, but Scarlet Witch (in association with Ultron) with mind control turns the team against each other, and it has become increasingly harder to fight Ultron together. As we watch Ultron’s evil plans unfold, we wonder who can stop him and learn not fret and not to swear gosh darn it! When my friends and I saw the offer to watch Avengers: Assemble, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron (at midnight on the dot) on Wednesday 22nd of April at the Glasgow Science Centre IMAX for only £21, we immediately booked the seats a month in advance! I don’t think besides Alien, my friends and I have went to a movie marathon like this before, so were excited! Yes we all are going through the busiest time at college or university, but what the hey; it’s worth it!! The last time I was here was for Gravity and it was superb; isn’t as good on a TV screen, so was definitely hoping for the best for these three films. And it was brilliant! Our seats were in the middle to left so was a great view and I’m so grateful that they were comfortable and spacious because we had to sit in them for seven hours (exactly) to watch all three! The screen is massive to point that you don’t need 3D effects because you have to turn your head to see different parts of the film; I would say that the 3D effects made it more visually pleasing but would have been fine without them. And the sound…oh the sound! It made me shiver with joy hearing even the quieter sounds and made my palms sweat during the loud action packed scenes! Am I the only one whose palms sweat at the IMAX? Anyway, IMAX is by far my favourite cinema! I remember going to see Avengers: Assemble with friends at Kilmarnock Odeon back in 2012 and even although we feel cinemas are money snatchers when it comes to 3D viewings, we felt this film merited it! We had high expectations when we entered and were left gobsmacked once we had seen it; it was and still is one of my 10/10 films! And it was twice as brilliant at the IMAX; felt like I was seeing it for the first time especially when the bloody sceptre goes through Agent Coulson again. As far as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it wasn’t as good as Avengers: Assemble, but was great seeing again on the big screen (click here to read my full review at Kilmarnock Odeon). On top of the three films, IMAX gave us all an exclusive A3 poster for free; pretty awesome (you can see it below). If you don’t know, you can actually purchase prelude comics for the Avenger films, which gives you a little background info before seeing the film. And when I say little I do mean little; but you do get your money’s worth since there are additional older comics added related to the film. This is the first time I’ve tried this but thought I should give it a go before Age of Ultron. After a whole comic depicting the events of Avengers: Assemble, the Age of Ultron prelude links with it and Winter Soldier mainly focusing on Baron Von Strucker/ Hydra’s work with Loki’s septre, Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch recruitment and how they gained their powers. The prelude ends with the after-credits scene in Winter Soldier, so not much info, but was kind of expected; it would have ruined the film if it gave too much away! Age of Ultron was brilliant! End of review! Only joking; there were one or two things I can be nit picky about but overall it was another gobsmacker. I was hoping to see more of Baron Von Strucker; not too much as this was Ultron’s film, but it would have been good to have seen him at least put up more of a fight. The whole relationship thing between Hulk and Black Widow came completely out of the blue and seemed rather forced. …And the Russian accents got a bit distracting. That’s it; lets get back to the good things about this film! So far Loki and the Winter Soldier have been the only villains so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be any good, but I now I think Ultron has taken the top spot. His human-like reactions and comments were hilarious, the CGI was brilliant and the voice acting from James Spader was great too. I thought he could have maybe been slightly more fearful than humorous (especially at the moment after Quicksilver gets it), but nether-the-less he’s brilliant! I was wondering how much reference to Pinocchio there would be and I’m glad with the small amount they used. In any case Ultron’s character acted more like an evil twin of Tony Stark rather than his son. Now, coming back to the death of Quicksilver, it was inevitable that someone was going to die but Marvel ingeniously gave more backstory to Hawkeye than any other film he’s been in, consequently making us think he was going to be the first Avenger to be killed off. But nop! The Marvel universe decided to kill the unofficial member of the Avengers. I personally would liked to have seen more of him but I guess two Quicksilvers can’t be allowed to coincide in cinemas (his character is in X-Men too). Quick in, quick out. As surprises go, I did expect that Hawkeye would have survived, but I didn’t expect Vision appearance to be that great, as I hadn’t heard anything prior. I thought he was going to be a villain and then he was brilliantly deemed ‘worthy’ to be an Avenger; thought the party scene where the gang try to lift Thor’s hammer was just a funny little addition but acted as a reminder to the quote “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor”. Everyone in the cinema was gasping, laughing or slightly clapping when Vision handed Thor his hammer. Stan Lee’s appearance at the party also got a few laughs and applause – as always Stan Lee is hilarious in his scenes. Now, I may be a total Marvel Universe geek and have seen all the previous films, but I personally think someone who’s inexperienced with the independent films or previous Avengers film would be able to understand the majority of Age of Ultron. All the character have a good portion of cinema time to show off who they are and their abilities; important info from the events of the first Avengers are stated, the ‘worthiness’ of the hammer is said subtly through the Avengers party scene, and other references to the previous films. I’d say it’s definitely better to watch after seeing the previous films to understand the little jokes and info (like Thanos, mentions of Jane and Pepper), but can be watched and understood without seeing previous films…but come on – who hasn’t at least watched Avengers: Assemble!? I had high expectations for Age of Ultron as I did for the first Avengers, but there was a part of me that wasn’t sure if it would beat it, but I was wrong. I left overly satisfied with it and have come to conclusion that it is not a lesser film to Avengers: Assemble, but in fact equal to it! At the end of the film (before the credits) Captain America says, “Avengers…A…” and obviously what he was about to say was “Avengers…assholes!” which will start Captain America: Civil War releasing on the 29th April 2016! Of course we stayed for the after credits scenes; we sat for seven hours (exactly) so weren’t giving up there. The first clip was of Thanos grabbing the infinity gauntlet and saying, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” He couldn’t get the staff so looks like he’ll be getting off his backside and finally doing something. My only thought is what will happen to Vision when/if Thanos nicks the yellow infinity stone from his head!? I’m concerned he won’t make it. We heard before that there was nothing at the very end but stayed anyway, and there was something; a message saying that the Avengers will return…really!? Had no idea! Before then the next few Marvel films we’ve got are Antman; another addition to the Marvel Universe on the 17th July 2015. Then two 20th Century Fox films: the Fantastic Four remake on 4th August 2015, and Deadpool (rated 15, minimum) on 12th February 2016. The next Avengers film is unofficially Captain America: Civil War, but officially is Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 set to release on 27th April 2018. It’s then we’ll hopefully see all the current members of the Avengers again and a few additional heroes including the Guardians of the Galaxy probably. So far only four out of the six infinity stones (which fit in Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet) have been revealed: the Tesseract (Captain America: The First Avenger), the Aether (Thor: The Dark World), the purple stone (Guardians of the Galaxy) and the yellow stone (in Vision’s head). I’m going to predict that the next two will be revealed in either Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and/or Infinity Wars Part 1. The IMAX cinema is the best; loud sound, massive screen, good seats – brilliant! How many times is Marvel Comics going to beat DC Comics; the Arkham Knight game does look amazing, but wasn’t overly enthused with the new Batman vs. Superman trailer. Marvel is becoming unbeatable in the film front and I’m not as bothered about Batman vs. Superman as I was when it was first announced. Anyway, Avengers: Assemble – my hundredth time watch and still AMAZING; Captain America: The Winter Soldier – not as amazing but still great; and Avengers: Age of Ultron – ULTRA AMAZING! Now need to wait…or go and see it again before it finishes at cinemas! Until next time, Avengers A… GLASGOW SCIENCE CENTRE IMAX – 10/10! AVENGERS: ASSEMBLE – 10/10! CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER – 8/10 AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON – 10/10! I also have a whole selection of other reviews below if you're interested as well: The LEGO Movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Amazing Spiderman 2 Maleficent Guardians of the Galaxy Doctor Who – Deep Breath What We Did On Our Holiday It’s A Wonderful Life Kingsman: The Secret Service Children of Men Big Hero 6
  16. So, Ratchet and Clank Into the Nexus... this is gonna be good. For the final game in the Future saga, will it be concluded in the biggest way possible? Well to answer that question, no and yes. I mean, it's not A Crack in Time levels of "HOLY S***!", but there's certainly something. Story: Ratchet and Clank go and check up on Vendra Prog before she is hauled off to prison. As this is happening, her brother, Neftin Prog, breaks into the facility with the Thugs-4-Less crew. During this ordeal, the ship's gravity screws up, and Ratchet has to fix it. As he reaches the Progs, they blow up the facility, and Cronk and Zephyr die. As Ratchet and Clank drift into space, Neftin's ship tries to ram them in. As they sneak into the ship, they get stranded on an unfamiliar planet. They then find out about a group of supernatural beings called the Nethers, and they are connected to the true villain of the story, Mr. Eye(thing looks like something out of Soul Eater BTW). If Mr. Eye absorbs all of the Nethers, basically the whole universe is f***ed. I like the story, but I felt that it was too short for what it was doing. If it was about 15 hours, it could have been a lot more epic. Music: To be honest, I can't really critique the music since I barely heard it throughout the game, but when I did... holy crap, is it good! Graphics:The game's visuals are amazing. The game looks on par with visuals on the PS4. Seriously, the game looks like it was made on the friggin Luminous Engine. Everything feels vibrant and alive, and it nails the atmosphere on all the planets in this game. Then again, this is Insomniac Games we are talking about, they nail this every time. Gameplay: For those who don't know, RnC is a shooter-platformer hybrid with unique weapons that you would never see in another game(Groovitron, anyone?). You also travel to many different worlds working on defeating the main villain, kinda like Kingdom Hearts with guns(Fun Fact, they came out the same year).That same principle holds true for Into the Nexus. Now, before I explain the good parts, let me explain the bad,since there isn't much of it. First off, it is too easy, even on the highest difficulty. Secondly, like I said before, the game is really short. It's only about 4 hours long, and there are only 5 worlds in the game. Finally,, there is an under usage of the new Gravity technique. It looks and feels gratifying to go through multiple layers of physics-defying platforms at a ridiculous speed. Anyway, time for the good. The platforming feels extremely tight, and the weapons are as awesome as ever. In some ways, it is even better.The bosses are excellent,especially the final boss. As usual, in a sort of sidequest, you find schematics for a super weapon, a weapon that transcends all, a weapon too awesome for the universe to handle! The RYNO!!! Once you get the RYNO, you pretty much won the game. Final Verdict: Ratchet and Clank Into the Nexus is a great game. It's amazing how long this series has gone on and still retaining that certain spark.There are a few hiccups here and there, but it's a lot of fun for $20. Score:8.5/10
  17. I've just published my film/cinema review of Disney's BIG HERO 6 and I also talk about Kingdom Hearts too in reference to Kingdom Hearts III! Hope you enjoy! You can see the review below or on my website via the link below. What do you think of the review? Any good? Fair? Comments are most welcome below, and on my website too. BIG HERO 6 REVIEW andrew-hankinson.co.uk/film/bighero6/ Hi-ho, Andrew the Hank here with yet another spectacular film review! Sorry for the delay; it’s been a month since I’ve seen the film! Busy, busy, busy with BA, Dominos, etc. So without further delay lets gets on with it; THE FOLLOWING CONTENT CONTAINS SCENES OF STRONG SPOILERS! The 54th Walt Disney animation, BIG HERO 6! Hiro is a boy genius who doesn’t utilise his potential until his brother Tadashi introduces him to his ‘nerd’ school, his friends (Fred, Wasabi, Honey-Lemon and Go-go) and his latest creation; an inflatable health care robot called Baymax. Hiro is inspired and when he attempts to be accepted by the school, tragedy befalls and Tadashi dies in a fire at the school. Hiro discovers the fire wasn’t accidental as initially thought and teams up with Baymax and Tadashi’s friends to track down and capture the culprit. After using the same qualities found in all Disney films (family members dead/in deep distress, heroic sacrifices, humorous sidekicks, merchandising) and the same life lessons (having friends is good, love conquers, believe in yourself, keep moving forward), Big Hero 6 has become another Disney classic and even won the best animated film at the Oscars this year. For this film it was the Saltcoats Premier Cinema again with my aunt and papa (yes, that’s what I call my granddad). We went for the 11:30 showing and the short film started exactly at that time, when we came in. Forgot the adverts were before the showing time; should have remembered after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy here. Anyway we came in as it started so grabbed the first seats we could find at the front in the centre. The seats were good, the picture quality was great and the sound was ok; it wasn’t louder than Odeon, but it was acceptable. I realised half way through the film that I didn’t see if my papa had his hearing aids in or on, so there was a possibility he couldn’t hear the film; he tends to stick them in and use them more as earplugs than hearing aids. It turns out he didn’t have them in, but it was loud enough for him to hear. So yes as soon as we got into the cinema a short film called “Feast” was played before Big Hero 6; it is through the point-of-view of a gluttonous dog who watches the relationship between his owner and their girlfriend through the meals they share. I thought it was good (it won the award for best short film at the Oscars this year as well) but I wouldn’t say it was my favourite; Paperman is still my favourite short film at the moment. I liked the short’s use of colour with the unhealthy food and with the green coloured food representing the girlfriend, but felt it had similar uses of connotations as Paperman. There is so much popularity with superhero films in recent years, and Disney creating a feature length animation with Marvel inspiration was a great idea. San Fransokoyo is brilliant and beautiful, combining the American superhero culture and the Japanese origins of the original Big Hero 6. It has the layout, hills, tram system and Golden Gate bridge of San Francisco with Japanese aesthetics to it (modern buildings, streets and neon lights; and traditional buildings, gardens and cherry blossom trees); it essentially looks like a futuristic version of San Francisco. The scene with Hiro and Baymax flying around the city was brilliant, but I feel that way of showing off the location and animation was nicked from How To Train Your Dragon. We wanted to see the Stan Lee clip after the credits but decided not to wait till the very end since no one else was there apart from the cleaner. I managed to find it on YouTube though (imagine it won’t be there for long) and thought it was great. Stan Lee’s caricature was brilliantly done and was a great addition; just wish we stayed to see it. I KNEW Krei wasn’t the villain! It was a twist within a twist for me; once the main characters start suspecting someone, you know immediately it won’t be them (this is Scooby Doo basics), but I was thinking the guy behind the mask was going to be Tadashi. In the end I was still surprised, but I was like Hiro and couldn’t get over Tadashi’s death; maybe I just watch too many Marvel films (except Spider-man films – everyone dies in them). And why was Baymax’s sacrifice so emotional?! Even while I was watching it I was thinking he’s a robot and Hiro could easily create another, yet I thought it was sad. Maybe it was the “I will always be with you” moment. The final scene/pose with all six of them was pretty epic too…but kinda nicked off the final scene from How To Train Your Dragon again. Overall I think Big Hero 6 is a great Disney animation and can be titled a classic unlike other Disney films; eh–Black Cauldron–hem! But here’s the big question: do I think it’s better than Frozen? It’s hard to say which is better because the films are two different styles/ genres of Disney animations; typical split into Disney’s take on classical fairy tales and original modern style stories. Both are brilliant in their own rights and can be liked by all ages and genders, but I would say Frozen is probably more popular because girly girls who love princesses will buy (or at least torment their parents endlessly until they buy) the tons of merchandising like dolls, toys, dresses and sing alongs. Whereas Big Hero 6 isn’t as musical; it’s more action packed and probably more for wee boys who imagine and aspire to be heroes and Marvel/Disney geeks like me. It’s slightly sexist, but true – let it go! The next in line with Disney animations is Zootropolis (Zootopia in America) set to release on 4th of March, 2016, about a modern city filled with animal inhabitants, and Lt. Judy Hopp (a rabbit) trying to prove herself in the police force by investigating and cracking a case; …strange but interesting. Apart from that, the next animated film related to Disney is Pixar’s Inside Out (releasing on 24th of July 2015). I am intrigued by the idea (personified emotions in people’s heads), but have no idea how Pixar will use it. I feel it would have more benefit as a short film, but I trust Pixar to do a good job as they haven’t done wrong with their films yet (with very slight exceptions for Cars 2 and Brave). I remember questioning Up when the teaser trailer first came out, but now it’s up there as one of the most popular Pixar, if not animated, films of all time. Will there be a sequel to Big Hero 6? There is a lot the Disney animators could do with this concept and I would love to see the characters and their world again (maybe other famous cities with Japanese aesthetics about them), but I feel like Disney and Marvel are already rolling in the money with their superhero films, and should maybe let DC Comics take the floor for a while. Big Hero 6 is absolutely fine on its own, and if they were to make a sequel it should be worth it and not just for cash. The two directors (Don Hall and Chris Williams) are still recovering from their hard work on this film and haven’t talked about a sequel, but in Don mentioned, “we love these characters, and the thought of working with them again some day definitely has its appeal.” Fist bump – balalalala! In my last review I talked about video games (specifically Children of Men’s connection to The Last of Us) and I feel it’s appropriate in this review to include the video game franchise, Kingdom Hearts. A video game franchise that combines the characters from Square Enix games like Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You, and the characters and worlds of Disney films like Lion King, Nightmare Before Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tron. There is much speculation as to what worlds/characters will feature in the next game in the series, Kingdom Hearts 3, with the possible inclusions of Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, or even the Pixar, Star Wars, or Avenger films, but I would like to talk about Big Hero 6 as a valid candidate. Big Hero 6 I think would be brilliant, not just for the modern and varied characters, enticing storyline or its beautiful visual appearance, but I think the exploration/side missions could be great in San Fransokyo! After completing the world’s main storyline, you could pair up with different members of Big Hero 6 and do heroic work through the streets of the city. To date none of the 3D Disney animation (except Chicken Little’s character as a summon) have featured in Kingdom Hearts, so will be interesting to see how they adapt to the game’s look. The two remastered games of Kingdom Hearts (1.5 HD ReMIX and 2.5 HD ReMIX) are available to buy for PlayStation 3. Kingdom Hearts 3 has been highly anticipated for many years and there still isn’t a release date, but I reckon it will release during the first half of 2017 (my opinion, not fact!). Well that’s it for another review! Big Hero 6 was another triumph and has merited the title of “Classic Disney animation” for it’s beautiful visuals, interesting and action-packed storyline, great characters, and it’s typical Disney lessons. Feast was good, but hasn’t become my favourite short film. Kingdom Hearts is a great video game franchise; give it a try. And the Premier Cinema was fine; sound, seats and picture quality was good. Before I go, I shall leave a clue for my next review: there are no strings on me! And on that bomb-shell, I hope you are satisfied with your care. FEAST – 7/10 BIG HERO 6 – 8/10 SALTCOATS PREMIER CINEMA – 7/10 Kingdom Hearts FRANCHISE – 8/10 I also have a whole selection of other reviews below if you're interested as well: The LEGO Movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Amazing Spiderman 2 Maleficent Guardians of the Galaxy Doctor Who – Deep Breath What We Did On Our Holiday It’s A Wonderful Life Kingsman: The Secret Service Children of Men
  18. Authors Note: Considering I just gave this Rough Draft of my KH2 review to my professor on Thursday, this is still yet to be finalized. Plus, given the fact that today was march 28th, the day KH2 released in the USA I figured I would post this to get some opinions. Another thing, this was written for NON Kingdom Hearts PLAYERS, just a general audience so that is why the section about plot is so long. I was allowed to voice some of my opinion in this review but ordered to keep it hidden without saying the words I. Enjoy! Kingdom Hearts II Review The Kingdom Hearts series debuted in 2002 with the game by the very same name. Developed by Square Enix in partnership with Disney, they introduced to the world a game unlike any other. Featuring Disney films as individual worlds, separated by the vastness of space, Kingdom Hearts put the player in the bright yellow shoes of the series protagonist Sora on his home-world of Destiny Islands. Traveling to various Disney worlds with Donald and Goofy to find his friends, Sora learns to use the keyblade, a sword like weapon that looks similar to a key. Along the way, the trio help the denizens of the worlds. Then, on March 28, 2006 Square and Disney released Kingdom Hearts II for english speaking audiences. The new game continued the story from the first installment, added new gameplay elements and improvements in vital areas. The story of Kingdom Hearts II picks up right were its predecessors, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories left off. At the end of Kingdom Hearts I, the player is left wondering what lies ahead of the main trio as the ending cinematic cut off with them chasing Pluto down a dirt road in green grassland. Those questions were answered in the pseudo sequel, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in which Sora stumbled upon the mysterious Castle Oblivion. Once inside, Sora faced memories of his past and the shadowy new antagonists who called themselves The Organization. Due to events inside the castle, Sora, Donald and Goofy were placed inside pods to restore some important things they had lost. But in order to fix what was broken, they had to lose their memories of all that had transpired. Skip forward a year and the story picks up with a teenage boy by the name of Roxas. Having only one week left of summer vacation, Roxas and his friends try to make it the best week possible in their little world of Twilight Town. However, when mysterious white creatures start to appear, his world is turned upside down. Soon enough, a member of the Organization shows up in his town. The member turns out to be the only member from Castle Oblivion to escape destruction. Roxas fights him twice, the final time right before the player gets to control Sora. By that point in the story, the player is left wondering what is going on. Interestingly enough, the very same thought goes through the protagonists’ heads after they wake up from their year of sleep and decide to find out what all had happened. Once the beginning sequence of Kingdom Hearts II ends, the real story begins. The story then revolves around Sora and co. journeying to different worlds and facing off against the games two enemies, the Heartless and Nobodies. He also searches for his friend Riku and King Mickey, better known as Mickey Mouse. The Heartless are beings made from the darkness inside peoples hearts. Once a persons’ heart is filled with darkness and past the brink, a Heartless is created. However, with Kingdom Hearts II another enemy was added into the game: the Nobodies. Nobodies are what can be considered a bi product of a Heartless when someone with a strong heart is consumed by darkness and is turned into a Heartless, the persons body gains a will of its own and becomes a Nobody. This fact is revealed not long after Sora, Donald and Goofy are awakened. Slowly but surely, the plot thickens when Disney villains Maleficent and Pete begin to assemble an army of Heartless while the Organization starts to become more interactive with the worlds visited. Speaking of worlds, the ones in Kingdom Hearts II were chosen perfectly. Adapting classic Disney cartoons with the overall plot was no small feat for sure but with each world visited, the plot moves forward. Moving on without going into too much detail on the spoiler filled plot points, the story stays true to its Disney roots. Every world visited and cutscene watched is filled with nostalgia, showing the deep care the developers had for the source material. When entering each world, it feels as if the player were stepping into the very movies the worlds were based on, such as Little Mermaid, The Nightmare before Christmas and Lion King. Overall, the story of Kingdom Hearts II is filled with moments of excitement, sadness, anger and happiness. Each of those elements makes for a great story experience and an engaging game. But watching only story cut scenes would take away from the gaming experience, because people want to play the game. For Kingdom Hearts II, Square Enix exceeded expectations in the realm of gameplay. Keeping the traditional magic and ‘sword’ combat, Kingdom Hearts II exceeded its’ predecessors. Through leveling up, the player slowly gains more abilities and a variety of moves. Each new ability learned enhances the fast and fun gameplay. Other than the basic attacks and magic, players gained the option to wield two keyblades temporarily along with a boost in damage and mobility through Drive Forms. Each new one unlocked increases in power, and can be powered up even more by fulfilling specific requirements such as defeating an x number of Heartless while in y Drive Form. This new gameplay mechanic dramatically changed the way the game is played. However, by the end of the game these Drive Forms can be seen as unbalanced and overpowered. Even without the help of the forms, Sora is able to take on scores of Heartless without taking little or no damage. But that is were the Drive Forms come in yet again because once transformed, the players health is restored along with their magic meter, but their Drive Bar goes down as they use it. The full restoration of HP and MP is handy when playing on the games higher difficulties. In summary, the gameplay can be considered a hack n’ slash with bits of strategy mixed in once on the Proud and Critical Modes, which are the Kingdom Hearts series equivalent of Hard and Very Hard. Looking back nearly a decade later flaws can be seen if scrutinized, but in comparison to Kingdom Hearts, the sequel is more successful than it ever was. Kingdom Hearts II is a large game, taking nearly twenty plus hours to complete, and that is only by playing the main story. Improved controls and camera added to the experience but it was truly the enchanting story that captured the hearts and minds of gamers many years ago. Now, with four more games made and two HD remakes, fans are ready for Kingdom Hearts III.
  19. Hey. Just thought I'd start posting about my film reviews here since I'm gradually going into game reviews, and will hopefully be including Kingdom Hearts in my next film review which I'll hopefully get done in the next few weeks! Also because there may be film fanatics out like myself and may be interested. Anyway I've just published my film/cinema review of Alfonso Cuarón's CHILDREN OF MEN and I also talk a lot about Naughty Dog's THE LAST OF US video game too as there is quite a big link between the film and the game! Hope you enjoy! You can see the review on my website via the link below: http://andrew-hankinson.co.uk/film/children-of-men/ I also have a whole selection of other reviews below if you're interested as well: The LEGO Movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Amazing Spiderman 2 Maleficent Guardians of the Galaxy Doctor Who – Deep Breath What We Did On Our Holiday It’s A Wonderful Life Kingsman: The Secret Service Children of Men
  20. (Warning: The following review contains nothing except my opinion. Do not take any of my words as fact, for your mileage may vary. Also, another warning, this review is going to be loooong.) Yep. I said I’d do it so here I am. Welcome, good people of KH13, to my first ever review of an anime series. I’ll be tackling the overly popular and, in my opinion, the abundantly over-hyped “Attack on Titan”... the first season, that is. I’m just going to say this right here and now: most people who will read this will probably get pissed off by it. But, I assure you as a reviewer, I will at least try to be fair and concise with my judgment, even if those judgements may be a little on the negative side. Then again, It’s no secret I’ve spent more time finding error in the show than good; you can easily tell if you’ve been following my statuses about my thoughts on the the show since it started airing on Toonami, so maybe negativity was what most of you were expecting from me. However, I can’t just sit here and bash everything, I have to do it in a fair manner. Besides, before anybody says I hate Attack on Titan, I’ll just say right here, there are things about the show that I like that save it from me declaring it to be absolute trash. Now then, let’s get to the review itself. As per usual, the review itself will be kept inside a spoiler tag because I want to speak freely about the show without spoiling too much for those who haven’t seen it and because, frankly, if you watch any other review of mine, you know that I assume my audience has already completed the to-be-reviewed material. So, strap into your maneuver gear and let’s get started: That is my review for Attack on Titan, in all of its brutally honest detail, and just to clarify, I’m not going to watch the next season or read the manga, though that’s probably obvious.
  21. Yes if your a fan No if your not ...... that was the short version for everyone else who likes long explanations and want to hear more about the game then stick around. I'll be honest: I didn't want any part of this game when I heard about it, but with the recent SAO 2 anime being a lot better then the first SAO anime I decided to give this a go. and am I glad I did. it takes place in an alternate universe where (btw spoilers) kiritos fight with heithcliff got interrupted and now must finish the last 25 floors of SAO. so already you start off at level 99 with all of Kiritos awesome equipment. (there also doesn't seem to be a level cap in this game but if I ever hit it ill let you know) the cool thing I liked was the combat. though at first I hated it. it was different in terms of combat then other games I played and was complex but after re reading the combat information it was simple and actually fun. spamming sword skills and getting new ones was exciting (for example getting StarBurst Stream was amazing) and the floors defiantly got harder as I went higher up. there were also the boss battles which were epic in and of themselves but not a whole lot looked impressive looking except for bosses in the hollow area (id explain what that is but that's big spoiler territory) plus you get a trophy for each boss defeated so that's an easy 27 trophies right there. theres also this cool feature where you put your hand on the touchpad and slide your hand down to bring up the menu just like the show which reminds me to say that you can tell that the creators of the game really watched and payed attention to the show. for example Kirito regains heath every 10 seconds and quests are similer as they are in SAO now for the issues which of there are few. first: the translation rarely has points where its obviously not done right. though not so bad that you cant understand the context. its in version 1.0 though so im sure they will fix that. second. there are .... moments in the game where you have these cut scenes where kirito is put in fanservicey moments with the girls of the show. I cant believe that I never noticed how much of a harem this show was until that game. situations include but are not limited to: accidental boob grab hot springs bath a maid café torn clothes the whole "we are going to freeze to death so lets use our body heat" bit the nude apron and that's all I can think of right now. you can build up your relationship with all the girls and take them on walks around town and have conversations and hand holing and bridal carry them an so on. the girls are as follows Asuna (your wife) Silica (the loli) Lisbeth (the cutesy one) leafa (the sister) Yui (your little girl) sinon (the tsundere) strea ( new girl who only way to describe is she totally wants the D) and my favorite new girl philia whose story is the better part of this game all in all thers lots to do and its fun to do it but people not familiar with the show may not understand the story very much and the story takes up most of the game however if you have 2 or 3 gb on your psvita memery card and have $40 to burn the I highly recommend it. this game made me a fan and I even find myself buying the written novels and barnes and noble now.
  22. I may start doing these for games I play and possibly anime I watch, but to start off, a review on the Destiny Beta! I will review these games based on four main criteria: Story Music Gameplay Graphics ​I will give each category a review score of /10 (Out of Ten) and an average overall score /10. STORY! As with most FPS games now-a-days, the story is lackluster, in fact, most FPS don't have a story because you're too busy getting through the campaign to get to the multiplayer (Or at least that's what I do on FPS games.) However, this actually has A story unlike other FPS titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield. The story is set Seven Hundred years into the future in a post-apocalyptic setting following a prosperous period of exploration, peace, and technological advancement known as the Golden Age. In a universe where humans have spread out and colonized planets in the Solar System, an event known as "The Collapse" saw the mysterious dissolution of these colonies, the end of the Golden Age, and mankind teetering on the brink of extinction. This is a kind of story that intrigues me, a fight for survival against an unknown foe called the "Darkness" which threatens to wipe out the human race. For the story, I'll give it a 6.5/10. I said the story does intrigue me but It is still pretty mediocre. MUSIC! The music is a very strong part of the game. Most FPS do not even have a good OST because most FPS are quantity over quality as apposed to quality over quantity. Destiny or rather the Beta has balanced both quality and quantity out. As Bungie are the ones who are making Destiny, the tracks on the OST are very Halo-Esque which I like because I found the Halo OST's to be very well done for a FPS. Destiny is much the same. For the music, I'll give it an 8/10. Personally, the OST to Destiny is nostalgic as it reminds me of the mesmerizing tracks that were on some of the Halo OST's not to mention how good the music has actually been done. GAMEPLAY! Arguably one of the stronger aspects of the game, It isn't a generic FPS. It is much like Halo in that respect (In fact this game is like a better version of Halo). The gameplay combines FPS with sci-fi weaponry like Fusion Rifles which are essentially rifles that fire bursts of energy that can take down shields (I've found they are pretty Over Powered on Multiplayer too ). There is also generic weapons like Sub-Machine guns and Sniper Rifles but the game has been hand crafted so that It has a Borderlands feel to it, all guns and armor have specific stats and possible abilities or traits and can be collected, not to the same capacity as Borderlands but still does have a feel of it. There is also a mechanic called "Super-Charged" What super-charged is, is basically a super move you obtain very early in the game/beta and is a bar that you can fill up by killing enemies, once this bar has filled up it allows you to use this ability, in my case, I was using the Hunter class which allowed the Super-Charge, the Golden Gun which was a revolver that had a 10 second time limit use and three bullets. Each bullet is a one hit kill on most AI enemies and is always a one hit kill on Player Enemies. Overall I enjoyed the gameplay, gave me a feel of Borderlands which is probably my favorite FPS franchise out there. For the Gameplay, I'll give it a solid 9/10. Gameplay was fresh, had a feel of Borderlands and a feel of Exploration. GRAPHICS! This was in my opinion, the most strongest part of the Destiny Beta. I am unaware as off this very moment in time what graphics engine they used on this game but whatever it is, It is stunning, for a Beta that Is. I am looking forward to seeing what the full game looks like. Shadows were in perfect alignment with lighting, an added blur effect when struck with a grenade or some sort of explosive, gun animation looks very polished, no static movements at all from what I can tell, I could go on more with what the game made look good but this would take a long time. For the Graphics, I'll give it a massive 10/10. The game was stunning considering it is only in the Beta stage, I am looking forward to the full game's graphics. OVERALL CONCLUSION! Destiny looks like a very promising game, the graphics are stunning and the gameplay is fluid. Customization is a part of Destiny which is also a very good feature as it feels like Borderlands which I have already stated to be my favorite FPS Franchise out there. As an Overall Average score, I will give the Destiny Beta an 8.3/10.
  23. So for my second official review, I've decided to switch from comic book film to anime film. Also, I probably won't be lumping together movies in a single franchise and reviewing them all at once, as it can probably be told here. I just find it easier to review one movie at a time so I can focus better and deliver a better review overall. Also, since SOMEBODY (who shall remain nameless) told me that my reviewing style in my Spider Man movie trilogy thread was bad, I'm doing this to also improve upon that. And while I thank you, mysterious person, for pointing that out, next time don't be such a jackass about it. Kthxbye. But anyways, today's review will be on the third Naruto Shippuden movie and the sixth overall Naruto movie, “The Will Of Fire”, and I can honestly say before I even begin the review that this is my favorite Naruto movie of all time. Now, the review will be kept inside a spoiler tag so I can freely talk about the movie's elements without openly spoiling anything in particular. I recommend people who haven't already watched the movie to watch the movie before reading this: Okay so maybe this wasn't the best thing for me to review considering how overly one-sided I might sound but... oh, God, I can't help it! This movie is just too good people! I recommend it to people who are fans of Naruto and people who just like watching anime movies in general. Both audiences will be pleased with what they get. So yeah, here's the review. Its my opinion and I'm sticking to it. And quite frankly, I think I did this better than the Spider Man thread, so I'm happy.
  24. Oh boy. As a very, very very very VERY big Spider Man fan, I have a lot to say about what I am going to review today, and fair warning: most of it is going to be bad. I don't know if I've expressed this before in the past, but I have a sort of difficult relationship with the Spider Man SR trilogy. But, I'll explain that through my reviews of all three movies. These won't be that long, I'll just address the general concepts of the movies and give my thoughts on them. Now lets get web swinging. (NOTE: All reviews will be put in spoilers to lessen the length of this post as well as the fact that I'm going to discuss each movie as a whole, including their endings. So if you haven't seen any of these movies (which tbh, you're kinda lucky if you haven't, but still), then I highly suggest you at least watch these movies first then come back and read what I have to say.) Here's the first movie, "Spider Man", released in 2002. Now onto "Spider Man 2", released in 2004. And finally, we end with "Spider Man 3", released in 2007. Okay, I've said all I've said. This is what I think of the Sam Raimi Spider Man movies. To sum up, the trilogy didn't start off that good, and it only got worse as it went on and on and on. Only the first movie has any merit to it whatsoever, as both a movie and an adaption of the Spider Man comics. The other two movies can go die in a hole with Ang Lee's Hulk and the Daredevil movie. Feel free to leave your own opinions about these three movies down below and respond to what you thought of my reviews. I hope to do more reviews like this in the future, for both movies and other stuff as well.
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