So sorry folks, a major combi of work and family crap has kept me off the net for a bit, but I'm back with a review of Bleach 432, among other things. So let's get on with it!
So we open with Ruruka (you remember her, the loud mouth companion of Juugo) picking up another one of their comrades. Seems to be the strong silent type, as he can just barely put up with with her yapping.
Cut back to Ichigo and the Xcution gang. It seems as if Ichigo is just as surprised as I was with what Juugo said in the last chapter. To calm his jets, Juugo decides explain this bit by bit over drinks. It seems as if Juugo is "human" with the ability to draw souls out from matter and re-purpose them. He can, for instance, draw the soul of liquid out and use it to force it into his mouth.
His powers don't end there. He can also change the form of an object if he has a high compatibility with it, which he demonstrates by changing his necklace into a sword. He calls this ability "Fullbring," and it sounds very much like what Inoue can do with her hairpin. You could even say that Chad and Ishida's abilities are also akin to this fullbring ability, as Chad has a strong link to the necklace his grandfather gave him; Ishida focues through the Quincy equipment.
All of a sudden, Riruka bursts in, with her guests. And you'll never guess who it is: Chad Sado! Better yet, he doesn't seem surprised at all! WTF is going on?!?
First of, the ending and explanation of these new abilities makes this chapter a pure 10/10, hands down. Can't wait for the next chapter just to see what Chad's role is in all of this.
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoyed them. Mine were great: went to see Tron Legacy (freaking awesome BTW, if not just because of Daft Punk), MST-3000-edInterstella 5555, worked a ton. O.K. maybe that last part was not so great, but whatever. Let's keep the good cheer going! I give to you KR OOO 15.
Do you like it? It just came out last week, so I watched it for you and wrapped it up with a nice little bow. Let's take a closer looksie.
Maki and Kazari are hatching more plans for world domination, hoping to see what happens when all (or at least a large proportion) of the medals are contained in a single vessel. What new powers will be unleashed? Furthermore, Maki hints that the Birth belt (no use hiding it now XD) is virtually complete and needs only minor testing. Sounds like next episode we might see a new Kamen Rider in town.
While their diabolical plot is being fine-tuned, Eiji helps out Chiyoko set up the Christmas decorations at the Cous Coussier. Hina apparently has gone out and is out of touch (not like her, but let's roll with that for now), so Eiji has been forced to pick up the slack. And the tab for Ankh's ice pops. MERRY CHRISTMAS EIJI!!!
Meanwhile in the backroom, Ankh is spying on the Kougami Foundation building and gleams the whereabouts of his missing Kujaku Core Medal. It seems as if it will be transported with 5000 other Cell Medals to Maki's research lab for an experiment he is planning. Sounds like a trap to me, but what do I know. Shintaro, of course, will be overseeing the operation, and as he heads out to prep the cargo, Ankh kidnaps Eiji and tells him about the plot, imploring him to use OOO's power to re-obtain his Core. Eiji is reluctant to become a criminal and threatens to hold out when Kazari appears, telling the pair that Hina has been captured and is aboard the truck as well.
Now they they are both invested in stopping the caravan, the dysfunctional duo make their way over the Kougami Building to head off Gotou. After checking the truck, Shintaro dismisses the plot, but Eiji tails him anyway, just to be sure. On the way to the drop, the caravan is stopped buy Uva and Mezool. Gotou and his forces are useless against the Greeed, so Eiji transforms into OOO TaToBa. While everyone else is occupied, Ankh attempts to break into the truck, but both Gamel and Shintaro halt his efforts. During the struggle, Hina awakens and, using her crazy She-Hulk powers, attempts to break free from her cage. Eiji, blinded by his love for Hina, lets the situation get out of control and loses the Kawagata, Tora and Batta Core Medals as Mezool knocks him off of the bridge. Kazari intervenes as well and takes four other Cores from Ankh, two of Mezool's and two of Uva's. But where did the other three go? Hmmmm . . .
Uva and Gamel escape with the truck, and Gotou gives chase unsuccessfully (I mean who sets themselves up for a PIT maneuver?). Mezool and Kazari stay behind to finish off Ankh, who dives off the bridge to safety. Mezool confronts Kazari about his behavior and motives, but is slow on the draw and has all of her Core Medals stolen by her former partner, who says he is seeking evolution. Uva and Gamel, after shaking Gotou, arrive at the rendezvous point with Hina knocked out (again) in the back of the truck.
Elsewhere, Eiji and Ankh are waking from their base jumping experiment, and get pissed off at each other for not having the some goals but having to depend on other another. Right as it about to come to blows, Eiji says that he will go along with this mission IF Ankh pays for a year of ice. Nice plan Eiji! You're not a complete idiot!
Kazari joins back up the remainder of the gang, saying that OOO came back and took out Mezool. Gamel runs off to save his princess, and Kazari attempts a sneak attack on Uva, which fails. Uva, now aware of the depths of Kazari's betrayal, escapes just Hina comes round again. Ankh and Eiji show up just in time, and goes SaGouZo to take out Kazari. Gamel shows back up, and Kazari tricks him into creating a Yummy to combat OOO. In this three-on-one, OOO can't hold his own and requests more medals. While switching out coins, Kazari forces his to drop the Sai and Gorilla Cores, but OOO manages to shift into LioToraZo to counter Kazari's finisher. The counter dislodges a Cheetah Core, which brings back one of my favorite forms: LaToraAtch. The release of his henshin blinds Gamel, however Kazari is able to escape with him and all the his newly procured Cores. OOO is able to defeat the Yummy using the Tora Can, Gotou's sly thievery and a triple scanning slash.
Back at the lab, Kazari gets Gamel to ingest all of Mezool's Cores to push his and Maki's plot forward.
And that is it folks. Birth is definitely showing up next round, and it looks like Gamel might be getting a new . . .um . . . form. This episode was a wild ride, and it marks the beginning of an exciting arc. 10/10. Keep it up!!!
I'm sure by now I'm sure all of the faithful have already watched and rewatched episode 14 of OOO by now, but it's been a long week so cut me some slack. I actually completed my rewatch like 3 or 4 days ago, but I'm just now getting around to typing things up. Having a job with responsibilities is stupid . . . I mean rewarding!
If you recall the ending of 13, Shingo is in bad shape. Ankh pretty much has left him to die because he's a moody bitch. Doctors struggle to keep Shingo going through life support, but hope is fading fast. Eiji returns, looking for Ankh (who of course is hanging out on some bench, being harassed by some dog), but decides to chase after with Candroids instead. Right as he's running out to the vending machine, the director is being rushed into surgery for a heart condition. He recognizes Eiji from earlier, stops him and begs him to explain what's going on. After finding out the cause of Tamura's greed, he feels responsible and his condition worsens. If only there were some miracle surgeon who could perform him delicate operation!
Once at the vending machine, Eiji wastes ALL of the Cell Medals in his possession on Candroids to find Tamura and Ankh. That's right, all of them. He even buys some unagi, which can't help him track shit! He manages to find Ankh right as Yummimura is about to flay him open. Ankh coughs up 4 Core Medals for Eiji then flies back to the hospital to reunite with Shingo.
Elsewhere, Eiji transforms into OOO and starts to kick the Siamese Yummy's ass again. He goes TakaTorarTar and pulls Tamura out from the Yummy, similar to how her dealt with Kazari's last Yummy.
Damn you Kazari! Image from anime4touch.blogspot.com.
Right as the tide begins the turn and Tamura makes her way to the hospital, Kazari shows up with a score to settle. He beats the crap out of Eiji and steals the Cheetah and Tora Medals, leaving Eiji powerless. Oh crap, now we can't see LaTorarTar Combo!!! Ankh shows up just in the nick of time and give Eiji another Tora Medal, allowing him to go TaToBa.
Using the Medajalibur, OOO quickly cuts down the Yummy while Kazari manages to escape with his recovered medals. Back at the hospital, Tamura performs the surgery and saves the day. Heartfelt moments ensue. Awww.
Meanwhile Mezool's plan comes to fruition as she has used a con-man to raise several Piranha Yummy undetected. As the rest of the gang feasts and plans out how they are going to defeat OOO, Maki is back at the lab developing the new belt system. We get a full mock-up of the suit and right before the episode ends, we get a glempse of one of Ankh's Kujaku Core Medals! Oh, no what is he planning!?!
This episode was pretty solid, a good 8/10. We also get a good shot of Birth, and Ankh is back in his rightful place. Hopefully 15 will be just as good, because it seems that Birth is showing up in 16! Yay!
So I was trolling through TV-Nihon the other day, looking for the new Kamen Rider movie amoung other things (which I have a review of KR OOO 14 and Chou Den-O Yellow coming soon, it's just been a rough week) when I noticed a new entry entitled "Death Game Park." Interesting title, so I decided to check it out. After a quick Wiki troll, I came back with the knowledge that Death Game Park was essentially Battle Royale with Tokusatsu actors.
Sold.
So after a brief download, I loaded it up, and I was completely amazed by what I saw.
For those of you who are clueless about Battle Royale, here's a primer: An entire Japanese graduating class in shipped to a island where they fight for the right to live and have their entire lives paid for by the state. Sounds badass right? I know.
So Death Game Park is about the same, except swap students with criminals and sub in Kamen Rider Decade and Shinken Red as two of the main characters. The series was actually a string of mini episodes, but the "movie" version is all of those mini-sodes strung together into an hour-and-a-half masterpiece.
The movie opens with Tokunaga Shoudai (Tori Matsutaka [Shinken Red]) about to get his skull crushed by a crazy bastard with a bad hair cut. Right as the metal bar come crashing down a crippled man named Iwai Daigo intervenes and helps Shoudai to his feet. Daigo is played by Masahiro Inoue, of Kamen Rider Decade fame.Erina Mano also starts a young girl hellbent on revenge. REVENGE!!!!!
The game starts off with 13 competitors, all of which are convicted felons condemned to die. Shoudai seems to have no recollection of what he's done to deserve this fate, and periodically experiences flashbacks to a riot of some sort and a mysterious woman dressed in white. The game part consists of five stages with different . . . tests of skill and will to live. The first is a hide-and-seek game with "Oni" doing the seeking. Things only get more intense from that moment.
Without giving too much away, people start dropping off like flies as the games get more and more difficult and merciless.
Matsutaka and Inoue (wow that seems odd that I'm using that name to refer to a guy . . .) both give powerful performances. I can say much about Inoue, but trust me, he's great. Matsutaka proves that ShinKen Red is a badass at whatever he does, no matter the setting or series. He even knows Morse code!
This movie/series is a must see for anyone who is a fan of a well done drama, good acting and fantastic cinematography. Being a fan of Battle Royale helps, as does being a fan of either Decade or Shinkenger, but the real joy of this series is the fantastic storytelling and brilliant writing. 10/10!!! GO SEE IT NOW!
It was the summer after my sophomore in high school. Golden Sun: The Lost Age just released on the GBA, the follow-up to the amazing original Golden Sun title released in 2001, and I couldn't be happier. The first game was so fantastic that I bet it twice. I was so excited about the file transfer option for The Lost Age, I almost peed myself when I walked out of the store with the game already in my GBA.
Two weeks later, I hit one of the most extreme cliffhangers in my gaming career (don't worry I won't spoil it for anyone who still need to get through TLA), and as rumors of sequels swarmed over the next several years, I steadily replayed and cried over the ending of one of the best GBA series in history for seven years. SEVEN YEARS!!!!
So my junior year in college starts to wrap itself up, and I'm working on getting into an internship, a new rumor surfaced: the third installment was set to release in November. Just in time to ruin my finals! Hurray!!!
Luckily I made it out of my finals VERY well, and I still had time to play the shit out of Dark Dawn! And what a game it was. I'm not saying that it was worth the wait, but Camelot certainly made me a happy camper. For the most part.
The game takes place 30 years after the Golden Sun event sparked by Felix, Issac and the original Warriors of Vale, and much has changed in Wayward. Continents have shifted, islands sunk and certain cities have prospered brings a new golden age of Alchemy into existence. We join Issac and his son Matthew returning from a quick supply run to find Karis, Ivan's daughter, and Garet trying to stop Garet's hotheaded son Tyrell from taking off in a special glider called the Soarwing. That's right, Issac hooks up with Jenna after TLA, and they got busy with the baby-making.
Matthew graces the cover of Dark Dawn for the DS.(image from Neoseeker.com)
Anyway, back to the Soarwing. It's a special glider constructed by Ivan which can only be piloted by powerful Adepts and/or Wind Adepts. Tyrell, like his father, is an idiot, and thinks that he can do it regardless of his lack in experience and skill. Of course he crashes, and after a short rescue mission/tutorial dungeon, Matthew, Tyrell and Karis set off to gather supplies to fix this all-important tool to the well-aged Warriors of Vale.
The quest quickly spirals out of control, leading the trio on a mad dash all around Wayward, making allies and facing new foes, all while being pursued by agents of a shadowy nation of Tuaparang and a mysterious masked man. All the while Psynergy Vortexes are popping up all over the world, draining the energy of everything around them - even Adepts.
Much like in TLA, the player is eventually able to assemble a team of eight Adepts from all around Wayward, two from each element. Several descendants from the first two games appear and are very influential to the story line, but Camelot manages to inject several douses of new blood into the franchise to keep things fresh, including the Beastmen of Morgal and the introduction of the ancient Jenei and Exathi tribes.
The game still includes Djinni, of course. What would a Golden Sun game be without them? While there are some familiar faces amoung the 83 Djinni that can be found within the game, there are several brand new ones with very interesting abilities. Releasing a Djinn activates abilities ranging from heals and party buffs to concentrated enemy attacks and damage cancelers. Releasing these creatures also allows the player to summon powerful entities to aid the party in battle. There are a couple new summons, too, for you veteran players to find, and all summons have brand new animations which span both screens.
Procne gets ready to whip the enemy into shape. Image courtesy of Goldensunrealm.com.
The controls are pretty solid. Players can choose between playing with the touch screen or with the buttons (or, as I liked to play, with a hybrid of both). Both options provide the player with ample control over the action, and it really comes down to user preference on which one you should go with. I personally liked using the touch screen while scouring cities, looking fro hidden items, and using the button controls for most everything else.
While Dark Dawn has tons of room for praise, I have to say that the game isn't perfect. The game suffers from some of the same storyline issues that plagued the second title. You can tell that the writers are purposefully leaving out tidbit of information just to piss you off or to cater to a young, immature audience. Story lines are left with huge gaping holes, leaving you to shout at your screen, "I know who that f*&k that is!!! He's ***** ******!!!" (Trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about as soon as you hit The Throne Room scene in Ayuthay) I found myself calling Kraden an asshole at least once per minute during the final 10 hours of the game, which is sad, 'cause I really like him as a character. Or at least I did, until he became the grand keeper of secrets that aren't really secrets at all. Sveta does make up for half of what Kraden says/does, only because she's a total badass.
Hi, I'm Sveta! You don't know me yet, but I'm a total badass.(Image courtesy of Goldensunwiki.net)
The game also leaves room for another sequel, which brings me joy and anguish all at the same time. The possibilities that are available for the next title are massive and exhilarating, but because of the ending, Dark Dawn lacks the closure that most Golden Sun fans were probably looking for. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I picked it up. I'm just pissed that I have to wait for an explanation of things that they had time for in this game. But at the same time Felix is missing, Peirs is off doing god-knows-what, and presumably Ivan is still alive and kicking somewhere, so there are many different directions that Camelot go with in the next title. I just hope it takes them less than 3 years to do so.
I give Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for the Nintendo DS an 7.75/10. It is a good game, and definitely worth the money, but as a ardent Golden Sun/Camelot fan, I expected more. Ialso expected a file transfer option, but given the amount of in-game references, I'm willing to let that pass. Go buy it, though, if you're looking for a good DS title until Re:coded and Pokemon Black and White come out.
So things are getting kinda crazy in Karakura Town. Ishida is out of commission (spoiler alert! . . . oh . . .), Sado is out of contact and Kurosaki is in contact with some shady bedfellows known as Xcution. Bleach 431 picks up with Ichigo still on the phone with the Xcution's concierge, who gives him some odd instructions for contacting Juugo.
Call twice, hang up a weird intervals and the third call puts you though to the man? Who they hell does that? Anyway Ichigo finally gets through and requests a meeting time with Juugo. He still doesn't trust him (I wouldn't either, that MoFo is really creepy), but where else can he turn?
Later on at Karakura High, Inoue catches Ichigo in the hallway. To be more accurate, Inoue crawls through a window to ask Ichigo if he has seen Sado-kun recently, 'cause that is normal. Well I guess for Inoue that is . . .
She reveals that Sado hasn't been seen in a couple of days (worst fears are starting to come back again), and proceeds to ask Ichigo out on a date to find the big teddy bear (too far?). Ichigo declines, stating that he has plans, which we find out meeting Juugo in a creepy alley in a creepy part of town.
Inoue goes over to Sado's anyway with a sack of bread and a worried soul. With the worlds of Kyuken still ringing in her ears, she tries to repress the idea of Sado lying in some ditch ( . . . oh, I just made myself sad again . . .) and leaves him some bread to help him recover some strength.
Meanwhile in a dark alley in a bad part of town, Ichigo tries not to get raped while waiting for Juugo. The shady character finally shows, and leads Ichi into a rundown building with a keycard-access door. After sliding his card, Juugo opens the door to reveal a GIGANTIC lounge with three men inside waiting. One of them is Kutsuzawa, the other two are brand new.
Juugo explains off the room causally, then reveals Xcution's true purpose for drawing Ichigo closer: to jump-start his shinigami powers. Dun-dun-duuuuuuuun!
Holy hidden objectives, Batman, we've got ourselves a plot twist! All this time I feared that they were the cause of Ishida's attack and Sado's disappearance (I still do, 'cause these guys can't be trusted) because they wanted to eliminate all the competition in Karakura Town before they started a grand assault. Turns out they just want what I want: for Ichigo to get back to kicking some Hollow ass. But for what purpose? Only time will tell. I just hope that they find Sado soon, and we can worry about the rest of the ramifications later.
Guess that will have to wait another week. As for this chapter, I'd rate it a 9/10 simple because of the twist. Yeah it's slow to develop, but the payoff was well worth it. It definitely gets you stoked for next week's chapter.
OOO is picking up some steam (they even threw in some movie scenes into this week's opening credits), with Eiji now holds the powerful SaGohZo Combo and the entrance of the alternate rider drawing ever closer.
Movie poster, FTW!
This week, the story arc centers around Kazari's newest Yummy, which possess a young surgeon obsessed with being the best so that she can satisfy her patients. The scene opens at the Cous Cousier, which happens to be cowboy themed this week. Ankh feels like he's being mocked by Chiyoko since he never dresses up, and she's totally fallen for Eiji fabricated tale of Ankh's homeland. Seems as if he's a bit testy about not knowing the whereabouts of his other core medals (my money is on the Kougami Foundation, but that's just a hunch), and he feels the need to bitch about that.
On the other side of town, Shintaro is doing some target practice when Satonaka appears, dressed to (casually) impress. She's going on vacation (They get vacation day? I wanna work for the Kougami Foundation now!), so Shintaro has been assigned to bodyguard duty. Shintaro gets pissed, 'cause that's the only emotion he ever feels, and has no choice but to agree.
Meanwhile at a local hospital, the resident surgeon Kei Tamura feels as if she's being sidelined because she's young, even though her patients are flocking to the hospital specifically to be treated by her. Sensing her frustration, Kazari capitalizes on her weakness to create his Yummy. With her new found confidence/arrogance, Tamura begins to perform solo, unsupervised and unauthorized operations. And not the fun kind either.
Ankh sniffs out the Yummy's activities, which lead Eiji and him to the hospital, now packed with potential patients who all want to be healed by this miracle doctor. Officals are only allowing returning patients to enter, however, but doesn't seem to be a big hurdle: Ankh accesses Shingo's memories and realizes that he's been checked into this hospital before. Score! After some costuming, Eiji, Ankh and Hina are able to get inside.
Maki and Kazari, best "friends"
Once again, we get a scene of Kazari and Kiyoto Maki plotting about a Medal vessel. Maki opens a case, and we finally get a glimpse of the new Rider's belt! It looks kinda odd, but so does the new rider . . .
Anyway back at the hospital, Eiji runs off to find the Yummy, when Hina and Ankh run into none other than Shintaro. Seems as if he assigned some nameless subordinate to guard duty, so that he could hunt the Yummy (he's probation period apparently wasn't serious either). A cripple fight ensues.
Hina tries to stop the two, but only manages to separate Ankh form Shingo, allowing Ankh to knock Shintaro out cold and run off. Ankh catches up with Eiji, who's already tangled up with Kazari's matured Yummy, a Siamese cat-like creature. Eiji transforms into OOO and uses the SaGohZo Combi, nearly defeating the Yummy before it refuses with Tamura's body and escapes. Eiji, drained from using the combo, is unable to give chase, which pisses Ankh off even more, and he runs off. But wait, if he's gone, then what will happen to Shingo? Oh, no!
I guess we'll find out in OOO 14, coming out this week. This was a great way to start off this mini-arc, and the action was top-notch. 8.5/10. Not perfect, no, but it was entertaining. I expect the arc itself to be a solid 9 but right now I can't give it that high of a rating.
I'm sure by now you've either read my review of Chou Den-O Red or you've watched it yourself (hopefully both), so you know that it's probably the worst Kamen Rider movie ever. Seriously, if I want to watch a five minute motorcycle scene with no point, I'll watch Twin Peaks. At least that would be more interesting, and I get to see a woman hold a conversation with wood.
Luckily, Chou Den-O Blue: The Dispatched Imagin is Newtral, marks the redemption of the Chou Den-o name. Honestly, I didn't think that I would like it as much as I did, since I'm not the biggest fan of Kotaro, Teddy or Chou Den-O. Kotaro really proved his worth in this film, and saved this movie trilogy from being a disaster.
The movie centers are the relationship that Teddy and Kotaro have forged since their last appearance in Farewell, Kamen Rider Den-o: Final Countdown, as Teddy has become Kotaro's good luck ward of sorts. Whenever Kotaro is about to be, say, crushed by a giant spherical work of art or splashed with a bucket of water, Teddy predicts the outcome and protects him from the pitfall. Kotaro seems to take this protection fro granted, as he hardly notices when Teddy bursts in the save the day.
After Ryotaro is injured during a fight with a new Imagin, the Owner calls Kotaro in to investigate, but there's a twist: the Owner is reissuing Teddy's contract, reassinging him to his own side and giving him the name Aleksandrovic (more like AleksandroBITCH). Teddy reluctantly goes along with the plan, but is too passive to say anything about it. Kotaro, visibly broken up, is teamed up with Kintaros to chase after the Mantis Imagin.
Kotaro is hopeless without his good luck charm, Teddy. Almost everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Meanwhile, Mantis is helping her contract owner, Miku, replace herself in the past. Kotaro is finally able to track her down, and tries in vain to take care of the Imagin. Of course, since he is not use to using Kintaros, he fails miserably at satisfying her "battlelust."
The new forms for Chou Den-O: "Ax" form and "Rod" form
Back on the DenLiner, Aleksandrovic is . . . polishing spoons? Wow, Owner. You really needed help with that task. After some awkward conversations, Kotaro take Ryotaros off with him to investigate the double Miku problem. When they get there, Miku's grandmother is testing both Mikus to figure out which is real. After a cook-off and a tennis match, Mantis gets frustrated with Other Miku's lack of progress, and decides to intervene. Kotaro decides to kidnap Other Miku while Den-O Gun Form makes a distraction.
Aboard the DenLiner, Kotaro tries to convince Other Miku that the Imagin Mantis is just using her to steal away her time. They have simultaneous revelations, with Kotaro and Miku coming to the conclusion that you don't miss something until it's gone. Elsewhere, Ryutaro is getting is ass kicked by Mantis. Ryotaros is forced out from the Henshin, leaving Ryutaro in Plat Form. Kotaro and Urataros go off to save Ryotaro, New Den-O taking on a Rod Form (literally, his weapon is a fishing rod).
He's still go good enough to take out Mantis, but he does get her . . . motivated. She eventually forces him out of his Henshin. Teddy, realizing that he misses his boo, too, and rushes off to save him from peril. Normally, as the Owner describes earlier in the movie, this action leads to the destruction of the Imagin, since they break their contract. Teddy doesn't care.
Together, they manage to defeat Mantis, and sure enough Teddy begins to disappear after the fight. Right as he completely vanishes, he gives Kotaro an interlocked star charm to act as his new luck charm. Aw, how sweet!
Back on the DenLiner, everyone is sulking over the loss of Tendon. Don't cry gang, 'cause it looks like Owner has a surprise: Aleksandrovic! Turns out that he's just reset the contract and returned to his previous owner because their bond was so strong. He reassumes the name Teddy, and all become right with the world.
All in all, Blue is sooo much better than Red. The action is larger, the story is much more interesting and it actually makes you like the main protagonists more, unlike Red which was 72 minutes that I can never get back. 9/10!!!
OOO 13 is out, I just haven't watched it yet (visitors + finals = no free time for blogging), but I intend to get to that tonight. I do have a review of Yellow coming soon, along with a review of Death Game Park, Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2, Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl, The Scott Pilgram Blu-Ray, and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, if I can finish that in time. Ciao for now though!
I know, I know, I'm late to the party. Finals and such got in the way. Anyway, what have we missed in the world of Bleach?
It looks like Inoue made it back home OK, and she seems to be fantasizing about her visit to Ichigo's. Wow, she's got one active imagination. And a hard head. BTW, who the hell has a ring-tone that's just someone saying, "It's alright?" Maybe I'm just missing the reference here, but WTF mate? Anyway, seems as if she's been contacted about Ishida.
Meanwhile, back at the Kurosaki residence, Karin and Yuzu are eating dinner, chatting about their big bro. Karin starts talking 'bout masturbation and creeps Yuzu out, making he run away from the table in shame. As Karin begins to speculate about her bad mood, she spots Ichigo rushing out the door. Before she can stop him, he's out the door. Where's he off to?
Same place an Inoue, the Ishida reference. Looks as if Uryu called the gang to the Karakura Hospital to let 'em know what's going on. The only one who's missing is Chad, who's at work according to Inoue (damn, does everyone have a job now?). Ryuken's already patched up the young Quincy, and, of course, is kinda pissed that he called the gang in to see him in such a sorry state.
Ichigo tries to get some info out of him, all in vain. Funny, Uryu calls everyone to let 'em know what's going on, and yet he tells them nothing. Ichigo and Inoue get ready to head out, and Ichigo offers to walk her home. It's late, and nobody wants to see her get raped or anything (wow, that subject has been popping up alot lately). Ryuken, however, offers to give her a ride home, in his classic creepy style.
Ichigo runs off home. After he's gone, Ryuken reveals that he's not sure what attack his son, but it's not a hollow or shinigami. In fact, it's nothing he's ever encountered before. In fact, he's not even sure if the energy residue left on Uryu's wound is reiatsu, technically. He didn't want ot say anything in front of Ichigo, 'cause he doesn't want to get someone who's powerless involved into the matter. Ryuken has be able to deduce that the enemy is human, and is most likely after those will similar powers, suchas Chad and Inoue.
Oh crap! Chad's not answering his phone either! I certainly hope he is OK! I'd hate to have another chapter like last weeks . . .
Across town, Ichigo is frustrated with his weakness, to the point of absolute desperation. Remember that card that Juugo gave him? Well, it seems there a lot more to that than was explained. Ichigo dials the number on back, and gets in touch with the Xcution's Concierge desk, who asks him to register his number as he's a new member to the program. The concierge says that they have been expecting his call and welcomes him to Xcution . . .
Really, I was just glad to see that Ishida was OK, but once that was over, the rest of the chapter was rather dull, save a couple of moments. Ryuken's speculations confirm my worst fears, which means that there is a new breed of villain on the loose in Karakura town. And it is human. :-T Worst yet, it seems as if Ichigo might be getting more and more tangled up with them. And we still don't know exactly what Juugo is after, or what he wants Ichigo to find out about Isshin. Even still, I can't give this chapter anything higher than a 5/10. Next week's should be ballz crazy though.
Sorry about the delay on 11, but it's finally here! And it's a double feature! OOO 11 and 12 coming at you, right now!
OOO 11: Oh no, Mothmonster-man! But wait, before we got to him, it looks like Eiji has a friend in town. Keisuke Tsukuba is a long time friend of Eiji and a fellow world traveler, who blogs about his random adventures around the globe. Seems as if he going to try and get a book deal about his travels. Good luck with that dude!
Spoke too soon. Kaisuke gets bitchslaped by the publishers in favor of pretty boy Kotaro Sawada. What's so special about him anyway. Oh, what's that? All the girlies think that he's haut? And he's on TV and radio? And he's go a super popular blog? Oh . . . well when you say it all together like that, it sounds very impressive.
Tsukuba goes off to sulk when Uva spots him. Sensing his greed, the green-meanie spawns a Yummy from him. The Yummy attacks Sawada, in order to gain his knowledge, and transfers it to Kaisuke. Now filled with some medals, the Yummy transforms into a mothmonster-man (and we've come full circle).
Ankh, sensing a disturbance in the force, sends Eiji out to investigate. Clearly at a disadvantage against a flying opponent (especially since he always seems to ignore his 'hopper roots), OOO fails to stop the Ageha Yummy. Shintaro shows up just in time to watch it run off (he's been sent on another errand-boy mission to give OOO a newly developed Candriod), and scoff at Eiji for being soft ('cause Shintaro's done SOOO much so far).
Off in the distance, Ageha Yummy/mothmonster-man attacks a comedy duo to make Kaisuke more popular. Eiji and Ankh arrive just in time to be pummeled by Gamel, who ends up taking back two of Mezool's medal! Oh, no!
Forgetting about the Core Medals, Eiji runs off to save the comedy duo, transforms into Takakirietar and attempts to take out the Yummy. Right as he's about to strike, Shintaro decides to stick his dick into the fight in the form of a rocket aimed a both the Yummy and OOO.
Meanwhile, Keisuke becomes more assertive with his newly obtained power. He tries to hijack the comedy duo's gig, and invites Hina to come watch. When she arrives, she sees and recognizes Uva in his human form. Once noticed, Uva is left with no choice but to silence the witness, which brings us to . . .
OOO 12: Long story short, Shintaro is a dick. Because of him, the Yummy escapes, but who does he blame? Eiji, of course! Stupid OOO, being made out of solid matter! Stop sulking, you'll be the foil rider soon, so STFU.
Hina manages to escape from Uva's grasp, and runs to warn Eiji of his plot. Uva heads back to the Greeed homebase, where Gamel presents Mezool with her Core Medals. Telling her to stay and rest, the two head off to collect more medals and defeat OOO (orlynow?).
At the Cous Coussier, Ankh hatches up a plan got gain Gamel's Core Medals. And by "hatch up a plan" I mean "sit in bed, whine about it, and let Eiji figure it out somehow." Gotta love management. Keisuke stops by as asks Eiji for some of his stories, so he can plagiarize them. The greed is strong in this one (wow two SW references in one blog!). Ankh busts up the party, saying that the Yummy is out and about again. Eiji races off to encounter it, and Hina forces Keisuke to follow so that he can see what he's done. Meanwhile Shintaro is put on house arrest (like that will stop him) for his actions, and on his way out, Maki teases him with the prospect of becoming Bir. . . I mean, a Rider.
Eiji arrives just in time (so does Shintaro) to save some more celebrities, because celebrities are our future. he says some inspiring shit that gets everyone to believe in him, then begins his assault. The new Candroid is revealed finally (it's an unagi [eel] that can bind enemies) things are going great, until Uva and Gamel show up (Shintaro actually isn't a prick and hits the right target for once). Right was Gamel is about to strike the finishing blow, OOO counters and steals three Core Medals. What luck, he has a set from Gamel! He transforms into SaGohZo Combo and proceeds to kick some ass.
In the battle, Uva also loses a Core Medal, which forces Uva and Gamel to retreat. Eiji and Shintaro finally become "friends," Keisuke goes back to normal and all is peaceful. Someone was spying on the whole battle, however: it was Maki and Kazari! What are they doing together? Is this the beginning of an evil partnership . . . of evil? Only time will tell.
Good episodes, both of them. I'd give 11 a 9/10 and 12 a perfect 10/10 (a first for the blog!). I'm super excited to catch 13. It looks like we might see the new Rider Belt, plus we'll get to see SaGohZo in action again. Chou Den-o Blue is up btw, and I should have a review of that coming out soon. It's soooooo much better than Red, and I kinda like Chou Den-O now; only a little bit though.
Sorry about the late post, I've just been busy. Work and such. :-/
I know what you're thinking. "When the F*ck will Den-o die?" The answer: never. He's been turned into a kid, and did that stop him? No. Series is over, does that stop him? No, he just sticks his infinite climax d^ck into everyone else's movies (What were you expecting a Kiva movie? Too bad bitch!). I mean don't get me wrong, I like Den-o. he's one of my favorite riders in the Heisei era, but come on! All go thing come to an end, that means you, too, Den-o!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand: another F'ing Den-o movie. At first I though I might enjoy this one, for a change. I mean the intro suggests that they might actually be able to "fix" the whole Yuuto clusterf*ck, but boy was I wrong.
So the movie opens with Ryotaro helping his sister Airi out renovating the ol' Milk Dipper. Suddenly Momotaros (of course) possesses Ryotaro to tell him of the dire plot the Piggies Imagin are hatching. Looks like they have hijacked the DenLiner, and they are running a crazy loop though January 2010 and the sands of time (not to be confused withe horrible movie, mind you).
M-Taro takes off. Airi keeps working away, Ozaki and Miura fawning over her all the while, until she's attacked by street punks out to do some rapin' (which seems kinda harsh for a KIDS DRAMA!). M-Taro rushes back in to save the day, and to figure out who sent the punks, because there's always a ring leader when rapin' involved. Low and behold, it's a Yuuto! Wow, what an upstanding dude!
Retreating to the DenLiner to think about what they learned today, we see that ol' cast again: the Owner, the Imagin gang, Kohana and of course the most important of the all, Naomi.
Oh, Rina Akiyama. . .
Snap back to reality. While the Owner does his thing with a tape measurer and the group discusses crap, Deneb appears. He begs them to find Yuuto (probably so they can rape the timeline again), and to keep they DenLiner in check, they decide to anchor it in May 2010. Meanwhile, back in the "present" day, Yuuto saves Airi from more punks and blah, blah, more useless crap. I kinda tuned out during this part. Still kinda distracted by Oshirina . . .
Tuning back in, some strange dude in spying on the whole scene. His name is Major Creeper, I mean, Hiroshi Kikuchi. Seems as he's in cahoots with the Piggies to win the heart of Airi (he wants her heart, the Piggies could give a f*ck less, just to clarify).
Meanwhile back at the anchoring point, Momo sense the Piggies, but still injured from his earlier hi-jinks, he tells Ryo and Urataros to go off and find him. They fail, miserably of course, but at least we got to see rod form. They go back to discuss matters, and as Ryotaro leaves, the ropes holding the DenLiner breaks! Now he has no way of defending himself from the Piggies!
Airi gets attacked (again), and Ozaki and Miura can't help (again). Taken hostage, she must hope that someone, anyone will come to her aid. Ryotaro goes Plat Form (hehe it's funny every single time) and fails to save her when Yuuto shows up and goes Zero Form. Kikuchi, however, is waiting to run over both Piggie and Zeronos with a truck filled with gasoline (overkill much?). Piggie eventually gets fed up with the fact that Kikuchi is a total coward, throws Airi into the back of the truck, and tries to steal Kikuchi's time.
Fighting him off, Kikuchi takes off and Zeronos after him in the ZeroLiner/ZeroHorn. Ryotaro gives chase, runs into Momo, and they steal a tandem bike, cause that's a useful way a catching a truck.
Zeronos goes Vega, knocks Piggies off the truck, then proceeds to try and save Airi. Sword form Den-o and Piggies get it on (and Momo delivers his most awkward line ever). Zeronos, now in Altair form, saves Airi (who falls back in love with him [I'm saving you the trouble now]) and Kikuchi the worm. Meanwhile Den-o goes Climax form, and beats the crap out of Piggies. The rest of the movie is pretty much crap, and that's that.
By far one of the worst Kamen Rider movies, and definitely the worst Den-o movie to date. Hopefully Episode Blue and Yellow will be much better, but we can only hope. 5/10 only because of Climax finale and Zeronos's epic battle, other than that this movie was garbage.
I'm kinda backlogged on OOO, so I'll most likely post a multi-review of OOO 11 & 12. See you all then! Now back to Golden Sun!
I really love this chapter, I just am not looking forward to reviewing it. The plot developments are fantastic, but so heart wrenching. So read this before you read the rest of this review. Go ahead I'll wait.
Caught up? Good. So now that you're crying too. Well recap time, then I guess, if I can hold it together. (T-T) Sniff, sniff.
After Juugo reveals his identity to Ichigo, he hands him something off screen and leaves. There is still a void of trust between Ichi and Juugo, but it seems as if they might be able to work together in the future. Ichigo returns home to find Yuzu waiting with her first test score in hand. A 95%! Way to go! He congratulates her, then goes on to try and find Isshin, who's nowhere to be found.
Yuzu says he hasn't been out all day. Right before Ichigo retreats to this room, Yuzu starts to ask him something, then stops. Perhaps she senses that something is wrong, that she can tell he brother is stressing over Juugo and the revelations that came with his unusual appearance. Once upstairs, Ichigo hears Inoue Calling to him from the street, carrying leftover bread from her bakery.
After letting her up (and some fidgeting), Inoue asks if anything or anyone is bothering Ichigo. Her intuition is telling her that something is off with Ichigo, but our macho hero dismisses her concerns. Ishida shows up, senses Inoue and decided to leave them be.
Ok, now I'm not sure if I can get through this next part. Time to buck up!
Ishida sees a stranger reading a book on top of a roof. Weird! Giving chase, Ishida tries to analyze this man's fighting style, seeing as he's going incredibly fast without changing the spiritual particles around him. He doesn't look like Kutsuzawa, who we meet in the last chapter, but objects seem to fizzle after he touches them. Could he a a Quincy? I doubt it, but he could be some sort of hybrid (like the Visored and such). He does kinda look like Zangetsu though . . .
Back at the Kurosaki residence, Isshin is still not home. Ichigo finally reveals to us what Juugo gave him: a black card with a magnetic strip on the back labeled: "Welcome to our Xcution."
Ichigo senses some disturbance outside, and we get a glance at the scene outside: it's Ishida, lying on the ground and missing an arm. OMG ISHIDA NO!!!!!!!!!!
I. . .I can't do this anymore. See you guys tomorrow, for the OOO 11 review.
Following in the wake of the massively successful Naruto Ninja Storm for the PS3, NUNS 2 come rushing in with full-force. The story picks up at the beginning of the Shippuden half of the Naruto Saga, with Naruto returning from his two-and-half year training session with Jiraiya and extends into the Five Kage Summit arc, ending with Naruto and Pain's battle among the remnants of Konohagakure.
NUNS2 is available for the PS3 and the Xbox 360.
The battle system for the most part is still intact, with some new tweaks and adjustments (some more useful that others). The first addition most veterans of Naruto games will notice will be the absence of QTE sequences during ultimate ninjutsu attacks. A blessing and a curse, this helps speed up combat significantly and makes battles seem as if they are lifted directly from the anime series; on the flip side, it means that the only way to defend against ultimate jutsus is to block it in time. It's not so bad normally, until you play that one dick friend who picks someone with a long-range U.N. and spams that constantly. Then it gets old REALLY quick.
Not all of the changes are terrible, though. There is a new team gauge, which fills up the more you use team assists. Once full, teammates will assist by blocking ultimate jutsu attacks, creating a shield for you while you charge chakra or tossing in some extra shuriken when you attempt a chakra-infused shuriken assault. Another nifty trick that the team gauge provides is an all-new team ultimate jutsu attack. Pretty much everyone takes turns beating the crap out of your opponent, then the main character performs their ultimate jutsu attack. Overkill much?
Your support team can also be set to one of three different modes: attack, defense and balanced. Attack mode will allow your ally to continue combos that send your opponent flying. Defense mode will proc the chakra charge cover, and the balance will proc the projectile attacks. When you start off the game, each character has one support style, but as you progress through the story mode, you can increase your relationship with each character. This in turn unlocks the other two support modes. It's kinda annoying, but all that hard work pays off in the end. Eventually.
Naruto and Pain get ready to do it to it.
The game boasts an impressive list of characters. 44 in all, you can play as every member of the Akatsuki, almost all of Naruto's peers and rivals, the Sannin and many others (including a special visitor from the Tekken universe). Honestly this was the driving force behind me checking this title out. The last Naruto game I seriously go into was Ultimate Ninja 2 for the PS2, which frankly sucked balls, character wise.
The online play modes have been tweaked to allow for better match making, but I didn't really mess around with that feature. The new story mode layout is OK, except for the fact that there is no quick travel system. I mean would it really kill CyberConnect2 to put in a warp feature? Trekking around got really old in chapter 2. Other than that, story mode is OK. Some of the trophies are kinda lame (save up 999,999 ryo; fuck that!), but are relatively easy to obtain if you play through the story mode. It will take about thirty hours to unlock and complete everything, which ain't terrible. Nice way to spend a weekend.
All in all, I give NUNS2a 7/10. It's just a fighter, but a good one. Not the best, be certainly not the worst. Now if you will excuse me, Golden Sun is calling.
Sup all! Bleach 429 is still being translated, but there is a special movie tie-in chapter out now. I haven't seen much info on the new movie, but given the way the arc starts, it sounds like it might be pretty interesting.
So the chapter opens to someone stating that the gate to hell will not open. Which is a good thing right? I mean I only remember it being in one chapter early on the series, and it was scary as shit then. I don't think anyone really wants to see it open. Anyway, the story goes on to show Szayel Aporro Granz and Aaroniero Arruruerie crash-landing in some forsaken wasteland. It's definitely not Hueco Mundo, it could be Kansas, but who know at this point.
Aaroniero, the idiot that he is, gets pissed off at Szayel (he might have goaded him on a tad . . .), and decides to try and absorb him into his Resurrección: GlotonerÃ, when suddenly a strange man butts into the duel (that seems to happen alot, but whateves).
The man's name is Shuren, and he reveals that both men (? I really don't know how to classify Aaroniero other than an abomination, but 'man' will do for now) are already dead and the is no escaping their fate. Shuren is accompanies by three fearsome-looking allies: Taikon, Gunjou and Garogai.
Szayel calls shenanigans, and attacks. Bad decision.
Shuren fucks his shit, even after he tries to release a Grand Rey Cero. Aaroniero even tries to take on Shuren's three coadjutor, to no avail. Disappointed a bit in their power levels, Shuren holds up a black lantern with an image of Ichigo's full-hollowfication form, stating that he is the only one with the power to open to door to hell.
I don't know about you, but now I really excited about the new movie. Tite Kibo said that he has personally put in a lot of work on the script and storyline, so it's going to be true to his vision of the series. Unfortunately there will probably not be a translation ready for a couple of months, but it's definitely made it onto my wishlist. It looks like this is the only pre-movie chapter, though. Hopefully 429 will be up tonight, and I'll get to is after I get off of work. I also have reviews of new the Kamen Rider movie and OOO episode incoming, so hold tight for those. Later!
Fallout: New Vegas starts off with a bang. Literally. Your character (unofficially known as The Courier) is bound, robbed of a shinny silver poker chip and shot right in the face.
And that is how you start your grand journey into the Mojave Wastelands. After going through the normal process of crafting your character's features, stats and perks, you're released to explore every corner and crevice of this desolate desert. If you have any experience with Fallout 3, then you're probably already familiar with the interface and game play, but there are some new elements this go around. To start, more of your actually skills play into a player's dialogue options and choices. Once of the early quests you can encounter, for example, involves you gathering up support to help protect the town of Goodsprings from the Powder Gangers. During the quest, you have to option of sweet-talking some dynamite off a crazy old dude. If your explosive skills is not high enough, he says that you're more likely to kill yourself than to kill anyone else, and you get squat. This is welcome addition to the regular speech check, and really motivates the player to advance all of their skill at least a little bit.
FORE!!! (Image courtesy of Joystick.com)
Another welcome addition to the series (or should I say a welcome return)is the ability to have multiple companions. The Courier is allowed to travel with two item-slaves, I mean companions, one humanoid and one non-humanoid. Their AI seems to work a bit better than it did in Fallout 3, and you can now interact with them using a wheel of options, similar to the weapon/abilities select wheel from Mass Effect. This makes using stimpaks on crippled comrades much easier, and it allows you to tweak their inventories without having to swim though dialogue that gets old after the second time you see it.
The companions themselves are quite impressive this go around. Obsidian Entertainment really outdid Bethesda in this respect. From Rex, the faithful dog obtained from The King, New Vegas's premiere Elvis impersonator to "delicate" nightkin Lily Bowen. Searching them out was a great adventure in and of itself, as they are scattered all across the map. There are eight in all, and searching them out nets you a cool trophy (or achievement on the XB360).
All eight companions, together at last (Image courtesy of Fallout.wikia.com)
The key storyline seemed to be a much better motivator in New Vegas as opposed to Fallout 3. As I mentioned earlier, you're out on a quest for revenge, and as you make you way through the wastelands, The Courier juggles the interests of three main factions: the New California Republic, The Legion and Mr. House. Each factions has something different to offer the player: the NCR are more or less out to bring order to the Mojave (even if that means breaking a few, say, hundred eggs/skulls), the Legion are a ball of chaos for those who might be felling a bit froggy, while Mr. House is perfect for loners like me that like calling all the shots. The final ending revolves around sided with one (or none) of these factions, but there are several more scattered through the game, such as the Brotherhood of Steel, Powder Gangers, the Boomers (and their arsenal of Howitzers) and the White Glove Society, just to name a few. Not to downplay Fallout 3 too much, but I just didn't give a shit about trying to find my dad in that game. Maybe it's just a personal thing, but the quest for revenge seemed much more interesting and engaging than the overarching plot for FO:3.
Other new additions include a new game mode called Hardcore, where you must keep track of how much you eat, sleep, drink water and nearly every item now has weight assigned to it. Companions can die in this mode (in the normal mode they simply pass out), and every healing item is a HOT (oh sorry, heal over time), including stimpaks. The game features new music, a cache of new weapons and items, gambling, one the coolest new traits in "Wild Wastelands" and standard level cap of 30 (I expect that to go up with DLC in the future).
Welcome to the Luck 38 boys!(Image courtesy of IGN.com)
As much as I loved FO:NV, it does have it problems. First and foremost, the glitches. It's hard to play for more than two hours before the games bogs down and freezes, which is quite the pain. While this can be mitigated with frequent (and numerous) saves, the fact that I can't just sit down a geek out without the constant fear of having to restart the game every couple is troubling. I mean, you would thing that they would fix this issue, since it was a bit a a problem even in FO:3. It was never this bad before, though. And the patch that was release, didn't fix shit, it only made some elements worse. I'm locked out of two quests ATM simply because the NPC won't talk to me, for no reason. WTF?
Aside from the glitches, the radio sucks. Hardcore. There are only two real stations to choose from, and they play the same crap. There are supposedly 27 songs, but I swear I've heard ten of them loop constantly. I can't even play with the radio on anymore, because if I hear "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" one more time, I'm going to have pierce both of my eardrums with plastic sporks. Actually ther is one song that is pretty good: Big Iron.
That's some killin' music right there.
Some of the old FO:3 problems still exist, like NPC suicide, missing items every now and then (I think some of my companions have stolen Nuka-Colas from my safehouse. :-/) and the occasional get-stuck-inside-a-rock-for-no-f@^king-reason moments. Otherwise the games a good solid 8.5/10. It's not perfect, but there is a shit ton of items to locate and quests to undertake. The replay value is very high, since you'd have to be kinda crazy to take on Hardcore on you're initial play through. If you can bear though the glitches, then the game is amazing, but they are so persistent and annoying that it's hard to look past them all.
So we open with Ruruka (you remember her, the loud mouth companion of Juugo) picking up another one of their comrades. Seems to be the strong silent type, as he can just barely put up with with her yapping.
His powers don't end there. He can also change the form of an object if he has a high compatibility with it, which he demonstrates by changing his necklace into a sword. He calls this ability "Fullbring," and it sounds very much like what Inoue can do with her hairpin. You could even say that Chad and Ishida's abilities are also akin to this fullbring ability, as Chad has a strong link to the necklace his grandfather gave him; Ishida focues through the Quincy equipment.
All of a sudden, Riruka bursts in, with her guests. And you'll never guess who it is: Chad Sado! Better yet, he doesn't seem surprised at all! WTF is going on?!?
First of, the ending and explanation of these new abilities makes this chapter a pure 10/10, hands down. Can't wait for the next chapter just to see what Chad's role is in all of this.
