Step Aside Susanowo, The Champs are Coming! (DW:G3 DLC Pilot Pack 3: Lockon Stratos/GN-009 CHERUDIM)

As you could probably guess, I love Susanowo and Graham Aker. He is my favorite DLC character so far, and the second character that I maxed out. Everything about his design impressed me, and it felt like KOEI really plucked the suit straight from the series and dropped him into the fray.

Hey you! Yeah you by the wall! Catch!!!

That is, until Lockon and the 009-CHERUDIM waltzed into town. Available on PSN and Xbox 360 right now, this DLC package contains (yet again) another suit/pilot combo and a character specific mission which upgrades Lockon to Newtype status.

Pretty much all of his attacks are ranged/shot attacks, so this mech greatly benefits from the Sniper equipment and the Piercing Shot Skill. Cherudim is also very agile and has a wide range; taking on groups is no sweat in this baby! Its special ability is the same as the OO's, and Cherudim is also granted multiple attacks upon activation of its Trans Am Drive.

This thing is a beauty, and it has me even more pumped to see the rest of the OO cast, especially Arios.

The Sunrises on the Next Great Dynamic Duo (Tiger & Bunny 1-10)

So I'm hanging out with some friends the other day, and we get to talking about the anime that we are currently watching when one of them says, "So did you see the new Tiger & Bunny?"

My quizzical expression must have given me away because he immediately started singing the praises of Sunrise's new buddy cop action anime, Tiger & Bunny. The show centers around Sternbild City during the year NC 1978. In years past, special individuals called NEXT became heroes and protected the city. But like with all things, corporations eventually sticks their dicks into the situation take over the system, mutating this harmony into the Hero TV system. Each hero is sponsored and works to collect points; The hero with the most points at the end of the season wins the title "King of Heroes."

Kotetsu "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi is a washed up old superhero of yesteryear who is forced to either team up with the young hotshot hero Barnaby Brooks Jr. The reluctant duo are equipped with power suits that augment their NEXT abilities of super strength, speed and agility called Hundred Power, and compete against other super heroes to save the most civilians and nab the most criminals.

While each hero has his or her own flaws, Barnaby's and Kotetsu's dilemma are the core of the plot. Barnaby's parents were murdered when he was four, and he has spent the rest of his life searching for the group Ouroboros, the syndicate responsible for their assassinations. Kotetsu struggles to find a balance between work and his family. Both problems provide for great storytelling, but the real power comes from the push and pull of two lonely souls, unwillingly but slowly learning to trust and depend on one another.

Teamwork in action.

And then episode 10 happens, and things start getting serious. I'm taking "we're-going-to-war-against-Shocker" real.

Yeah, and it only gets better and better. If you are not already watching this, check it out. Luckily, Viz is simulcasting new episodes on the Anime News Network and Hulu.com, so it's easy to catch up and stay on track with this one.

Racjin/NIS's Resurreccion lacks a soul (Bleach: Soul Resurreccion - PS3 exclusive)

When this game was originally announced, I flipped my lid. Shattered Blade was ok, and I loved the DS and PSP fighters, but I always expected Bleach to get a huge console banazsplosion a la Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 or Raging Blast 2. After playing the demo, I was still in (and even more excited by the graphics! Oh, so pretty!!!) and eagerly anticipated the games release.

Then August 2 came, and everything changed. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!! REPEAT! DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!

Well at least don't buy this game at full price. Split the cost somehow, or wait for it to hit the bargain bin because the game has almost no substance. Yes, YES I know it is pretty. The animations are smooth as silk, the voice acting (both tracks are included for all you purist assholes out there) is excellent and the soundtrack is perfect for the high-speed combat. Speaking of the combat, the controls are nearly perfect, but a tad bit loose a times. My biggest complaint really is that special moves lock all characters in place once they are activated. While this means you can crush an opponent in one blow once you get them to about a third health left, it does mean you will probably die to Aizen and/or Barragan and/or Ulquiorra because

they are all cheap bastards that can rot in hell.

What was I talking about again? . . . Oh, Bleach is beautiful. Look at this!

I know, but other than that the game has nothing. There are 14 episodes to dash through (which covers Hueco Mundo to the fall of Aizen), and about 30 missions along side that, so there is not a ton of content. Judging by the trophy list, the developers expected you to max out every character, which is kinda a pain. That is for later though.

One problem with that plan: there is absolutely no multiplayer. There is a score comparison mode (OH WOW SO COOL!) but that is it. What the fun in that? I would totally be down for leveling everyone to the max if I could play it with by buddies and fellow Bleach fans. This was by far the biggest let down, but lets not that take away from my other big problem with the game.

Yeah, prepare to be doing this ALOT if you want a platinum in this one.

Leveling takes forever. If you have played/heard of Final Fantasy 10, you are probably familiar with the Sphere Grid. That is basically how you have to level each character in this game. Each character in the game adds a new branch to the grid once they become playable, and the branches range in size from 4-23 ability/support/power-up skills a piece. There are 21 characters in all, so this come out to be a taxing task to say the least.

This isn't made any better by the lack of environments. This can be said about any hack-and-slash game, but Bleach seemed particularly hollow (hoo HOO!) and bland. The story in crammed into short loading sections before each stage, but most non-Bleach fans won't be able to keep up with it to save their lives.

Really that just seems to be the problem with the entire game: it's just ok. Aside from the graphics, nothing really makes this title shine, nor does it do the Bleach series justice as far as scale and content goes. Avoid buying this one guys, and go get El Shaddai or Deus Ex. I know I wish I had. XC

The coming of Puru, um . . . 12? (review of DWG3 DLC Marida Cruz/Kshatriya)

So many irons in so many fires, but let's forget about our problems and obligations for a minute and talk about something fun: Trashing thousands of suits for scrap, then selling the salvage! Judau, you taught us so much.

The second character to be releases by KOEI, Marida Cruz comes with Kshatriya (4-wings) when purchased for $6 (480 MSP). Like with Susanowo, Kshatriya can be used by all pilots immediately, and its special ability, which raises the unit's defense after 250 kills.

Kshatriya's big advantage is it's HUGE range. Because of the quad-wing design, her beam sword attacks and beam attacks are omni-directional, much like a Qubeley. At first I though it was kinda lame, requiring me to fight in a group to be effective. However, once you start to work with her combos, especially with the charge 4 and charge combo alternations, she can really do some damage. Kshatriya's air combos are pretty sick as well, so chain those in whenever possible.

Overall, the DLC is work picking up. Marida's mission is incredible (you end up getting 400+ kills in starting sequence), and the suit is pretty sick too.

It's been a while yeah, but I have something random here. Kinda XD: Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 DLC content

Hey everyone. Been gone for a bit but I'm back! Finally have a computer that, well, works so back to blogging! I have alot of stuff in store, but first up is something a bit random. DYNASTY WARRIORS GUNDAM 3 DLC!

If you have had the pleasure of playing this title, I'm sure you know what I mean when I say that this game is a pleasure. Much like it's parent series Dynasty Warriors, DWG3 is a hack-and-slash title for the PS3 and Xbox 360 featuring characters from nearly every Gundam series from 0083 to 00.

Susanowo going to work in a Palace Athene. What a wonderful world! (Image from KOEI)

The game is really good (more on that to come), and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good action game with tons of content. This review however is about the postponed, but finally available first wave of DLC on the PS3. Most of this content has been available on the Xbox 360 but because of a goof either on Sony's part of KOEI/Bandai/Whatever-they-are-calling-themselves-now, is just now coming to the PS3. Today also marks the release of the first of many DLC pilots, Graham Aker/Mister Bushido with his custom suit Susanowo in tow.

If you have seen 00, then you know that Susanowo is on par with Gundam 00 (it's still and handful for Setsuna even after he obtains the Riser System) and is capable of goign into TransAm Mode, and KOEI accurately captured his might in the game. Making full use of all of his weapons and suit's abilities, Susanowo is a powerhouse up close. Like Epyon, Susanowo has no true ranges charge one attack. It does a quick slash which can be used to interrupt attacks, but it has a a very short range. It's strength lies in his charge 2, 4 and 5 which are quick, multi-hit attacks that are easy to chain into long aerial combos.

Susanowo's normal and combo mushu attacks are also devastatingly powerful. It's normal is akin to Deathscythe H's mushu, a dynamic charge with both swords at the enemy while activating TransAm Mode. This attack becomes even more deadly when suit's special equipment Entrusted Secrets is active, which raise the amount of SP earned from attacks after 250 units are downed.

It's not completely helpless at long range though. Susanowo's charge 6 attack forms a gigantic energy burst from the suit's Tri-Punisher unit which deals several hits to the target(s) and is a great move for clearing the field in a hurry. The Tri-Punisher can also be activated in midair using as aerial mushu attack. These moves seemed a bit OP, but Aker never really known for capping his furious power in the heat of battle. Why shouldn't his custom mech held the same standards?

The rest of the content is pretty meh. I did enjoy the Acguy fight, and I now know why the Gedlav is the most wonder mech in the universe, but I'd pass of the $.99 for now if you are on a budget. Graham Aker, however is great, but he runs $6 on PSN. They mission he comes with turns him into a newtype, so you don't have to worry about having to raise his friendship gauge(as far as I can tell he doesn't have one anyway, which makes sense in a way). The content pack also makes Susanowo available to all pilots immediately, which is also helpful.

Keep in mind we still have a confirmed date for at least one more DLC character and suit this month. Mardia Cruz from Unicorn is coming on the 10th with Kshatriya at her side. They will most likely be $6 as well, and I'm sure she will be as powerful as her other Unicorn counterparts.

That's all for now! I'll check back in soon with some fresh reviews soon so stay tuned!

Thanks to BassGSnewtype for the recordings!