Tag Archives: Action

Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream Review

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It’s time to enter the world of Sword Art Online for the ultimate crossover hype! Lets just say this is one of those games that you can’t put down. It’s a really great experience that keeps you at the edge of your seats. The story may be shorter than the average game in the franchise but the crossover appeal more than makes up for that. It’s just such a good story and this is what I would have liked to have seen for Jump Force, the latest Super Smash, Marvel vs Capcom, etc. This game understands what people want to see in crossovers like this, which is a lot of unique character interactions.

The story begins with Kirito and his friends taking down some monsters and having fun in ALO. One thing that doesn’t make sense though is how Quinella is hanging out with the crew and Kirito doesn’t question this. Well, it turns out this is because the various worlds have all been warped and the characters have had their memories sealed. This didn’t work on Quinella since she is generally too powerful for any hax and she wakes Kirito up. The two of them must now wake everyone up and figure out exactly what is going on here. It’s also not just the heroes who have been awaken but the villains as well. Hopefully they are willing to play ball.

Now this is the one part of the story that will probably have you giving it the side glance just a bit. The odds of someone like Death Gun working with the heroes seems slim to none. Additionally some villains just deserve to get beat up the whole time like Oberon. Some villains make sense for the redemption arc like Heathcliff but that’s not the case for the majority. I suppose at best you could say this just works because the villains know they would be absolutely crushed if they try anything. It’s not the most convincing argument but it’s the best that I’ve got.

The graphics were really solid with this one. The character designs even felt a bit more light novel inspired which works well. It’s a very colorful game and they really nailed the feeling of seeing all of the different game environments mesh into one. Meanwhile the soundtrack is pretty fun as well. I will admit I was hoping for a lyrical song at the end though since the series is so well known for that. It was pretty surprising now to have that included in some fashion. The grand finale still felt really epic with all of the characters getting their hype dialogue but this could have really helped to push it over the edge.

Even with a fairly nice sized story mode, the game’s content is focused on the online. So that’s where most of the modes are and you will probably want to get the PS+ so you can really experience it. A large number of the trophies are connected to that as well so I’m not even going to get close to obtaining the platinum without it. Playing with friends and tackling the super bosses does sound like a good deal of fun though. It’s definitely an added bonus. There isn’t really any offline content outside of the story mode so you should keep that in mind in terms of replay value.

After you beat the game, you can aim to get a bunch of S ranks I suppose. The trophy related to that is for getting half of them so that doesn’t sound too bad to me. I got a few S ranks here and there and they would probably be even easier when replaying the levels since your characters are a lot stronger. Down the road that is the trophy I would aim for since it actually feels really achieveable. I won’t call it super easy or anything like that and it will take some time though.

While the gameplay can be a little slippery, I appreciate that each character plays in a way that is accurate to their game. The GGO characters have machine guns, zoom in, and all of the usual controls associated with a shooting game. the ALO players can fly and zip through the air which is really cool, etc. Then each character has their unique skills, a number of special attacks and more. The game absolutely put the effort in and I definitely appreciate that. This did feel like a fun anniversary treat for the fans and I hope we do get more Sword Art Online games. There are endless possibilities for a fun online environment like this so I don’t see why you would ever really need to stop. The days of adventuring with Kirito must go on!

Overall, This was an absolutely hype game all the way through. It’s probably my favorite of the Sword Art Onlines. Having this original story was a lot of fun and while the combat itself may not be the most advanced, I can see how they went with the more arcade style for online. This way anyone can just jump in and it’s easier to coordinate everybody. The large scale of this is fun and the story mode does work as a good intro to the online. Next time there is a free PS+ weekend I’ll definitely check it out even if just to get a few more trophies in there.

Overall 8/10

Dragon Ball Super Divers Review

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I’m going to miss Dragon Ball Heroes but it’s time to look at the next generation of Dragon Ball content! Divers is definitely starting off on a classic note with the first arc of DBZ. It’s a fun read but I am hoping for something a little more intense in the arcade game’s story once it really gets going. I may just be hoping for a bit too much right out of the gate but I can really feel the potential here!

The story starts with the Z fighters faced off against Nappa and Vegeta along with their Saibamen. There is a new addition to the team though, a kid who looks like a Saiyan. For some reason he is commanding the heroes and tells them who to send into battle. Unfortunately he follows the same order as in the actual manga so Yamcha and Chiaotzu get destroyed once again. Goku and the kid team up to beat Vegeta and then we get the big reveal that this was all a super realistic VR game. The kid is proud of himself and gets ready to keep on playing. So it may be going the other Heroes route with the events initially being a game within a game but eventually the stakes got high anyway. So I could see this happening here as well.

I suppose my one issue here is how the changes didn’t really seem to matter. Why have the kid go inside the game and make his moves when he’s just going to preserve the status quo? It made no sense not to warn Yamcha about the explosion ahead of time and for some reason the kid looks super shocked. There are two possible explanations here and they both make him look really bad. The first is that he forgot what happened because he is a super casual DBZ fan and hasn’t read the books in a while. That one would just be pretty terrible since that’s such an iconic moment. The other explanation is that he wanted to keep the story as close to the original version as possible, in which case I would say that’s just a boring way to go about it. The point of VR adventures like this is that you can actively change things and create a better tomorrow. So why wouldn’t you just do that?

The fun appeal of what if storylines to me are that they can really go all out. There is so much you can do when you are outside the confines of the main story and it feels to me like this arcade game is playing it too safe for now. I’m hoping they change that sooner than later because reliving the old arcs sounds fun enough but this is their chance to really have the new character make a difference. Also there is only so much time in just a single chapter so that’s another valid reason for making this one a bit more small scale. I can accept that as the reasoning if that’s what it was.

The artist did a really good job of emulating the classic Dragon Ball Z look. The character models are on point and the action scenes really flow naturally. I definitely didn’t have any real complaints on that. A clean artstyle like this one definitely goes a really long way because not only is it pleasant to read but it actively enhances the story as well. The writing was good too and of course the whole arcade game backdrop has potential. We just gotta see where it goes from here.

It’ll take a while to really surpass Dragon Ball Heroes in terms of how much of a spectacle that was by the end but so long as this one is very good then we’ll be satisfied. It’s also nice for fans of the original characters like Yamcha to see their guys get in on the fighting even if it’s super brief and ultimately doomed for defeat like in the original. You just can’t escape your destiny here!

Overall, Dragon Ball Super Divers was a pretty good oneshot. It really goes by very quickly so there’s not a whole lot to talk about here. It does its job of being a preview for the upcoming game though which is the important part. The art is on point and the action scenes are good. For all of my complaints on the lack of ambition, it is a fundamentally sound story. There is a good amount of action here and it’s always fun to see Goku and friends getting some fights. Hopefully at some point they come up with an ongoing manga for this one because you can never have too much Dragon Ball content. In the meantime this is a story you should check out.

Overall 7/10

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Meteor Mission! Review

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Saddle up boys because it’s time to take a look at the final Super Dragon Ball Heroes title that ran with the show. I’ll definitely miss this part of the series because it was so much fun. It’s a pretty quick adventure with 12 chapters at the ready but it was a really fun way to wrap things up. We pretty much got to see all of the Heroes characters as they teamed up against a common enemy. The legendary Ozotto, destroyer of all creation. If the heroes can’t defeat him then it’ll be all over.

The manga starts off on an ominous note as everyone is gone. Goku and friends split up to look, only to find out that Ozotto has been absorbing them all. Slowly but surely he has begun to absorb everybody and won’t stop until all universes are dealt with. Even Goku and Vegeta are no match for him. They will have to work with the time patrol to end this threat but even then victory is not assured. One thing’s for sure, if they lose this round and there will be nobody else to save them. Can one single villain really challenge all of the strongest fighters like this though?

First up, how is Ozotto as the main villain? Well, he’s a tad on the generic side but I still liked him well enough. I think it’s all the trash talk. Yeah he may be a little cheesy but he still has all the good dialogue about how he’s going to destroy everyone and all of that. He gloats a whole lot and acts really smug a lot. I’m a sucker for that kind of villain. So he’s not going anywhere near my top villains of all time for DBZ but at the same time he works well as the final boss. The fact that he can absorb fighters and then transform into them also gives an excuse for a lot of classic battles to have once again. The manga gets to do a whole lot more with this premise than the anime could after all.

His power level is also rather crazy. The guy can spam almost infinite clones that have powers comparable to their real forms and as soon as they lose he just summons another one. He pretty much can’t be stopped until the heroes sabotage him from the inside and start pulling people out. Otherwise this guy was just not going to go down so you could really say that he is one of the most dangerous fighters to be up against. Even someone as powerful as Mystic Gohan is absolute fodder next to this guy. That may sound a bit harsh but that’s just how it goes. He looks pretty bad in this one.

As always the manga gets props for extending a lot of the fights and subplots here. It was nice seeing things that were only hinted at in the anime and characters like Hearts get a considerable increase in screen time. It also makes sense why the villains would oppose Ozotto because if he wins then there won’t be anything to rule. He will simply continue to absorb everything until it is all gone. At that point, there is really no merit in teaming up with him right?

Ozotto doesn’t strike me as a team player either way though. Now as far as the story goes, there isn’t much more to this than the objective of beating Ozotto. So if you are looking for a really deep plot then I suppose you may end up being a little disappointed. I would question your decision to be going into a Heroes manga expecting that though. The whole point of Dragon Ball Heroes is to place familiar characters into fresh matchups and show you a lot of super forms that are rather out there. This is stuff you would never see in the main series and that’s where the fun comes from.

So you’re here for the nonstop action scenes and the manga definitely delivers on that. Vegeta gets a really big selfless moment where he makes a sacrifice to save everyone. GT Goku shows his maturity as he distracts Ozotto and doesn’t just lose himself in the fight. Super Goku uses a brand new attack based on the movies, etc. Every characters get their big tribute moment and it’s just really awesome. We also see their tenacity as this arc takes place right after the last one so a lot of characters are still super weakened as well. Remember, heroes never get a day off.

Meanwhile the art is also still really good. The characters are all on model and the fights really hold up. The pacing allows for some longer fights as well which is always good. Of course the catch is that the series becomes even faster to read through as a result since it’s so clear. That’s less of a catch and more of a bonus though. It just speaks to the really high quality of the series. This really could be a mainline title if they ever wanted to do that. Just from the art at least you would never know the difference.

I do hope that some of these characters like Hearts do return at some point though. There is just a lot you can do with these characters and to have them closed off for all time because Heroes has ended would be super disappointing. You have to bring these guys back and it’s why I hope the next Arcade game is still ambitious so it can bring these guys in at some point. Hey, a guy can hope right?


Overall, Meteor Mission is definitely a great title. It’s a really epic story and a fitting end to the series. You don’t need a substantial amount of plot when the main premise is this good after all. Also, who else could the final fight contain but a team up of SSJ4 and Ultra Instinct Gokus? Definitely fun stuff all around and everyone gets a little something to do here. Even if you’ve never checked out the Heroes part of the franchise before, you should check this one out. It works pretty well as a follow up to DB Super if you squint and it can tide you over until the series comes back someday.

Overall 8/10

Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings Review

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It’s time to talk about one of the best animated features that Sega has ever put out. Shadow has been getting a lot of hype recently between the new live action movie and his upcoming video game. Mix in a whole miniseries and we’re talking about peak content right from start to finish. At the end of the day this is less than 15 minutes so you can’t squeeze everything in, but it still works really well as a stand alone story. You feel the emotion packed into each saga and now the whole thing has been compiled into a single video so that makes it even easier to watch.

The saga takes place across the past to the present. Shadow remembers his days with Maria in the Ark and then we see in the present that he has to make it back up there to stop a super menace. Along the way he gets to see his old allies Rouge and Omega. The 3 of them are still a powerful team, but then again any team with the Ultimate Life Form would be quite formidable. This saga all leads right into the video game so you will definitely want to get that as soon as possible. Still, even if you don’t buy the game, this is one of the best characterizations of Shadow.

He’s a very complete character. Someone who is now a hero of the world but goes by a different set of rules compared to Sonic. We see Shadow busting into an army installation to steal a rocket after all. Sonic would do that if needed, but he would first try to talk things out. Shadow is all about making things happen and that doesn’t change here either. Sonic also doesn’t appear at all so this is really Shadow’s show all the way around and that’s pretty nice to see. As the one true rival to Sonic, he deserves to be getting his own stuff. It’s been a long time since he was relevant in the games so this is cool to see.

The animation is also really solid. I’ve heard it was made using Blender technology which is really cool since I remember that being used in part for a lot of other cool projects back in the day. I think even Super Mario Bros Z used it for some movement. The colors are sharp and everything is very dynamic. The attacks all pack a punch like the incredible Shadow vs Emerl battle which I’ve seen quite a few times at this point. That was great stuff and it’s also cool how this finally adapts some lore that we first learned about in Sonic Battle. The fact that Emerl was this powerful in base is also quite impressive. It makes you appreciate Sonic even more for being able to stop him.

Then we have the soundtrack which is really good. A lot of great tracks everywhere but in particular hearing Casey Lee Williams from RWBY show up to sing the final song was great. That was the perfect way to end it with one of the most tearful scenes you’ll ever see in animation. You’re crying right there with Shadow as things go sideways. He may be the ultimate life form but he still has the dark past and you never really get over that. I imagine it will continue to be a factor as his career goes on.

It would be nice to get everything else in the Sonic verse animated that we only know the lore of. Seeing the Shadow flashbacks in real time without any cuts, seeing Chaos emerge in the past with the Tikal origin, etc. You could absolutely do a whole lot of this and really expand the lore. It would have the ripple effect of also fleshing the games out and making replays even more fun. I’d be getting my hopes too high if I wish for all of that though so I’m just saying it would be neat.

Overall, I could go on about how awesome this was but at the end of the day it is only 15 minutes so I would start repeating myself after a while. You should definitely check it out, there is really nothing bad to say about it at all. It’s just pure greatness in its raw form. Every scene is critical and the pacing is on point at all times. If they ever made a full length TV show out of this I would definitely be ready. There is a whole lot of untapped potential for Sonic media so hopefully this is really just the beginning. I like the Chaos but their upcoming miniseries isn’t exactly what I’m talking about.

Overall 9/10

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.

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It’s time for more magical girl hype, they’ve definitely been making waves lately. This one’s got a more corporate structure to it like Burn the Witch so far and follows a main character who is a genius at the books but a rookie in combat. Will she be able to help the magical girl company become the best in the world or will the limits of her abilities quickly begin to appear? I’ll have a review up for the series as soon as I finish it.

Overall 7/10

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night Review

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It’s time to go back into the world of Sword Art Online, one of the greatest franchises of all time. The movies have stuck around with the first arc which is a smart decision since that is still one of the greatest individual arcs in anime history. It’s a great movie with stellar animation and a top tier soundtrack the whole time. You won’t want to miss out on this one as Kirito continues to show why his skills are the real deal.

The movie opens up with Kirito and Asuna taking down the powerful floor 4 boss. The heroes all decide to celebrate and since it’s almost the end of the year, both of the big competitive guilds will even team up for the party. It’s pretty unheard of but that’s a good thing. After all, the players in the Sword Art Online game are literally trapped within it. There is no way out of the game and if you die here, then you die in real life. The only way to end this curse is to clear all 100 floors of the game. It’s an extremely difficult task but it’s one that may even turn impossible if the groups start fighting among each other. Unfortunately there are some villains who are aiming for this. Information leaks that the 5th floor boss drops a legendary guild flag which would completely flip the balance of power. Now one guild may be gunning for that and skipping the party. There is only one way to stop this, Kirito will have to take the boss down and claim the flag but he’ll need to assemble a powerful group of trust worthy fighters. He only has a few hours to do this though.

When you think of the ideal movie, you’re often thinking of something that has a considerable amount of action, top tier character development, and a film that just looks great. Well, this one hits all the boxes and continues Sword Art Online’s streak of having absolutely amazing films. It’s why you can never really count the franchise out, at any point it can just deliver an absolutely insane level of hype. The fact that it’s an AU/prequel doesn’t even phase you because you’re having too much fun here.

Asuna is still more the main character than Kirito since this is in the progressive verse and she looks real good. She has come a long way in her fighting abilities and finally has a more offensive style here. She holds her own against the bosses, Argo, and even her old friend. At times Asuna still has fairly low confidence that can cause her to downplay herself but when the chips are down she definitely shows up. I liked that she came up with a plan of her own to get the rapier back and she also had really clutch moments against the villains. Once in a hostage situation and in another case to prevent a 2 v 1.

It helps that Asuna is a super pleasant person in general so you’re always rooting for her. She is a great character and it’s even fun getting flashbacks of her playing the Tekken homage with her friend. Sword Art Online is one of the few titles where it had an A+ romance for the whole franchise and this movie does well with that too. There isn’t a lot of time for romance here but the beginnings of it are still present and definitely work well.

Meanwhile Kirito looks great as always. He’s the top player that most fear but all respect. When he’s on the stage people can talk tough but nobody is about to fight him. The only exceptions to this are the Laughing Coffin members and unfortunately the film doesn’t give us a fight with them yet. That part was too bad because there are two different times in the film that the matchup is teased but doesn’t deliver. I feel like they are really setting them up to be the big villains in a third film but giving us a small fight here wouldn’t have hurt. That’s probably my only nitpick, teasing the fight twice was just too much. I wanted to see Kirito absolutely waste those guys. I have no doubts on his victory. Even 2 against 1 he would have been too much for them there.

In terms of personality the film also did Kirito justice with how he’s super knowledgeable and tough but not a showoff or anything like that. He may not be the smoothest with day to day interactions but still holds himself well. He’s a charismatic guy and has made quite a few friends. It’s impressive stuff and he definitely holds his part of the film.

Argo gets a rather big role here which was surprising, but nice to see. She doesn’t get as many moments in the spotlight as the other supporting characters but was definitely very important in the Aincrad arc. She knew how to get info and could hold her own in a fight. We rarely ever see her fight so that was another pretty fun thing. She has Wolverine claws and everything. I think it’s clear that she’s not quite as tough as Asuna or Kirito but the fact that she is really fast definitely helps her to avoid traps and such.

Mito also returns from the last film and has a good role here. It’s not a super big one but it’s definitely a critical role as the heroes would have had casualties without her. Her fighting style is still a whole lot of fun to watch and that long whip of hers also means that she can strike at foes from any range. It’s pretty much a direct counter to the final boss of the film. It’s nice to still see Mito mainly being a loner but I wouldn’t be opposed to her joining Kirito and Asuna to make their team a trio. At that point they could really start thinking about soloing more bosses.

Of course I mentioned before but the graphics are super top tier here. There are different fights in the movie and they all look amazing. The final boss definitely has the most spectacle but I would say the best fight in the film was Asuna vs Mito. I always like human vs human type fights because you can really focus on the choreography there. You see all the tactics, expert fighting moves, etc. I really had absolutely no complaints there. Then of course the soundtrack is super awesome as always for the franchise.

In particular the standout theme was for the final boss. What I liked is that it felt completely like a sci-fi boss theme. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for a while now. The boss also has full mechanics and everything that were incorporated into the film like the heroes having to jump over the shockwaves and targeting the circles. Everything about it felt like the people behind the story had really played video games before. It felt like the most accurate boss fight I’ve seen out of any of the movies and of course it’s a great bonus that the whole thing looked spectacular.

When it comes to Sword Art Online your main worry is always that there will be some fanservice or iffy moments but this movie mainly manages to steer clear. There are some super mild stuff but for the most part the movie knows that it’s elite and isn’t bothering with any of that. That’s a massive W in my book I gotta say. There are enough fights to keep the movie moving at a fast pace but of course you also have the drama with the guilds that is fun. The movie makes sure to balance it all while reminding you that at the end of the day this is still a story about Kirito and Asuna. They take the main focus and rightfully so. Without them there wouldn’t be a story after all.

Overall, I highly recommend this film. It’s an extremely epic story and one that you don’t really need any former context to get into. You can just jump into this movie and the story is masterfully told so you won’t be lost or anything like that. You can just sit back and let the narrative guide you. The technical elements are incredible as well and I definitely can’t wait until the next movie. It’s already been 2 years which is a super long wait. The movie industry just isn’t the same without Sword Art Online at the ready.

Overall 9/10

Magical Girl Dandelion

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This is a pretty new series that just started up and it’s got a lot of potential. It’s hitting those Madoka Magica vibes right off the bat and we’re already getting fight scenes. Mix that in with the good art and I definitely see this going places. Hopefully it becomes the next long running series with tons of volumes all over the place! I’ll have a full review for the series once it finishes but of course that could be many years from now.

Overall 7/10

Suicide Squad Isekai Review

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It’s time for the Suicide Squad show that definitely came out of nowhere. In a way it does make sense since having a bunch of villains get Isekai’d into a new world is always an intriguing idea. We’ve seen it before with King of Fighters and a few others in the past. It’s a show that definitely doesn’t mind being bonkers and for that reason I would say it tends to be all over the place. It has some really high highs but also some lows and on the whole it’s a tough balance. It’s a fun watch but I would say it doesn’t really go past breaking even.

The basic plot is that Amanda Waller sends the Suicide Squad into a foreign world. They need to take down the former squad that was sent there and also finally establish relations with the kingdom. If they don’t complete this mission then the squad will be blown off the face of the Earth. As always, Waller has put bombs inside of them and so they really have to accomplish this mission quickly. This means none of the members are particularly happy to be here and as they’re all villains, they don’t have the best teamwork skills either. Will they be able to pull this mission off?

One thing that stuck out right away was that the show got Mori Calliope on board to do the show’s ending. That was pretty hype since I remember her days of being a fairly small Youtube singer so she’s really come a long way. It’s not my favorite song of hers but it’s pretty catchy with the rhythm at least. The opening isn’t quite as catchy though. In general the ost can be a little hit or miss like the rest of the show but some of the battle themes are really quite intense. There is a good amount of variety which is important.

Likewise the animation can get extremely good at some points like when Harley fights Katana. Those moments are really spectacular. Then the rest of the fights can sometimes be downright bad or fairly low budget. The fact that there are any really high budget shots is definitely a plus though and I could definitely watch the battles again. There aren’t a ton of reactors out for the battle yet but I’ll definitely be seeking more out soon.

Now as far as the story itself goes, one thing that would have benefited the show a lot I’d say would be for the bombs to no longer be working. Having them there as a constant timer can help with the tension I suppose but it also takes away from the appeal of having villains warped into a fantasy world which is that they do whatever they feel like. They’re not heroes but they might stop the monsters just so people will praise them or because the monsters are annoying. Having to do this so they aren’t murdered defeats the purpose a bit. They aren’t actually free for the duration of the series so we don’t know exactly what they would have done otherwise.

I’d also say the Squad are obviously not that likable. It’s sort of the point to show that they’re all hardened villains and everything but with some more fun banter it could have worked better. Clayface usually had the best lines here while the rest struggled to keep up with him. At their best they would have good moments but this is a show that absolutely could feel very slow when it was not focused on the action. The action helped to mask the weaknesses pretty well.

One big kudos I can give the story is that we get some pretty big twists at the very end. That was a really good way to end the season and while you may have some questions about exactly how this would work, I would say you can explain it away pretty easily. So it’s got the right amount of mystery there and you wonder how season 2 would play out. If it ever does get a sequel, that would definitely be pretty fun but I would like to widen the cast a bit both for fight scene reasons and to increase the body count. I almost never advocate for higher body counts but in a Suicide Squad title you are expecting some members to get bumped off. That’s sort of a staple of the series but in this show they all felt safe after a few episodes. So if you had started off with double the members then it would have been easier to bump a few off.

Now as for the characters in more detail, Waller is still the big shady boss as always. She loves commanding from the shadows and does a pretty good job in her role. It’s certainly easy to talk big while you’re safe on Earth. She may be a bit easy to manipulate from the Squad’s point of view but since everything still benefits her right now, you could easily say that she’s using them. It’s a solid dynamic for now.

Harley Quinn is a big focus in the show as you’d expect. She’s wacky as ever and gets her big moments as well. She may not take things seriously most of the time but she gets some really good fight scenes. She may even look too good in close quarters at times because then she’s sand bagging in other scenes to an insane degree. The show isn’t usually interested in power levels all that much but at least she does show up when it counts.

Clayface is the most overpowered character in the series since being made of clay makes him nearly invulnerable. Usually he ends up fighting in a super sloppy way so that he can be taken out super easily. I can’t say that I appreciate that to be honest but he has a lot of fun in his role. As I said before, he’s the most likable member of the squad and he does help a lot with bringing humor to the series.

Deadshot is one of those guys who talks really tough but can’t back it up most of the time. He’s a good shot but is completely reliant on bullets so once he’s out of those then it’s over. He tends to act as the pseudo leader of the group and keeps them under wraps but yeah he needs to work on his skills a bit more. Just being a guy with a gun when everyone else has some kind of super ability is not a great match.

Just look at Peacemaker. The guy has super strength and he is great with a gun. He immediately makes Deadshot not feel quite as impressive as he could be. Peacemaker definitely feels like the most insane out of the group though. The guy will do anything to complete the mission, no matter how much of a monster it may make him. The guy definitely lost his marbles a long time ago but still thinks that he is keeping the peace.

Finally we have King Shark who has the least amount of character. He is always ready to help but naturally can’t really banter with the rest of the characters. His strength is given a lot of respect though as in the final fights he is able to easily overpower his rival and only loses once it becomes a 2 vs 1. In a 1 on 1 battle no other water fighter is going to be able to top him.

The Joker doesn’t get a whole lot to do but every few episodes we will get a quick moment with him and Harley as he explains the solution to a problem to her. You definitely get to see his experience but not really much action yet. For now the show definitely seems to be playing his romance with Harley straight as opposed to the two hating each other or being in a toxic relationship so that’s definitely a change.

Rick is here to play the straight man. He reminds the crew not to do anything crazy so they don’t get blown away and is always around to help enforce that. He has no powers and is only average with a gun so don’t expect him to do a whole lot during the fights. I would also say he’s not the most discreet when it comes to keeping secrets. He’s okay but not amazing. I will say he does have his share of good moments but I wish they could have done more with him.

Now Katana is a scene stealer. Whenever she is on screen you know an epic action scene is about to follow. Definitely the best character in the show by far. The other villains just really can’t keep up. Ratcatcher and Thinker? Weaklings who can’t really do much once you get up close and personal. At least the Thinker actually talks tough and can hold his own for a little while. The Ratcatcher is just really whiny the whole time.

Killer Croc is also so weak that you can’t really take him seriously. The guy hides behind his allies the whole time. The only good member from the other squad is the Enchantress. With her abilities she really keeps the heroes on their toes. If anything they were definitely not very considerate even when she tries to help a bit. In a straight fight I’d take her to clobber the whole squad any day.

As for the other worlders, they are okay at best. Cecil is the kind of guy who worries a whole lot. He finally comes around by the end but it definitely took him a long while to get there. Princess Fiona also spends most of the season being super timid and afraid of everything. She gets her classic courage arc so she looks good by the end of that but it’s a super long wait. At least the Queen is just openly evil the whole time but her actions tend to lack any wisdom behind them. One would think she was trying to sabotage her whole kingdom.

At this point it’s a bit of a meme that pretty much every Isekai show has the same kind of fantasy world. A medieval type place with evil goblins running around and knights trying to stop them. Well this show plays that as straight as possible so the world itself isn’t all that interesting. Give me a modern sci-fi world any day. The show can also go a bit too far in reminding us how evil the main characters are at times. Suicide Squad Isekai is a show that randomly gets super violent sometimes and it can range from being shocking to annoying. The biggest example of this is probably when Peacemaker tortured one of the villains but there are other scenes of people getting eaten and ripped to shreds.

That is again another one of the theoretical perks of making villains the main characters since they don’t have a no kill rule. I’d say the more clever way of using them is to just show how selfish they could be or how they do heroic things for their own pleasure. Dialing down the violence either way would have been a good idea or at least making them semi likable. It can be difficult to really root for anybody here. I would say Clayface is the most likable from the villains but otherwise you don’t really want the others to succeed all that much. The villains also lose their hype with the amount of times they are kidnapped.

One thing the show should have done would have been to learn into the anime element a little more. For example throughout the season they hint at the characters getting new abilities in the fantasy world but nothing comes of it until the final battle. Then they have fun with the super powers but that should have been happening throughout. That or just make Katana the villain in every episode since her scenes were always the best by a wide margin. I think a show all about her could have been an easy 8 star title right out of the gate.

Overall, Suicide Squad is a show that is definitely like a true roller coaster. It can get really epic in some moments and then sort of boring in others. It can look amazing one moment and then rather off the next. You never really know what you’re going to get with the episodes. I do feel like they really had some key misses here the whole time though. Some of the story choices like the bombs just clashed with the approach they were going for and I’d also say they didn’t nail down the “charismatic group of villains” angle as well as they could have. It’s definitely an experience and if you’re a fan of the Suicide Squad then you should check it out but it’s not really going to hold its own against the average anime.

Overall 5/10

Rising Impact Review

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It’s time for a show that I was not familiar with at all before checking it out. I can safely say that it is one of those diamonds in the rough. It’s an incredible series with top tier music and a great cast of characters. The fact that the show is able to incorporate in 5 different rivals at various points in the series and execute them all well is impressive. This is a series that will keep you at the edge of your seat for all of the big matches and shows that you really can make Golf exciting as needed.

The series follows a kid named Gawain who wants to be the longest hitter in the world. He got into Baseball because he thought that would let him achieve his dream but then it turns out that you hit the ball farther in Golf. So he gets into that sport and turns out to be a super prodigy. So he heads off to Camelot academy to really test his skills. Here he will have to face off with the best of the best. Can he rise up to prove that he is the world’s greatest talent or is he about to be destroyed? Only time will tell.

The first half is mainly to set things up and introduce all of the characters. We get to meet various aspiring golfers of all skill levels and learn the backstories of the important ones. We also get the big pre tournament and qualifiers to set up who will be representing Japan in the Camelot Cup to take on the American and Britain representatives. The second half is mainly about the big tournament between the 3 groups and we get to really see how heated things get. Naturally this is the peak of the series.

What separates Rising Impact from other big titles though is that it’s exciting long before we get to the actual tournaments. We have supernatural abilities coming into play but none of them are game breaking. I’m talking about subtle skills that help to enhance a character’s individual talents in one specific way as opposed to them being good at everything. Of course that will likely come eventually but for now the power system is pretty good. You train at everything but at max only get one super ability. Gawain has his super drive, Lancelot has his putting, and Tristan has the approach shots. It makes for a good balance.

The animation is also pretty good when it wants to be. It uses a lot of special effects for the different hits so you can really feel the power in the blows. Everyone also gets different colors at times for their big moments and it’s all very dramatic in the best way possible. It’s a show that will definitely not let you miss a shot. You’ll see the colors coming from a mile away.

Where the show really stands out is the soundtrack though. It’s a complete shame that none of the osts are on Youtube yet. I need to see if the title is different in Japanese and hopefully find it that way. There are several really intense tunes that all have very epic feels to them. It really helps to underscore the trash talking and intensity that all of the players bring to the table. Without the soundtrack the show would still be good, but this is one of the elements that helps elevate the show to being great. Because of this, Rising Impact succeeds in all areas from story to characters to technical elements. It’s exactly what you need in order to be a complete show.

The character cast for the show is really quite impressive. It manages to balance out quite a number of different rivals for Gawain to go up against as he improves. A lot of them remain skilled even to the end of the series. Of course you also have a number of random bullies and NPCs who are quickly dispatched so there is variety here. Naturally there is a true pecking order of skill and we see more of this in the final tournament but it can be hard to guess exactly where everyone will end up. It’s nice, it feels like a real sports tournament where people can place higher or lower depending on the day and their form. A win is not something that you can just take for granted as a given.

In part this is just due to how Golf works. Your score is determined by how many shots above PAR you are at by the end. That means even just one bad hole can sink you for the whole tournament. You might mis time the wind or something like that and then the ball sails away. Even the best golfer will have trouble sometimes as nobody is fully invincible. The player who is the most consistent will be the one to walk away with the gold.

Ironically the main character Gawain is the one who can hold the show back a bit. Generally speaking this is a pretty intense show. Everyone is really focused on their goals and becoming the best. Then you have Gawain who is basically just a kid. He’s got serious striking power but is a newbie at everything else which is fine but it also means he doesn’t take things as seriously. He gives us the occasional crude humor joke and turns chibi a lot. He has most of the worst scenes in the show.

We temporarily get a break from this when Gawain hits his head and that’s one of the best stretches of time in the whole show. He becomes a completely different person and it’s just a lot of fun. That serious Gawain is the one that I want to keep for the whole show. The fact that we only see him sometimes is a real shame. It’s not like Gawain is awful or anything but his silliness really stands out next to the other characters. If we get a time skip in a future season then I think he really will improve quite a bit.

For the most part the original side characters are ditched rather early but Kiria sticks around for a bit. She’s a pro player who taught Gawain all that he knows. She’s a solid person and definitely did a good deed by him there. I feel like the author maybe set her power a little too low though as she has a hard time hitting anywhere close to 300 yards and by the mid point of the series that is casual for a bunch of these players. So it seems to me like most of them would defeat her at golf rather easily which doesn’t make the most amount of sense considering that she is a professional golfer. That should really mean something right?

Then we have the prodigy Lancelot who is the best character by far. The scene where he shows up at the hero’s base and tells everyone how much better he is than them was brilliant. It’s an incredible scene and you need to have that kind of confidence. Some may call him a jerk but I’d say that’s just being realistic. He’s one of the best golfers in the world and he’s not going to pretend that he is anything lower than that. He is the guy who can hit a Put from any distance. Lancelot can literally see the line to the hole thanks to his special ability.

It’s definitely a really handy one to have, that’s for sure. He doesn’t get a challenge for most of the series until we near the end, then things get intense for him. I imagine he will only continue to get better and so I would be interested to see where his journey goes next. Either way he is a big scene stealer so you will want to keep your eye on him. His polite yet direct way of speaking is also a lot of fun since he just insults people to their face even while he is trying to act nice about it.

Of course we have the big final boss type figure of the series. Tristan is a guy who can hit an approach shot from anywhere and so of course his abilities are really intense. He’s a super well rounded player and considered the best in the world. Well, at least at this level. I’m sure we would eventually see the pros and how absolutely crazy they are. I’m expecting casual holes in one from anywhere or something crazy like that. Tristan has one of the most intense backstories in the series as well so it’s easy to root for him. Quite a few origins have some really tragic backstories going on like that guy and even Gawain although he doesn’t really know much about his past. We just know from context that things didn’t go well.

Yumiko is one of the golfers from early on who got power creeped out of the running right away. By all accounts she seems like a pretty decent golfer but just isn’t ready for these absolute monsters. It’s hard for your talent to sky rocket to such a big degree so I think it’ll be a while before she’s in there. She is a nice character though. Likewise we have Gawain’s first rival Riser who is fun but is so many leagues above the other heroes at this point. I don’t think he’ll ever be relevant again at this rate. It is pretty sad to think about but that is the destiny for most golfers. Most players of any sport really. Only the chosen few will rise to the top.

Then you have the mysterious Arthur. He’s Quester’s father and is building up his own school of all stars. They would have made for great antagonists in the sequel. We don’t learn a whole lot about him here but he seems to know something about Gawain’s parents and clearly has big ideas. Having an actual mastermind for the heroes to go up against would have been sweet. Still, he was good in his appearances here. Generally speaking all of the coaches were pretty good. Aria is the coach for the main team and she always had some good advice. If anything maybe the show could have made the heroes fail a bit more so she could have actively been helping the characters a bit more. Instead, they rare ever need to ask her any questions.

Todoin is another early rival who gets a lot of hype but quickly starts to be surpassed. It’s just how it goes but Rising Impact doesn’t totally write him out. I appreciate the fact that he became rivals with Liebel and Quester which kept him relevant for a while longer. Sure he may not be the best but he’s no slouch and definitely better than any of his old teammates. He really took the game seriously and never gave up to the end. He also has a little bit of edge to him which is good since you want the characters to be able to talk tough.

It’s my main issue with Liebel. He’s a really good golfer and one of the best on the court but the guy is just too nice. He doesn’t really stand up for himself and his gag of always being desperate for Aria’s attention gets old fast. I’d like him to lock in more and his backstory was kinda sad but still blown out of proportion. He really abandoned everyone when it counted and the fact that he then held back for years is crazy. He could have actually helped Camelot Academy’s reputation if he had been playing serious from the start.

Quester is the top player on the American side and he definitely shows why that makes sense. His shots have a ton of power and he’s the only character we’ve seen so far to have the same ability as someone else. Mika sort of has a variation of Lancelot’s power but I wouldn’t say it’s the same thing quite yet. For Quester, it really is the same power and so that opens up a lot of doors. He does get down on himself later on which does hurt the character quite a bit though. He really needed to lock in considering that this was a big tournament. If he had done that the whole way through then he would rank even higher for me.

His partner Bilford had to really hold the ship on his own for a while there. To his credit, the guy did a great job with it. He never gave up and just kept on going. Now that is some true talent right there. He may not be the flashiest player but he does get the job done. I liked Bilford more than I expected to even if I was glad Lancelot called him out at one point. Bilford tried blaming Gawain for quester feeling bad while Lancelot pointed out that you should never blame someone for being good. It’s not Gawain’s fault that Quester couldn’t take the pressure.

Quick shoutout to Charles who had the unfortunate luck of being on Gawain’s team near the end. This guy could not catch up at all and kept being called all kinds of mean nicknames. In fairness, Charles would always start it so at that point you just gotta be able to take it. The series has no shortage of bullies but Charles really stood out there. For the most part all of the bullies tend to be annoying and can’t really fight though. The characters with actual skill didn’t have time to be running around picking on the weaker players.

Then we have Wanglian who really surprised me with how good he looked. He seemed reasonably strong when he first appeared but not one of the big hitters. When the tournament started though, he showed that he could keep up with anyone. His ability to read the wind was second to none. It’s a pretty unique way to playing so I would have been really intrigued to have seen more of him. His sister also shows up out of the blue later on and is an exceptional player. The series was really setting up some fun fights.

From the old cast, Mike is probably the closest to having the skills needed to move forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if she would have made it to the next trip. I get the feeling that the series wasn’t quite done with her just yet. Finally there is Platalissa who had a minor subplot about wanting to be in the Camelot cup and we ultimately find out that it is to face off against her sister. I think the main disappointing thing for her fans will be the fact that she didn’t really learn anything.

Her sister told her for a while that she would need to stop being a copycat in order to win. Instead, Platalissa continues to try and copy her all the way until the end. It felt like she should have gotten the lesson a bit earlier. I know she means well but yeah copying someone is not the best way to win. How can you beat the original after all? Platalissa’s sister was definitely a lot meaner than necessary though. I think she could have been the bigger person and tried just talking things out a bit.

Ultimately there are definitely more characters running around but these are most of the main ones. The fact that the series can get you intrigued in so many golfers is really quite something. This is just a super well written and directed show. While some of the attempts at humor don’t really land like I mentioned before, the show generally doesn’t worry about that anyway. It’s all about the golfing plays and even if you are not familiar with the sport before watching the show, they explain it rather well. The explanations are concise and clear so you don’t get lost either.

One sad thing about the series ending so fast is I was really curious to see how the power levels would keep on escalating. By the end of this series we already got to the point where a hole in one was a very achievable thing. Gawain could do it at will once he settled into his new mode. So presumably the pros would have to do that too but then each game would be over in an instant. Only thing I can think of is making the maps a lot longer so they’re hitting 500-600 yard shots before going in the hole. That would buy some time but yeah it’s an interesting problem to tackle. Generally the series avoided going too supernatural with the special abilities but maybe that would change and you’d have someone who could control the weather or something like that. It could go full on Prince of Tennis with how crazy that title got.

Overall, Rising Impact is absolutely great and you should definitely be checking it out. It’s already become the definitive Golf title for me and it’ll be hard to be dethroned. I’m not saying that it’s impossible or anything like that but it will definitely be tough. This one really had everything and also has the first mover advantage for being the first big Golf title that I got to watch. So definitely don’t let this title stay undiscovered, you need to check it out right away!

Overall 8/10

Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood Review

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It’s time for the return of Castlevania with two more big titles. These titles definitely feel fairly polished and are more on the level of the GBA games than the previous SNES ones. One of them is more like a classic platformer like the originals and then another one has the more GBA vibe to it of going through all the rooms and locating power ups. In the end this makes for a good double pack and are definitely some of the stronger games in the Castlevania franchise.

First up we have Rondo of Blood with the best of the Belmonts leading the way. Richter need to stop Dracula once and for all so he rolls up to the castle to take him down. You have to travel through 9 stages as the hero and destroy all of the enemies and bosses that make the mistake of getting in your way. They’re strong, but make no mistake, you’re stronger! The gameplay is fairly self explanatory here. Focus on using your whip strategically so you land the hits without getting nailed by any of their counters. Taking any big hit here will always work in the opponent’s favor since there are so many of them. You also have a sub weapon available at all times based on the last one that you picked up. You can use it in the standard way or charge up hearts and use the super attack instead. Either way can be really useful.

The graphics are pretty solid and there’s even some voice acting which is pretty cool. That’s all you need to make me consider you to be a modern title after all. It goes a long way to making the game more cinematic the whole time which I definitely appreciate. The soundtrack is also really solid. Definitely some fun tunes to have a good time with here and all of the level designs are on point. It’s really a complete game on all sides. There are still some parts of it where you can see the age a bit like with not having too much of a story and the length of the game being fairly short but it’s still good overall. I also think the difficulty is not nearly as intense as some of the previous games so you can really enjoy going bar for bar with the opponent instead of running and hoping for a lucky shot the whole time.

Of course Symphony of the Night is the big one here. This time you are playing as Alucard and you have to stop Dracula once and for all. The problem is that Richter appears to have been taken control of by the mad king of evil or someone beneath him. There is also a mysterious lady running around the castle. Alucard needs to stay on task and not worry about all of these extra elements but does he have the abilities needed to destroy them all? He’s strong but the odds that he is up against are definitely fierce.

So this in the true Castlevania style now as Alucard has to slowly recover different artifacts to gain new abilities. There are quite a lot of collectibles in this game and a good deal of them aren’t even mandatory for completing the story. Now this is the balance that I like to see. Yeah you will still run into some real sneaky puzzles and obstacles that may not be the most intuitive but the game never feels impossible. A big thing that helps with this is how accurate and detailed the map is. While there are some rooms that don’t appear on the map, they tend to be the optional ones. If you aren’t sure where to proceed then you just have to go to each room and check again. It’ll take time but it’s not undoable.

You will find relics that boost your abilities, stats, summon new familiars, etc. There is also a classic level up system here so if you are too weak, just gain a few levels and try again. If you continue to do that then you will be all set. I got lost so many times on the way to the final boss that I was extremely overpowered. A few good attacks were enough to take the bosses down. I had also found lots of food and potions along the way so I had a good cushion if needed.

These are all things that added up to really make this a much smoother set of fights than it would be for someone who was trying to cruise their way through the game. Definitely don’t underestimate Castlevania, you’ll always have some tricky fights in there but this one sort of lets you set the difficulty since you can continue to accumulate power as much as you want to. I really enjoyed the freedom there.

Meanwhile the soundtrack and graphics are solid as well. This feels like a very complete game and the artstyle ages well. It will still look and play well 10 years from now. The fact that the game has two castles which pretty much doubles the play time is also really cool. I won’t say it fully doubles things though since you have all of your powers by this point. It’s another really satisfying thing as you get to barrel past everyone this time around. It lets you actually get to enjoy your new abilities rather than just ending the way a lot of other games would have. It’s something Shantae has always ben the best at historically but now this is another good example I can use. You should always feel more powerful and be able to run past obstacles by the end of a game. If the area takes you about as much time to go through the second time as the first, then I feel like something went wrong during development. Once you can fly in this game, it’s really a whole new ballgame.

Overall, Castlevania returns with a pretty good double pack here. I enjoyed both games and the sheer amount of story in Symphony was great. Throw in the full voice acting and it really took things to the next level. It definitely helps to set the standard for the series. My favorite game was from the GBA but even that didn’t have full voice acting like this one. You’ll get lost a lot and the game will take some time but you will have a good experience the whole time. It’s why I love having a level up system because at least when you get lost, you have the satisfying consolation of getting stronger. This is a pretty good jumping on point for fans who want to check out the franchise.

Overall 7/10