First Impressions: BlazBlue Alter Memories

BlazBlue is an anime fighting game developed by Arc System Works.  A fighting game developed by a company that didn't just want to make a good fighting game but also a fighting game with a decent story.  Thanks to the well received sci-fi anime story of BlazBlue, the fighting game attracted a ton of attention from anime fans.  One would think that a fighting game story that made sure to give the players a decent amount of time with each character, explain why the player should care about the characters they play, and give the player a satisfying conclusion to to each character's story would be awesome?

Unfortunately the anime plays like someone recorded the game's story mode, cut out a lot of parts, and threw parts of the story out of order.  The anime spends no time explaining who the characters are, what are the characters' motivations, and why the viewer should care about these characters.  If I did not play BlazBlue's story mode, I have a very good feeling that I would be lost.

I'll Explain the Story Since the Anime Does Not Want to...

Set far off in the future when a majority of the world has been destroyed and only a small portion of humanity is left.  Ragna the Bloodedge has the biggest bounty placed on him by the NOL (the government of the small world) after  destroying one of their branches.  With a powerful Ars Magus (magic technology) in his mechanical arm known as the "Azure Grimoire", fighters come from all over the place to fight him for his Azure Grimoire and his bounty.  Unknown to Ragna and a majority of the cast, the same events that resulted in destruction of the now small world keeps repeating itself.  

Just maybe I'm judging this anime too soon.  Maybe the anime creators might explain the characters' motives or SLOW down the paste that the anime is going with.  I hope the animation gets better because the video game's cut scenes were better than this:

Anime

 BlazBlue Story Mode Anime Cut scene

This has just been a first impressions.  I will give a full review after a few more episodes are released.  BlazBlue Alter Memories will only have twelve episodes and one episode is released each week.    Watch the episodes here.

Of Anime and Video Games 

Sorry Guys

Sorry for the long absence.  The last post was about Drakengard 3 and Drakengard manga  (which is actually coming to North America next year).  Nine to six, Monday through Friday, plus stupid and random crap happening is keeping me busy now.

I will not be quitting this website anytime soon; prepare for two to three posts per month at minimum.

Despite my busy time, I still love looking at video games and Beyond Two Souls is a game that I can't wait to play.

It looks like Quadratic Dreams has made another thrill ride for me and others who loved Heavy Rain.  Beyond Two Souls is already out and I hope that everyone who is playing right now is having a blast.   I need to obtain my first paycheck before finally getting my hands on what looks like an unforgettable experience.

I am going to be using a new rule for reviewing anime now.  In the beginning I was watching a whole anime series before reviewing the anime.  Knowing how long some anime can be, I am deciding to watch up to five episodes of an anime before giving a review.

With that said, I am looking at Michiko to Hatchin.  Look forward to a review on that anime soon.

OfAnimeandVideoGames

Drag-on Dragoon (AKA Drakengard) Manga Shi ni Itaru Aka & Drakengard 3

Drag-on Dragoon: Shi ni Itaru manga

I found out there was a Drag-on Dragoon manga with the subtitle Shi ni Itaru and a sequel/prequel to the video game series of the same name.  In my shortest review ever, I will say that the manga has our cold hearted female protagonist One and her cool elf companion Nero going on an adventure and killing everyone in sight.

One spares no one's lives and hardly says anything while Nero does most of the talking and seems to at least have SOME morals (he questions why One is not sparing the pregnant and the elderly).  The two are trying to stop the spreading of the red eyed disease which turns people into murderous monsters.  There is more information about Drakengard's world through the weapon's back stories in the video game than in this manga.

The manga is still going and one chapter a month is the release schedule for each chapter.  Reading the manga, much like playing the video game is like a guilty pleasure.  During my childhood, I was tired of happy Japanese role playing protagonists who wanted to save the world and everything ended happily at the end of the group's journey.  Seeing the blood-thirty Caim mercilessly kill his enemies and show little compassion for his teamates' problems as he hopelessly tried to save the world was a breath of fresh air.  Caim's actions were minor compared to his party members who should have been locked away in a dungeon forever.

Although all the endings were sad and Caim always failed to rescue his sister, I remembered all of those endings and the game's characters throughout my childhood.  Sad endings was something I expected from the series to the point where Drakengard 2's attempts at a happy ending (the final ending) left a bad taste in my mouth.

Zero is the Protagonist of Drag-On Dragoon 3

 Drag-on Dragoon 3 returns with a prequel (not a squeal or a spin off like Nier Gestalt/Replicant) and the white haired protagonist Zero.  Zero, much like Caim, is not a likable or typical Japanese role playing protagonist.  She is sexed crazed, has four sexual male partners who fight alongside her, and is on a mission to kill off her five sisters who watch over various parts of the world.  She has a fake left arm, a flower growing out of her right eye, and the ability to manipulate magic through song.

Drag-on Dragoon is well known for the banter between party members through ground battles and dragon riding missions.  It would be interesting to see if any of her male companions are fighting for her attention, boasts about their time with her, or how they interact overall.

Zero's Companions and Sexual Partners (all of them)

Drag-on Dragoon is going to be released in Japan in December and there is no telling if there will be an English release.  Zero's sexual appetite might need to be censored before Drakengard 3 is able to leave Japan.  For those that want the Asian versions or the Limited Edition, please see Play-Asia for the Japanese, Chinese, and Limited Edition bundle.

Trailer

One hour special (skip around for game footage) here.

This review was brought to you by <a href="www.ofanimeandvideogames.com">Of Anime and Video Games</a>

Vassalord Original Video Animation

Through getting back into my love of anime, I have welcomed back one of my favorite past times and that is yaoi, shounen ai, and stories which hint or tease that the two male protagonists might be in love with each other.  Any type of these intimate interactions between two males are much more enjoyable outside of high school, office settings, and teenage boys.  The Vassalord Original Video Animation was a nice change of pace in this genre.

Charley is a cyborg working under the Vatican to hunt down vampires.  Being a vampire as well and devote follower of God, Charley resists his  cravings for human blood and uses his master Rayflo as a source of food.  Charley receives a mission to  handle a small and older second generation vampire girl who has awakened from a deep sleep.  Charley literally drags his blood bank along for the ride in order to stop his lust for blood and handle this vampire.

Rayflo knows this little girl from an ancient time and dealing with her may not easy.

This anime starts off with Charley storming Rayflo's mansion, battling Rayflo's butler maids, and tearing Rayflo into pieces.   Every character had a distinct look, the battles were enjoyable to watch, and the sceneries are detailed.  There is a nice mix of action and comedy which I was surprised to see.

While not yaoi or shounen ai,  Charley sucking Rayflo's blood, Rayflo swimming nude, and artwork involving Rayflo and Charley; Vassalord obviously caters to a female audience.  With that said, there are female characters with their own distinct looks, parts, and personalities.

The OAV is only thirty minutes and left me wanting more.  The manga starts off the same way as the OAV and continues from where the OAV ends.  I'm guessing that the OAV was made to attract new people to the manga.  I am sure that Charley's inner conflict with being a child of God and need for blood will probably get on my nerves but the action, artwork, and interactions between Rayflo and Charley will keep me going.

Sword Art Online Review

This review came from here

Only a few shows about video games manage to get the idea of people playing videogames right.  Shows like Reboot and .hack//sign come to mind for good video game themed shows and Level Up comes to mind for the worst video game themed show I have ever seen in my life.  Showing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim segment is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game themed anime called Sword Art Online and I could not be happier to watch it.  

           

Sword Art Online Limited Edition Blu-Ray Set 1

Sword Art Online follows the story of Kirito, a solo beta tester for the MMORPG named Sword Art Online.  Sword Art Online uses a virtual reality helmet called the Nerve Gear.  The Nerve Gear allows the player to experience the world of Sword Art Online physically through an avatar.  On the first day of the game's release, Kirito finds out he and other players can not log out of the game.

The Summary 

The game creator has locked everyone inside Sword Art Online and the only way out is for someone to beat the final boss.  If someone takes the Nerve Gear off of the player's physical body then that player's brain will be fried and they will die in the real world  If a player dies in Sword Art Online then that player dies in the real world as well.  Anyone who has played a MMORPG knows that MMORPGs are full of beginners, the highly skilled players, people who are not good at fighting, and players who take joy in killing other players.  

Knowing that everyone in the game has to live inside Sword Art Online, player killers have become real criminals and players look down upon beta testers.  Kirito must learn to become a team player in order to survive and beat Sword Art Online.

There is obvious knowledge of mmorpgs and the situations people face in mmorpgs in this anime.  I found myself relating to Kirito's situations as a solo player, recalling how many males and females who play the opposite gender of their avatars, and trying to stay away from players who like killing other players.  

Characters  

Our protagonist Kirito maybe one of the best players but he still has his challenges when grouping with other players who are often weaker than him.  The love interest Asuna comes off as a likeable female protagonist who can hold her own in fights and is a good leader of her own guild.  The relationship between these two develops nicely with it's ups and downs.  I would like to see these two make it through the game and get together in the real world.

Sword Art Online is an anime that mmorpg game fans would love to watch.  For those that want to see Sword Art Online on TV in English can now look at Adult Swim every Saturday night.  

Pacific Rim Review

Review link: http://ofanimeandvideogames.com/pacific-rim/

Becoming older now I am getting less surprised with Hollywood’s upcoming list or and past list of movies with similar themes, predictable plots, and formulas.   After seeing a trailer where two people fight together in huge mechs and punching a gigantic monster in the face; I knew I had to see Pacific Rim.  The director Guillermo del Toro has made a movie inspired by manga and anime and I loved the 2 hour ride.

In short, aliens called the Kaiju have come through a portal on the Earth’s sea  and started wrecking havoc.  Countries from around the world start forming together and create giant robots called the Jaegers to start fighting the Kaiju.  In order to pilot a Jaeger, two pilots must be mentally bonded together and work as one to take down the monsters.  The movie follows the two protagonists Charles and Mori as they team up, overcome their struggles, and take down the Kaiju, and close the portal for good.

This movie is a visual treat to the eyes.  The designs of the Kaiju and Jaegers are diverse and creative.  I loved seeing Hong Kong, Japan, Alaska, and various others diverse locations and nationalities.  There are plenty of colors in this film and the colors go so nicely together.  There was obviously a lot of design work done on this film.

For those who love deep and complex characters might want to look elsewhere.   The majority ofPacific Rim‘s characters fit anime archetypes such as the hot shot who hates the Charles for no reason, the scientist who is too into himself, the socially awkward nerd, etc.  I’m all for complex characters but this movie is all about the action.  Despite the archetypes, watching the characters interact with each other was entertaining.

I really liked Mako Mori as the main female protagonist.   Mori did not come off as a female protagonist trying to too hard to be cool and neither was she treated as a sexy female side kick.   She could fight and she obviously had her own mental issues to overcome.   Charles treated her as a partner who he could trust to fight alongside him in the Jaeger.

If you are into giant robots, huge aliens, colorful and diverse environments, and anime, this movie is for you.  Just remember that Pacific Rim  is for fun, nothing too deep beyond the action here.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise

This post comes from here

 

The Sims is one of those games where I can get excited to go to work, have and raise children, do choirs, and go to school.  I could always choose to live a normal sim life in a household full of human sims who just want to exceed at their careers and die of old age.  I could also have a hectic household full of fairies, immortal vampires, and mermaids and have the bread maker be the Emperor of Evil.  The Sims 3 Island Paradise adds a lot more opportunities for me to make my own dream homes and then some.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise is a new and probably the final expansion pack for the Sims 3.  This expansion pack comes with a new neighborhood called Isla Paradiso (“Island Paradise”).  The  neighborhood consists of islands (some hidden and some requiring effort to unlock), the lifeguard profession, dive spots, resorts, and mermaids as the new lifestate (nonhuman sim).

A family of merpeople in a pool

I could own a resort, look at the resort’s reviews, and improve the resort for better reviews and money. Thanks to the new patch, I was allowed to own a houseboat and a house by the ocean.  I love sailing around Isla Paradiso in my houseboat and stopping by dive spots and swimming down under when I want to.  Sadly, I have yet to find a single drowning soul during my few times as a lifeguard.  My sim would sit down in his chair and watch over an empty beach or watch other sims splash their feet in the water.

Isla Paradiso allows sims to explore underwater areas and find buried treasure, fight sharks, or talk to mermaids.

Mermaids require swimming in salt water to keep their fins and food made with fish or kelp in order to get full.   If I wanted to become a permanent mermaid, I would need a 5,000 points lifetime reward.  The perks to becoming a mermaid (or merman) is max scuba diving skill, of course breathing underwater, and not being attacked by sharks and the kraken.  This is a neat lifestate but I recommend neighborhoods with dive spots so mermaid sims have somewhere to go.

There are some issues I have with Sims 3: Island Paradise.  Isla Paradiso is a neighborhood that lags so much that I am considering downloading a custom neighborhood like Isla Paradiso or putting in a few dive spots in an existing Sim 3 neighborhood and move my sim families there.  My sim pets can leave the the islands in their own little taxi boats but my merman has to swim to his destinations?  Mermaid sims are not fast swimmers and take hours to get to their destinations; I ended up getting my merman a houseboat in order to reach his destination.

I love exploring the features in the Sims 3: Island Paradise but the lag in Isla Paradiso is irritating.   The lag has nothing to do with my computer’s capabilities as I have seen Sims 3 let’s players lag in their let’s plays.  Island Paradise, like most Sims 3 expansion packs, fulfill a want in a Sims 3 player.  Finally being able to play with mermaids, own multiple homes, and sail the ocean like some big shot; I’m happy with the Sims 3: Island Paradise but I wish some issues were addressed by the developers.