TwoDashTwo

Nintendo Switch Reveal Impressions

2016-10-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

After waiting for 19 months, Nintendo has finally revealed the NX as the Nintendo Switch. Today's announcement mainly served as an introduction to the system for now as the only official info from Nintendo includes a 3.5 minute video and some press releases. With the info we know right now so far, I am definitely interested in the Nintendo Switch.

First off, Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch is indeed a console/handheld hybrid. This means that the Switch will serve as the successor to both the 3DS and the Wii U. Also, given the design of the console, it appears that the Switch will not be backwards compatible with either predecessor. Nintendo combining their two gaming divisions does make a lot of sense. The 3DS and Wii U had a lot of similar titles and making a hybrid device allows Nintendo to develop games for one platform and potentially produce a more diverse libraries as the company won't feel the need to make two versions of games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and more. Basically it appears Nintendo is trying to make game development for themselves and 3rd parties easier than before, which is good!

I like the idea of taking the controller and being able to slide it on and off of the portable unit. As someone who plays both console and handheld games, the idea of only having to buy one device sounds very convenient to me because unless this thing costs $600, it'll be a pretty good value. Obviously the ability to carry console games around may not appeal as much to others but for me, I can easily see a situation where I would bring the portable device to show to friends or possibly engage in a pseudo lan console multiplayer game. For me, the concept has value but that does bring me to my first question I want answered:

How well do the games run in the portable mode?

This is probably the most important question to ask because if all the games run like crap in portable mode, the entire concept of the device is ruined. The good news is that Nintendo is partnering with Nvidia, who made the Nvidia Shield, a device similar in concept as the NS but PC gaming. Hopefully Nvidia's processors and experience will help Nintendo create a device that can play these console games portably with a smooth frame rate.

By the way, did you notice when it came to gameplay, there were no gimmicks shown in the teaser? There was no motion control, no gyroscope, no touchscreen (though I suspect it's still there), and no second screen gaming. Everything shown was presented as traditional gaming that can be played with a traditional game controller. The only real gimmick seems to be the module gaming options, which has existed in the mobile gaming market for a while now. It's like they took a regular console, added the most popular feature of the Wii U (off TV play) and added the good features of mobile gaming to potentially create a device that can cater to the best of both worlds. Which leads me to my second question:

How long does the battery last for both the controllers and the portable device itself?

Battery lives for gaming devices have not been generous lately and when consider that this is going to be the most powerful handheld device Nintendo has ever made, there is some concern in that department. Given current trends, I'll settle for 5 hours off a full charge but I would prefer at least 10 hours.

Also, the video confirmed that the Switch will use physical games still (as we all predicted) and that it will be using cartridges. Makes sense given it's portable module but between that and the lack of a second screen, it seems the device will not be backwards compatible with the 3DS or Wii U. Speaking of games, that leads me to my third question:

What games are coming to the system?

Obviously I did not expect to see a list of all the games in a 3.5 minute console teaser, but the video did show 6 games: 3 I know what they are and 3 I'm not 100% sure on. Those games are:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
NBA 2K17

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (Which may or may not be actually coming to the NS???)
Some kind of new Mario game

Mario Kart 8, but with a new character (King Boo) and the ability to hold two items.

Splatoon but with new weapons, hairstyles and a new map.

Now, it's possible that some of these games are just conceptual in presentation but what is more comforting to see is the list of companies supporting the Switch early on. The actual list includes way more companies than the Wii U ever did and the fact that Unreal 4 and Unity have been confirmed at least makes it look like 3rd parties will have an easier time getting their games on the Switch. Hopefully they stick around this time.

We're excited to have support for Nintendo Switch from so many great partners! pic.twitter.com/fONefIZrLy
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 20, 2016

And honestly, that's all I have to say right now. This was only a console teaser and it's clear that Nintendo has a lot more to show between now and March. Did they show enough to get me to pre order it right now? No. Of course not. I still need to know a concrete list of games, a price, and plenty more. But for now, the Nintendo Switch shows a lot of promise by presenting a device that could make my gaming life a lot easier.

Also, it's safe to say that the reveal of the Nintendo Switch was way better than the reveal of the Wii U. At least people know what the Switch is.

Nintendo NX Prediction Challenge!

2016-10-19T23:41:00.003-04:00

One year, seven months and two days. That’s how long it’s been since Satoru Iwata announced the existence of the Nintendo NX. Since then, the amount of info we’ve been officially given has been very sparse. But no more! It’s finally time for us to learn more about the heck this thing actually is. But before we do, I think it’ll be fun to make some predictions about the NX. And to make things even more fun, I enlisted the help of 10 of my friends! Let’s see what we predicted and eventually see who was the most correct!
Before we begin, it is important to point out that these surveys were conducted in December 2015 and January 2016. Since then, some of the questions have already been answered.

Either way, huge thanks to Adam, Alex, Arsenette, Chris A, Chris S, David, Jordan, Mike, Rider, Rob, and Ube for helping me out with this survey!

Question 1: The most popular rumor right now is that the NX is actually a combination of a home console and a handheld. Do you believe this to be true? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Chris A: “Nintendo does a fairly good job at thinking outside the box. The Wii U gamepad as already a step towards home console and handheld device, so I can definitely see this as a trial run.”

David: “I know nothing about the NX but it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Mike: “This is just a guess but it does seem like a “Nintendo-thing- to-do”. They’re always finding innovative ways for gaming and I feel like this will be a good way for them to go. They’ve been in both the console and handheld business since the early 90’s (maybe earlier?) and this seems like a smart move if they’re able to pull it off.”

Rob: “It would seem like the perfect progression from the Wii U, given said console’s tablet-like GamePad. In addition, with Nintendo being a strong force in the handheld market with the 3DS, bringing portable qualities to the NX would be appropriate.”

People Who said “No”:
Arsenette: “Because that was the problem with the WiiU. It seemed to me that Nintendo didn’t know what it wanted other than trying to get people to buy a 3DS but for their TV.. I doubt they will do the same mistake twice.”

Jordan: “Nintendo already has a success in the 3DS. While it’s not new, the system certainly has some time left before Nintendo moves on to a new handheld device.”

My Prediction: I have a feeling that I may end up being wrong on this one, but I chose No. Based on what Iwata said in the past, I feel like Nintendo will still have a home console and a handheld device but will both use the same OS in order to make porting games between devices easier.

Question 2: Both of Nintendo’s current devices (Wii U and 3DS) use a touchscreen. Will the NX also have a touchscreen? [Yes / No]

Results:

Note: Rider’s answer involved him saying that if the NX is a portable device, it will have a touchscreen, and if it’s a home console, it won’t, hence the half votes.

People who said “Yes”:
Chris S: “In a pre-iPhone era, the DS helped bring touchscreen gaming to the mainstream. If Nintendo wants to keep an air of simplicity with its interface(s), the touchscreen is in.”

Adam: “Easy technology to include at this point. Hopefully it will be optional (not required) during actual gameplay.”

Chris A: “Nintendo seems to like touch all the way back to the first DS. I don’t see them changing that ever. Even Sony used touch functionality to some effect.”

Alex: “Many products, including tablets and most phones, have been utilizing touchscreens so it makes sense that Nintendo would continue to utilize them”

David: “Touchscreen is becoming increasingly popular amongst many devices.”

Mike: “I feel like it will because the past 2 generations of handhelds plus the Wii U all incorporate a touch screen, so it makes sense that they would keep it going forward and that would also allow backwards compatibility (which who knows if that will be.)”

My Prediction: If you’re wondering who the one person who said No was, that would be me. As much as I like the Wii U, the controller was the biggest reason why Nintendo was unable to make the price of the console lower than it is. Also, most games really didn’t use the touch screen very effectively.

Question 3: The touchscreen on both the Wii U and 3DS are resistive screens. If the NX does have a touchscreen, what type of screen will it be? [Resistive / Capacitive]

Results:

Note: Two people elected to not answer this question.

People who said “Resistive”:
Rob: “Unlike capacitive screens, which are more accurate but fragile, resistive screens are sturdier at the cost of lower tech. Nintendo’s systems hold up well over time, so why not stick with what works?”

Chris A: “Without changing the stylus too, a capacitive touchscreen would restrict the user to using just their finger. I believe Nintendo would want players to be able to touch the screen with their fingers, wearing gloves or not, as well as a stylus.”

People Who said “Capacitive”:
Rider: ‘Nintendo has been using Resistive for a few generations but I think even they may be feeling it’s time to move on, with how much more accessible they’ve gotten due to Smartphone developments, the ability to have multi-touch would also enhance the experience, along with not having to worry about a stylus that might get lost. There are also rumors floating around about NX being based on a modification of Android and if true a change in touch screens might be necessary.”

Chris S: “This is going to contrast what I said earlier Yes, Nintendo wants to keep things simple & durable, but resistive touchscreen/touchpads feel like old technology compared to their capacitive counterparts.”

Mike: “Many people are used to that type of a screen because of smartphones, plus it has a sharper image display as well as multi-touch capability (such as using 2 fingers to zoom in on a picture on a smartphone)”

My Prediction: I said Capacitive. Multi touch games have become more of a standard in touchscreen gaming and resistive screens would limit that too much.

Question 4: It’s generally accepted that the PS4 is currently the most powerful home console. If there is at least a home console component for the NX, how powerful will the console be? [On par or stronger than a PS4 / Less powerful than a PS4]

Results:

Note: This question is referring to the original PS4, not the PS4 Pro.

People who said “On par or stronger than a PS4”:
Rob: “By the time the NX releases, it should be up to the same level as PS4 in terms of processing power, while Sony’s next console will be superior in that respect. Nintendo’s systems are known more for their ingenuity, as opposed to processing power, so they can get by with using inexpensive tech.”

Chris S: “Nintendo is shooting towards a weird mid generation release which might be fine for 3DS and Wii U fans who are ready, but the gaming community may not be so ready. The NX cannot look like a step back, and at least look equivalent to the PS4’s power. Third parties will also work better with “current” tech, and not older stuff ala the Wii.”

Adam: “It will end up competing with next generation Sony and Microsoft platforms (and Steam??), so something weaker than last generation will get laughed at.”

People Who said “Less powerful than a PS4”:
Arsenette: “Nintendo’s logic has never been to be the most powerful but the most fun to play (game wise). If it turns out to be powerful then by all means but that’s not their explicit goal (unlike Microsoft).”

Mike: “Nintendo has never really been one to have “powerful” consoles and I feel like they’ll continue going that route.”

David: “Sony does what Nintendon’t”

Chris A: “Nintendo is behind the curve when it comes to hardware, and does not seem interested in catching up. They focus on innovation and fun, which is commendable, but not always best.”

Ube: “Hardcore gamers have never been Nintendo's target audience.”

My Prediction: I said Less powerful than a PS4. I don’t think Nintendo believes that the average consumer cares about raw power and would prefer to cut costs by using some less powerful processors.

Question 5: Both the Wii U and 3DS are backwards compatible with their respective previous generations of hardware. Will the NX be backwards compatible with Wii U and/or 3DS games? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Chris S: “Nintendo has had a strong reputation with embracing backwards compatibility. The nature of the glasses free 3D of the 3DS and the second screen experience of the Wii U would probably cause issues with 100% compatibility but I trust Nintendo to figure it out.”

Rob: “It wouldn’t make sense for the NX not to be backwards compatible. After their previous systems have been backwards compatible, Nintendo would be wise to continue the trend.”

Rider: “I feel like it will most likely be backwards compatible with the Wii U but not necessarily with the 3DS. One of the biggest points of the 3DS is the 3D aspect, so unless they incorporate the 3D technology into the NX (which I don’t think they will) I doubt it’ll be there.”

David: “It would hurt them not to.”

Alex: “Backwards compatibility is a big selling point for console buyers”

Chris A: “I can see this trend continuing because if sales is what Nintendo is after, having a console that can replace your Wii U, or even play Wii U games so that you don’t feel like you need to buy both consoles, consolidates user expenditure”

People Who said “No”:
Rider: “The rumors of a cartridge based system feel pretty likely (I’ll elaborate later on that question) and considering Nintendo’s favorite way of backwards compatibility is shoving the previous console inside of their new one it feels pretty unlikely they’ll leave the disk slot just for backwards compatibility.”

Arsenette: “I don’t believe they will since they want to change the architecture design. Besides, they are really gunning to expand their digital market so they will make you pay for the same game 3-4 times over if they can get away with it. It has worked in the past.”

My Prediction: I realize this contradicts my prediction for question 2, but I’m going to hedge my bets and say Yes.

Question 6: Currently, the PS4 retails for $349.99 and the Xbox One retails for $399.99. What will be the suggested retail price of the NX at release? [Higher than $349.99 / $349.99 or lower]

Results:

People who said “Higher than $349.99”:
Chris S: “This will be a tricky subject for consumers in this “mid generation.” While being less will be competitive, at launch it may seem less of a value. A higher price is more realistic.”

Alex: “Console prices are only going to continue ballooning across the board”

Chris A: “The Wii U will likely see a price cut, as it currently sits at 300 for a bundle, and the NX may come out the gate at 350 or higher because of the slight hardware upgrade and versatility of the console if it is in fact both for home as well as being portable”

People Who said “$349.99 or lower”:
Arsenette: “Historically they have been the “cheaper” alternative to PS4/Xbone price wars.”

Rob: “This would seem like the standard retail price for the NX, and I couldn’t imagine Nintendo going any higher, especially since they have to compete with Sony and Microsoft in the console market.”

My Prediction: It would be stupid to sell the NX higher than $350, even with the PS4 Pro and Project Scorpio on the market. My pick is $349.99 or lower.

Question 7: One of the biggest criticisms of the Wii U and 3DS is the lack of a true universal account system. Will the NX finally have one? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Chris S: “The recent partnership with DeNA and the predecessor of Club Nintendo on the way, the cards are in play for this to happen in a big way.”

Rider: “Nintendo is a bit behind on the times as far as online but they do eventually catch up, NNID is a step in the right direction and I think they’re going to expand on that further.”

Rob: “Nintendo is seemingly working on a new account system, in order to replace Club Nintendo. I could see the company integrating said system into the NX.”

Mike: “Because hopefully Nintendo finally realizes this would make sense and be useful!”

Alex: “This seems to be the most productive avenue as Xbox and PlayStation also use popular universal account systems”

People Who said “No”:
Arsenette: “They simply haven’t the foggiest idea how to do it in the antiquated way Japan does business. How they even produce online content for mobile devices is vastly differently (and severely gated) to how it’s done in the west. They won’t change as the west is not their intended market/demographic.”

David: “Nintendo doesn’t like to be with the times.”

Chris A: “Friend codes are still a thing”

Adam: “Nintendo wants to be family friendly, and as soon as you have accounts that can interact with others, minors will start threatening each other, swearing, etc. and the child-safe environment is compromised.”

My Prediction: Yes. It has to be yes. They would have to be brain dead to not have a universal account system at this point, especially with the existence of My Nintendo.

Question 8: Another huge criticism of the Wii U and 3DS is that all their games are region locked. With both Sony and Microsoft supporting region-free games, will games for the NX still be region locked? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Arsenette: “They will moan and complain about it but won’t change it simply because their smaller Japanese developers won’t change to adapt to the times. I don’t expect any different.”

Jordan: “Nintendo is pretty strict at times. Look no further than the whole YouTube monetization thing. Nintendo can be stubborn, and I don’t see them budging on this, at least Nintendo of Japan.”

Ube: “Nintendo seems to be the most intent on segregating their markets.”

Chris A: “Because Nintendo does not see or understand the appeal of games that aren’t region locked if they are selling games per region.”

Alex: “Nintendo has a large Japanese market and will likely continue to make Japanese-exclusive games”

David: “Nintendo doesn’t like to be with the times.”

People Who said “No”:
Chris S: “It’s 2016 and it’s time to just make it happen.”

Mike: “Because hopefully Nintendo finally realizes this would make sense and be useful! (I’m aware this is the same answer to the last question, lol)”

Rob: “I think that Nintendo has heard the complaints of gamers regarding region-locked systems. In this day and age, especially with the PS4 being heralded for its region-free build, it would be a mistake for Nintendo to limit accessibility.”

My Prediction: Any other time I would have said yes, but one time at an investor meeting, Iwata once mentioned how region locking can hurt their business. Therefore, I believe it’s finally time. Nintendo will change their ways and say “No, the NX is not region locked!”

Question 9: Both the PS4 and Xbox One require you to pay for PS+/Xbox Live in order to play games online. Meanwhile, Nintendo has yet to charge for online multiplayer. With that in mind, will you have to pay in order to play online multiplayer games on the NX? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Chris S: “XBox Live has shown that gamers are willing to pay for a premium online experience, and PS+ has given them heavy competition. Nintendo is ready to take its step into this premium online space especially to strengthen its online perception to the public.”

Ube: “Yes. And everyone will be angry about it. Especially after that hacker from above gets their credit card information.”

Alex: “With Nintendo’s economic struggles, it seems like an inevitability”

Rob: “As much as I hate to say it, I think we’ll have to pay for a monthly/yearly online service from Nintendo in the next generation. Of course, this is provided the company applies a greater focus on online gaming than in previous generations.”

People Who said “No”:
Jordan: “Nintendo can be greedy, but they try to appease a wide audience. A pay wall would make it more difficult for the younger demographic to enjoy the games to their fullest. Nintendo always tries to appeal to everyone (remember why they titled their most recent console the WiiU?) Paid online would exclude a lot of people.”

David: “They can’t if they hope to compete.”

Mike: “They haven’t done this in the past and it could also be a good selling point for the
system.”

My Prediction: No. I think not charging for online multiplayer would be one of the biggest selling points they can create. And Nintendo needs selling points.

Question 10: Will the NX still use physical media? [Yes / No, it’ll be all digital]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Arsenette: “Japanese market lives off of the physical market including collectors’ editions.”

Chris S: “Nintendo still values their brick -and- mortar store partnerships and maintaining a retail presence adds to their company image.”

Jordan: “The other 2 big boys aren’t fully digital either.”

Rider: “With Nintendo’s concerns over piracy I think the rumors of a cartridge based system are going to turn out being true.”

Chris A: “Nintendo’s consoles don’t have a ton of memory, unlike their competitors. Even if the NX releases with 250 gigs this will not be enough to argue for being completely digital. I believe that as long as there is a memory cap, physical copies will be a thing…that and the NX would require an online connection to get anything, which I don’t think Nintendo is about.”

Alex: “It doesn’t make sense to abandon physical media as it is easy to purchase in a store, hence increasing sales and the scope of Nintendo’s business”

David: “I don’t see physical copies going away yet”

My Prediction: Yes, duh. We’re not as close to an all-digital future as some people think. Also, this one has since been confirmed by GameStop’s CEO.

Question 11: Similar to what happened with Twilight Princess getting released on both the Wii and GameCube around the same time; will the next Legend of Zelda game be released on both the Wii U and NX around the same time? [Yes, both / No, Wii U only]

Results:

People who said “Yes, both”:
Arsenette: “Simply because they promised Zelda will be on the WiiU (to allay fears it was going to skip the WiiU) but they didn’t say anything about it NOT coming to the NX. I expect it to come out on both.”

Rider: “To push the NX right away while not hurting people who were waiting for the Wii U version, something has to be up with a game advertised before Wii U even came out to be delayed so late into the life of the console.”

Chris A: “The NX will need something to help sell it and get people to want to move away from their Wii U consoles, like The Last of Us going to PS4”

David: “Money”

People Who said “No, Wii U only”:
Chris S: “This game will launch for the Wii U exclusively. However, a re-release a year later for the NX could definitely happen.”

Alex: “It will be finished long before the NX”

Rob: “We don’t really know much about the NX, and it seems like the upcoming Legend of Zelda game is trucking along in terms of development. The NX will have its own Zelda game.”

My Prediction: Yes. This was confirmed earlier this year, but when Zelda failed to hit its 2015 release, I knew it was getting a dual release.

Question 12: Will the NX launch with a game that’s a completely new first party IP? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Chris: “Despite the strengths of their existing IPs, I think that in the same vein of Wii Sports & NintendoLand, there will be a wholly original 1st party game at launch.”

Rob: “Nintendo has enjoyed quite a bit of success with Splatoon, especially for a company that’s been criticized for sticking with the safer Marios and Zeldas in its catalog. Why not kick off the NX’s release right with an entirely new experience?”

People Who said “No”:
Rider: “I expect there probably will be one but I don’t expect them to take a gamble on having it as a launch title”

Chris A: “I think Nintendo will want to gauge interest first, which means going with established
franchises such as Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. I’m sure a new Mario Party will release with the
NX.”

David: “COMPLETE GUESS”

My Prediction: Yes. Nintendo has been trying some new ideas with their device launches lately and I think they will at least launch with a new IP that will try to be the new Wii Sports, in terms of success.

Question 13: This year, will Nintendo announce a game for the NX featuring a Nintendo IP that hasn’t had an entry on either the Wii U or 3DS? (ex: F-Zero, Golden Sun, Sin & Punishment, Star Tropics, etc) [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Arsenette: “A lot of developers have been super quiet lately which usually means they are working on something extremely secretive.”

Chris S: “As stated before, Nintendo’s strength is in its IPs. Nostalgia always comes in waves so bringing back a dormant IP is definitely going to happen.”

Jordan: “The WiiU is still a pretty infantile console. There are enough IPs not on the WiiU that logistically it just makes sense that one would appear on the NX that isn’t yet available on the WiiU.”

Ube: “Yes but quietly.”

Rider: “It will be an easy push for Nintendo to try to build up hype to go to an older cult classic franchise, I feel Mute City and Big Blue as MK8 DLC was a test to see if they should make a new F-Zero and putting it on NX would be a smart business move to push their new console.”

Chris A: “Not a new IP, but an IP with an established fan base hungry for nostalgia. If Shenmue has taught game designers anything, it’s that nostalgia colored glasses will cause an old IP to make money before gameplay footage is even released. A new Golden Sun title could do this.”

Rob: “Nintendo has a way to surprise us, all the while targeting our nostalgia. F-Zero would be a good example, especially if it uses the superior power that the NX would have compared to the Wii U.”

People Who said “No”:
Alex: “They will most likely use 2016 to market their most popular IPs (Mario, Zelda) and launch those IPs in 2017 or later”

David: “COMPLETE GUESS”

Mike: “I think they’re going to focus on the new “technology” of the NX (whatever that may be, I’m just speculating). Maybe at some point down the line though.”

My Prediction: Yes, I think they will. The 3DS brought back Kid Icarus and the Wii U brought back Pikmin. I agree with some of my friends and think that F-Zero will be the returning franchise. My only fear is that Nintendo’s big returning franchise is a mainline Metroid, which would totally screw me over thanks to Federation Force.

Question 14: When the NX launches, will that year’s “Call of Duty” game be released for the NX? [Yes / No]

Results:

Note: One person elected to not answer.

People who said “Yes”:
Chris S: “At launch, Nintendo will have decent 3rd party support like it did with the Wii U.”

Jordan: “As long as the console is easy to develop for and is similar specs to the PS4 and Xbone, this seems obvious.”

David: “Money”

Mike: “CoD is one of the most popular games/series out there and it would be a smart move for Nintendo to make it available on the NX.”

People Who said “No”:
Rider: “With a game series so set on doing the same thing over again I doubt they’d go to a new console right away when they weren’t regularly on the last generation”

Chris A: “It’s COD, no COD player is going to play COD on a Nintendo console. They have their console choice already…”

Alex: “Call of Duty runs too powerful of an engine for the NX to keep up and is also not a “family game” that Nintendo strives for”

My Prediction: Yes. Third party companies typically play nice with Nintendo early on and Activision tends to play nicer with Nintendo than others.

Final Question: Nintendo previously said that they will reveal more details about the NX at E3 2016. Will the NX be released in 2016? [Yes / No]

Results:

People who said “Yes”:
Arsenette: “I honestly believe it will be, no exact reason why only than a “feeling” it will.”

Ube: “just in time for after Christmas.”

Chris A: “Probably near the end of the year before Christmas in order to maximize sales and curiosity. General gamers and non-gamers alike enjoy Nintendo products. The parents looking for the new hot gift for their kids and the college students curious about the next party console they can play with their friends will most likely give it a try.”

Mike: “The NX has been rumored/talked about for a while so I’m sure it’s been in development for a decent amount of time, meaning it’ll be ready to release by the end of this year.”

People Who said “No”:
Chris S: “Unless there are more NX details before E3 then maybe there will be a shot of releasing in 2016. I feel that Zelda Wii U will be the crown jewel of Nintendo’s 2016 holiday & even though the 3DS and Wii U are past their prime, 2016 seems too soon to launch new hardware without pre¬E3 info.”

Jordan: “It’s still too soon. They announced the WiiU but didn’t release it within the year. The same will happen with the NX.”

Rider: “I’m expecting them to push things back to make sure everything is worked out, 1st quarter of 2017 expected.”

Alex: “If it was being released in 2016, we would have heard about it by now”

David: “Seems too close to the Wii U probably 2017”

Rob: “It seems too soon to announce a brand new console for 2016. I think 2017 would be a safer bet.”

My Prediction: Unfortunately, I said Yes. Nintendo announced a March 2017 launch earlier this year but at the beginning of the year, I honestly thought we would be seeing it this holiday season. Hopefully pushing the system back to March will result in a better launch lineup for the system.

And that’s all there is. Very soon we’ll see how good we all were. Regardless of what the NX ends up being, hopefully everyone will find something to their liking. Good luck everyone!

AnimeNext 2016: First It Was Anime, Then It Was Not: A History of Retro Anime Video Game Alterations

2016-07-31T19:30:00.000-04:00

At AnimeNext 2016, I had the opportunity to do my very first panel ever, talking about anime video games that were altered when brought over to North America.

I was added to the convention at the last minute, so things went pretty well, all things considered.

Watch YouTube Version

Review: Bikini Warriors

2016-02-22T13:01:00.004-05:00

The United States has a history of cartoons designed to promote toys. With properties like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Mighty Max, the hope of the shows’ producers is that you buy the toys seen in the series. But there aren’t a lot of anime specifically based on any type of toy or figure line. I’m sure the producers would like you to buy a figure based on one of the characters, but more times than not the anime is based on a manga.

Which brings us to today’s subject: Bikini Warriors. It’s a short anime series based on a line of ecchi figures, which typically doesn’t instill confidence in the show’s quality. In fact, when I first saw the show’s listing on Anichart, I immediately thought show was just going to be nothing but fanservice and trash. But then I noticed that the show’s logo looks a lot like the logo for Dragon Warrior a.k.a. Dragon Quest.

“Is this show a parody?” I thought. Turns out it is. And it’s not trash.

Bikini Warriors features the adventures of four heroes out to save the world. They are simply known as Fighter, Mage, Paladin, and Dark Elf. There isn’t a lot of time in the show to flesh out them out, so each character only has a few characteristics. Basically, all you really learn is that Fighter is the most outgoing, Mage is the most shy, Paladin has a fetish for sacrificing herself, and Dark Elf is the cool one. In addition, the cast is joined by Hunter and Valkyrie for a couple of episodes. For what the show is going for, the character designs are perfectly fine. After all, everyone does look like bikini warriors. Although personally, I liked the design of Hunter the best so it’s a shame she only appears in two episodes.

Animation wise, the show is mostly good, with some caveats. The medieval setting looks quite nice and the character designs, for what they're going for, look quite good. The actual movement of the animation is pretty serviceable, except for when they used fade transitions changes is facial expressions. While the show won't get any awards for animation, the animation is perfectly fine for the show's length and (probably) low budget.
Before we continue, I should probably address the sexual content of the show. Yes, this show is full of sexual fanservice throughout. Many times the show will cut to scenes of the ladies in sexual situations even more risqué than the last. Some of the content in question includes the warriors changing their clothes, the warriors losing their clothing due to monster attacks, some of the women feeling each other, and a dog licking Fighter’s crotch. Yes, seriously. Heck, there’s even an episode where a king is talking to the Warriors in regards to a mission he wants them to do and during the entire monologue, the camera is just panning around the bodies of all around the women's lady bits. There's even a hilarious shot from underneath Fighter's crotch, looking at the king. The sexual content is strong in this show, yet there actually isn't any nudity at all. Apparently they saved that for the DVD release. Personally, I didn't mind the fanservice, but I did find some of it to be pretty funny.
Speaking of funny, the writing of this show is the main reason why I will defend this show as something good. As previously mentioned, this show is a parody of Japanese role-playing games, especially the Dragon Quest series. Almost every episode is designed to make fun of the tropes involved in JRPGs. For example, there's an episode where the warriors go into people's houses and just take whatever they want from their chests. (treasure, not human) This is explained by saying there's a law that allows them to do this. There's also an episode making fun of how items you need to defeat a boss character seem to be conveniently placed right before that bosses' chamber. By far my favorite episode is the one where the warriors are going through their inventory, realizing that they have all these powerful elixirs that they never use because they're always using low level potions to heal minor wounds. So times, especially that episode, I found myself remembering instances where these events have happen to me in JRPGs I played before and as a result, this show made me laugh. Hell, even some of the sexual humor I found genuinely funny. For example, there's an entire episode where object are always conveniently placed to block the Warriors' lady-bits and, honestly it's executed quite well. The four minute running length compliments the show well as none of the jokes outstay its welcome. Honestly, by the end of the show, I actually found myself hoping they make a second season of the show!
Look, I'm not saying Bikini Warriors is some kind of underrated masterpiece. What I am saying is that on paper, this show should have been terrible. Like, really, really terrible. But instead, the crew for this show put in some genuine effort into the show to make it way funnier than it has any right to be. If you hate fanservice, there's a really good chance you won't like this show. However, if you at least don't mind the fanservice, then you should at least give the show a chance. I still can't believe that this show is actually good. Too many shows features this type of sexual content and offer nothing else of value. If you're going to to make an ecchi, you need to add more to your show. And since the Bikini Warriors figures have seemingly no backstory at all, it allowed the crew free reign to do what they want and the execution worked brilliantly.

I mean seriously, they got me to like a show called Bikini Warriors! They deserve a medal for that accomplishment!
If you’re interested in watching Bikini Warriors, you can officially watch the show on Funimation, Daisuki, hulu, and Anime Lab.

Review: Ai-Mai-Mi Mousou Catastrophe

2015-11-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Last year, I wrote a review of Ai-Mai-Mi, a short length comedy series about three schoolgirls in a manga club. Except, of course the show was actually about anything but three schoolgirls in a manga club. While I thought the first half of the show was bland and uninteresting, it did start to win me over in its second half. So when its sequel Ai-Mai-Mi Mousou Catastrophe was announced, I was interested to see if the show would continue to improve.

Let’s see if that happened, shall we?

Let’s get the similarities out of the way, visually Ai-Mai-Mi Mousou Catastrophe mostly looks the same. It has the same high points and low points in terms of quality. It did seem like there are more highs that lows, but the show is mostly the same. Also, the opening features an excellent NES style aesthetic with a catchy song similar to the original Ai-Mai-Mi credits sequence. The credits are also simple, but effect use of animated character in a real world setting.
The biggest difference in Mousou Catastrophe compared to its first season is its writing and the show's format. The plot of Mousou Catastrophe is that Ai (the one who actually cares about making manga) wins a fighter tournament and gains the attention of a mysterious group of elite manga artists. What do these manga artists want with Ai?

Actually, I have no idea. Nothing actually comes out from this scene. Despite the fact that episode one implied that there would me and overarching story line, it's just the same nonsense from the first season. Now, I actually thought the humor of the first season actually got good in the later episodes. However, I cannot say the same for Mousou Catastrophe. It has the occasional funny joke, but as a whole I can’t really say I enjoyed any of the episodes. I just found myself bored most of the time. Upon reflection I think I know the reason for this.
The biggest thing holding Mousou Catastrophe is the format. In the original Ai-Mai-Mi, each episode followed the same format: Quick opening gag, title splash screen, episode, and credits. Mousou Catastrophe, however, features the format of quick opening gag, title splash screen, opening credits, episode, end credits, and informational segment. And both seasons features episodes with a 3.5 minute running time. There simply enough time to fit what the show wants to do. Each episode is so crammed that they sometimes have cut the opening short just to get to the actual episode. At the end of the day, biggest reason I didn’t like this season is because too many episodes felt incomplete. They literally felt like they were being cut short and as a result, some episodes don’t have a conclusion. They just end.
Overall, I have to say that I was disappointed with Ai-Mai-Mi Mousou Catastrophe. The first season left me with some high hopes, but all that is gone now. Too much of the show is random and not enough time is available for the stories they’re telling. And most importantly, I just didn’t think it was funny. What I did find amazing was the informational segment at the end of each episode. Sometimes, the dog host just told random stories. Sometimes she informed us about Ai-Mai-Mi products, such as the blu ray release. What’s amazing is that in one segment, the host told us to buy the manga so read the stories and jokes that the director had to cut. I’ve heard of anime series ending in a way where viewers would read the manga in order to get the rest of the story, but I’ve never seen a show literally tell its viewers to read the manga. Maybe we should. And who knows? Maybe the manga is actually funny.
If you’re interested in watching Ai-Mai-Mi Mousou Catastrophe, you can officially watch the show on Crunchyroll.

Review: Wakakozake

2015-11-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the elevator pitch of a show can be a really hard sell. For example, let’s look at the elevator pitch of the subject of today’s review, Wakakozake. The elevator pitch is “Woman eats food and talks about it.” Not exactly the most exciting pitch in the world. There aren’t any ninjas, pirates, or giant zombies to be found! So when I’ve talked about this show to my friends, it’s been really hard to sell them on the show. With that said, let me tell you why I love Wakakozake and why you should absolutely check it out.

Wakakozake features a 26-year old woman named Wakako. She works in an office and sometimes has a long day. And when you have a long day, you want to eat something that makes you feel good. Wakako really likes food. Every episode features Wakako walking into a different bar or restaurant and trying out a new dish. She’ll explain the cooking process of the dish and how and why the flavors work together. She’ll even tell you what drink goes well with the meal! Each episode is only 2 minutes long.

Visually, the show looks quite nice. All the dishes look visually appealing and the restaurants appear well detailed. I especially like Wakako’s appearance. It’s very non-traditional and allows her to stand out compared to other shows. Not to mention the facial expressions she pulls can be quite amusing to watch.
Outside of the show’s catchy opening theme, there’s no real music to talk about. Instead, the focus is on the sound effects and Wakako’s narration, which is quite nice to listen to. I do believe Wakako is enjoying the food she eats.

Like I said, Wakakozake is only 2 minutes long. So there is no story to talk about. Occasionally, she’ll talk about her day but in the end, it’s completely inconsequential. While it sounds like there’s not a lot happening with the show, it’s actually really engaging to watch. The show makes the dishes look really appealing and the information about the meals is quite nice. It’s a nice show to lay back and watch during your lunch break. Not every show needs to be high stakes. Much like why people like cooking shows, Wakakozake, makes food appealing.

And that’s really all there is to the show. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the show and found it as a really nice cool down show. It’s relaxing and fun and presents food in an appealing manner. I personally recommend this show to anyone who enjoys food or food/travel shows. That said, I recently learned that there is also a live action version of Wakakozake. Hey Crunchyroll, could you license that show also? I would love more of this. It all looks quite delicious.

If you’re interested in watching Wakakozake, you can officially watch the show on Crunchyroll.

Review: Pupa

2015-11-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

The largest problem short anime face is trying to create a complete episode in 5 minutes or less. In theory, comedy series are the easiest to write for this format as punch lines can be set up and delivered in a very short amount of time. But what about the horror genre? Typically, horror requires time to build up mood and atmosphere in order to create a scary experience. So can a horror show with 5 minute episodes achieve that goal? Well the anime series Pupa tried to do just that. Although, that may not have been the show’s intention...

Yume Hasegawa has a secret: She's a monster and her brother Utsutsu discovered this the hard way. He learned this so hard, in fact, that monster Yume ended up biting Utsutsu and turned him into a monster as well. The two are very dangerous and have the ability to regenerate. Now the siblings are on the run from an organization hell bent on capturing them. On the surface, this sounds like a simple monster running from powerful people story, but it's much worse than that. But we'll get to that in a little bit.

Visually, the show looks okay… sorta. I do like the textures featured in the show but that’s pretty much it. The character designs are pretty forgettable and the actual detailing for the show is mediocre at best. The music is also pretty bland. The only song I can actually remember is the show’s opening theme song, which is actually kinda catchy. Unfortunately, the visuals for the show’s opening are just a series of still images scrolling up the screen. While the images are quite nice looking (see: title image for this review) it’s one of the easiest and cheapest openings you can make. Really, the biggest selling point for the show is the gore. However…

One of the biggest problems this show had was its original broadcast version, which also aired on Crunchyroll. The broadcast version of the show very was heavily censored. Anything related to blood or gore was either blacked out or whited out to make sure you say very little red. Hilariously, this caused situations where you had no idea what’s going on and actually make some situations look worse than they were. Seriously, the censorship is out of control with the series.


What's the point of censoring the knife when you show it anyway in the very next shot?!

Despite everything I’ve said so far, by far the worst aspect of the show is the story. You see, Pupa was originally going to air in the Fall of 2013 but got pushed back to the Winter of 2014. The prevailing rumor about the show is that Pupa was supposed to be a full length series with 30 minute episodes, but something went horribly wrong behind the scenes and the show got cut down to a 5 minute series. After watching the show, it looks like that's exactly what happened. The story is so disjointed. There is no natural flow between episodes and the overall plot is has many holes in. Hell, there’s an entire episode that’s just Yumi saying “Onii-chan” over and over again while eating. THAT’S IT! That’s the whole episode! The series feels like the scraps of a two part series premiere. Nothing really got accomplished in the end and there was no sense of finality.
Furthermore, according to some people who read the manga, one of the episodes never happened in the source material and was there just to show a woman bathing. Are you serious? You had so little time to begin with, but actually decided to put some filler into the show. But what’s even more amazing is that the final episode has absolutely NOTHING to do with the rest of the series! It has nothing to do with the plot at all. You could not watch it and miss 0% of the story. This show is an amazing train wreck.

I've seen people say that Pupa is the worst anime they’ve ever seen. Personally, I disagree. It’s not even the worst anime I’ve reviewed for this site. I actually found Pupa to be an amazing show to watch for all the wrong reasons. As I was watching, I could just see so many things go wrong with this show, I just found it fascinating. I would love to hear what happened behind the scenes because the show looks like a lost cause that was released purely to recoup losses. If you want to see how badly a show can go wrong, watch Pupa. However, if you want to watch a genuinely good horror anime, stay far, far away. Because it has no redeeming value whatsoever.

Pupa is no longer available for legal streaming as of December 2014.

Review: Encouragement of Climb Season 2

2015-10-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

The original season of Encouragement of Climb was a real surprise to me. Despite having episodes than ran less than 5 minutes each, the show managed to pack a ton of story, character development, and charm into its limited running time. It really managed to stand out among the other short form anime airing at the same time. However, because each episode was so short, the show left a feeling that there was so much more they could be doing if given the time. Not to mention, the ending left the impression that there was more to be done. As a result, fans of the show were left hoping that they would be given more time and more episodes.

Guess what? That’s exactly what happened.

In a rarely seen move, season 2 of Encouragement of Climb evolved from a 12 episode season with 5 minute episodes, to a 24 episode season with 15 minute episodes. Technically, that means it turned into a full length series. Needless to say, the episode and time increase was shocking. As a result, Encouragement of Climb Season 2 manages to improve on the original season in every way possible.

Picking up from last season, season 2 continues the adventures of Aoi, Hinata, Kaede, and Kokona as they climb various mountains in Japan. This time, the girls set their sights high and with plans of climbing bigger mountains than ever before and maybe even visit the mountain of Aoi and Hinata’s childhood.

It’s clear season 2 got a bigger budget this time around. Everything looks more visually pleasing. Once again the brown outlines around characters create a soft look that compliments the general tone of the show. In addition the show has some amazing looking set pieces. For a show about mountain climbing, the animators took extra care to make sure the foliage and backgrounds look top notch. The whole visual experience makes the mountains appear really appealing. The show is a real joy to look at.

The only real downside to the show’s visual is when it uses CGI for certain transportation methods. Fortunately, because the girls travel by foot most of the time, the CGI occurs very few and far between. And while I’m mentioning the negatives, the show has a few really odd fanservice scenes early on that really don’t fit the show. I’m happy to report that they do cut that crap out later on. Therefore, the latter half of the show doesn't have any scenes like that.
In the first season, Encouragement of Climb had to cram a lot story and had to rush through the mountain climbing to fit everything into its limited running time. Since season 2 has an over 650% increase in time, the show is given more time to tell its story. Mountain trips can now take multiple episodes to complete and actually features scenarios that take place in between each trip. The downtime especially allows the viewers to learn more about each girl and how they tackle climbing related issues before the climb (ex: buying supplies, completing homework, getting parents’ approval). I also especially enjoyed all the information about mountain climbing that was shared throughout the series. What’s especially impressive is how the info flows naturally into their conversations. Kaede is the only one who’s very knowledgeable on the subject, so of course the other girls would want to learn more.

The music is also very strong in season 2, perfectly complementing whatever tone it wants to convey to the audience. I especially enjoy the piano theme that plays during especially important parts that transitions into the oboe. If you’ve seen the show, you know which song I’m talking about. The show also has a really strong set of ending and opening sequences. The first opening is especially excellent and I would easily consider it to be one of the best openings of 2014.

The use of unmoving plaid really makes the first opening stand out.

Whenever I talked about Encouragement of Climb, I would always refer to it as “The HYPEST show about mountain climbing!” While it was always intended as a joke, there was always a layer of truth to it. As I write this review, it’s become clear to me why I enjoy this show so much. Despite how it looks at its surface, Encouragement of Climb has always been about Aoi. Aoi is an introvert. She has issues with socializing and stepping out of her comfort zone. She told herself she was happy with the way things were but in truth, she wasn’t. Then Hinata re-entered her life and Kaede and Kokona joined as well. Together, the four set out to experience amazing things and reach new literal heights. But sometimes obstacles get in your way. And sometimes we can’t overcome those obstacles. But how we handle those obstacles and failures is what defines us and makes those victories feel so much better. Every situation feels realistic and I’m sure plenty of people can relate to Aoi. Because nothing presented in the show can only exist in fantasy, it makes me want to see these girls succeed, and makes me really happy when they do. It may sound silly, but I do find Encouragement of Climb Season 2 to be a really inspirational and I’m glad I watched it.

If I haven’t made myself clear, I loved watching Encouragement of Climb Season 2 and I hope you’re willing to give it a shot. To give you one final illustration of my feelings for the show, let me tell you this: I don’t purchase anime figures. I don’t have a lot of space to put them and I’m not willing to spend $50+ on each one. That said, earlier this year I decided to make an exception.
Yea, I love this show.

Let me make one final point: I’m glade season 2 exists. The first season ended with the message of “See you next time!”; a message that needed to be followed up on due to having unfinished business. I’m glad Encouragement of Climb was given that chance with more time and more episodes. This season ended much more concretely. So even though I would love to see more, I’m perfectly fine with this being the end. That way I can look back at the show with fond memories and maybe go on my own adventure one day.

If you’re interested in watching Encouragement of Climb Season 2, you can officially watch the show on Crunchyroll.

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal Demo Impressions

2014-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, a brand new alternative universe Sonic cartoon titled Sonic Boom debuted on Cartoon Network. Tomorrow, Sega will be launching two video games based on Sonic Boom for both the Wii U and 3DS. Last week, Sega released a playable demo of Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the 3DS. Seeing how I never miss a chance to try out the latest Sonic game, I decided to give it a try.

For an alternative universe, it sure does feel different.

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a 2D platform, similar to the classic Sonic games. The only difference is, it feels almost nothing like a classic game. In the demo, you can switch between four characters: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a new character, Sticks. Surprisingly, the four characters really don’t feel that different from each other. The only major differences are the characters’ special abilities that are used in specific areas. Sonic has the ability to air dash through special blocks and reach higher areas. Tails has the ability to glide through the air, fly up air currents, throw bombs, and use his mini submarine in water tank areas. Knuckles has the ability to dig through certain areas and no longer has the ability to glide through the air. Sticks has the ability to use her boomerang to hit out of reach switches. Ultimately, having multiple characters feel very unnecessary as all you’re really doing is sticking between different secondary powers. The demo gives you one stage to play and you can beat it entirely with just Sonic.

Speaking of Sonic, he feels very slow in this game. No seriously, everyone runs at the same speed and that speed is slow. The only way you can go fast is if you hold the Y button to dash. But not only does the running feel slow, the actual stage feels long and padding. It looks like the game is going to focus a lot more on exploration to find secondary items, hence why you have multiple characters. Between the long stages and the exploring, it 25 minutes to clear the stage on my first play through. That is a long time for a Sonic stage. In fact, the par time for the time trial challenge is 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Even that feels long because the level design is not that interesting or memorable.

I also had one major gripe with the controls involving Sonic. While playing as Sonic, you need to air dash up to reach certain platforms by pressing the X button. The problem is, to jump you to press the B button. Moving between the X and B buttons for jumping sequences feels very awkward and makes me wish I could air dash with the Y button instead. The problem with the button layout for Soinc is due to you having to sometimes press the A button to do a midair whip swing as well. So when you’re playing as the other three characters, the button layout is fine. It’s just Sonic’s need for three buttons for performing jump sequences that feels off.

I played the demo of Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for a full 40 minutes and found the experience to be quite dull. I don’t understand why Sega feels the need to innovate with Sonic so many times. Sonic Generations was a great game. Perfect that formula before trying to reinvent him again. There was nothing about this demo that made me want buy this game. It’s dull, the stages feel overly long, I don’t like the way it controls, and on top of all that, the game froze on me at one point. I heard that supposedly Sega didn’t give advance copies of both Sonic Boom games to reviewers ahead of time. Between the demo and that piece of information, I would recommend you wait before buying either game. I have a feeling we may be in 2006 all over again.

Mind Wanderer: Mysterious Girlfriend X Review

2014-08-07T18:08:00.000-04:00

Some people consider certain anime to be too weird for them. Me? I like to take weird head on. That’s why I chose to buy today’s topic of discussion; a romantic comedy with a very unique… twist. Back in 2012, I sure did hear a lot of people talk about this show due to that very same twist. And with the unique reactions this show was getting, how could I not give this show a look? So pour yourself a drink and enjoy the Mind Wanderer review of Mysterious Girlfriend X.

Watch YouTube Version

Music credits and links:
Sneaky Snitch (Tip Toe 7)
On the Ground
Groove Grove
Funk Game Loop
Comic Hero
Guess Who
Bad Ideas (distressed)
Darkest Child (Mysterious)
Space Fighter Loop
Mining by Moonlight
by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Review: Ishida & Asakura

2014-07-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Typically, the episode length of a short form anime ranges anywhere between 3.5 and 5 minutes. But what happens when an anime is only 12 episodes long and has an episode length of only 2 minutes? Is it possible to convey a comedic story with a credits sequence in such little time? Well, the anime series Ishida & Asakura sure gave it a shot.

The question is: were they trying?

This show features the same exact format every episode. So let’s break this thing down segment by segment, shall we?

First Thirty Seconds: A dialog between Ishida (the one with short hair) and Asakura (the one with the afro).

The dialog between the two students always features the exact number of lines. Asakura starts with, “Ishida, I have a… request” and then Ishida responds with, “Very well, Asakura. I shall listen to your request.” What follows is a quick dialog with no real purpose or humor. The only thing lazier than the writing of this segment is the animation. The animation for this segment is exactly the same in every episode. The only difference is that some episodes features and extra layer of animation in certain scenes. The animation laziness became very apparent when one episode featured a shot where Ishida stopped talking, yet his mouth kept moving.

…yup

Second Thirty Seconds: Opening Credits

The opening credits sequence features a simple vertical crawl of the cast with a perfectly acceptable song playing over it. It does nothing exciting, but it does nothing offensive either.
Final Minute: Plot! (In theory)

The final minute is a simple storyline about a day in the lives of Ishida and Asakura. Question: do you think the word “boobs” is funny regardless of context? This show sure seems to think so. In fact, here’s a list of this show’s running “gags”.

-Asakura says boobs, regardless if it makes sense.
-Ishida wants to open a flower shop with Asakura
-Asakura has a slight stutter
-Yamada (classmate) has long buck teeth
-Yamada wants to open a bookstore with Asakura
-Ishida is (probably) gay
-Ishida kills Yamada

Do any of these jokes sound funny? Well, they’re not. Keep in mind, this show is only two minutes long and tries to fit all these gags in every episode. Top that off with statements about their teachers’ genitals, random things happening with no rhyme or reason, and Asakura making a female classmate feel like shit for not have H-Cup breasts and you have a giant order of unfunny crap.

The biggest problem with Ishida & Asakura is that it doesn’t tell jokes. Jokes require setups and punchlines; two things this show lacks. Instead, this show just says random things and hopes we find them funny. What’s worse is that this show repeats these statements over and over hoping that we'll still find them funny. The problem is, this show didn't make me laugh.

This show made me very, very angry.

Ishida & Asakura isn’t a comedy; it’s a show that just throws random shit against the wall and hopes we eat it up. There was no effort put into the actual writing of the show. The irony of random humor is that it actually requires a good amount of planning in order to be funny. Of course, that requires effort. I could go on and on about everything wrong about this show, but if they didn’t bother, why should I? The worst thing a show can do is waste your time. Ishida & Asakura is a 24 minute waste of time that did nothing but anger me. I never thought such a short length of time could feel so very long.

Bottom line: DON’T. WATCH. THIS. SHOW.

This girl is throwing herself onto Asakura and this is how he responds? Fuck this show.

As of this writing, Ishida & Asakura can be streamed officially through Crunchyroll. But seriously, don’t watch this show.

Review: Encouragement of Climb

2014-07-18T16:07:00.002-04:00

My original introduction to short form anime in the beginning of winter of 2013 was not that great. With the first couple of shows I watched I noticed I was having the same problems with each show. These problems included low animation quality, unfunny jokes, and a plot that seems to go nowhere. To say the least, my initial impression of short form anime was that no studio was going to invest the money to produce a quality product.

Then I started to watch Encouragement Of Climb, and all my problems went away.

Encouragement Of Climb (a.k.a. Yama no Susume) is a short form anime series about mountain climbing. Aoi is a high school girl who used to love the mountains, but after a childhood accident she developed a fear of heights and now only engages in indoor activities that can be done by herself. As a result, she became so secluded from others that just the idea of hanging out with others made her nervous. That is until one day a classmate named Hinata approached her. Hinata and Aoi used to be friends during elementary school and made a promise to each other to one day climb mountains together. And since Hinata is such an extrovert she literally drags Aoi to her house so they one day climb mountains together.

Encouragement Of Climb only has an episode length of three minutes and thirty seconds, but chose to not spend that time wasting the viewer's time. Each episode is completely dedicated to plot progression and character development. Amazingly, each episode contains a really well written short story that fits in well together to form a tight longer story that lasts about forty minutes. It was really refreshing to see a short show that tired to be more than the sum of its parts, story wise.

Story of my life.

It's funny that Encouragement Of Climb doesn't try to be an over-the-top comedy because I found the jokes in this show to be way funnier than both Ai-Mai-Mi and Ishida & Asakura. The humor is used sparingly and is based on the way actual people would react to certain situations (see image above). Aoi and Hinata have opposite personalities to each other, so the back and forth between them works really well without ever getting annoying.

The format of Encouragement Of Climb is mainly one part story and one part mountain climbing lesson. The show is actually a really good beginners' guide to mountain climbing mainly because the educational parts fit seamlessly into the story and isn't the main reason for the show's existence. First and foremost, this show is about Hinata helping Aoi conquer her fear of heights and to help her make new friends along the way. The mountain climbing part helps craft the story in an interesting way and enhance the uniqueness of the show.
The show has a really nice art direction as well. Everything has a soft look to it that is accentuated with brown outlines around the characters. The actual animation of the show is actually pretty fluid and looks like the show had some actual money put behind it. There are a few instances of the show using CGI shortcuts, but I found most of them to be unnoticeable on a first viewing. The only really obvious shortcut in animation takes place, oddly enough, during the first episode. The animation only improves from there.

I loved watching Encouragement Of Climb. It's a perfect example of how to make a short anime series that's more than just a series of stupid jokes. It features a genuinely heartwarming story about facing your fears and getting out of your comfort zone. If you think all short form anime are low budget garbage, watch this show and learn how a short series can not only succeed, but also thrive. And thrive it did because the second season that recently started will feature twice as many episodes with each episode having three times the length. If that's not the sign of a successful show, I don't know what is.

If you’re interested in watching Encouragement of Climb Season 2, you can officially watch the show on Crunchyroll.

Review: Ai-Mai-Mi

2014-05-03T11:39:00.001-04:00

If you follow the latest anime simulcasts coming out of Japan, you may be aware of the existence of the short length anime series. For these shows,each episode only lasts 5 minutes, or less, in length. Back during the Winter 2013 season, I first discovered this type of show when I finally began to pay attention to anime simulcasts. In fact, I got a good taste of the short format because there were six short series airing on Crunchyroll that season alone.

In theory, the short anime format is certainly more than capable of working. The internet has proven that you don't need a full 11 minutes to set up and tell a proper story line. In the case of comedy series, it should be even easier considering you can build up to a punchline in very little time. But can it work for an anime? To start my foray into short length anime, I decided to watch Ai-Mai-Mi, a show about three female students in a magna club. At least, that's what they want you to think the show is about.

At its surface, Ai-Mai-Mi is indeed about three students, named Ai (brown hair), Mai (orange hair), and Mi (blonde hair), who attend a magna club supervised by their teacher, Ponoka (purple hair). The problem is, Mai and Mi are super lazy and don't really want to draw and write magna. Also, a bunch of random things keep happening that prevent the girls from getting any work done in the first place. Despite what the show appears to be at first, Ai-Mai-Mi isn’t really about a magna club. In actuality, the show is simply about the random adventures of our three main protagonists. Random things keep happening throughout the show and the girls have to find a way out of the various jams they find themselves in.

One thing I noticed almost right away is that this show does not a have a huge animation budget. The art design for the show is all over the place. Visually, the show ranges from super detailed character models to simple character designs to very simple character designs. At times, I found the shortcuts the animation took to be very distracting, mainly because it happens constantly. To be fair to the show, this is a comedy series so it’s more excusable, but it would have been nice to see some more detail actually go into the show’s looks.

Right: The show at its best. Left: The show at its worst.

In addition to the random animation, Ai-Mai-Mi heavily relies on random humor for its comedy. From the occasional gross out humor to random things just inserting itself into the plot, the heavily relies on making you go “Ha ha, what the heck was that?!” The problem is that the show’s humor relies too much on pure randomness. The ironic secret to random humor is that there is actually though and planning that goes into it ahead of time. Going truly random with your humor is actually less likely to get a reaction out of your audience. Comedy often needs a setup and a punchline. Each episode may only be 3 minutes in length, but that’s more than enough time to create some good comedy.

My biggest problem with Ai-Mai-Mi is that it bored me.

Despite my non-reactions to the show early on, I do genuinely enjoy the credits sequence, and not because it signals the end of the show. The credits sequence turns the show into an NES style parody that visually looks nice and is presented with some catchy music. The ending sequence is great and it makes me wonder if I would have liked the show more if the entire thing was presented as an 8-bit video game.

Early on, I resided to the idea that I would just watch the show, not laugh at it, and then enjoy the credits. However, I noticed around episode 6 that things were starting to change. It felt like Ai-Mai-Mi was relying less on pure randomness and was actually presenting punchlines with more setup and planning. Much to my surprise, I was actually beginning to enjoy watching the show. The jokes never got a huge laugh out of me, but it did get chuckles of enjoyment. The second half of this show is such an improvement, that I have to overall give it praise for turning me around. Not many shows can do that.

At the beginning of April, it was announced that a second season of Ai-Mai-Mi was in production. Upon hearing that news I thought to myself if I was willing to watch a second season of this show. Surprisingly, the answer was “yes.” While this is by no means the best comedy you will watch, even in a short format like this, I felt like that show was heading in the right direction towards the end of season and I would like to see if the show continues to improve itself.

If you’re interested in watching the show, I would say proceed with caution. Its style of comedy might not be your cup of tea, but you might find yourself enjoying the second half. So I say give the show a chance. It’ll take less than an hour to watch the whole show, and there are certainly worse comedy shows you could be watching.

If you’re interested in watching Ai-Mai-Mi, you can officially watch the show on Crunchyroll.

Top Five Space Dandy Season 1 Episodes

2014-04-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of this year, Shinichiro Watanabe’s latest original anime series, Space Dandy, began airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami block. The show is about an alien hunter named Dandy (but you can call him Space Dandy) and he travels the galaxy in search of new and unregistered alien species along with his vacuum robot, QT and a freeloading cat-like alien named Meow. If the crew manages to capture and register a previously unregistered alien type at a registration center, they could be compensated greatly.

One thing that has been clear about this series is that anything is possible and you should expect the unexpected. In fact, Watanabe has compared the entire series to the mushroom episode of Cowboy Beebop. While the show may seem completely random, there are a few hints as to what’s going on in the overall plot and I’m sure this is all going to make sense by the time the series end. And best of all, I don’t have to worry about being spoiled because the series is actually airing on Toonami dubbed before it airs anywhere else in the world, including Japan.

Believe it or not, Space Dandy isn’t the first anime to debut on Toonami before it aired in Japan. That honor goes to SD Gundam Force. Say, how did that show do anyway?

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Oh.

Well the good news is that Space Dandy is currently doing a lot better than SD Gundam Force. Personally, I love Space Dandy so far. I think the art direction of the show is great and I love the music selection throughout the series. Dandy reminds me a lot of Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes; he’s a jerk, but he’s a loveable jerk.

The more episodic approach also makes it easier to watch any episode of the series without being completely out of the loop. It allows you to watch any episode as an introduction to the series. So if you haven’t watched any episodes of Space Dandy yet, I’ve compiled a list of the five episodes I consider to me my personal favorite episodes and would recommend to anyone. This list wasn’t easy to make because of the 13 episodes of season one, 10 of the episodes were solid candidates for the top 5.

#5 - Episode 13: “Even Vacuum Cleaners Fall in Love, Baby”

When the crew visits a coffee shop, QT becomes interested in a female coffee making machine named Maker. Over the course of a multiple visits to the coffee shop, QT befriends Maker and develops feeling for her. However, when things goes wrong, QT sets out to make things right.

The season 1 finale topped of the season on a high note. Focusing mostly on QT, the episode told a very charming tale about developing feelings for someone and the possibility of discovering new things you previously didn’t understand. The episode also touches on the roles of A.I. creatures in society, which reminded me of a more serious version of Futurama. It’s a fun episode and I’m glad we got to see QT in the spotlight.

Also, I loved how they presented the “next time” segment at the end of the show.

#4 - Episode 7: "A Race in Space Is Dangerous, Baby"

Dandy gets jealous of a galactic grand prix racing champion named Prince after he gets the attention of Honey and the other waitresses of Boobies instead of Dandy himself! In an attempt to show up Prince, Dandy enters his ship into a race against Prince and a motley crew of unusual racing characters. Anything goes in this race, so plenty of hijinks ensue!

When I was very young, one of my favorite cartoons to watch was Wacky Races, which this episode reminds me of. This episode also reminds me of F-Zero GX, a video game I also love playing. So as you might imagine, this episode hit all the right notes for me. The episode had just the right balance of wackiness and seriousness to tell an entertaining and compelling story for me. And best of all, the way the race ended was just grand.

#3 - Episode 9: "Plants Are Living Things, Too, Baby"

Dandy finds himself alone on a planet inhabited by sentient plant creatures. In hopes of finding a rare alien species, Dandy helps the plants investigate a mysterious thing known as Code D. Meanwhile, Meow finds himself alone on a completely different part of the planet where a different plant tribe serves him plenty of food to eat.

This episode was all about style. Clearly this episode was the most experimental in terms of art direction, animation, and music. I really appreciate everything they tried doing in this episode. Also, I was legit interested in finding out exactly what Code D was and the reveal definitely got a reaction out of me. The episode also gets bonus points for creating a “child” character that is not only not annoying, but is also entertaining to watch.

#2 - Episode 10: "There's Always Tomorrow, Baby"

The crew is forced to make an emergency landing on Meow’s home planet. Meow isn’t too happy about this since he originally left his home because he felt it was too boring with nothing to do. However, everyone on the planet finds themselves trapped in a time loop and is living the same day over and over again! Now Dandy and the gang have to find a way to break the loop… assuming they even realize they’re in a time loop to begin with.

Time loop stories are not easy to pull off. You run the risk of dragging the loop portion too long and cause the audience to get bored. That said, I think this episode handled the topic perfectly. I think part of the reason the episode works so well is because the story also doubled a spotlight episode for Meow by providing more insight to his background and character. I would probably consider this to be the overall funniest episode of the season, supported with plenty of more serious moments that make the episode great.

Also, I may be crazy here, I think the episode may have taken a jab at Haruhi Suzumiya. Either way, it made me laugh.

#1 - Episode 5: "A Merry Companion Is a Wagon in Space, Baby"

Dandy manages to capture a rare breed of alien, a girl named Adélie, but his spaceship gets towed and doesn’t have enough money to pay the fine. As a result, Dandy is forced to travel for days with Adélie to the nearest registration center. However, in exchange for Adélie’s cooperation, Dandy agrees to travel with Adélie to an apartment building in hopes of seeing someone, resulting in an adventure for the two.

This episode is by far the sweetest, most touching episode of the season. I realize that may sound weird considering this is a comedy show, but I enjoyed every moment of this episode. Simply put, Dandy and Adélie work well together as characters and I loved all their interactions together. And while I wouldn’t say it was the funniest episode of the season, the episode does have plenty of comedy and features the single most ridiculous thing to happen in Space Dandy so far. And it is awesome.

So there you have it, five episodes I would recommend to those who haven’t seen the show yet. But really, I would recommend watching the show from the beginning to see the madness unfold. So far, it looks like Space Dandy is a show that doesn’t care what you expect from it. From episode one, it’s clear that anything can happen and you’re just going to have to accept it. Personally, I feel like Space Dandy is like a crazy train; I may have no idea where it’ll end up or even if I’ll like everywhere it goes, but I’m more than willing to take the ride.

Space Dandy is currently re-airing season one as part of Adult Swim’s Toonami block on Saturdays at 11:30pm, EST. However, starting May 3rd, episodes will be moved to 12:30pm, EST. Dubbed episodes can be watched either on demand through your cable service provider or on AdultSwim.com. Subtitled episodes of the show can be watched on either Funimation.com or hulu.com. Episode viewing may be restricted in your country.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 2 Impressions

2014-02-11T06:30:00.000-05:00

This past October, I had the opportunity to attend the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel at New York Comic Con for the second year in a row. The panel actually took place the night before the season two premiere so I was expecting the panel to be a big preview of things to come with some insight from the cast and crew thrown in. I also joked with some people around me how everyone with a three day pass wouldn’t be able to watch the new episode the next day.

That’s when they announced that everyone at the panel would be watching the first episode of the new season right then and there with the cast and crew.

Let me tell you something; watching a new episode of a show you like with and auditorium full of fellow fans is an absolutely amazing experienced. Not to mention, the showing was highlighted with Greg Cipes (voice of Michelangelo) dancing on the panel table during the TMNT theme song. The next night, I had the opportunity to talk to Rob Paulsen (voice of Donatello) on the show floor and we discussed the season two premiere of TMNT. I straight up told him “That’s how you do a season two premiere.”

Let me get straight to the point; I think this season has been fantastic so far. So far, the season has been continuing the trend of balancing established TMNT themes with new plots and ideas really well. This season, the show finally debuted Casey Jones onto the scene and he’s a really fun to watch so far. The writers have managed to take the slacker with a heart of gold character (which I’m not the biggest fan of) and make him a pretty interesting person to watch. Not to mention the fight scenes he’s been involved in so far have been really enjoyable to watch. Casey is voiced by Josh Peck and it’s good to see him back with Nickelodeon but in a role that’s nowhere near as goofy as his past Nick roles. He’s plays the character well and I’m looking forward to seeing more from him in the future.

I’m really enjoying the stories for each episode so far. The mutants the Turtles and company had to fight in various episodes so far have been pretty crazy, including an episode parodying the first Alien movie. Based on the panel I went to, things are going to get even crazier this season (Pizza Face is going to be in an episode!). One thing I did notice is how many more dark moments this season has had so far. Between the shocking season opener, to scenes of familiar faces changing (seemingly) forever, it does feel like it’s pushing what it can do in a children’s action cartoon. I guess as long as they don’t cut an actual human being, it can be shown. Heck, the show probably introduced robot Foot soldiers just so the Turtles can cut them up.

If there’s one criticism I can give about the story so far, it’s that the overarching storyline of the containers of Mutagen loose in NYC has taken a bit of a backseat to the various episodic stories. It’s not completely lost in the background, I feel like the Turtles should be looking for the canisters more often, even if the scanner isn’t picking anything up.

That said I’m really glad this season expanded on the relationship between April and the Krang. At the end of last season, the Krang said they needed April specifically for their plan, but never really fully explained why. Well, as of this blog, the show just revealed why the Krang need April, and let’s just say it’s a pretty good reason.

Overall, I think this season has fantastic job picking up where season one left off. The animation and action are still great and the written and comedy has been really fun so far. There hasn’t been a single moment so far this season where I felt like the show has fallen flat. It has been that consistent. At both NYCC panels I went to, the entire cast and crew said that they are big fans of the TMNT franchise and wanted to do the show justice. I definitely say that it shows. You can tell they’re putting a lot of effort into the show and I’m glad the show is experiencing continued success.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles currently airs new episodes on Nickelodeon on Sundays at 11am, EST. You can watch some full episodes on the official TMNT page here. Episode viewing may be restricted in your country.

Mind Wanderer: Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM) Review

2014-01-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the premiere edition of Mind Wanderer, a cartoon video review web show. Today, we will be looking at Sonic the Hedgehog (also know as Sonic SatAM). Personally, when I think of early 90s shows from my childhood, this is one of the shows I think of. I wanted to see if the show held up. By the end of 2014, there will be five animated TV series based on Sega's Genesis hero. Surely, at least one of them is good. Right?

Watch YouTube Version

Music credits and links:
Sidewalk Shade - slower
Shiny Tech II
RetroFuture Dirty
Take the Lead
Tech Talk
by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Trailer: Mind Wanderer

2014-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is the debut trailer for the new cartoon review web series, Mind Wanderer. Here you'll find videos spotlighting various animated shows and movies from my collection along with discussion of my thoughts and who I think would enjoy watching the show or movie. While I do like to have fun on the show, don't expect a large portion dedicated to sketches that have little to do with the subject at hand. After all, it's about the animation, right?

Watch YouTube Version

Music credits:

Local Forecast - Slower
by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Half Pipe
from YouTube's audio library

Cue Scratch
by Raccoonanimator

"Local Forecast - Slower" and "Cue Scratch" Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

NYCC 2013: Sonic Lost World Impressions

2013-10-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

This past weekend at New York Comic Con, Nintendo made their presence known with panels, gaming tournaments, and many playable games for the Wii U and 3DS. One such game is Sonic Lost World for the Wii U. I’ve been a Sonic fan for a long time, but as many others have said, Sonic hasn’t always had the best track record. This is especially true when it comes to games that take place in a 3D plane. Of the 3D Sonic games I’ve played, I always felt like the games have a strong start, but as you get further into the game, the cracks start to show more and more. The question then becomes whether or not the game ends before it falls apart. Even Sonic Generations, a game I really enjoyed, had some problems toward the end of the game. My hope is that one day I get to play a flawless 3D Sonic The Hedgehog game.

Sonic Lost World may be that game.

The demo Nintendo had on the show floor showcased four different stages from the game. There were the traditional Green Hill and Casino stages in 3D, a Dessert World in 2D, and a fast paced speed stage in 3D. From what I saw, the stages all looked very nice. It looks like the game will encourage replaying the stages in order to travel alternate paths and obtain all the hidden red rings. The art direction also looks very nice in HD and the colors really popped on the TV screen. It’s a good looking game. It’s been said by others that the game takes some inspiration from Super Mario Galaxy. After playing the game, I certainly agree with notion. While not all the stages looked like Galaxy, the stage I played clearly was inspired by Nintendo’s mascot. The stage featured running around the circumference of round land masses and scenes of Sonic bouncing on small planetoids. It’s clear Nintendo rubbed off on Sonic Team for this game.

Even though there is some influence from Mario, the demo still felt like a Sonic game through and through. You still collect rings. You still run around at fast speeds. You still roll into a ball and attack enemies in the air. The big difference with this game is how it feels when you are doing all of that. When I was playing the demo, I was really surprised with how tight the controls felt. I was in complete control of Sonic the entire time and didn’t feel like he was too wild with him movements. Perhaps the best thing I can say about the controls is the ability to control Sonic’s speed. By default, Sonic only walks when you move the control stick. If you want him to run, you have to hold the right trigger. This gives you more control over Sonic’s movement, especially when you are in areas that require more platforming than speed. It works really well. Also, Sonic can run up walls and do parkour. This makes a lot of sense to add to a Sonic game and seems to work well. In addition to the new mechanics, the Wisps from Sonic Colors make a return as well. From what I played, they were fun to use. It was a very fun demo to play.

This demo for Sonic Lost World has really sold me on the game. Maybe it’s because Nintendo is involved with this one, but SEGA and Sonic Team appear to really know what they’re doing this time around. Like I mentioned before, it is entirely possible for the game to fall apart since most Sonic games start good. That said, if Sonic Lost World is as good as the demo was, it will be the best 3D Sonic game SEGA has ever released.

Sonic Lost World will be released in Europe, Australia, Japan, and North America (in that order) by the end of this month. Looks like we won’t have to wait long to see if the game holds up.

Otakon 20: A First Timer's Perspective (Part 2)

2013-10-11T00:28:00.000-04:00

Previously, I talked about some of my experiences at Otakon 20, mainly about the time I spent at the concerts. Of course, there was plenty of other things I did besides standing in line and listening to live music. I also went to panels and bought a bunch of stuff. Also, I stood on more lines. I never was a fan of lines.

While I was at Otakon, I did manage to go to a few panels. Unfortunately I missed a handful of panels I wanted to go to due to either the concerts or me not managing my time correctly. I especially wanted to go to more industry panels than the one Funimation panel I went to, but that’s life. It’s no big deal.

One other panel that is worth mentioning was the Otakon Game Show. Basically, it’s a Jeopardy!-style quiz show where most of the questions were multiple choice. They had four people qualify to be on the show ahead of time to duke it out on stage and try to earn the most points. The really cool part is that everyone in the audience can participate via their cell phone. The best part: it actually worked! The categories ranged from topics such as vehicles, death scenes, song lyrics, and even panty shots (both male and female). By far the funniest category was “Magical Girl, Porn, Both, or Neither?” where a title and a single piece of art from a show are shown. Everyone had to guess if it was a magical girl anime, a porn (a.k.a. hentai), both, or neither. The results were hilarious, especially the one question where the three female contestants guessed “neither” for an anime and the one male contestant guessed “porn”. The male was correct. As for me, I was pleased with my results. I surprised myself with the amount of anime knowledge I had… as well as my ability to guess.

I also checked out the large game room they had at Otakon. There was quite a diverse selection of games with relatively minimal lines at each game. I’m really glad I finally got to try Pop ‘n’ Music for the first time. It’s a fun rhythm game. Definitely more challenging than it looks. I also got to try out Pachinko for the first time. They had a charity station where donating money got you the tiny metal balls you need to play the games. While I am glad I got to try it, I don’t suspect I’ll play Pachinko for non-charity reasons ever again. It’s was fun, but I don’t feel the need to play it again.

Speaking of the game room, the Baltimore Convention Center isn’t exactly easy to navigate. Sometimes you had to go up a floor in order to get to a room that’s currently on the same floor as you. Then you add the fact that some entrances/exits are either blocked off or one way passages and the entire place can seem like a giant maze to a first timer. Heck, there are some areas I’m still wasn’t sure how to get to by the end of the convention.

You know what wasn’t hard to find? Artists’ Alley. To be perfectly honest, I’m not the biggest fan of the area in most conventions since I almost never buy any art. However, there were some things to look outside of the vendors. One notable thing was a giant chalk drawing by Eric Maruscak. For those who don’t know, Eric is often hired to do giant chalk drawings live at conventions. At Otakon this year, he drew the convention’s 20th anniversary cover artwork. It was really cool to see him draw it in person and the finished product really was a sight to be seen.

Otakon 20 chalk drawing by Eric Maruscak

Speaking of memorable art, Artists’ Alley also had an art auction section. In that area, various artists had their works of art (usually based on anime or video games) on display for people to look at. If you wanted to, you could place a bid to buy a certain work you liked. If you had the highest bid on Sunday, you get to buy it. Some of the art was really well done (photos were strictly forbidden in that area). I especially liked the set of four glass plates based on Yu Yu Hakusho. I would have bid on least one of them, but the prices were already too high for me and I had to pass.

While some of the art was good, there were some art in the auction that was really bad; especially if you went into the 18+ section. Oh my goodness, I am so glad I waited in line to get my 18+ bracelet because the art in the adult section was so bad. I mean hilariously bad. Some random guys and myself had a good laugh just looking at how poorly drawn some of these pictures were. Seriously, you can find some excellent canvas painted drawings in the non-adult section, yet there I was in the adult section looking at a crappy pencil drawing of Rukia from Bleach on paper where one of the faceless men was given the most detail. Also, there were crappy adult drawings based on My Little Pony. Hilarious.

Now that I’m done laughing about that, let’s finish this recap with the Dealer’s Room. Simply put, the Dealer’s Room was awesome. There was a good variety of sellers featuring prices they were, for the most part, very fair. There wasn’t a lot that I passed up because I felt the price was too high, except for Aniplex DVDs. I ended up buying a good amount of anime form both Funimation and Discotek’s booths because they both have a tendency to license the things I want to buy. Also, I bought anime licensed by Sentai Filmworks for the first time. I feel like they really have been working on improving their image since the Kids on the Slope incident. I think it’s working.

Going back to Funimation, while at their booth, I got to talk to Funimation’s Senior Manager of Social Strategy and Development, Justin Rojas, who spent time talking to fans on the floor. I specifically wanted to talk to him about Dragon Ball. You see, Funimation just released the original Toonami dub of Dragon Ball Z on DVD. As someone who’s really interested in the history of anime dubbing, I instantly bought the set from the booth and used it to pitch an idea to Rojas. Since I knew he couldn’t comment on unannounced anime licenses, I told him that if Funimation was to acquire the Harmony Gold dub of the original Dragon Ball that was done in the ‘80s, I would buy it. I already own both Funimation dubs of Dragon Ball on DVD, so I would love to complete the set. I think he was genuinely surprised that someone requested so obscure, but he did seem interested in the idea. We then talked about how the new DBZ set came to existence and about DBZ in general. It was really cool.

I think that’s the best way to describe my time at Otakon 20: really cool. I’m really glad I went and got to experience so many things I never got to experience at a convention before. Sure, there are some things I regret missing, but past experience has taught me that’s going to happen some times, especially if it’s your first convention. You just learn from your mistakes and move on. For example, I’m definitely going to book my hotel a lot earlier next time. That way, I won’t be so far away! Regardless of the mistakes, Otakon was a blast and I recommend it to any anime fan looking for a fun convention to go to.

Below you’ll find almost everything I bought while I was at Otakon. Easily the booth I got the best deals from was for OtakUtopia. They were selling a copy of Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie: Poltergeist Report brand new for only $15. Considering what it typically goes for online, I instantly bought that. Much to my surprise, they were also selling Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for a reasonable price, especially since the box actually was complete.

Otakon 20: A First Timer's Perspective (Part 1)

2013-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

I’ve never been to a major convention that caters exclusively to anime and Japanese entertainment before. I’ve especially never been to a convention that required me to travel a great distance. The only major convention I’ve been to in the past in New York Comic Con; a convention that is located a short train ride away from where I live. This means it’s a smaller financial investment to go to that convention than any other convention. That said, this past August I decided to take a chance and go to this year’s Otakon convention being held at the Baltimore convention center. They were celebrating their 20th annual event and had a lineup of musical guests I was interested to see. So about a week before the event, I finalized my decision to go, booked my hotel and planned my travel route. The drive wasn’t fun, but the convention sure was.

@2D2Will see you there!
— Otakon (@Otakon) July 31, 2013

Assuming perfect traffic conditions, it takes about 4 hours, non-stop, to drive to Baltimore from where I live. Fortunately, traffic was great for me. Leaving at 5 a.m. certainly helped. As you could probably imagine, I was tired after the trip and hoped that the wait to get into the building wouldn’t take too long. Boy was that hope crushed. If I have one criticism of Otakon this year it’s the pre-registration ticket pickup line. I believe I waited on line for at least 2 hours before I could pick up my ticket. If possible, it would be great if the staff could find a way to get the line moving quicker in the future. That said, the staff did a good job enforcing lines and keeping lines as organized as possible throughout the entire convention. I have to give them props for that.

Like I mentioned, the concerts were the big reason I decided to go this year. For their Saturday concert, Home Made Kazoku and T.M.Revolution performed in the 1st Mariner Arena. For their Sunday concert, Chiaki Ishikawa and Yoko Kanno performed in one of the largest halls in the Baltimore convention center. Anyone could get into the Saturday concert, (The Arena seats about 10,000 people) but in order to see the Sunday concert you had to acquire a ticket that was only available for pick up at certain times each day. Since I wasn’t even in the building when they ran out the tickets they were giving away, I waited on line for 2.5 hours on Saturday. Easily the worst part of that wait was not knowing if I arrived on line early enough to get my ticket. Fortunately, there were plenty of tickets left when I reached the ticket desk. I probably could have gotten on line anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes later than I did and still would have gotten a ticket.

The wait was certainly worth it as the concert was amazing. Chiaki Ishikawa opened the show and she was really great. Or course she performed “Unistall”, the theme song of Bokurano. That song sounds really good in person. She has a great live performance voice. As great as she was, it’s no secret that everyone was there for Yoko Kano (composer for various anime titles including Cowboy Beebop, and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex) to perform from her new Piano Me arrangement of songs. What was special about this performance was when they turned down the lights after the first set of songs. From that point on, Kano used her piano as a projector screen during each song. What was really cool about it was how each projection show used the outline of the piano as a confined space that would not be broken. For one of the songs, her piano would fill up with materials as if it was an oddly shaped jar. What was really impressive was that I couldn’t see any part of the projection spilling outside the confines of the piano. They had that thing positioned perfectly.

An example of what the projected video looked like during the concert, except more amazing.

The big finale for Kano’s concert (pre-encores) was her piano performance of “Wo Qui Non Coin” from Cowboy Beebop. That was the only song she sang, and the only time she spoke before playing a song. Holy cow her voice is amazing. Specifically, her voice is really adorable. I absolutely loved listening to her speak and sing. Combine that with the use of the giant projector screen behind her as well as her piano and the entire performance was just awe-inspiring. As great as it was to hear her perform songs from Cowboy Beebop, Escaflone, and Ghost in the Shell, that particular performance completely justified all the waiting on lines I had to do just for that one moment. It was simply a sight to behold and an experience I’ll probably never experience again.

While the Sunday concert was amazing, the Saturday concert was my favorite part of Otakon. For those who don’t know, I’m a huge T.M.Revolution fan. This concert was a must for me. I actually really enjoy Home Made Kazoku’s work as well, so this was a great combination for me. One of the advantages of going to a concert with open seating by yourself is that you can easily get close to the stage by just taking a random empty seat that hasn’t been occupied yet. Because of that I was very happy with where I was sitting during the concert.

First up was Home Made Kazoku and they were so much fun to watch. Singers Micro and Kuro did a great job interacting with the crowd. They even speak English incredibly well! Of course, they performed their songs heard in popular anine including “Nagare Boshi Shooting Star”, “Freedom” (both Naruto Shippuden), “Shonen Heart” (Eureka Seven), and “Thank You!!” (Bleach). In addition, they also performed some new material. Overall, their energy was great and they put on a fantastic performance. I especially liked when Micro yelled “F*** yea!” and then went “Oops, I forgot. This is a family show. No cursing.”

“I said F*** YEA!”

That got a good laugh out of me.

"Thank You!!" by Home Made Kazoku

The only disappointing thing I can say about T.M.Revolution’s performance is that he didn’t perform “Howling” (Darker Than Black), but seeing how it’s technically a Abingdon Boys School song (T.M.R. was the singer) I can understand it not being part of the set. That said, he did perform some of my favorite songs of his, including “Invoke” (Gundam Seed) and “Resonance” (Soul Eater). T.M.R. is really good at getting a crowd to rock out. Not to mention the ladies still love him. He looks great, especially considering he’s in his 40s. By far, my favorite part of his performance was his finale. As he was thanking the audience for their support of Japan following the tsunami, I could hear his band softly playing the intro melody of “Heart of Sword” (Rurouni Kenshin). “Heart of Sword” is my favorite T.M.Revolution song. You should have seen the huge smile on my face.

"Heart of Sword" by T.M.Revolution

I consider “Heart of Sword” a very special song for myself. Kenshin is my favorite anime from my childhood and “Heart of Sword” was the only ending song used throughout its time on Toonami. I rarely use nostalgia to judge things but during that song, every good feeling I had watching that show came back to me as he was performing that song. The sheer joy I was feeling when I was singing the chorus aloud along with the entire audience is simply indescribable. It completely justified every single dollar I spent on this trip and every single minute I spent driving to get there. Once the concert was over (T.M.R and HMK performed a set together afterwards, by the way) I couldn’t believe I got to do that. It was simply amazing.

That’s how you know you’re having a good time at a convention; when you can look back at your experiences and say “That was really awesome. I can’t believe I got to do that.” Conventions are more than just dealer rooms and autographs. They are an opportunity to be around people with the same interests as you and experience something amazing together. Otakon 20 was an amazing experience and I am very glad I went.

Capcom Is Giving Away DuckTales: Remastered Press Kits. I Want One.

2013-08-26T13:10:00.000-04:00

Before DuckTales: Remastered was released on PSN, Wii U eShop, and Steam, members of the gaming press received a press kit promoting the game’s release. This is nothing new as companies trying to promote their games this way happens all the time. What was special about this kit, however, was the contents inside. Each kit included a DuckTales: Remastered lunchbox filled with shredded money. Also inside the lunchbox were fake DuckTales themed advertising insert, a pamphlet advertising “upcoming” and “recently released” Capcom NES games, and a special golden DuckTales NES cartridge. Here’s the catch: it actually works with your NES and plays the original NES game. Like many others, I became very jealous of the press this time and wished there was a way non-press people could get a hold of those press kits without having to resort to ebay.

Looks like Capcom has us covered.

This past Thursday, Capcom announced that they will be giving away DuckTales: Remastered press kits to fans. From now until September 11th, Capcom will be giving away at least one press kit every weekday. Assuming the selections start today, that means they will be giving away at least 13 press kits to lucky contest winners. However, in the video posted above, the press kit Capcom was showing off was labled number 89/150. If Capcom sent out the press kits in numerical order and number 90 is the lowest number they are giving away (they said we're not getting number 89), that means they could be giving away as many as 61 press kits to the public! While I imagine the number won't be that high, it would be really cool of Capcom if they gave away anywhere near that many press kits away.

Right now there two ways to win a press kit; you can either submit a video of yourself singing the DuckTales theme song, or you can create an image depicting a duck version of a Capcom character. If you feel you don't have the talent for either, I think you don't have to worry. Capcom hasn't made any indication that the entries will be judged based solely on talent. It seems like they will be picking the ones they like the most for whatever reason. It's entirely possible that some of the winners could be chosen randomly from the eligible entries. It's not completely clear, to be honest. In addition, press kits will also be given away through Capcom-Unity's twitter, facebook, and YouTube pages.

With all that said, I'm actually really glad that Capcom is giving away these kits to people outside of the press. Personally, it can feel wrong when collectible items are only given to the people who can review games ahead of release and the people who actually buy the games don't get a chance to own them. It's also a real downer when sometimes people of the press downplay the items they get (not naming names). Because of that, I applaud Capcom for giving their audience a chance to own a copy of the limited edition collectible. I feel like going through these contests also help weed out some of the people who just want sell it online. Since the singing and art contest aren't a simple form entry contests, it's makes it more likely that the people who truly want the kits are the people putting the effort in their entries. Regardless of your opinion of Capcom, it's nice to see a company interact with their community this way.

It would also be really nice if I won one of those press kits. I already submitted to the singing contest. Now I have to work on my art entry. Wish me luck!

For all info on the contests, check out the blog post on Capcom-Unity.

Teen Titans Go! Impressions

2013-06-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of the previous Teen Titans cartoon series that aired on Cartoon Network. It was a great mixing of comedy and seriousness that I thoroughly enjoyed. When I heard a new Titans series was being created, I was genuinely excited by the idea, despite the fact that it would be a comedy spin-off. I genuinely believe that a more comedy focused version of Teen Titans is perfectly feasible. So with an open mind, I have watched the first six episodes of Teen Titans Go! My reaction to the show, however, was not something I even considered could happen.

I should explain.

As I mentioned, Teen Titans Go! is a direct spin-off of the previous Teen Titans and reuses several elements. All the character designs are the same, which I feel were handled correctly. Given that this is a comedy, I feel the art style works really well. The character designs remind me a lot of Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals. Each character is drawn with proportions that are less realistic than their previous cartoon iteration. Along with the bright and simplistic design of the world around them, I think the visuals complement the intended tone of the show.

In addition to the character designs, the voice cast from the previous series all return to reprise their roles in Teen Titans Go! The entire cast have done an amazing job performing their roles again and really show off the potential for this show. It's not easy to prevent myself from comparing Teen Titans Go! to Teen Titans. It's obvious that the show is riding on nostalgia while trying to create something that is both fresh yet familiar. Overall, the voice acting and art direction do a great job of finding a balance between the two. There's just one little problem:

The writing is absolutely atrocious.

I'm just going to cut to the chase; I hate this show. I hate the rehashed story lines, the cliché punch lines, the nonsensical endings, and the absolutely terrible male characters. The “trying to get the pizza guy to arrive late so you can score free pizza” storyline? This show has that. The overused “good guy doesn’t know he’s helping the bad guy” storyline? This show has that too. The “pet gets lost and goes on a wacky adventure” storyline? Yes, this show has that as well. Memes? It’s bad enough when an internet video uses them. A Benny Hill reference? F**k you. Yes, I actually yelled “f**k you” at the screen when I saw them scrape from the bottom of the barrel of overused jokes. I’m honestly surprised no one has said “Say ‘hello’ to my little friend!” yet.

Clip from "Driver's Ed." Easily the worst episode so far.

What’s really baffling about this show’s writing so far is how little it has to do with them being superheroes. Very few of the stories focus on the Titans fighting evil. In some cases, the bad guys are nonexistent. You would think a show about superheroes would feature said superheroes doing superhero things. Instead, most of the episodes feature plots that could be about any group of people. It’s a complete waste of potential.

Easily the part of the show that angered me the most are the character traits of the Titans, specifically the males. Raven and Starfire are pretty much unchanged in this iteration and their characters, for the most part, work. Robin, however, is an oblivious, narcissistic, bossy idiot of a leader. He is nothing but annoying and has little awareness of his wrong doings. Easily, he is the worst character of the show. On top of that, Cyborg and Beast Boy are a pair of annoying friends who can be as loud and annoying as well as downright mean.

And that’s ultimately my biggest problem with this show. Some of the actions of these so-called heroes really just rub me the wrong way. It’s one thing to make jokes through misfortune. Hell, there are plenty of Cartoon Network shows past and present I feel do this well. In this show, it feels like the Titans are just bullying each other. Considering Cartoon Network has been pushing their Stop Bullying campaign these days, it’s really uncomfortable to see Starfire say that it’s fun to laugh at other’s misfortune followed by an ad for The Bully Effect. It doesn’t help that these situations rarely have a punch line or even get resolved during the episode. It’s not funny. It’s just awkward.

Personally, I still believe that a more comedy focused version of Teen Titans is possible. That said, in its current version, Teen Titans Go! is not a show I can support. While the show certainly can get better in the future, there’s no point in me continuing to watch the show at this time. It is simply not worth the headaches.

Clip from "Laundry Day." Personally, I feel this is the best episode so far.

Giving IGPX A Second Chance

2013-04-27T17:35:00.000-04:00

Back on Novemebr 5th, 2005, Toonami aired the first episode of their first, and currently only, original animated series, titled IGPX. It was a joint project between Toonami and Production I.G. (Ghost In The Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, Psycho-Pass) about a futuristic racing league and the teams that competed in it. It even featured a superstar cast, including Haley Joel Osment, Mark Hamill, and Michelle Rodriguez. You could tell from the advertising that Toonami was very proud of the show they helped create.

I didn’t watch it.

Apparently, most people didn’t watch it either as Cartoon Network moved the show to Fridays at 12:30 a.m. during its second season in order to burn through the remaining episodes. Afterwards, Cartoon Network deemed the show a failure and wrote the show off as a loss. Years later, IGPX developed a cult following and seemed like a great show to add to the newly revived Toonami lineup. One problem: Cartoon Network writing off the show meant they were legally unable to air the show in the US, Adult Swim included. That is until last month when Toonami announced that with the help of their legal team and their partners of the original IGPX deal, IGPX will be making its return to Toonami. This time, I’m going to make sure I don’t miss it.

Before IGPX launched on Toonami originally, Cartoon Network sent out preview DVDs with copies of Nintendo Power containing the complete first episode and the extended trailer. I must admit, until recently, I never even opened it, let alone watched it. Now feels like a good time to take a look at what this show is about.

If anyone from Toonami is reading this, I'm sorry for the condition of this case.

IGPX is a show about the Immortal Grand Prix, a team racing sport where teams pilot robotic racing vehicles that are able to fight as well as race. Think of it as NASCAR mixed with Gundam. The show focuses around Team Satomi, an up-and-coming racing team that just won the IG2 championship. By doing so, they advanced to IG1 league, where they have to race against the top ranked teams the organization has to offer. The first episode is devoted more to introducing the racers rather than the races themselves, but I like what I see. Team Satomi seems like an interesting group of people and I can see some real potential in terms of storyline. In addition, I really like the variety displayed in the different teams. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like the show is going to have a good mix of people.

While the first episode didn’t focus too much on it, the trailer showed a great deal of the racing contained in the show. Visually, the racing footage looks great from what I’ve seen. The racing scenes are created in 3D animation and they look great. Productions I.G. has a history of great looking 3D animation and IGPX is no exception. I expect plenty of exciting race scenes in future episodes.

Overall, I’m looking forward to watching the remainder of IGPX. It’s a series I’ve been meaning to watch for a while now but obtaining the DVDs isn’t an easy endeavor. Assuming you can even find them, certain volumes can be rather expensive. Again, this is assuming you can find them being sold at all. Finally, the reason I’m eager to watch this show is because we’ll probably never see another show like it. This show’s characters and story was crafted by both Cartoon Network and Productions I.G. though the friendship the staff created together. We’ll probably never see that kind of US/Japan joint project again. So instead I’ll enjoy the one we have.

IGPX begins airing on Toonami tonight at 2 a.m. EDT. If you would like to know more about the production of the show, I would suggest listening to episode 43 of the Toonami Faithful podcast; featuring an interview with Jason DeMarco. It’s a great look into the creation of the show.

Ten Most Anticipated Games of 2013

2013-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Oh look, it’s the start of a new year. Looking back, 2012 was a rather dull year for me in terms of video games. It felt like there were a whole slew of games, both high profile and independent, released this year, and yet the only games I was really excited for before their launch were Rhythm Heaven Fever, Xenoblade Chronicles, Lollipop Chainsaw, and Kirby’s Dream Collection (I also bought The Last Story out of obligation). This year, however, is already looking much different when it comes to games I’m interested in. that’s why to start off 2013, I decided to create a list of the ten video games I’m most interested in this year.

This is a list of games that are currently scheduled to be released in the United States this year that I am most excited for. They are listed in alphabetical order so don’t look at this list expecting some kind of ranking of my anticipation for each game. In addition, prepare to learn just how bad I am at finishing video games. That’s a habit I should fix.

Anarchy Reigns
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Sega

Despite owning it, I’ve yet to actually play MadWorld. I just haven’t gotten to it yet. That said, I have seen gameplay footage and it looks like a game I would really enjoy. To my understanding, the game is a 3D multiplayer brawler complete to over-the-top moves, arenas, and characters. Sounds like my kind of game. I was sold on the game through Two Best Friends Play and their videos featuring the Japanese release of the game. Speaking of, I’m glad Sega finally got around to releasing this game internationally seeing how this was released in Japan with dual English and Japanese text back in July. At least they’ll only be selling it for $30. That makes it worth the wait.

I also made sure to preorder this game in order to unlock Bayonetta as a playable character. I have played the first Bayonetta game (still need to beat it) and I look forward to using her crazy finishers in this game. So if you’re interested in this game I would suggest placing a preorder as soon as possible since Anarchy Reigns comes out next week.

BioShock Infinite
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: 2K Games

The original Bioshock was the first M-rated video game I ever owned and I loved it. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to finish it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reinstall the game onto my new computer without being locked out. Also, I’ve yet to play either System Shock (don’t own them yet).

Anyway, I’m really interested in what Irrational Games can accomplish with Infinite. I love how the game is full of bright colors but still look like it’s capable of creating a tense and possibly scary atmosphere. I rarely play first person shooters, but an FPS game set in a dystopian city in the sky is enough of a concept to warrant attention from me. In addition, the ability to move around on zip lines while fighting simply looks awesome.

Bit.Trip Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC
Release Date: March 1, 2013 (PC), TBA 2013 (PS3, 360, Wii U)
Developer / Publisher: Gaijin Games

So far, I’ve played three of the six original Bit.Trip games (Beat, Runner, and Fate) and of the three, Bit.Trip Runner was by far my favorite. I loved the art direction, the music, and the very responsive gameplay. The game had a degree of difficulty where it didn’t feel like my losses were the game’s fault, but rather my own fault. The game’s use of music to tie in with the gameplay not only made me feel accomplished about completing a game, but also had me wanting to replay a level in order to achieve a perfect run. Runner2 is promising to be essentially the same game with a new art style, but with the addition of more moves and content. Personally, that’s all I could ask for in this sequel. Now I just have to decide which version to buy.

Brain Age: Concentration Training
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Dates: February 10, 2013
Developer / Publisher: Nintendo

I love the Brain Age games. I love the series’ mini-games that force you to use your head. I simply like games that make you think, and these games fit the bill. I don’t know if they really did make my mind younger, but I did enjoy playing them anyway. As for this new game, Brain Age: Concentration Training is designed to work on your focus. The idea is that thanks to the internet and social networking, people are getting more distracted and are having a hard time focusing on the work they need to get done. I find that to be very relatable. Heck, I almost finished this blog late due to me being distracted by the internet. So, I’ll definitely be checking this game out next month. Even if this game doesn’t improve my concentration, I’ll probably be enjoying the new mini-games too much to care.

Fire Emblem: Awakening
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: February 4, 2013
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo

I enjoy playing RPGs. My favorite type of RPG is easily the turned based strategy RPG. When Fire Emblem finally made its way to the US with the seventh game of the series, I was hooked. I am especially looking forward to this entry of the series because Nintendo has promised some new game mechanics such as the ability for characters to team up with their attacks. Hopefully, that will open up new possibilities with how you can play the game. In addition, the game also allows you to turn permanent death off when you’re playing. I’ll still be playing with it on (I like the challenge), but I like the idea of the game trying to be more accessible to less experienced players without ruining the experience for more seasoned players.

I also made sure to preorder the game because Nintendo of America announced that preordered games will come with an art book. And I love art books.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: Spring 2013
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo

It’s been a while since the first Luigi’s Mansion. Luigi’s first official game (Mario Is Missing doesn’t count) was a GameCube launch title that I really enjoyed playing. Personally, I was hoping for this game to be a console release, but I’m sure the game will be fun on the 3DS as well. Now let’s see if the game will actually release without Nintendo delaying the game yet again.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Developer: Level-5 and Studio Ghibli
Publisher: Namco Bandai

Remember when I said that I love art books? Ni No Kuni became the first game I ever ordered the special edition version because it comes with a 300 page hardcover art book. Over the summer, Namco Bandai held a promotion where the more preorders they received for the special edition, the more items the special edition would contain. After seeing that art book, I placed my order. I’ve actually yet to try the game out yet. I figured since I already placed my order, I don’t need to preview the game. Personally, the fact that this game is a joint project between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli is all I need to trust in this game’s quality. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to haunt me later.

Pikmin 3
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: Q2 2013
Developer / Publisher: Nintendo

I think the Pikmin games are the best console real-time strategy games ever created, hands down. The first two games also did a great job of making me care for these little creatures. Seriously, if you never felt even a little sad when a Pikmin died, I just may consider you coldhearted. Because I was short on time, I elected to not try this game at New York Comic Con since I already knew I was going to get this game.

It’s also worth mentioning that this game could a great way to showcase how HD gaming should be done. Personally, most HD games that try to be super realistic generally don’t impress me. One look at Pikmin 3, however, and I was instantly blown away. The bold colors really pop-out in HD and if Nintendo makes more games that look as good as this one, people could be looking at how HD videos games are portrayed differently.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: THQ

Of the games on this list, this game is the one I’m most weary about. THQ recently filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (which isn’t as bad as Chapter 7 Bankruptcy) and Obsidian is a company I rarely hear people praise for having highly polished games. Still, I see a lot of potential with this one. I’m a fan of South Park and Matt Parker and Trey Stone’s involvement with the game certainly makes me more hopefully that this will be a funny RPG adventure through the South Park universe. I just hope the game is better than the episode of South Park about pro wrestling. That one was just rubbish.

The Wonderful 101
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: Q1 2013
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Nintendo

I got to play this game at New York Comic Con and loved every minute of it. My only hope at this point is that the entire game will be as enjoyable as the demo was.

And those are the ten games I’m currently most excited for in 2013. Now I’m sure I’ll have more to look forward to after this year’s E3, but if these are the only games we get, I’ll be okay with that. Given how I play games, I’ll probably have enough trouble finishing these games before 2014 comes along. I really should work on that.

NYCC 2012: The Wonderful 101 Impressions

2012-11-02T12:15:00.000-04:00

During Nintendo’s E3 presentation this past year, I found myself disappointed with Nintendo’s showcase of Wii U games. I was certainly excited for Pikmin 3, but nothing else really got me excited for the Wii U as a system at the time. It also didn’t help that Pikmin 3 was the first game shown; resulting in the rest of the show feeling like a letdown. The day after Nintendo’s presentation, I watched a trailer for a Wii U game tentatively titled Project P-100. It was a game developed by Platinum Studios and published by Nintendo. After watching the trailer, my immediate reaction was, “Why wasn’t this shown at the presentation?!” I thought the game looked great. I knew I had to try it because the game looked like a potential system seller.

Let’s fast-forward to this year’s New York Comic Con. The game has already been renamed to The Wonderful 101 and is available to try and Nintendo’s booth. As you are probably aware of by now, I just had to try it out. Turns out it’s just as awesome to play as it looks.

The best way to describe The Wonderful 101 is that the game is Pikmin meets Viewtiful Joe. In the game you control a team of heroes who have to band together in order to fight an alien invasion. As you progress through the stages, you are able to draw a circle on the touch screen of the Wii U controller to recruit people on the street as additional heroes. In addition, drawing specific shapes allows the team to transform into various shapes for different fighting styles.

For the demo at the show, I had eight minutes to get as far as I could through the demo stage and then another two minutes to fight in a boss battle. Control wise, the game feels great. I had no problem using the touch pad and the controls felt very natural. The three attack forms I could use during the demo were a giant gun, a giant sword, and a giant fist. When it came to the fighting, I personally found the sword to be the most effective form of attack. However, the demo also showed that these forms can have functions outside of just fighting. For example, the fist can be used to turn dials and the sword can be used as a pole vault. In the demo, there was a section where I had to look at the screen on the controller in order to discover and open a combination lock. The picture on the screen looked great and the use of the two screens was actually quite fun. Hopefully the final product will have good puzzle designs throughout the game.

The thing about The Wonderful 101 that impressed me the most was the combat system. When fighting, you can’t stick to just one style. Ideally, you’ll want to attack with just the power transformations, but you can’t due to the battery meter. Your special attacks require battery power to work, and the only ways to recharge is to either find batteries on the ground or to fight the enemies using regular team attacks. In addition, enemy fight styles require you to take the defensive either through quick dodging or by turning into a giant Jell-O mold that doubles as a shield. Based on what I played, it feels like a good balance that hopefully will prevent combat from getting monotonous.

Due to the strict time limits, the demo is nearly impossible to complete, but it left me wanting more. I loved every part of the demo. I loved the music, the art style, and even the fact that if you lose all your health, the hero that took the final hit (man or woman) gets smacked into the TV screen in only their underwear. That’s the kind of stuff I like; crazy, colorful, different, and fun. Both this game and Nintendo Land has convinced me that the Wii U is a system I want sooner rather than later. And when I buy myself a Wii U early next year (I’m waiting a bit before I get it), you can bet that The Wonderful 101 will be the first game I play on it.