Anime Forever

Minecraft Tutorial - Basics

2011-03-05T16:39:00.002-05:00

Hello blog readers,
Here are the basics when playing Minecraft. The texture package that I'm using in this is called "Mixcraft." If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments. Thanks!
-Zangetsu

P.S. - The "Read More!" in this video doesn't do anything significant.

Updates

2011-03-04T17:29:00.001-05:00

Dear blog readers,
I'm very sorry that I haven't posted in about 2 weeks, but I have some new posts coming up soon. I should have a gameplay video of the game "Minecraft" up pretty soon. I know that this is an anime blog, and I'm sorry that I haven't been posting very much about anime recently. I'm currently only watching the anime "Bakuman," and only one episode is released every week. Therefore, I don't know exactly when I'll be able to post about it. If anyone wants to submit a guest post to the blog, just send it to me using the "Contact" button. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Zangetsu

P.S. - The "Read more!" button doesn't do anything significant on this post.

Team Fortress 2 (2/4) - Classes

2011-02-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

Team Fortress 2 classes (characters) are divided into 3 groups:

Attack
Defense
Support

Each group is then further divided into 3 classes:

Attack:

1. Soldier: Personally, my favorite class at the moment. He uses rockets as a primary weapon. He can use said rockets to "rocket jump" up very high in the air. He moves pretty slowly, but he's very powerful.

2. Pyro: I find him annoying, but he's not bad. He uses a flamethrower for a primary weapon (short range). He can actually deflect the soldier's rockets if using the original flamethrower.

3. Scout: A Bostonian. Very egotistical, but hilarious. He can jump 2 times and captures control points twice as fast as any other class. He uses a shotgun (usually) as a primary weapon.

Defense:

Demoman: Scottish! He uses many explosives, hence the name, "Demoman." He can use his stickybombs to jump great distances, too.

Engineer: Very useful for team efforts and defending points. He can build dispensers to heal and supply ammo to other players, sentry guns to protect certain locations, and teleporters (one entrance and one exit) to teleport team members to various locations. Only one of each building can be built at one time. His primary weapon is a shotgun.

Heavy: Oh…. the heavy…. he's probably TF2's most recognized character. He's a big ol' Russian who carries around a minigun as a primary weapon.

Support:

Medic: The medic is able to heal characters on whatever team he is on. He himself is constantly healed if he's hurt, but it's a pretty slow regeneration rate. He can also overhaul a teammate and "ubercharge" him. That makes the medic and the one being healed invulnerable to damage for a short amount of time. He uses a syringe gun most of the time for a primary weapon.

Sniper: The sniper is basically what you think. He's an Australian who just basically hides, and snipes people. If you decide to make him your most used class, you can became unstoppable. I've seen some pretty crazy snipers…. crazy in a good way. He uses a…. you guessed it! He uses a sniper rifle for a primary weapon.

Spy: Ah…. the spy is one of the most fun classes to play. He uses a revolver for a primary weapon, but his melee weapon is far better. He uses a knife for a melee weapon, and if you backstab a member of the opposite team with it…. ouch. Instant kill, unless the opponent is ubercharged. He can take on the identity of enemy members and "sap" enemy engineer buildings. He's mysterious, and devious.

Also, each class can find new weapons and craft new things. That will be discussed in a later post.

P.S. - Sorry for not posting for 11 days! D:

10,000 DIFFERENT VISITORS!

2011-02-07T18:20:00.002-05:00

Congratulations!
There have now been over 10,000 different visitors view my blog! I hope to keep drawing people in and I hope to keep the blog up and running for a long time. Please feel free to leave comments and tips for me! I'm looking for advice from YOU, the readers!
Thanks again everyone,
Zangetsu

P.S. - The "Read More!" button doesn't do anything significant on this post.
P.P.S. - IT'S OVER 9000!

Maintenance Finished!

2011-02-05T19:14:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the last 2 posts just randomly being there. I added a "Misc." section to the navigation tabs, so I needed to have 2 posts linking music and the recent infographs. Thank you,
Zanegstu

P.S. - The "Read More" at the end of this post doesn't do anything significant.

Music

2011-02-05T18:54:00.000-05:00

Kawada Mami 9th single "No Buts!"
Perfume 17th Single "Nee"
Tamura Yukari's 8th album

Standard Black Video Bean Bag Chair by X Rocker

2011-01-26T18:05:00.003-05:00

Comfortable, but not perfect.

Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

8 out of 10

Hello,
CSN stores recently gave me the opportunity to evaluate some of their merchandise in exchange for a store credit. I chose this bean bag chair because it was affordable and seemed appropriate for playing video games and maybe even watching anime.
This chair definitely morphs to the shape of the person sitting in it, and it is very comfortable. It seems to have good back support, however after playing for a little while the back of the chair starts to lean. The beans in the chair also get pushed up into the back of the chair. This causes me to have to squeeze the beans down into the lower part again. I still think that it is worth the price, but it's not perfect. If you're a really intense gamer, then I wouldn't recommend this chair. However, if you are a light gamer, then this chair is all you need. It's definitely a good buy.

FIFA 11

2011-01-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Originally posted on The Media and Computer Blog by Bobby.

FIFA 11 is a game all about the famous and enjoyable sport, soccer. In this game there are many teams to select from and many players from real teams. This game has multiple modes to play from, such as manage mode and online mode. FIFA allows you to customize almost anything from controls to making your own character. Even making your very own personal team! I have found this game to be even more fun if you play with a friend. This way you can have games and battle it out. I found this game to be more enjoyable when playing in the Pro-clubs mode, where you and your friends join a created club with your created players and “duke” it out with other teams. The better your character does in the games, the higher his skill level gets. If you are interested in single player only, this game may get boring after a few days since it's meant mainly for multiplayer. The manager mode allows you to become the manager of a team and even win the World Cup! I find myself playing this game at least 4 times a week with my friends now.

FIFA 11 is by far the best FIFA soccer game out so far. If you don't know anything about soccer, but you want to learn something about it, then just play this game. I assure that you will learn a lot more than you think. You'll know the names of players on teams and even what positions they play. However, this game, like all games, does have its faults. If you play it for excessive amounts of time or don't have any friends online to play with you, it can get boring pretty quickly. If this game updated its players and squads more often, then this game would definitely be a lot better. The worst thing about this game would have to be the advantages that the referees call. Referees no longer call the foul right away, but instead always give the advantage. In real-life soccer, the referees never would call advantages so much.

Overall, I give this game a 9/10. However, I am a very big soccer fan and I do watch many games. If you're not a soccer fan, then I don't recommend buying this game.

Warning: this game is addictive!

More info here.

Team Fortress 2 (1/4) - Basics

2011-01-17T22:08:00.000-05:00

Developer: VALVe
Platforms: Steam (PC/Mac), Xbox 360, PS3

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is a class and team based first person shooter (FPS). Now, when most people think of a first person shooter, they usually think of Call of Duty or Halo. TF2 is a completely new style of FPS. The main difference that people primarily notice is the artwork. I will post some snapshots of some of my own game-play in a later post if I can. Anyways, the game is completely ridiculous. It's really not a game that is meant to be taken completely seriously. Every round is just another blast of fun! Another positive is that it only costs $19.99! However, it's solely based off of online games with other people, so if your computer is slow with its connections, then it probably wouldn't be as fun for you.
Here are the basics for each game:

- 2 teams (Red and BLU)
- 9 classes
- 1 purpose (Capture the flag, Control points, Payload, etc.)

There are so many levels either created by the developers or made by the community (people just like you!). There are many servers run by separate groups that each run their own server differently. Many servers support mods that let you do things that are out of the ordinary. It really freshens up the game!

Those were just the basics of TF2. I will cover things more in-depth in my later posts. Generally, TF2 is definitely high scoring with me. See you next time! Thanks for reading!

More info here.

Arakawa Under The Bridge x Bridge (2nd Season)

2011-01-07T21:04:00.000-05:00

(8/10)Arakawa Under The Bridge x Bridge is the second season of the somewhat popular show, Arakawa Under The Bridge. If you haven't yet read my first post, click here.
Arakawa Under The Bridge x Bridge is truly a UNIQUE show. To most anime fans, this show is probably extremely strange. To most people (excluding anime fans), this show is just… just… WHAT?! It has no real overlaying storyline, unless I just terribly missed it (probably xD ). Anyways, this show is really a good way to relax. It's nonsensical characters just made me smile every time a new episode came out, and the art is pretty well done, too. It's a fairly short season, however. Just like the first season, it only has 13 episodes.
There really isn't anything else to say about this season. Once again, check out my post on the first season. It includes all of the important characters with brief descriptions. Overall, I definitely enjoyed watching this show. It deserves an 8 out of 10.

More info here.

Updates

2011-01-01T22:29:00.000-05:00

Happy new year! 2011!

I look forward to improving this blog this upcoming year.
As of right now, I know that I will be posting some separated Team Fortress 2 review posts soon. I hope to post them this week, and I hope that all of my readers out there enjoy them.

Thank you,
Zangetsu

P.S. "Read More!" doesn't do anything significant on this post.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

Now, I know this is a little late, but I would still like to wish everyone happy holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa! Happy holidays for everyone!

Portal 2 DELAYED

2010-12-23T14:25:00.002-05:00

Valve has just released some saddening info on their new game, "Portal 2." They announced that the game will now be released in April, 2011, instead of February 9th, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

CSN Stores

2010-12-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

CSN Stores is a huge Boston-based company that sells anything from TV stands to gaming chairs. Their variety is really quite amazing. I have recently found a nice bean bag gaming chair for a good price on one of their websites. I will be ordering this chair soon and I hope to have up a review for it in the next couple of weeks. Do you know what this means? Yes! Anime Forever is, once again, widening its categories of topics to review. This is the first step into reviewing furniture used for gaming. I hope to also review gaming accessories and consoles in the future too. Anyways, CSN Stores is a huge reliable company that can be used to buy almost anything. Here, check out their 200+ websites. ^^

P.S. "Read more!" on this post does nothing significant.

Top 5 Games of 2010

2010-12-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

Originally posted on The Media and Computer Blog by Brad.

With 2010 coming to a close, I am going to go over what I think the top 5 games of 2010 are. Feel free to comment about what you think the top 5 games of 2010 are.

5- Halo Reach (Xbox 360)

Although I am not a huge fan of it, Halo Reach deserves to be on this list because it is evident on how much work was put into the game. Halo reach is a great first person shooter, that can keep anybody interested with it's online play for hours.

4- Fallout: New Vegas (Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PS3)

Fallout: New Vegas is a great addition to the Fallout series. It combines great graphics with fun and addictive gameplay. If you are interested in knowing more about Fallout: New Vegas, you can check out my full review here.

3- God of War 3 (PS3)

The final installment in the God of War series is an incredible game with a fair amount of replay value. God of War 3 has stunning graphics and really puts the player into the shoes of Kratos (main character). God of War 3 is a must buy for anyone with a PS3 who doesn't mind violence.

2- Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty ( PC, Mac )

Starcraft 2 is probably the best RTS (real time strategy) out right now. It combines challenging, tactical gameplay with very intense battles. With all of the options that the player has, this game should definitely not let anybody down. You can check out my full review of Starcraft 2 here.

1- Call of Duty Black Ops ( DS, Mac, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii )

The Call of Duty games have always been intense first person shooter games that will get many players hooked. Call of Duty Black Ops is no exception. It mixes a great story with an even better online experience. If you don't have this game, you're really missing out. You can check out part one of my full review here.

P.S. Happy Holidays!

THE GAME

2010-12-17T20:54:00.001-05:00

Now, I know that this doesn't exactly fit into the categories of anime or video games, but it does play a significant role in the lives of most anime fans. If you don't yet know what THE GAME is, then prepare to be cursed.

THE GAME was created in the 1970's by a group of scientists in Britain. It was actually created as a study. The goal/purpose of THE GAME is to get everyone in the world to play. Here's how it works:

- Once you find out about THE GAME, you become cursed.
- Once you've been cursed, you're always playing THE GAME thereafter.
- Whenever you think about THE GAME in any way, you lose.
- When you lose, you must announce to everyone around you that you've lost THE GAME. (Causing others to lose)
- After 30 minutes is up since you lost, you resume to play THE GAME until you remember it again.
- The ONE AND ONLY way to win THE GAME is to have the Prime Minister of Britain announce on National TV that he/she has lost THE GAME... At that point, THE GAME is over and everyone is set free.

P.S. - I LOST THE GAME!

More info here.

Sorry for the Delay

2010-12-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

I'm very sorry that it has been almost a week since something has been posted. As I mentioned in the previous "Updates" post, I have written a post about Team Fortress 2. I have now also written a post about THE GAME. Yes, THE GAME. Right now, either you are pretty angry, apathetic, or confused. I will explain more of this later. Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I will not be able to post until tomorrow, but I will definitely post then. I hope to get this blog back on schedule with daily posts. I am lacking things to blog about, so any help would be appreciated. If you know a good deal of information on anything related to Japanese culture, anime, or video games and you would like to write a minimal of 1 post for Anime Forever, please contact me (Contact button ^). Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Zangetsu

P.S. - I lost THE GAME.

Infinity Blade

2010-12-10T22:33:00.001-05:00

Originally posted on The Media and Computer Blog by Brad.

Infinity Blade is an RPG fighter using the Unreal 3 game engine.

Story ( 7/10)
When the game starts out there is a cutscene of a battle between the main character's father and the King of Gods (I know... it's a lame name). The main character's father loses the battle against the King of Gods, and 20 years later his son comes back for revenge. Getting to the King of Gods isn't too hard, but chances are that you will die the first time you fight him. Once you die, you come back as the son of the main character, which starts a new bloodline (basically just restarting the game). Every time you die, you come back as the previous character's son. This system does feel very repetitive, but is still enjoyable.

Gameplay (10/10)
The gameplay is great, especially for an iPhone game. The Unreal 3 engine makes the game especially enjoyable. You can swipe the screen to attack. You can also block attacks with the shield or dodge them by pressing the dodge or shield button at the right time. There are power ups, such as magic and an ability that makes your attacks stronger. The better armor you get, the more powerful your character becomes.

Graphics (10/10)

The graphics in this game are astonishing for a game developed for the iPhone. The graphics make the game very exhilarating and it looks like it was developed for the PlayStation 2 (I know that's outdated for a console, but for the iPhone it's amazing). Even with the great graphics, there are still almost no frame rate issues. You will not be disappointed with the graphics in this game.

Overall, if you want to buy a new app and you have an extra $5.99 to spare, then I highly recommend buying this game. The game is great and very addicting. The average score is a 9 out of 10. Thanks for reading!

More info here.

Air

2010-12-07T19:42:00.003-05:00

Written by: Key
Directed by: Tatsuya Ishihara
Developed by: Key
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Aired in Japan: January 6, 2005 - March 31, 2005 (excluding specials)
Length: 13 episodes + 2 specials

(9.3/10) Summary: Air is a fantastic anime centered around a man named Yukito Kunisaki. He travels from town to town as a performer to earn enough money to survive. You see, he's actually searching for the winged girl in the sky. Now, I know what you're thinking, " What? -_-; " … I know it sounds pretty lame, but it really is amazing. Anyways, he carries around a doll with him that he is able to make move without any strings attached. Most people are amazed, and they pay him for the show. Once again, " What? -_-; " … Don't worry, because by the end, everything makes complete sense. However, when he arrived in this one town, nobody was interested in his show. He was starving and alone, but that's when he met Misuzu Kamio. At that moment, his life was changed forever.

Characters: (10/10)

Yukito Kunisaki - Cool; irritable. Pretty funny to watch.

Misuzu Kamio - Sweet; innocent. A big klutz. She's alone and is ill with a strange sickness.

Kano Kirishima - Sweet; high spirited. Has some strange connection to the supernatural.

Minagi Tohno - Smart; clam. She's very kind and is even the president of the astronomy club!

Kanna - The last one. (Watch to find out what I mean) Alone; afraid.

Ryuya - Brave; kind. Kanna's personal bodyguard.

Uraha - Kind; mischievous. Also protects Kanna.

Haruko Kamio - Very intricate. Watch to learn about her. (My favorite character)

Hijiri Kirishima - The older sister to Kano. Protective; shrewd.

Michiru - Energetic; playful. She's best friend's with Tohno.

Potato - Kano's pet dog. As you can see -> very cute.

Sora - ??? Very important. Must watch to find out about.

I apologize for the minimal amount of information on each character, I just don't want to give anything away before you see it.

Art: (8.5/10)
This show is very well colorized, and almost everything seems well done. However, some characters have some pretty large eyes that might seem annoying to you. Another thing is that the characters' eyes are very low for an anime. Now, this didn't bother me, but it might bother some people.

Overall, this show was definitely worth watching. At first, it seemed a little strange, though. However, as I previously mentioned, by the end, everything in the story made complete sense. The plot was especially very well thought out and very creative. In fact, right now this show has the potential to stand up against CLANNAD, my favorite anime. I definitely recommend watching this. Thanks for reading! ^^

More info here.

Updates

2010-12-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

So, right now I have written a post about the anime "Air", and a post about the video game "Team Fortress 2". I am sorry to say that I won't be able to upload them today, but I hope to upload at least "Air" tomorrow. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Zangetsu

Portal (PS3)

2010-11-30T16:46:00.000-05:00

Developer: Valve Corporation
Publisher(s): Valve Corporation, Microsoft Game Studios, (XBLA)
Composer(s): Kelly Bailey, Mike Moraski, Jonathan Coulton
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Genre: Puzzle-Platformer
Mode: Single Player

Portal was released in 2007 for several platforms (usually sold with The Orange Box). It was a huge success at the time, and it's still widely respected to this day. You play as a human named Chell, who must complete several tests for the company Aperture Science. She soon becomes equipped with some sort of gun (Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device) that can shoot two different colored portals: Blue and Orange. When she shoots a certain color portal somewhere that she can reach and the other color somewhere else, she can jump into the first one and come out of the other. It sounds pretty basic, right? Well, this simple concept can be used to carry out very complicated tasks. Here's an example of what would be considered a 'simple' task:

This game consists of 19 different levels, which become harder as the player progresses throughout the game. The game is fairly short, and I beat it in several hours. Although it is short, the game is very well made and it's very addicting. I enjoyed it very much, and I recommend that anyone who hasn't played it yet to go play it now. Overall, I'd give it a 10 out of 10 for the gameplay. However, because the game is so short, I'd have to give it a 9 out of 10. This is still quite a good score, though. I hope you all enjoyed this brief review! ^^

Oh, and one more thing… Portal 2 comes out February 9th and I highly recommend looking into buying it. As of what I've seen of it so far, it looks absolutely fantastic!

More info here.

Slayers

2010-11-26T17:50:00.006-05:00

The Slayers franchise is a long-time running series consisting of 52 light novels, 5 anime seasons, 5 movies, 2 OVA's, and various video games, manga series, and radio dramas. The light novel series first began in 1989, with the first season of the anime series released in 1995. In 1996 and 1997 two subsequent seasons followed season one: Slayers Next and Slayers Try (left) respectively. In 2008, the Slayers franchise added a new installment to its then dormant anime series, Slayers Revolution, which took advantage of new animation techniques, including cell-shading, that were not around during the creation of the series' first three seasons. A 5th season, Slayers Evolution-R, was produced in 2009. Currently in the U.S, Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R are being aired on the Funimation Channel-- Funimation having dubbed all 5 of the series' seasons in English.

I could describe the Slayers franchise as a fantasy-magical-world version Dragonball Z. The series follows Lina Inverse and her unlikely gang of friends as they defeat...evil. Pretty much. In terms of plot, the series is certainly no Code Geass but in its own right it is very entertaining. I find that the English dub is a bit more geared towards teenagers than say, the Dragonball series dub, both being produced around the same time. In general, the series is mostly comedy-action. In fact, it entirely is, but like say, One Piece, the uniqueness of the characters make for an interesting and fun story to follow. Please excuse the excessive references; this is the only way I know how to describe this series. Haha.

The first season introduces the main cast of characters, and it has a rather straightforward plot. Lina and her gang have to find Rezo the Red Priest and defeat the dark lord Shabranigdo. The next season and the third season dawn a more intense plot but keeping with the basic action-comedy theme. The newest installments introduce a new interesting character, and bring back some old characters from the original three seasons. I've been watching Slayers Evolution-R (right, showing the new cell shading) recently and I'm quite enjoying it having watched the earlier seasons. All in all the series is enjoyable if you're looking for a more straight forward action-filled and fun plot.

The theme songs are excellent. The first seasons' opening and ending are performed by Megumi Hayashibara, who voices Lina Inverse, and major anison singer Masami Okui. The subsequent seasons' openings are all performed by Megumi Hayashibara, including their endings excluding the ending of Slayers Next which was performed once again by Masami Okui.

Overall, the series gets a 7 out of 10 (7/10)
The theme songs get a 10 out of 10 (10/10). Freakin' awesome XD

Music

2010-11-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

Kawada Mami 9th Single "No Buts!"
Perfume 17th Single "Nee"
Tamura Yukari's 8th Album

Technical Difficulties

2010-11-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

Dear blog readers,
I apologize if Anime Forever is acting strangely. We are currently undergoing some technical difficulties and we are working on it right now.
Thank you for your patience,
-Zangetsu270

Arakawa Under the Bridge

2010-11-15T21:49:00.001-05:00

Directed by: Akiyuki Shinbo

Studio: Shaft

No. of Episodes: 13

(9/10) Arakawa Under the Bridge was a great anime. Of course, it's not for everyone. This anime is probably the weirdest one that I have ever watched. Now, I know that there are probably a lot of even weirder animes out there, but for me, it was strange. It's basically about this guy named Kou Ichinomiya, who can never owe anyone anything. He's actually the CEO of a major company, and he was very valuable. He was raised with that strict rule where he couldn't owe anybody, however, and he was frowned upon by his father if he ever broke it. So, he had lived his life without owing anyone anything, until he was 21. He was chased down by a bunch of teenagers and his pants were ripped off of him. The teenagers flew his pants like a flag up high on a bridge. He needed to climb up the beam and get his pants down, without anyone's help. He was just about to grab his pants, when all of the sudden his boxers started falling off. A girl named Nino saw him and told him that if his boxers fell off anymore, it would be a public offense. She offered to help him get his pants, but then he would owe her. So, he continued on, hoping that his boxers wouldn't fall. Instead, just as he grabbed his pants, the whole beam from the bridge fell. He fell with it off the bridge and into the river. He was being dragged down by the weight, and he thought that he was going to die. Until, Nino jumped in after him and rescued him. He was happy, but also very frantic. He owed her more than anything, his life. So, he offered her everything he could, except one thing. She didn't want anything, except for him to become her lover. Going by his rule, he had to accept. Even worse, he had to live under a bridge with her and all of the other bridge dwellers. This was looking like an adventure he didn't want to go on. (9/10)

Characters: (10/10)

Kou Ichinomiya - Serious; business-like -> caring & just plain ridiculous

Nino - Oblivious, forgetful, kind, strange (says that she's from Venus)

Village Chief (Mayor)- Thinks he's cool, very ridiculous, thinks that he's a Kappa

Sister - Kind, scary, A MAN

Star (Hoshi) - Can be cool & chill, or overdramatic

Whitey (Shiro) - Kind, can be business-like, but not productive

Metal Brothers - Hyper, playful, easily amazed

P-ko - Nice, dramatic, and a huge klutz

Maria - Cruel, harsh, uses her looks for manipulation

Stella - Cute, scary, mean

+ some more not AS IMPORTANT characters. Overall, this anime was definitely worth watching. The second season is airing right now, but I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. I'm sure it will be worth it too, though!

More info HERE.