Last entry of the year!

You're probably curious as to what the best game I played in the year of 2009 was. Well here it is:

Fallout 3.

Why Fallout 3? Because it has everything I could ever want in a game.

Oh sure, I've played many great games this year, including Bioshock, Gears of War 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Valkyria Chronicles, Persona 4, Blaz Blue, Guilty Gear, Portal, and any others I might be forgetting, but Fallout 3 stands above all of them. It truly is a must play.

Wow. I'm such a different person now than I was nearly two years ago when I started this blog. When I first started, I had no Touhou music on my harddrive, I still hated everything Sailor Moon-related, I didn't even have an Xbox 360 nor a PS3 . . . how far I've come.

See you in 2010.

Touhou music is good

Hey everybody, I haven't been able to talk about anything other than Chrono Crusade for a while. My gawd, it's painful to not blog about Touhou.

I didn't even tell you that I published an all-new chapter of A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing last Christmas Eve! And that I have more on the way! (insert teary face)

So I will rectify that the best way I can . . . MORE LINKS!!!!!!

This is a vocal version of the stage 3 theme from Subterranean Animism. I love the original, and this version is lovely, too.

This here is my favorite instrumental version of Meiling's theme. Okay, technically, it's the stage 3 theme of Embodiment of Scarlet Devil and her theme in one melody, but it's great.

This is a cool flash and a rock remix of Yuyuko's theme. Or should I say, Yuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuko's theme. I like it.

This is a remix of one of Youmu's themes. I love it.

And this is the best video ever done to a Bad Apple remix. I say that, because it's surprisingly true to the setting of Gensokyo.

. . .

And before I go, one last link: Hitler didn't like UFO

Chrono Crusade: The manga: the review

Surprise! I actually already wrote a review in my notes two years ago! Here it is, with only a few slight alterations.

* * *

There are books out there that are not like the other books. These books, it's like they click with you. They click with your inner being. You enjoy every single word you devour, every single picture you take notice of. It's almost like, the books read themselves to you, like the book is just anxious to get its message across to you. And no matter how many times you read through the book, it is as enjoyable now as it was when you very first fell in love with it.

Love has a name, and her name, is Chrono Crusade.

She's beautiful, yes. Stunning backgrounds, excellent character designs, nothing looks out of proportion. Her loveliness is on par with something I’d expect from a Final Fantasy game, for lack of a better description.

And she's cute, too. The two protagonists, Sister Rosette, and demon boy Chrono, are heroes whom you'll feel attached to. Rosette is kind of like Marle from the other Chrono franchise I love so much, except she really is cute, and is fun to watch, also. Chrono, on the other hand, is a much less excitable hero than Rosette, but he is fleshed-out, too, and you'll come to understand that not all demons are evil after reading this book series.

And the stories she (the book) has to tell. The writing is absolutely top-notch, from the setting, to the plots, to the characterizations, to the dialogue, everything. And it's not too complex either; I can actually make sense of what she's saying without consulting Wikipedia!

When you see me comparing a comic book series to an ideal woman, that's a pretty surefire sign that I highly recommend the product. Well folks, if you have not experienced the awesome-in-a-book-series that is Chrono Crusade, then please, stop what you’re doing; read all eight volumes of Chrono Crusade. But please, don’t read it because I told you too, don’t read it because you’re bored, don’t read it because, “Oh-em-gee! It’s Japaneeeeeee-eeeeese! It must be sooooooo wonderful!” and don’t read it just so you can develop a greater appreciation for illustrative literature.

Read it, for great justice.

Chrono Crusade overview:

Good stuff: Gorgeous artwork, a simple story that is deep and exciting and cute and funny all at once, and Sister Rosette.

Bad Stuff: There is a little bit of sexual fanservice that’s unnecessary and cheapens the feel of a few scenes.

Final Score: Let me think about that for a second . . . 10 out of 10.

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 8

Chapter 49

This volume is slightly larger than the others, and has the best artwork in the series, and . . . IS THE BEST ONE YET! Chrono True Form GO!

Chapter 50

Rosette and Joshua meet again. This time, they fight for real.

Chapter 51

Sorry. No details. Too much spoiling. Must keep reading.

Chapter 52

Chrono and Aion face each other off. The suspense is off the charts!

Chapter 53

The reason Aion wants to kill Pandamonium is so he and the other demons can be free, and so he can reshape the world as he sees fit. So all this time, he was trying to, that's right, take over the world.

OF COURSE!

Also, Azmaria has a moment of awesomeness. See? I told you she wasn't a bad character!

Chapter 54

Epicness is within this chapter. Now's about a good time to play more appropriate music.

Chapter 55

It's . . . It's . . . beautiful! Truly beautiful! (If I were more sensitive, I'd probably be crying right now.)

Chapter 56

The final battle reaches its conclusion.

Epilogue chapter

Everything has become right again. We see a happy, beautifully done ending.

YOU FUCKERS WHO ACT LIKE JAPANESE AUTHORS CAN'T WRITE GOOD ENDINGS TO ANIME/MANGA SERIES ARE DEAD FUCKING WRONG! Buncha fucking racists. Miyazaki, Moriyama, Ohba and Obato, and the staff of Studio Bones defy this.

Final thoughts: Wow. I already read this whole series, but, wow. I guess I better write up that review, huh?

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 7

Chapter 43

Rosette and Chrono arrive at Eden, the base of Aion. Not surprisingly, two of Aion's goons, Genai and Viede, start fighting them. Just then, a whole army of winged demons from Pandamonium show up to punish Aion. IT'S A THREE FRONT WAR!

Chapter 44

The leader of the Pandamonium armed forces is Duke Duffau, a demon who can match Aion in a one-on-one fight. Break out the epic fight music!

Chapter 45

All this time, Aion was planning to use the power of the Apostles to control the Astral Line (I forgot to mention this; the Astral Line is basically something in the sky that functions exactly like the LifeStream from Final Fantasy 7) and cause it to slam into Pandamonium. His plan is finally brought into fruition. Can our heroes win in time? NEED MORE EPIC MUSIC!

Chapter 46

DEMONS EVERYWHERE! HOLY FUCKING SHIT, MY FRIENDS!

Chapter 47

Fiore's real name is Florette Harvenheit. She and her sister Satella must fight now. CAN'T STOP!

Chapter 48

Shit goes down. Can't comment, for it would be too big of a spoiler.

Side Chapter

This is a flashback to when Rosette was 13, and still new to the Magdalene Order. Even this side chapter is well written. I'm amazed.

Omake #7

Daisuke mentions that the anime version of CC has sound and color, unlike the manga. But he also says that he couldn't have come this far had it not been for the fans. Fans like me.

Final thoughts: notimeforfinalthoughtsscrewwaitinganotherdayi'mskippinstraighttothefinale

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 6

Chapter 36

Flashback to Northwest Arizona, 1870. Aion and his goons are overlooking the Grand Canyon with a woman named Mary Magdalene. (Shock!) Chrono was with them, as well. Mary has the power to see in the future, and Aion captured her so aid in his quest. Rosette is learning all of this for the first time by diving into his soul.

Chapter 37

The reason Aion betrayed Pandamonium is because he wants to free the demons, but apparently, the only way to do that is to do . . . something, I can't remember. Whatever it is, it can't be good. For a while, Chrono played along with him, too. Now he's a reformed hero.

Chapter 38

Rosette's pocketwatch was made by Shader! Holy crap, I totally forgot that! Oh, also, Mary was traumatized by the savagery of the American Civil War as a kid. War sucks.

Chapter 39

Aion betrayed Chrono, and ripped his horns off. Very tragic chapter. Makes me hate Aion all the ever more.

Chapter 40

Mary's fate is described in detail, and Rosette is able to save Chrono. Why don't I see more comics with genuine pathos?

Chapter 41

Oh man! A fight with someone I can't reveal, for it would be too big of a spoiler!

Chapter 42

Our heroes are now proceeding to Eden, the fortress of Aion. The final stretch has begun! (To be continued in volume 7. Naturally.)

Omake #6

Daisuke thinks that everything in the world is the work of cute girls. I . . . am now feeling a sort of kinship between Moriyama-san and myself.

Final thoughts: Questions are answered, and the heroes are on the move. If this isn't the best shonen action series ever, then I don't know what is! Bring on the next volume!

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 5

Chapter 29

This chapter begins with what is probably the greatest image in the entire franchise; a two-page color spread of Rosette and Joshua standing in front of a fountain with the night sky in the background. Rosette is distraught, nearly to the point of tears, whereas Joshua is poised, with a bird of prey perched on his arm. Oh, and a long-awaited fight scene begins.

Chapter 30

You wanna know why the anime version of Chrono Crusade is so reviled? Chrono fights in his "true" form once throughout the entire anime series. Not so here. The seal on Rosette's pocket watch is loosened once more; something serious is gonna go down, I can feel it.

Chapter 31

Aion doesn't have horns either. And Joshua's maid is a jewel summoner like Satella! If this were the first time I were reading this, I would've had a "HO LEE FUCK!" moment just now (Which I really did have when I first read this). Even despite already knowing what happens, it stills feels powerful.

Chapter 32

More good guys show up, but bad guys pull out their aces in the sleeves. Azmaria is captured, (Aion wants her power for something. Hmm.) and overall, the bad guys won. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Chapter 33

Azmaria is an "Apostle," which would explain her angel-like powers. There are seven in the world. And guess what? Aion has all seven now. Joshua is also an Apostle. And we are introduced to Shader, a demon . . . catgirl. *faceplam self* Well, her dialogue is amusing, I'll give Moriyama that much.

Chapter 34

SYMBOLISM!!!!1!1

Oh, okay, symbolism is not inherently a bad trope. There is a such thing as good symbolism, which Chrono Crusade does have.

Chapter 35

Fiore, the maid with summoner's jewels, is Satella's olser sister, and the demon who killed their parents and captured Fiore was Aion all this time. "Demon without horns." One good, one evil. The chapter ends with Rosette doing another soul dive; this time, into Chrono's soul. Of course, end the book on a cliffhanger, but hey, this is why I own the entire series.

Omake #5

Daisuke shows some sketches of characters that didn't make it into the final version of Chrono Crusade. He cut them because they didn't fit into the plot. YES! Way to excise filler, Moriyama-san!

Final thoughts: This is the WHAM volume. Just like Riza's flashback in Fullmetal Alchemist, the Acid Tokyo arc in Tsubasa, and the latest English volume of Kurokami; this is the one that says, "Thanks for sticking with the series for this long! Now we will reward you with storytelling that will grip you by the balls! and refuse to let go!" See? It's books like this that keep me interested in graphic novels.

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 4

Chapter 22

Throughout the series, Chrono has been referred to as a "Sinner," as well as Aion, the demon that turned Joshua. What could that mean?

Chapter 23

Chrono once followed Aion into doing some kind of uprising that involved slaughtering 100 or so demons of Pandamonium. Of course, doing so gets one branded as a "sinner" and anyone who has committed the sin of killing fellow demons or harboring said sinner will be executed. Now begs the question, "Why would Aion do such a thing?"

Chapter 24

One thing manga series are known for is having artwork that improves over time. Volume 4 already looks better than volume 1, and even in Volume 1, I thought this was one of the most beautiful graphic novels I've ever read. Way to go, Moriyama-san!

Chapter 25

Satella has an older sister she looked up to. Also, there's more fanservice in this chapter. Too bad it's not the fanservice I like to see. (Bonus characters in video games, an unexpected cameo of an actor I like, that sort of thing.)

Chapter 26

Our heroes have just arrived in San Francisco. Also, there's a very touching moment between Rosette and Chrono. Character development! And no, I'm not being sarcastic, either.

Chapter 27

FORESHADOWING! A great narrative technique when used correctly.

Chapter 28

Rosette finally reunites with Joshua, but will it end well? We're now at the halfway point!

Omake #4

Daisuke talks about a Chrono Crusade drama CD that was recorded. He claims the people who worked on it had a better understanding of the characters than him the creator! Uh, Moriyama-san, as an aspiring author myself, I find that really hard to believe. I've talked about my original series to my family, but no one clearly understands my characters like I do. Then again, most people in my family aren't writers like me, either.

Final thoughts: Not as much action in this volume, but that's okay, since it promises the 5th volume to be really powerful. Stick around!

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 3

Chapter 15

We are introduced to Satella Harvenheit, a German woman who is a bounty hunter, as well as a "jewel summoner", meaning she can use magical gemstones to fight baddies. Also, she has huge breasts, wears high heels, has long red hair, is taller than the other female characters, and speaks randomly in German at times. Oh ho ho, I see you have researched "Common fetishes 101," Moriyama-san!

Chapter 16

Satella's been looking for someone, someone who burned down her house 10 years prior to the present. "A Demon without horns." and now she's found him. She's surprised that Chrono has existed for as long as he has without horns, but is she really gonna kill him? The intrigue!

Chapter 17

After fighting a monster, Chrono reveals that there's no way he could've burned Satella's home down, because he was asleep at the time. Satella then agrees to join up with our heroes to find the real culprit. Also, more demons have been sneaking into America, but how?

Chapter 18

Chrono Crusade takes place during Prohibition. Remember Prohibition? Despite the federal government best efforts, alcohol consumption was actually at an all time high during Prohibition, and you see that hear too, with acts of underage drinking, no less! Also, Satella is only 19, even though she looks more like she's in her early 30's if you ask me.

Chapter 19

Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria, and Satella ride a train to San Francisco to hopefully find Joshua. However, the train gets highjacked . . . by the same demon who attacked Rosette in Grand Central Station; the puppet master Rizelle! Rizelle has complete control over the passengers, and can use their bodies to attackour heroes, and even have them commit suicide. Oh god, the suspense!

Chapter 20

Rizelle is a spider-like demon woman who was sent to capture Rosette alive under Joshua's orders. Rosette and Rizelle duke it out.

Chapter 21

The conflict with Rizelle ends, but more questions are brought up. You better have the entire manga series (like I do) if you wanna learn the truth!

Side chapter

A monster is on the loose in New York during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Rosette and Chrono defeat it. There is some four wall breaking in this chapter, since it has no bearing on the actual plot.

Omake #3

Daisuke talks about his masterpiece more. He admits that Satella and Joshua looks too mature for their age. (Joshua is 15, yet looks 19 or 20. lolwut?) He also says the hero group "has too many girls. Sorry." What? Why are you apologizing for, Moriyama-san? You write female characters just as well as male characters, and the lone male hero has his name in the title. Oh wait, is it because CC is marketed as shonen, but he's afraid little boys are gonna be like, "Why are so many girls in this manga!? Girls have cooties!" But then again, this is being analyzed by a guy who likes it whenever he sees a game or comic that doesn't portray females in a sexist light. Ha! CC is solid proof that not all comics are hateful towards women! Then again, he is actually proud of himself for his (remarkably, I must admit) accurate portrayal of America done by a Japanese author. Don't be afraid of being confident, Moriyama-san! You can do it!

Final thoughts: The three chapters featuring Rizelle are absolutely exhilarating. Even though action scenes never look that great in comic format, this sequence somehow is great despite that limitation. Take that, anime adaptation!

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 2

Chapter 7

Fanservice. Oh joy. (The girl's nipples are not detailed. Was this censored for the American release? Or was this how it was originally illustrated? It doesn't matter, though. Boobs shot aren't worth obsessing over.)

Chapter 8

A thrilling sequence at Grand Central Station ensues here. A villain who can take control of the bodies of bystanders attacks our heroes. Also, there is mention of someone named Joshua. Oh, the intrigue!

Chapter 9

It turns out Joshua is Rosette's younger brother. Four years prior to the present, Rosette and Joshua were wandering around outside of the foster home where they lived. They stumbled upon an old catacomb, and found a tomb which housed a demon named Chrono. The two-page spread on pages 64 and 65 is one of the most striking images I've ever seen in a graphic novel. By the way, Joshua can heal people just by touching them. Isn't it always nice to have a healer in your party?

Chapter 10

Joshua can heal other people, but not himself. Not only that, he is quite sickly. A demon named Aion takes advantage of this: he offers Joshua a pair of demon horns, horns that would cure his illness. He accepts. And . . . now he's gone crazy. And that was four years ago. Rosette has been looking for him since. By the way, those horns that Joshua has? They used to belong to Chrono. DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

Chapter 11

Right after Joshua became possessed by the demon horns, it was then that Rosette and Chrono formed their contract. Only catch? Rosette probably won't live past the age of 30. She's 16 in the present. Well, better make the most of it!

Chapter 12

There are two higher ups in the Magdalene Order, Sister Kate, and Father Remington. Rosette frequently butts head with Sister Kate (as was also seen in volume one), while she has a girly crush on Father Remington. Also, Azmaria wants to be more like Rosette. Heh, a moe girl trying to be a firebrand like Rosette; this should be fun.

Chapter 13

Azmaria gets possessed by a monster. Rosette can only save her by "diving" into Azmaria's subconscious and rescuing her from there. The chapter makes a point that only when you acknowledge fear can you move forward. Who says shonen series can't be insightful?

Chapter 14

Joshua is currently living in a nice house near the ocean. He even has his own maid, Fiore. A small army of demons appear before him and demand to see his master Aion. Joshua kills all of them effortlessly. Mommy, he scares me.

Omake #2

Daisuke Moriyama talks about Chrono Crusade again, like for example how the concept of time running out is pervasive. He also mentions the anime version of Chrono Crusade, which isn't exactly word-for-word like the manga.

Final Thoughts: The plot thickens. Oh god, does the plot thicken. After reading this volume back in 2007, I decided to own the series in its entirety. I knew I was taking a risk; what if the later volumes sucked? But it was a gamble that paid off beautifully. I'm proud to still have this work of art in my collection. See you in volume 3!

Let's Read Chrono Crusade Volume 1

Chapter 1

The moment you start reading CC, the first thing you'll notice is just how gorgeous the artwork is. This is seriously one of maybe the top 5 most beautiful graphic novels I've ever read in my life. Unlike most Japanese comics, the backgrounds are exquisitely detailed, as are the characters. Oh, also, we're introduced to Rosette Christopher and Chrono. Chrono is cool-headed, Rosette is fiery as can be. I'll elaborate on their dynamic later.

Chapter 2

We learn that Rosette and Chrono are part of an organization called the Magdalene Order, a society fighting an invisible war against demons and other supernatural baddies. And yes, Rosette is a nun with guns. (Whoa, a part of the Catholic Church has become a militia? Trinity Blood flashback.) I told my mom about this series back when I first started reading this; she thought this series would really piss off Catholics. I can't be certain if they really would, (all the Christians in my family are either Methodist or Lutheran) but I have read a theory on the web that the Magdalene Order just disguises itself as a Catholic Church. Is that really true?

Chapter 3

We are now introduced to Azmaria Hendric, a Portuguese girl who has a beautiful singing voice. There's four heroes in this piece: Rosette, a hotheaded American girl, Chrono, a coolheaded demon boy, and Azmaria, a . . . Mary Sue-ish moe girl. Don't fret, she undergoes character development as the series progresses. Party Member #4 appears in a later volume.

Chapter 4

Daisuke Moriyama, the author of CC, did a great deal of research when making this series. You can see it everywhere; the detail in real-life locations, how America was during the 1920s, how much the world was affected by the First World War. Oh, also, Rosette is crazy. Very, very, crazy. And to think, she's my favorite character in this series. That must say a lot about me right there.

Chapter 5

The villains of this series are rather, well, evil. The Villain of the Week here is Lerajie, a demon that Chrono once fought in the past. Looks like they're gonna fight again!

Chapter 6

In CC, Chrono and Rosette are bonded together with a stopwatch. With this stopwatch, Chrono's powers are receded, but he is also much friendlier than demons usually are. When the time is necessary, Rosette can weaken the seal on Chrono, allowing him to tap into the full extent of his powers. We see this for the first time. In his "true" form, Chrono is an absolute beast in combat, but he is also much more violent, and also uncontrollable. (Wait, a demon fighting other demons, who has a "Superpowered Evil Side"? More Trinity Blood flashbacks.)

Omake #1

We see Daisuke Moriyama for the first time. He always illustrates himself as a shaggy dog man. He talks about his inspirations for making CC, and also comes across as a manic-despressive individual. Is he really that neurotic in real life? There is also a note by ADV Manga, who, if I may say, did a superb job translating this series. (I was saddened when they lost their Yotsuba&! license.)

Final Thoughts

I first read CC Vol. 1 about two-and-a-half years ago in my city library. Right then and there, I knew, I had discovered something special. And I'm glad I did. More gushing to come!

Another blow by blow account coming up

I haven't gushed enough about Chrono Crusade.

If you don't know, Chrono Crusade, the manga anyways, is the epitome of shonen serials. I have all eight volumes, but I haven't read the series in two years.

Now I wanna read it again.

This will be like when I played Final Fantasy 7 nearly two years ago. However, much like then, I will keep spoilers to a minimum. I'll format like this:

One Volume = One Blog Entry.

I will then summarize each chapter, and how I feel about it.

And after all eight volumes have been read, I will post a review, just like I did with FF7. I hope you enjoy what's in store.

Notice: We do not talk about the anime version of Chrono Crusade in this household.

P.S. My last day of school this semester is one week from today. If I can't start reading CC now, I can do it then.

Last Blaz Blue Post (for now) I swear!

I got to see the True Ending of the story mode of BB: CT. There are so many Sequel Hooks in this game, it's not even funny, but it has me hooked, though. Now I'll have to buy BB: CS when it comes out for consoles.

OH NOES! TEH GAME COMPINEE HAS GARINTEED MY MONIES YET AGIN! IMMA GONNA END UP POR NAO!!!!!

But hey, I think it'll be worth it.

I've become genuinely attached to the characters of Blaz Blue. (okay, most of the characters. Jin is someone I love to hate, but unlike some characters, I get the feeling you're supposed to hate him.) In fact, you wanna know something? I . . . I . . .

I think Rachel is cute.

Not Insanely Cute, mind you, but there's something about her that's . . . cute, despite her being a mean bitch. Maybe it's how she uses her servants. Maybe it's her voice. (I can't believe Mela Lee went from Fuuka in Persona 3 to Rachel. I still can't tell it's her. Fuuka's voice was bland and lifeless, Rachel's voice is . . . beautiful.) Maybe it's her Tim Burton-esque stage. Oh, and I guess you could say I think Noel is cute too, although only Moderately Cute at best.

But I wanna know; is Continuum Shift gonna have a comedy miniseries also? Will it be a continuation of Teach Me, Ms. Litchi, or something new? Will Tao still do cute things? Will Litchi captivate more people with her chibipanda? Will Kokonoe finish Tager's "upgrade"? Will Ragna and Jin continue to drive the fangirls wild? Will I stop asking questions?

Only time will tell.

Criticisms are necessary

As much as I love Blaz Blue, I've noticed a few problems.

I'll start with what everyone has already said a thousand times before on Dustloop: BB is not as nuanced as GG. BB doesn't have as many characters, has 4 attack buttons instead of 5, not as many special moves, combos, "Supers" and such, and has a few balance issues.

Of course, keep in mind, the Guilty Gear franchise has been out for a lot longer than Blaz Blue; BB is just getting started. This is typical of a fighting series. Remember, the first edition of Street Fighter II had only 8 playable fighters. (Of course, that was a lot back in 1991.)

Still, Blaz Blue is more balanced than some other fighters I've played. This most likely stems from Aksys' previous experience from GG. However, there's a few instances where things feel broken:

-Tager can't dash. Well, then again, neither could Potemkin, but he at least had long reaching attacks. Tager's attacks are mostly short to medium range. Better get used to drawing your opponent in.

-If a combo freak like me is playing Noel, expect the following: D into A into B into C into either down down-forward forward D or down down-backward back D, repeat until target is dead. Also, her super special moves have a lot of range.

-GODDAMN HAKUMEN, WHAT THE FUCK!? Forget Nu, Hakumen is the "SNK Boss" of Calamity Trigger! He's kind of slow, and isn't that good at combos, but he has the strongest regular attacks in the game, he has (I think) the second-highest defense rating in the game, his C attacks have a long reach, and unlike Tager, he can mid-air dash. He can't dash on the ground, (just hop forward) but god DAMN this guy is overpowered. He's the one opponent I dread; he usually beats me on my first try, even on the easiest difficulty level!

With that said, let's get back to gushing!

The music. Well, I can't say the soundtrack is as good as the one in GG: XX, but it's still pretty good. I really like Bang's theme, Carl's theme, Ragna's theme, Tager's theme, the Ragna vs Rachel theme, and Nu's theme. There's more variety in the music than there was in GG. Almost all the music in GG was either 80s rock and/or some kind of metal. In BB, you've got J-rock, metal, jazz, jazz/rock fusion, opera rock, and the background music of the story mode. Also, I'm sure as the series matures, they'll be more good music, as well as arrangements of pre-existing songs, just like in GG.

Oh, and you wanna know how my 4th favorite character is? Noel!

Honestly, when I first saw her in story mode, I thought she was a moe girl. She stumbles over her speech, is extremely naive and insecure, likes cute things, and hates bugs. And yet, when she's actually fighting, she's not timid at all. (I guess that would make her half-moe. Or wait, isn't what I call "half-moe chicks" what tvtropes calls "Badass Adorable"? Maybe so.) I love using her in battle, and, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: I think she's better-looking than Litchi. Yeah, unlike her, Noel actually has a somewhat normal physique. I know, it almost sounds like sacrilege, coming from me, (Wait! Did xm just say a blonde girl was more attractive than a ravenhaired woman!?) but I think it's true.

But, I'm gonna offer an apology. In my first BB post, I said Litchi looked like a Dead or Alive chick drawn in 2D. I am sorry for printing this. While I still think Boobie Lady Litchi has a ridiculous body, at least she has a decent face and properly-rendered hair. The actual DOA chicks? Horribly rendered faces and hair follicles.

Oh, jackasses from high school who think I'm "queer" for not thinking, uh, what were their names? Kasumi, Ayane, and Tina? Oh yeah, for those of you who think I'm gay for not thinking Kasumi, Ayane, and Tina are "hawt", you know why? Are you familiar with the phrase, "Uncanny Valley"? Being someone who adores CGI, close-to-nothing comes across as Uncanny Valley to me. And yet, the DOA chicks do. Yeah, I know, saying a "hawt" CG model is in the Uncanny Valley is about the most insulting thing you can say, so I hope that explains my feelings. Oh, also, while I'm on the subject, I know I'm about to steal Linkara's vocalbulary for the following, but it must be said: Tomonobu Itagaki is an egomaniacal, misogynistic fuckhead, and I feel no shame nor remorse in calling him as such. Team Ninja is better off without him.

But why obsess over that when I have BB now? Blaz Blue and chibipandas makes everything better.

Oh, I might as well say it:

xm0123's BB: CT mains: Noel, Bang, Taokaka.

xm0123's BB: CT subs: Rachel, Ragna.

RiDe TeH iCeNiNg!1!1!1

Let's do a little voice actor trivia, shall we? Of course, knowing me, I tend to prefer dubs, and I'm playing Blaz Blue in English, so . . . yeah.

-Ragna is played by Patrick Seitz. Patrick has recently shown up on my radar, having voiced Steiner in Kurokami, Jaeger in Valkyria Chronicles, and now Ragna in BB. His deep voice is ideal for the hard-edged Ragna, and, well, he's just awesome in the role! "Shut up! You're nothing but stuffed toys!" I also hear he voiced Dracula in the more recent Castlevania games. I should play those sometime.

-Tager is voiced by Jamieson Price. I recognize him as Chad from Bleach, and Norb (my favorite performance of his) from Eureka Seven. He has a really deep voice, like the kind you'd hear in movie narrations. Now, I know a few dub enthusiasts who have criticized him for lacking feeling in his delivery. I'll admit, he sounded rather flat as Duke in Tales of Vesperia, but, he sounds perfect as Tager; calm and collected one moment, GIGANTIC TAGER THE NEXT!

-Arakune is voiced by Spike Spencer. Yeah, I know, I don't like his version of Shinji, but he is a good actor. It's hard to recognize his voice in BB though, since Arakune's speech is distorted. But if there's one thing I like about Spike, it's that he can sound absolutely deranged, and good God, is Arakune deranged. The laughter, the echoing, the hunger for power!

-And of course, Bang Shishigami is voiced by longtime veteran Tony Oliver. I've already given props to him in the past for directing E7, and making Konata's dad sound hilarious in Lucky Star. Well, he's impressed me yet again as Bang. I always appreciate a performer who can "ham it up" and still sound cool.

-Carl, being a young boy character, is voiced by Michelle Ruff, an actress. I've already gushed about her enough as it is. Although Carl's voice sounds too feminine, ("Dude, that is totally a woman doing the voice.") she still does a fine job acting.

-There's an NPC in Calamity Trigger who will become a playable character in Continuum Shift named Tsubaki. She's played by Julie Ann Taylor. I recognize her as Yui from Lucky Star, and Akane from Kurokami. In Blaz Blue, she also voices a character named Kokonoe. Tsubaki and Kokonoe sound absolutely nothing alike, yet it's the same person. That's quite the range; had me fooled.

-And lastly, there's an NPC named Jubei who's voiced by Kirk Thorton. I know him as Jade Curtiss from Tales of the Abyss, among many other roles. He does a good job here, too.

There are some VAs in Blaz Blue I don't recognize. Before looking up tvtropes, I didn't know who David Vincent, Cristina Valenzuela, and Doug Erholtz were, yet they all sound freakin'  awesome in this game. I will look out for them in the future.

Okay, it's official: BB has best the voice-acting I've ever heard in a fighting game. EAT IT, MORTAL KOMBAT! (Never was a fan of MK.)

Oh, and I'm not done talking about BB either. Not by a long shot.

With a fire in your heart

"QUICKER THAN THE WIND AND AS STILL AS THE FOREST! HOTTER THAN FLAMES AND MORE MAGNIFICENT THAN A MOUNTAIN! BANG SHISHIGAMI IS HERE!"

And now I have made known who my third favorite character in Blaz Blue is.

Why?

-He's as manly as Kamina, but much more fleshed out as a character. (Seriously TTGL fans: where's the love for Leeron and Kittan? Oh wait, I'm getting off subject.)

-He's very emotional. He sure cries a lot for a man's man. That in itself is manly. *sniff* It brings a tear to my eye!

-His theme song rocks.

-He's an awesome character to play as in actual gameplay.

-His adoration for Litchi is hilarious, yet touching at the same time.

-AND HE HAS THE (English) VOICE OF TONY OLIVER!

Man, Blaz Blue easily has the best characterization I've ever seen in a fighting game. The story mode gives me flashes from LucasArts games, seriously.

Oh, speaking of which, I finally unlocked all of the "Teach Me, Ms. Litchi!" segments. It was worth it. It was worth it for the

SCIENCE!

God, I love Blaz Blue.

Okay, I know who should be my next forum avatar

So, Tao is my favorite character in Blaz Blue so far. Who's my second-favorite?

Rachel Alucard.

"Snooty" doesn't even begin to describe her. She is a stuck-up bitch to the max! I love her dialog, and her delivery is just so delicious. She looks more like a character out of either Disgaea or Touhou. I know that's not true, because Disgaea characters always speak in a melodramatic manner, and Touhou characters have very little detail in canon, but Rachel is a fleshed out character, and never gets overly excited. (She even brags about her calm demeanor.)

Man, I can only imagine how fun it would be to write in character as her. I think I'll attempt that sometime in the near future.

"I find your presence insulting."

Okay, I need a Rachel avatar now. Be right back.

Cool cat(girls) are a dime-a-dozen these days

 Hi you guys and gals! xm here! And boy do I have a treat for you!

I just bought a game for my PS3! But you know what's funny? This game came out simultaneously for the Xbox 360, and yet, I went with the PS3 version. Why is that? Answer: I like the PS3 controller more than the 360 controller! It's a lot easier for me to play a fighter with a Playstation controller than with an Xbox controller-

-Oops! Did I give away what I bought already? Well, okay, I bought a fighting game for my PS3, and as you know, the only fighting games I ever loved were Naruto: Ultimate Ninja and Guilty Gear, but this isn't either of them, but, I still bought it anyways. It was so hard finding a copy! No video store carries a copy for rent! And it's completely out of stock at the Targets in town, too! I had to buy a used copy at a Gamestop, although, the price was marked down, and the disc was in near-perfect condition, mew mew! So-

 -"Whoa whoa, hold that thought. Xm, have you been talking like a girl this entire time?"

*nods head*

"And, you haven't been indulging in anything CLAMP and Touhou related, have you?"

*shakes head*

"So why did you just say, 'mew mew'!? Those are cat sounds, and you're talking like a girl . . . wait, are you impersonating a catgirl!?"

Uhh . . . *nervous giggle*

"But I thought the only catgirls you ever liked were Chen and Orin, but they've never appeared in the Touhou fighters . . . what could possibly make you talk like a catgirl now?"

Oh, I don't know, a game from the same makers of Guilty Gear?

"Gasp! You mean!"

BLAZBLUE!


"BLAZBLUE CALAMITY TRIGGER!"

That's right!



. . . . . .




And man, it's been a long time since I've seen 2D sprites this detailed!

But, you know something? You know what about BB that's caught my attention more than anything else?

"Taokaka?"

Taokaka! What's funny is, she's not cute in appearance, but she has the cutest voice ever! And she says the funniest, and cutest things! In fact, you wanna know what I've been enjoying most about BB?

Teach Me, Miss Litchi!

Wherein the catgirl herself, the third ever I've taken a genuine liking to, takes advice from Miss Litchi Faye-Ling herself! (Good freaking God, she looks like what a Dead or Alive chick would look like if the DOA games were ever in 2D. Those are sooooo fake.) And everything is just utterly kawaii! I play the story mode just for that . . . and also to listen to the witty banter between battles. ^ ~ ^

"Gawd! I can't stand this anymore! He's totally ruining what Blaz Blue represents! Oh wait, I know what to do in situations like this; scare 'em striaght. Oh, xm."

Yes, mister Blue Yoshi?

"I'd like to introduce you to a hero of our age. A hero who needs no introduction. Take it away, sir!"

*The sound of a sword being unsheathed is heard*

"I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction.

I! AM! HAKUMEN!

THE END HAS COME!!!!"














. . . . . . . . .














Holy shit. I'm boned.









Uh, in short, I do not regret buying BB: CM thus far. Uh, can I do another cat smilie? No more cat smilies? Whatever you say, mister Hakumen.

the music of awesomeness

I've discovered some more Touhou music I like. These can all be accessed from tvtropes' Touhou music page, so I won't link them.

Pray, by IOSYS. It's a remix of Sanae's theme. It's very beautiful. It might make you cry.

Floating Darkness, by TatashMusicCircle. It's a remix of Nue's theme. It's the kind of rock that makes you grin in an evil manner and say, "Exactly as . . ." you know where I'm going with this.

Poltergeist 東方, by おるたねーと. It's a remix of Kana's theme. I love Kana's theme, it being one of the best Touhou pieces ever, not just from the PC-98 era. This remix really does the original justice. Beautiful, sad, and happy, all at once. You may need a tissue. (And yes, Kana will appear in Mentor and Protege. I guarantee that.)

There's a video out there that uses a techno remix of Bad Apple for its music. I love that video; the animation looks like something out of a Final Fantasy cutscene, even though it's only in black and white. Be sure to watch the Megpoid version, too!

EX Devil's Rush (Road of Pandemonium). It's a remix of Rumia's theme. I don't really like the original theme of Rumia, but I sure like this version! It rocks.

And there's just so many more! Also, I have an update; I have been writing more Mentor and Protege recently. I have a deadline: chapter 5 will be uploaded on or before Thanksgiving, of this year. Look  forward to it.

The truth about xm0123, EXPOSED

 "Greetings, friends. Vile01 here. I found out something about xm that he was willing to tell the people of Doujinstyle.com, but not us. The information I found is hidden in a journal of sorts. This is that journal now."

September 2nd, 2009.

{xm0123} HOLY SHIT this show called Kurokami is good! I have to blog about it!

September 5th, 2009.

{xm0123} I LOVE KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

But I don't have a crush on her.

I swear! She's like Nausicaa and Rosette Christopher; she's a fascinating character! That's all!

Septmember 10th, 2009.

{xm0123} Ah man! This show really crapped out towards the end! Oh wait, there is a manwha version. Heh heh. I will not be separated from my Kuro-chan.

September 13th, 2009.

{xm0123} Okay, I just started reading the manwha version of Kurokami, and Jesus fucking Christ, is Keita an asshole! He's practically a villain! Oh! Kuro's contractee is actually a Villain Protagonist! That'd make a good plot twist! But I swear to you; NOTHING will come between me and Kuro-chan, not fanboys, not self-aggrandizing Squall ripoffs, not anyone! And is it just me, or does she have really pretty legs in the manwha? KAWAII! ^ _ ^

September 15th, 2009, 11:37 AM.

{xm0123} (originally posted on doujinstyle.com) I am completely incapable of becoming sexually aroused by a fictional character. No matter how "hot" some anime and video game chicks may be, I cannot "fap" to them. I'm all about real life girls, you see.

September 15th, 2009, 5:07 PM.

{Stalker-san} (in response to what I wrote earlier that day in DS.com) Y-you... wait... seriously?
You're such a rare creature on this forum. ō_ō;

September 15th, 2009, 7:56 PM.

{xm0123} (in response to what Stalker-san wrote earlier that day in DS.com.) Yeah. I was planning on telling you all sooner, but it's true.

However, I would be lying (another secret of mine coming up) if I said I never got attached to fictional characters period. I have formed what you might call non-sexual, non-romantic crushes on a few characters. (If you've read my blog, then you already know this.) Sometimes, I see characters that just utterly captivate me, and I get all, "Oh! She's so cute! Hugs and cuddles! Kawaii! ^ _ ^" I usually get over them within a few months, but sometimes, I can't help myself. In fact, I have one such crush right now; Kuro from Kurokami. But I can't help myself if she's adorable beyond words! She's just so cute!

September 18th, 2009.

{xm0123} So I read what volumes of Kurokami are out in America right now. There are some things about it I like more than the anime, but there are some things about it that are worse than the anime, (Keita, slower plot pace, Keita, still a lot of untranslated volumes, did I mention Keita is a completely loathsome asshole in the Manwha?) but it does not matter, for I have Kuro-chan on my bookshelf now.

Wait a second; I just realized something: I absolutely hate one character, yet absolutely love another. And not only that, I loved the earlier episodes of the anime version of Kurokami, but didn't like the later episodes. My gawd . . . I've become tsundere for Kurokami, haven't I? So this is what it's like to be tsundere .  . .

(Note to self: don't tell anyone outside of DS.com what you really think about Kuro. It took me months to live down Yukari-chan.)

The present day.

"Oh crap! He's coming to write something again! Gotta jet!"

So I just read vol. 7 of the manwha version of Kurokami, and . . . . .

THIS IS THE BEST VOLUME YET!!!!

Not once does Keita act out of line! In fact, he even has a Crowning Moment of Awesome in this volume! Has he really done it? Has he redeemed himself, a la Luke Fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss? If so, then consider me sold.

There is so much badassery, so much plot twisting, I can't keep up! And . . . and .  . . I learned some stuff about Excel and Steiner that was never elaborated in the anime, and now, I can officially say, the manwha portrayal of both Excel and Steiner is superior to their anime portayal! As they say in Excel's native Germany; Wunderbar! Wunderbar, indeed. (You know, I wish this blog would stop underlining foreign words, even ones I spell correctly.)

Say, speaking of Excel, you wanna know something funny? I couple of nights ago, I had a dream. I was playing a SNES game, you know, for old time's sake, when suddenly, someone says from behind, "Having fun playing such an old game?"

I freak out and turn around, seeing it's Excel! Only thing is, I don't remember what happened after that. She was by herself, and she was speaking in Stephanie Sheh's voice, but . . .

"What the hell!? You dreamed about Excel, but not Kuro!?"

Who said that!? Oh wait; Vile01? What are you doing here?

"I heard you were gonna write about Kurokami again, so I came here. Your articles about Kurokami are very passionate, so I couldn't miss it. But anyways, you dreamed about Excel but not Kuro, what's up with that?"

Yeah, you'd think if I was gonna dream about anyone from Kurokami, it'd be Kuro-chan, but nope! Excel pops into my head, instead! And before you ask, no it was not a wet dream. We had our clothes on the entire time.

"Uh huh. Say, have you ever talked about Kurokami outside of your blog?"

Why you ask?

"Oh, you know, like have you told anyone on DS.com about Kurokami?"

Uh . . .

"Like the things you write in your private journal? In fact, I actually found you mentioning something in response to a-"

-YOU TOLD THEM!?!?!?!?

"What!? You said it was a platonic crush! That's harmless!"

I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!

"WAIT! WAIT! uh, take your frustration out on Keita instead!"

Why would I do that!? He was actually a likable person in the last volume!

"Uh oh. That means you're not tsundere for Kurokami anymore, are you?"

That's right. I'm all deredere now.

"Well then in that case, love conquers all, right? And who's someone you love? Someone who's a tomboy, and a girly girl at the same time? Someone who has more guts than any typical shonen protagonist? And someone who, in the manwha version anyways, has really pretty legs? In fact, it seems your crush started only after you started reading the Kurokami manwha. When you said Kuro was awesome back in early September, you just said that, but now, now it's more than that, right? Tell us, has she melted your heart, as well as won over your heart, as much as an illustrated girl could, anyways?"

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

OH NO! NOT KURO!


I CAN'T GET HER OUT OF MY HEAD NOW! KURO-CHAN IS LOVE!


KURO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

She'd get me out of this mess.

"Okay, that's all I needed to hear. Later."

Okay, this is officially the weirdest review I've ever written in my life.

Oh, and Stalker-san, if you're reading this, I just wanna say hello!

sequential art done mostly right

Let me review some manga.

XXXHolic 14.

Not quite as good as the last 4 books. The later chapters do tie in to Tsubasa, however.

Tsubasa 23.

EPIC! Epic with a capitol E.

Tsubasa 24.

I learned some stuff about Shaoran and Sakura, stuff that blew my mind. Although Tsubasa is coming down with a case of Evangelion Syndrome, it's at least still enjoyable. (And even Eva itself was still entertaining at its weirdest.)

Fullmetal Alchemist 20.

Ah yeah, baby. Crowning Moment of Awesome in the first chapter, important plot exposition all throughout, this is really good, even by FMA standards. What will Arakawa think of next?

Good stuff, man. Good stuff.












"Heh! Now I can expose the truth!"

I think I might have a reprieve

Reprieve from my busyness in the real world.

Well now, in my Touhou forums, I've mentioned that there's another Touhou fanfic I'd like to write. I probably won't be able to write it for a long time, but I've got an idea:

What was Reisen's life like before she came to Gensokyo?

Why Reisen? Well, of all the Touhou characters out there, Reisen is probably the only one I can relate to. And also, I'm curious, what was her life like when she still lived on the moon? I wanna know. However, this idea of mine is still in the conceptual phase, so I don't know if it will ever materialize, but consider that if I finish Mentor and Protege, I'll have something else to write.

Also, I recently bought more manga. Expect an overview soon.













"Hello? Is anyone here? Good. xm is gone. It's me, Vile01. I've unearthed some information about good ol' xm0123 that you may want to know. It concerns him and something he's gone . . . . . tsundere for, for lack of a better phrase. I can't give out details just yet, but trust me, you'll wanna see what I've found out."

Wherein xm practices a trope he hasn't till now

Okay, I know it's been over a month since I updated Mentor and Protege. I would write more, except . . . . I've been really busy in the real world lately. Hence why I haven't been updating recently.

Oh, speaking of which, I made my very first post on the Fanfiction.net forums not too long ago, in the Touhou section of course. I said in my post that I don't wanna give away what I "ship" Touhou-wise, but, there are three pairings I don't mind seeing. Remember what they were?

"Wait! I thought there was two!?"

Yeah, but it's up to three now. I don't mind seeing Reimu/Marisa, Yuyuko/Yukari, and also Kaguya/Eirin. Am I actually gonna write these (sorts of) relationships in my Touhouverse? Well, that remains to be seen.

However, I am intrigued by the prospect of Ship Teasing. I've actually done that before .  .  . but in my entirely original series, you know, the one that's not a fanfic that I can't release to the public right now because I might be able to publish that under my real name and make some real money off of it? Yeah.

But I wanna try that again, this time, in a "non-canon" short story.

Ahem.

Reimu was sitting on the porch, sipping tea. All was peaceful in her region of Gensokyo, at least until a beast appeared.

The beast was hideous, deformed in ways the author cannot describe with words. Reimu, seeing the thing, reached for her gohei rod and starting blasting danmaku at it. The beast suddenly stopped, and cried out . . . in a very distinct voice, "Oh no! Did I hurt you!? I didn't mean to!"

All of a sudden, the world around Reimu turned into what could best be described as an abstract background, a very brightly colored abstract background. The thing said, "I was only testing out this new illusion spell I learned!" The "beast" suddenly reverted into . . . a black-and-white witch girl, one surrounded by sparkles.

Reimu, seeing who it really was, replied in a very happy tone of voice, "Oh, Marisa-chan! You and your silly antics! I could never stay mad at you!" Reimu started to sparkle. Both girls' hair started moving dramatically, even though there was no wind outside.

Marisa answered, "I knew you'd understand, Reimu-chan! I would never harm a lady whose eyes reminded me of chocolate candies!" She was staring into Reimu's gorgeous dark brown eyes. (Author's note: Okay, I admit it; if there was a live-action version of Reimu, she'd have the most perfect dark brown eyes a human being could have. Because I said so.)

Reimu noted, "Yes, and I see you've taken care of your hair. It's so . . . so . . . YELLOW!"

Both girls went "aww!" and ran towards each other, with arms wide opened.

Right before they could embrace, Reimu jumped out of her bed, screaming.

"WAH! What a horrible dream!"

She poured herself some sake, downed it, and went back to sleep.

* * *

Does this make me a yuri fan now? Even though nearly every relationship I've written was of a non-sexual nature?

Who says skeletons are bad?

I wanna talk about Master of the Wind some more.

The game's setting is quite detailed. It's not a medieval fantasy, because the world of Solest reminds me more of Renaissance Europe more than medieval Europe. (the setting of most old tyme RPGs.) What is unusual is that the Evil Empire in MOTW is . . . already destroyed. The world is at relative peace. The Gallian Empire (Not to be confused with the Gallia of Valkyria Chronicles) has been destroyed for so long, most of the races of the world live together without fear of oppression. This makes the game a little unique; usually, prejudice in fantasy settings is always something like elf against dwarf, or vampire against werewolf, or human against non-human. ("The only good non-human is a dead non-human." So sayeth Garithos from Warcraft  III: The Frozen Throne . . . . . . DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE WARCRAFT GAMES PRIOR TO WOW!?!?!?!?) Here . . . all of the races get along. The first town is populated with humans, elves, orcs, goblins, kobolds, fairies, and even reanimated skeletons. Usually, undead characters in fantasy works that aren't vampires are mindless automatons. Not so here.

If the Empire is dead, where does the threat come in? You see, the villains of the game are trying to reinstate Gallian values by force, values of ethnocentrism and bigotry towards non-humans and anyone who hasn't sworn fealty to Arcadius, the god favored by Gallia. The game makes a big issue about prejudice, and while lots of writers (myself included) have spoken out against the ills and dangers of prejudice, it bears repeating again and again. Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped, remember? The game explores other issues, and overall, I have no complaints about the narrative.

I do, however, have an issue with the battles. This may just be a limitation of RPGMaker XP, but the battles, particularly the boss battles, seem to be more about luck than strategy. There are times that when I did a boss fight, I got trounced in like three turns. Then, I'll reload, do the same exact fight without leveling up, use the same exact tactics . . . and I'll win! The AI often just picks its attacks at random, and sometime, I've won only out of dumb luck. Your stats don't go up much when you level up, and it takes a long time to level up, too, so while that option is viable, I just don't have the patience. I'm at arc IV now, and I'm stuck on a boss fight with no clue of what to do. I can't find a walkthrough for that part of the game anywhere. I'm either gonna have to devote a whole day just to level up my party just to get anywhere from where I'm at.

Other than that one flaw, I've been having a good time thus far. Most of the music picked for this game is good, too.

If you shout each other's name one more time . . .

It's never gonna end, is it?

Viz is still publishing it in English.

It's currently the fourth-most popular series on Fanfiction.net.

And now the anime version is back on the air.

By the way, would now be a bad time to tell you otakus that I think Rumiko Takahashi is an overrated hack?

Oh whatever. Inuyasha came, and it wants to stay.

But not if I have something to say about it.

A number of Inuyasha video games have been made. I myself have borne witness to an IY game.

xm0123 presents: Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale for the original Sony Playstation.

IY: AFFT is a 2D tourney fighter for the PS1. It was developed by Dimps and published by Bandai in December of 2002 in Japan and April of 2003 in America. According to Wikipedia, it was one of the last games made for the PS1.

That's no typo by the way; there really is a IY game for the PS1, one of which that came out TWO YEARS AFTER THE SONY PLAYSTATION 2! At this point, the PS1 was obsolete, and even a game made to be in 2D (like what the PS1 was supposed to showcase, as opposed to the shitty-looking 3D games that came to dominate the console) could not compare to anything coming out on the PS2. This was a budget title, the kind of which you may find for ten bucks in the "old" games section at Target. Only one kind of person would own a game like this: an IY fanboy/fangirl.

Yeah, one of my anime-whoring assfuck "friends" owned this game. Showcased it to me one day, even offered me the chance to play it; I declined, because honestly, the game looked like shit.

IY: AFFT had decent graphics, and the artwork was very true to the anime version. The background music, I don't know if it was ripped from the show, but it was appropriate, sounding "Japanese-y." Being a budget title, the game was not dubbed in English. The text was in English, but the voices? Nihongo only. Of course, knowing them, they saw that as a high point.

The game suffered from very obvious slowdowns. For example, if someone did a super, the game would display a closeup of the character doing their super, and shouting in Japanese. (how do you say "Wind Scar!" in Japanese again?) However, it's a pretty obvious access pause, for whenever someone connects a super, the game pauses for about fifteen seconds, closeup and all, before getting back to the action. Not only that, the game itself isn't very fast-paced. I saw my "friends" try out all 12 of the playable characters, and none of it looked very exciting.

But the worst part? The game was unbalanced as Hell. Certain fighters could win by simply spamming certain attacks over and over. Some fighters had crazy good supers, while others had worthless supers. You know why I love the Naruto:Ultimate Ninja games and Guilty Gear XX AC+? Because they had balance. There's a fighter for every playing style. Not so in this game. If I remember correctly, it seemed like Koga and Kikyo could wipe the floor with everyone in IN: AFFT. I don't know if that's true to canon or not, but knowing me, I don't care.

Every other Inuyasha game I know is poorly received. I'm not surprised; the source material is crap, and the only people who would buy it or any other IY game would be anyone who shouts, "OMG! Sesshomaru (if you're attracted to guys, if not, substitute Sesshomaru with Kagome or Kikyo) is my Bishie/Waifu!" on a daily basis. Of course, things are different now: lots of "real" anime fans hate on IY for its popularity, and more sensible fans have come to their senses over the years. (Meanwhile, people like me, who hated IY from the start, are no longer seen as "freaks", but as people ahead of our time. Funny how patience has worked in my favor.)

Well, rest assured, IY is gonna go the way of the dodo sometime, only to be remembered by the most obsessive of fanatics. Until that day comes, though, I have one word of warning for Viz Media:

Do not tempt me with Kagome's hair!






And do not tempt me with her brown eyes either.




Or . . .

You know something? If Kagome was a likable character, I would list her somewhere on my list of Cute Anime Girls. Alas, she is only remembered as an unlikable female protagonist, albeit one with gorgeous black hair.

Hey, this fixation on just one aspect of her body, it reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged, how everyone remarks about Mai Valentine's breasts, but not Mai herself. You know, like, "I'm going on a date with Mai's breasts!" Or "Don't talk about Mai's breasts that way!" It's all too similar.

"Wait! You don't think Kagome's hair is a good female protagonist!? How rude! Don't talk about Kagome's hair that way, you hater! Go back to, uh, I don't know, obsessing over Youmu's dress, and leave anything related to Inu to us! Me/Kagome's hair 'til the day I die!"

Okay, have it your way.

Art for the sake of art

Seeing those videos of sucky RPGMaker games inspired me. Looking up tvtropes yet again, I discovered a freeware RPG game made by RPGMaker XP that you should check out.

Master of the Wind.

I'm at arc III right now. Despite the limitations of RPGMaker, the game is solid. And yes, you whores, the storyline is pretty good, too.

No spoilers for you; just play it.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

Happy birthday to me! I'm 24 now!

I wanna reflect on two birthday parties I had in the past.

One of which was November 2, 1996. I had turned eleven. Now, anytime before this, when I got presents for either my birthday or Christmas, the memorable present was always either a video game or a game console. Not so for my 11th. My most memorable present was something else. I don't even remember what else I got that year; all I remember was my favorite present from that birthday:

A VHS copy of Toy Story.

Remember, I don't watch movies in the theatre very often, so I hadn't seen the movie then. Also, Toy Story came out on video on October 29, four days prior to my birthday. How my parents snagged a copy of that, I don't know. (I should ask, though.)

Well anyways, I watched Toy Story for the first time right afterwards, and needless to say, I was floored. My eleven year old self had never seen CGI like that, and everything about the film gelled together so well, it was a complete experience, not just for me, but for the rest of my family. I still have that tape today, thirteen years later.

Four years after that exact date, I turned fifteen on November 2, 2000. (In the year, two thou-saaaaaaaaaand.) Guess what my best present was then, too? Toy Story 2 on VHS.  Again, the film had just come out on video (on Oct. 17th, according to The Other Wiki), and yet again, my parents snagged a copy for me. And again, we watched, and we loved. I think the reason why Toy Story 2 works so well as a sequel is because it's not like a traditional movie sequel; it's more like a continuation of the original film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've seen the trailer for Toy Story 3. Now granted, it's not coming out until next year, but when I saw that trailer, I felt as though, I was seeing old friends again. Woody, Buzz, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, they're like old friends I haven't seen in years, and they're friends I'm still on good terms with.

I guess Randy Newman meant it when he wrote and performed, "You Got a Friend In Me."

Valkyria Chronicles: A Great Game.

Every now and then, a game comes out. The reviews for said game say, "It's pretty good. You should try it out." You play the game, and it surprises you; it's not "pretty good"; it's phenomenal. That's what Valkyria Chronicles did to me. I wasn't expecting a modern classic, and also one of the best strategy games of all time, from Sega, of all companies, but here it is, in all of its glory.

Unlike some strategy games, you have to utilize actual strategy to win at VC. You can't just rush the enemy. You will learn many tricks while playing the game. And while a few battles in the story mode are grueling, there is nothing exceedingly difficult in this game. It is certainly winnable, if you keep playing it.

What also surprised me was the game's story. The only other strategy games I've ever played that had great stories were Starcraft, Warcraft III, and the original Front Mission. VC makes a point that war isn't just about people killing people. There is certainly that in the game (war is hell, after all), but there are many other elements explored, such as bigotry, betrayal, love, camaraderie, coping with loss, and facing insurmountable odds, all of which is handled beautifully. Most of the characters on your side are flawed, yet likable, while most of the villainous characters are vile and loathsome, but even then, there are some enemy characters you come to respect, and some people on your side you come to hate. It is a story comparable to the best of Squaresoft's games, and nearly as clever as the LucasArts games of old.

VC uses cel-shaded graphics to great effect. The game is rendered in 3D, and rarely experiences slowdown. The character designs are similar to that of a modern Japanese comic book. Nonetheless, every character, both major and minor, boasts a unique face and appearance. The soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto, while not his best, (kind of unfair to compare to Odin Sphere's soundtrack, though) does feature a few excellent tracks, including an orchestrated opening, and a vocal song both in English and Japanese.

But what surprises me more than anything else is this; why isn't this game more popular? By all accounts, VC should be one of the most well known PS3-exclusives, yet it's not? Are that many "real" gamers turned off by cel-shading, T-rated violence, lack of multiplayer, and manga designs? It is a grave injustice.

There is a sequel to VC in the works, one that promises to tell a fantastic tale of its own. It is coming to the PSP, but if there is any justice in the world, it will also come out to the PS3. Why? Because I can't get enough Valkyria Chronicles.

Final Score: 10 out of 10. The only flaw I found? The enemy sometimes makes stupid mistakes. That's it. And . . . maybe a lack of multiplayer.

Dissection

Dissection is something Keroro fears. I know this, since I recently bought the first half of season one of Sgt. Frog on DVD recently. And no, you otakus; buying an anime on DVD does not make me a tool.

Anyways, now I've had the chance to watch episode 5 thru 13, in the English dub as a matter of fact, and overall, I'm pleased. Sgt. Frog is straight-up comedy done right. There are jokes that just about anyone can get. In fact, if this show aired when I was a kid, you bet your ass I'd have been quoting it constantly, driving my family insane in doing so. ("xm! Stop calling hamburgers 'cow flesh'"!) You could watch some episodes again and laugh as much as you did the first you saw it.

The voice-acting, in English anyways, is excellent. I've now confirmed that it was done by Funimation, and not ADV. Well, honestly, I wouldn't expect a dub like this from ADV. Funi is strange though; some of their dubs suck (older DBZ, Moon Phase) one of their dubs is average, (Travis Willingham was great as the protagonist in Mushi-Shi, but the other English voices were meh.) And yet, a few of their dubs are otherworldly. (Trinity Blood, FMA, Blue Gender.) Luckily, Funi did good with the acting and dialog in Sgt. Frog.

So if you like madcap humor, look no further than Sgt. Frog. It makes fun of Japanese pop culture, American pop culture, and stuff in general. By the way, I plan on buying the next boxset.

Kero kero kero kero.

It starts

I published Chapter 4 of Mentor and Protege. Not only that, I finally told the peoples of doujinstyle that I have a new fanfic series, and I told shrinemaiden as well. In fact, it's the first time I've advertised anything at shrinemaiden; I wonder what they'll think of A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing.

Anyways, I want to mention a few odd-and-ends that are Touhou related, since I have nothing else on my mind. (Unless you want me to spoil Valkyria Chronicles, which I don't feel like doing.)

• Some of ZUN's artwork is actually pretty good. I like his illustrations of Mima in MS, Alice and Yukari in PCB, Reisen and Kaguya in IN, Nitori in MOF, and most of the characters in UFO. I've read that he had assistance doing the art in POFV; even so, I like that game's illustrations of Youmu, Medicine, and Komachi. Even as crappy as some of the art is, especially in EOSD, ZUN still draws better than I ever could.
• Stage 2 theme of MOF is awesome. It's seriously underrated.
• You know what's strange? Writing Touhou fanfiction has increased my apprecation for the franchise. Before I wrote ATFAN, the only thing about Suika I liked was her theme song. Afterwards, she became my 5th favorite character.
• One man WMG: Touhou exists as a way to speak out against misogyny in video games. Nearly every character is female, yet not one of them in canon dresses in a slutty manner. In Gensokyo, it's women who wield power, not men. Females do heroic (and villainous) deeds just as easily as male characters could. Lastly, I know she (as in a nation) has made progress over the years, but some of the peoples of Japan still hold anti-feminist views in comparison to most other industrialized nations. I think ZUN might be one of the most pro-feminist game makers in history . . . or, I could be completely wrong, and the only reason he made every character a well-dressed female was to draw in jaded 20-something male gamers who don't pant at half-naked women anymore, yet still enjoy the sight of good-looking (and well-dressed) females.
• I have a character profile list saved on my hard drive. It's a list I typed up for my Touhouverse. Every character I've written so far has an entry. Each entry details the following: her name, race, height, eye color, hair color, powers, age, and a brief summary of her personality. Oh, by the way, I don't keep track of it in that page, but I also have a specific breast size for each character. Yeah, I know, I'm not a boob man, but these details are important! If you go by what I've written in my ATFAN series, then you know that: Reimu and Marisa are somewhere in the A range, Yukari is single D, Kaguya is single B, Eirin is double D, Suika has a completely flat chest, and Yugi has gag boobs that I don't know the measurements to. And before you ask, SAKUYA DOES NOT PAD HER BRA IN MY SERIES, END OF DISCUSSION.
• No, I am not going to write hentai. I am never going to write hentai. Never. Ever. Ever. Ever. Don't ask for it.

But now that two messageboards know about M and P, I'd say things are going-

-"DON'T SAY IT!"

Ah, almost got away with it that time.

Did I ever tell you how much I hate landmines?

For one thing, landmines have been a thorn on my side ever since I played the first Red Alert way back when I was a kid. Not only that, mines always fucked me over in the MGS games. And now mines are fucking with me in Valkyria Chronicles. Is there no end to this madness!?


Oh yeah, I haven't been updating recently. There are things eating up my time. Things like school, homework, doing stuff with my family, writing my fanfic, and the timesink that is VC. I don't know how far I am on VC, so, who knows when I'll finish it and start renting PS3 games again.

And yes, I am aware that there's a new volume of FMA out. However, I'm gonna wait until new volumes of other manga series I'm collecting come out; I like to purchase in bulk, you see.

Progress!

Chapter 3 of Mentor and Protege is now up at Fanfiction.net! One more chapter, and then I'm telling the Touhou fanbase about my product in the making!

In other news, readers, I can't bring myself to rent anymore PS3 games at the moment. I have a burning desire to play through Valkyria Chronicles to completion, so I bought it. I already bought my first PS3 game! And it's still a blast! However, don't expect me to play anything else for the time being.

But that's not all! I also bought the 4th season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I've been enjoying season 5 so far, but it's good to go back, refresh my memory, and also partake in Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life. (That title cracks me up every time. I'm laughing right now, even!)

But let's get back to Touhou fanfiction.Why am I writing my own Touhouverse? Aren't there already several good Touhou fanfics in English? Of course. However, there's always something in a TH fanfic that I'll disagree with. This isn't to say they're bad, no. Usually Dead, KimikoMuffin, and Mima of Shrinemaiden are fantastic authors, however, there's always something in a TH fanfic that'll make me think, "No, that's totally not something (name of character) would do." So I thought I'd create a version of TH with how I picture things. I'm not trying to "outdo" anyone, and I'm not interested in getting recognized, either. It's just something I feel like doing.

I don't have anything else to say. I have a Sunny marathon to continue.

let's talk stuff

I have an avatar on shrinemaiden now! I've made more than ten posts! I'm a real boy!

Speaking of which, I've made progress on my Touhou fanfic. I actually got unblocked on the next chapter. Once I've uploaded Ch. 3 and 4 on fanfiction.net, I'm gonna advertise Mentor and Protege on doujinstyle and shrinemaiden. Should spike up my viewership.

I've also been downloading more Touhou songs. Guess what I'm addicted to now?

Eirin's Clinic That People Queue Up For.

That's not even my favorite remix of Eirin's theme, and it's not even one of my favorite IOSYS songs either, and yet, I can't resist it! Why!? What is this power that some Japanese pop songs have over me!? I don't understand!

Half-Life 2: Episode Two, The Review

Yes, I finally beat the Striders. More on that, later.

Episode Two is better than Episode One. Unlike One, Two actually has new (and beautifully rendered) environments to explore, as well as a few new enemies to deal with. You get to drive a cool car, and there's more twists and turns in the storyline.

However, there's one fault. The Striders. There's a segment where you have to kill a bunch of Striders before they get to some base you have to protect. This segment was the most frustrating thing I've seen in a Half-Life game since Xen. That's right, I invoked the X word just now.

The only way I beat this segment was that I abused the Hell out of the save game feature. Since you can save whenever you like, that gives you, the player, power. Power you're gonna need. When I finally beat the Striders, this was my reaction:

"(sigh of relief) That felt like a final boss battle."

Guess what? I was right. Right after that, the game ends, on a cliffhanger, no less. Still, the Half-Life game I like to call Half-Life 2: Episode Zero is still better than Episode Two. It did have Striders, but not like this.

Here's hoping Episode Three is the end-all, be-all Half-Life experience.

Valkyria Chronicles; PLAY IT!

Valkyria Chronicles is one of the top 5 best strategy games I've ever played in my life. I can't do a proper review of it, since I couldn't complete the game when I rented it, but I can safely say, it's a must play.

But first, a disclaimer. This game is advertised as a "Strategy RPG." That is a half-truth. There are close-to-no RPG elements in VC. The Front Mission and Disgaea games have true RPG elements, not VC. This isn't a bad thing, mind you, just don't expect it to play exactly like Disgaea.

The game itself is innovative. When it's your turn, you move your units using command points. Whenever you move someone, the screen shifts from the map onto the battlefield, and you move your unit in real-time. Be careful, some enemy units can attack you during this period. You can attack once per command, so make it count. When you've used up your command points, (or if you end your turn early, thus saving your command points for the next turn) then it's the enemy's turn. You can't do anything here except wait. Once the enemy turn ends, it's your turn again. The game is more turn-based than real-time, but I like how Sega incorporated real-time movements. This separates VC from the rest of the pack.

The game's story is one of the best I've ever seen. It's basically an alternate-reality World War II. The Soviets Eastern Empire and the Allies Federation both want a piece of Belgium Gallia, and it's up to Welkin, a junior officer, to lead a squadron to protect his country. I can't go into too much detail, because of spoilers, and also because I haven't gotten that far yet, but what I have seen convinces me that VC is a work of high art. The characters are clearly defined, and you will feel Welkin's struggle to defend this homeland despite his inexperience. Unlike most Sega games, VC actually has decent voice-acting. Not fantastic, (I would've liked it if the dubbers put more "bite" in their delivery) but every voice is distinct, and you might recognize a few voices. (Look out for Bender, by the way.)

The soundtrack is really good. Okay, personally, Hitoshi Sakimoto isn't one of my favorite composers, but every one of his soundtracks always manage to have at least a few excellent tracks, and VC is no exception. Having a 5.1 setup helps, too.

When I'm done renting all the PS3-exclusives that I'm interested in, VC may be the first one I buy. Its combination of excellent gameplay, beautiful storyline, and neat soundtrack make it very appealing to me. Why no one else has been raving about this game is a puzzlement to me. Are gamers really only interested in shooters anymore? You can shoot people from a first-person perspective in this game, too.

Not Dead Yet

Ask any hardcore gamer what they think of Service Games, better known as Sega. Inevitably, you will hear phrases like, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." "Jumped the Shark." "A burnt out husk of what it used to be." As hard as it may be to believe, Sega was once one of the most respected developers in the industry. Many of their games from the 1990s had cutting-edge graphics, awesome soundtracks, and innovative gameplay. Even after their departure from the console market in 2001, Sega was still going strong; the Gamecube port of Sonic Adventure 2 was once the best selling game for that console, and 2002 saw the release of Jet Set Radio Future and the Xbox port of Shenmue 2, two of some of my favorite games for the Xbox.

Then, 2003 roles along and . . . Sega just lost its mojo. Oh sure, the Sonic the Hedgehog games still sell in droves, but what was the last truly great game by Sega that you played? And don't say Sonic Advance 3, because that was actually made by Dimps, who seems to understand Sonic better than his progenitors now. Sega's biggest franchise has now become a laughingstock in the industry, and it seems the only notable releases they've made in the last seven years is re-releases of their older games, usually on compilation discs. It's not hard to see why; Sega has created many beloved games, both popular games, as well as cult classics over the years: Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Phantasy Star, the Sonic trilogy for the Genesis, Streets of Rage, Shining Force, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS into Dreams, among others. This isn't even mentioning the countless number of arcade games they've made. In fact, last time I went to a video game arcade, almost all of the games either made by Namco, Konami, or Sega. Obviously, Sega has, or had, clout in the past.

Nowadays, when gamers think of developers who churn out games with cutting-edge graphics, awesome graphics, and innovative gameplay, they don't think of Sega. They think of Nintendo, Square-Enix, Bungie Studios (as much as it pains me to print that last one, Bungie's clout in the industry is undeniable), Blizzard, and others. Well, when I name off respectable game makers, I'm gonna list the Sega of today from now on. You know why? Three words:

Sega. Is. BACK.

How do I know this?

I played Valkyria Chronicles for the first time.

Why it took Sega six years to churn out another AAA product, I don't know. But the truth of the matter is, Sega hasn't gone under; they were just hibernating. The Sega I knew from my past has re-emerged, with a vengeance. You can keep joking about 3D Sonic if you want; I'm gonna start showing my respect for this developer again.







Okay, yeah, I still don't like Sega as much as Nintendo, Namco, Blizzard, and old-school LucasArts, but still.

A preview of things to come . . . again

I rented another PS3 game. This game has caught my attention a lot more than Infamous did. I'm gonna write a two-part review for it. Yeah, two articles for a review, not just one. Look forward to it.

By the way, I can have an avatar on Shrinemaiden now. Now I won't look like a spambot anymore! Isn't that great!?

Oh, also, it's October now. Time flies when you're kicking ass.

Quick note

The first PS3 game I played was Infamous.

Infamous is not a ripoff of GTA. It is a GTA clone, and an effective one.

I can't say much about Infamous because I didn't get that far, but I can say this: I like how the karma system works, I like the sound design, I like the controls of the game, I like how your guy can scale up buildings with the greatest of ease, and while the enemies attacking you in-between missions does get annoying, you can "clean up the streets" to prevent their respawning.

I like it more than Crackdown for the 360.

Even though you can't drive vehicles, you don't really need to. I'll definitely rent this again.

P.S. I'm playing as a good guy in Infamous. I prefer to be loved, not feared.

It'll be done when it's done

I have a lot of things to talk about, including the first PS3 game I've played, but that's gonna come later. One thing at a time, folks.

For starters, Touhou. I've been writing my most recent Touhou fanfic some more. Here's the things, when writing Master and Protege, I have all these ideas in my head as to what's gonna happen when. Because of this, I've already completed parts of chapters that aren't the next chapter (chapter 3) yet. Rest assured, Ch. 3 is . . . well, I've been making progress, but it may be a while before I can actually update my series on Fanfiction.net. Maybe because I've been completing other chapters, my next update may include more than one chapter.

Oh, by the way, I started writing part 4 of A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing. However, I cannot publish that until I finish Mentor And Protege, because Part 4 of ATFAN contains spoilers for M&P, so . . . patience, my good readers. Quality takes time.

In other Touhou related news, I became a member of the Shrinemaiden forums. I swear, it's not to "pimp out" my Touhouverse. I'll be doing more than just that. However, curiously, you're not allowed to have an avatar until you write at least 10 posts. I'm up to 5 right now; halfway home! No one's ridiculed me yet, so so far, so good. I'm still wary of the large number of Touhou fanatics who speak so openly about what otakus call "2-D Love", but otherwise, I seem to get along with the fanbase so far.

Oh! Here's an update: Since I bought a PS3, I've gone nearly broke! Yeah, sacrifices were made when I got my Blu-Ray player latest acquisition of the game hardware maestros that are Sony's R&D Department. How far you people have come since the original Playstation. I almost feel like slapping myself for having been (and still being) a fan of old-school Nintendo. And what's really strange? I'm not being the least bit sarcastic. I love the PS2, and it looks like I'm gonna love the PS3, despite its limited number of exclusive games.

Blu-Ray in my very home

Okay boy and girls, you wanna know what the surprise is?

I bought a PS3.

A slim PS3.

Yes, my dear readers, I own another new game system now.





Well, okay, I'll be honest, I really only bought a PS3 so that my family and I can finally watch Blu-Ray DVDs now. I can safely say that movies on Blu-Ray have noticeably better graphics and sound qualities than standard DVDs. Be careful about that sound, though; Blu-Ray is even louder than ye olde DVDs; keep your remotes handy.

About 90 percent of the PS3's gaming library consists of games also available for the 360. That said, I did find a PS3-only game to rent, I'll tell you about it later. To be honest, the PS3's graphics aren't really any better than anything I've seen on the 360. Now, being tied with the best does still make the PS3 #1, in a sense, however, there's two major differences between the 360 and the PS3.

1: The controller. Gamers have bitched about the PS3 Sixaxis to no end. Why? it's wireless! And it can recharge! The R2 and L2 buttons do feel weird, but otherwise, it's just like the Dualshock 2 controller. And in my honest opinion, the Playstation series of controllers is still the best series of gamepads I've ever used, to this day. PS3 Controller > Xbox 360 Controller.

2: The sound. Boy howdy, that Blu-Ray makes a huge difference in the sound quality. Granted, my 360 also supports 5.1 surround, but I've never heard sound output like that from a 360 game. The game I rented had better sound output than most big budget movies have, and that's saying a lot. The PS3 has better sound output than even my PC games. I never thought I'd live to see the day that a game console can outdo my PC in the audio department. Well, it happened. The PS3 has the best sound EVER for a game system.

So I'm pretty psyched about the whole deal. I know the "Slim" PS3 has no backwards compatibility, but my PS2 still works perfectly, so I don't care. Look forward to articles on PS3 games now.

"Don't push the Green Button."

Today's title is a reference to Rocko's Modern Life, another kid-friendly cartoon series I genuinely like. However, that's not the subject right now.

Pushing buttons is. Namely, pushing my Berserk Button. (How many times am I gonna use Tvtropes tropes in my blog?) I have two kinds of things that can set me off; Mild Irritants, and Things That Really Do Make Me Visibly Upset. Let's go over them, since I have time to kill.

xm0123's Mild Irritants That Drive Him Up A Wall:

1. Say that any video game that isn't M-rated, doesn't have guns, and doesn't star an uber masculine character is "gay."
2. Practice the Fine Art of Dub Hating.
3. Say that something sucks simply because it's popular with "normal people."
4. Claim that music from video games is not "real music."
5. Swear up and down that Youmu Konpaku is a fangirl. Actually, say anything negative about any fictional character he likes. Go on, try it.
6. "I only got into Sailor Moon because Sailor (whatever) was hot." Variations of this phrase also drive him nuts.
7. Online Gamers. Just . . . Online gamers.
   

Things That Really Do Make xm0123 Visibly Upset:

1. Bigotry in all of its forms.
2. Anti-intellectualism.
3. Close-mindedness.
4. Anyone who doesn't respect you just because you like something they don't like. Or vice versa.
5. Abusive people.
6. Exploitative people.
7. Mendacity.

Don't practice any of the seven items on my Things That Really Do Make Me Visibly Upset List, unless of course you want me to immediately lose all respect for you.

Oh by the way, I got a surprise for you, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. You see, I have school soon, so . . . bye!

Potpourri of the Cosmos

I'm sad to say that I don't like Metroid: Zero Mission as much as Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid. Sure, Zero Mission is a lot more playable than the original Metroid, and it's not a bad game by any means, but it's just not doing it for me.

But now, Metroid. Unlike some game series, Metroid is known for having a strong sense of continuity. I actually appreciate this. Some game series don't, and while I'm hardly an individual who plays games for story (with few exceptions, I'm actually the opposite), you know there's something wrong when someone is trying to tell a real story with a game series, and yet, some aspects of the plot are incompatible from game to game. That doesn't happen with Metroid.

But there are still a few things about Metroid that, well, just bug me. And I don't think I'm alone when I say this.




{Somewhere in a dark place in the far future (sometime after Super Metroid, but before Metroid Fusion and "Other M" to be exact), Ridley and Kraid are having a conversation.}

(Kraid) Hey.

(Ridley) Yeah?

(Kraid) Why are we called "Space Pirates"?

(Ridley) Because we raid cargo ships.

(Kraid) Yeah, um, I don't think we're really pirates.

(Ridley) What are you talking about? We raid cargo vessels that travel through outer space. If that's not the definition of Space Pirate, I don't know what is.

(Kraid) But there's the thing; we don't just steal from ships. Here's the thing, our enemy is the Galactic Federation, right? And we have declared war on them, right? However, if we were to launch a head-on assault on the Feds, we would lose to sheer attrition. So instead, we establish our HQ in the most impenetrable of planets, the kind of which are crawling with hostile lifeforms, and are filled to the brim with dangerous environments. From these planetary "bunkers", if you will, we launch hit-and-run attacks on the Feds. In the meantime, we seek leverage against the Feds by obtaining and manufacturing a biological weapon of mass destruction known as the Metroid. Considering all these things about us, do you know what the best term to describe us would be?

(Ridley) "Terrorists"?

(Kraid) Bingo. To the Feds, we are intergalactic terrorists.

(Ridley) Yeah, but if we're terrorists, what's our motivation? We're not religious fanatics, and it's not like we're trying to liberate anyone either.

(Kraid) Our motive? Simple! We're obnoxious douchebags who hate all humans and want to destroy the infrastructure of the Galactic Federation just to prove that we can!

(Ridley) . . . I hate you.

Yeah, whenever I read "Space Pirates", I replace it "Xeno Terrorists." And also, Samus seems more like a mercenary than a bounty hunter. How many bounties has she collected exactly?

Well anyways, that ends my talk of Metroid for now. Besides homework, I have nothing else to occupy my mind with, (unless if I wanna die 20 times over trying to kill Striders again) so I'll probably go back to writing my Touhou fanfic some more. I don't know when that will be updated, though.



































(Kraid) Hey Ridley.

(Ridley) Yeah?

(Kraid) You ever wondered why we're here?

(Ridley) Fuck you.

(Kraid) Hey wait, I just thought of something; aren't we supposed to be dead!?

(Ridley) Possibly.

(Kraid) Then how are we alive right now!?

(Ridley) That's a good question. I'm pretty sure She Who Must Remain Nameless has killed us several times now.

(Kraid) I think I know the answer to my question.

(Ridley) What?

(Kraid) The reason we're still alive? Time paradox!

(Ridley) That's retar-

-(Me) oMgWtFtImE pArAdOx!!1Onelolio!!!1

Metroid Fusion: My thoughts

Metroid Fusion is a really, really good game. It is worthy of the name, "Metroid," and it is worthy of Nintendo. Who says Nintendo's glory days only existed in the late 1980s and the 1990s?

The game's story is actually pretty good. There's a new enemy in this game, and for once, it's not the Space Pirates. Rather, it's an organism known as Parasite X. Parasite X can kill its host, and then assume its host's appearance, intelligence, and abilities. (Gee, you think someone at Nintendo likes a certain John Carpenter film a bit much?) Rather than an alien world, MF takes place onboard a space station where the X have gone rampant. It turns out that the Metroids were creatures created by the Chozo to kill off the X. Since Samus wiped out the Metroids on SR388, the X, now having no natural predator, multiplied and even took control of the station. Once again, it's up to space warrior woman Samus to save the day. A number of twists and turns occur throughout the story. For instance, we learn that Samus once knew a Federation commander named Adam, who's dead now, but is slated to appear in the upcoming Metroid game for the Wii. Don't expect anything Oscar-worthy, but the story in MF will intrigue you.

The game itself is solid. Samus moves faster than she did in earlier 2D titles. Not only that, she can grab onto climb, climb up ledges (and cleverly go into morph ball mode if the passage is too narrow), and can also climb (and shoot off of) ladders. Also, the infinite jump is easier to do in MF. These are welcome changes to the play control. Many of Samus' abilities return, as well as some new ones. My only complaint is unlike in Super Metroid, there is no X-ray scope. There are a lot of secrets in MF, and the X-ray would've made things easier for me. Other than that, control and gameplay is great.

Be warned though, the enemies in this game are more dangerous than in previous titles. Some of the minor enemies and a few of the boss enemies can inflict a lot of damage on Samus, forcing you to play at your best. Try to find every energy tank you can; you will need them.

Now granted, MF isn't quite as atmospheric as other Metroid games. The GBA's sound quality is nowhere near that of the SNES, so the ambiance of Super Metroid is lacking. Also, the space station just isn't as interesting to explore as Zebes was either. MF has good level design, yes, but it's hard to top the SNES classic. Nonetheless, there is one creepy touch I appreciate; in the game, the X create a clone of Samus dubbed the SA-X. The SA-X has all of Samus' abilities from Super Metroid, and even looks like how she did in that game. Throughout most of MF, you lack the strength to take on the SA-X head on, yet it seeks you out. Whenever the SA-X appears, you must hide. When it's present, the music becomes much creepier, and you can hear the metallic "clank clank clank clank" of the SA-X. In one instance, you must run past it, even though it can kill you in a manner of seconds. (Yeah, it kind of sucks when someone uses the famous Screw Attack on you!) Towards the end, you do finally fight the SA-X, but it was a surreal battle; it was almost like you are fighting yourself. Samus Aran versus . . . Samus Aran. I thought that was a great touch, a genuine set of moments of real horror.

Continuity-wise, this is the "newest" game. Who knows what lays ahead for Samus? Well, if it's more quality games like this one, then the future is bright. I have yet to play any of the 3D Metroids, but it's good to know that Metroid is still in top form in the 2D action-adventure genre.

Final Score: 10 out of 10. A tiny bit less fun than Super Metroid, but still one of the best "Metroidvania" games out there. Also one of my top 5 favorite GBA games. Play it if you haven't!