Soulcalibur 5 Musings

I haven't honestly been excited for a Soulcalibur title since the days when II was announced back in 2003. After II came out it was like a rebirth of something beautiful. The gameplay was slick, the characters looked amazing and were weird and everything was right with the world. Namco had done an amazing job and suddenly there was a decent competitive weapons-based 3D fighter out in the world. Thing were looking up for the franchise, but it wouldn't stay that way for much longer...

So, after the hype train and amazingness that was Soulcalibur II, 2005 rolled around and we were taken for another TALES OF SOULS AND SWORDS. But sadly, this road wasn't as slick or as golden as our previous venture. In fact, Soulcalibur III was fun, but still a major letdown. The core gameplay mechanics were alright, however the game lacked a bit of the depth and intensity of its predecessor. In a way, it really felt like a step backward. Sure the graphics had improved and they were trying out some new features, but the combat was sluggish. Delaying moves to expand an already expansive arsenal? Way to buffer something with nothing! Anyways, I digress. So, I'm going to skip over my bitching about Soulcalibur IV and just say this: it sucked.

Okay, so why am I hyped for V? Well, first off the usage of meter. This is a super simple, but realistically an interesting mechanic. First off, it was amazingly gimmicky in IV and only used to be flashy at an opponent. However, for V they've really overhauled it. First off, you can preform EX moves and Critical Edges which act like Supers in the SF series. Guard Impacts now cost meter as well, which I think will add a much-needed tactical element to the series. Any game that requires good meter management skills gets a decent rating in my book. But really, it's about how combat looks. It feels fresh enough without having to fall back too much on IV's cheese. Overall, I'm impressed and what's more is that I'm actually somewhat stoked for the new characters, given that Sophita's death is a bit of a downer. Any who, here's hoping for a good game.

Hype 4 Mah Fightan Gaems

So recent news has announced Heihachi, Rolento, Lili, Zangief, AND the new Pandora system. Heihachi looks to play pretty beastly and seems to have Makobro's red mode. His counter seems very useful and very powerful, watching it catch Rolento's knife was pretty badass; plus it doesn't deal any recoil damage so far. Rolento looks to have some of his neat tricks from the Alpha series including the deadly baton twirl. He's got an Ibuki style knife projectile and has an amusing ultra. Lili seems to fit right into the 2D sphere perfectly. She's armed with her little twirl mix-up, which looks pretty useful, and has some amazing dive kick moves. Zangief makes his appearance in very traditional Zangief fashion. Nothing super special from him, though he can combo a little bit more thanks to ground bounces.

While I was mostly excited for Heihachi and Rolento, I gotta say that Lili really look me by surprise. She looks to be incredibly fun in this game, and I recognize her Tekken move list (I use to main her in Tekken 5: DR). The Pandora system seems like X-Factor at first, but the fact that you immediately die right after the duration makes it feel a bit more balance. However, I'm still irked that something that is in the game. I'll get use to it I'm sure, but I still don't like that it's there. Not because I sense a level of overpoweredness with it, but rather that I feel it may be unnecessary. If anything I hope that you can do matches with Pandora disabled.

TGS2011, wish I could go! DAMMIT. But still, it's on till the 18th so more vidya madness to come!

Slow Week, Slow Month

It's been slow lately. I'm kind of itching for the end of this season as the only shows I've really kept up on are Tiger & Bunny, Nichijou, Mayo Chiki, Hanasaku Iroha, and Kamisama no Memochou. Well, I mean to say I've been seriously enjoying those shows, but lately I've been lusting over the upcoming OVAs.

I've also been playing catch up with some older releases that I've been meaning to jump into. Recently, finished You AreUmasou, which is the anime version of Land Before Time. It was very enjoyable actually, though I warn you that it is in essence a movie for kids. There is nothing super fucked up that happens or anything like that, rather it's a HEART-warming journey (watch the movie to get the reference) about a BIG JAW who is raised by a plant-eater (but seriously, I can't tell what the fuck dinosaur the 'plant-eater' is supposed to be). It's not bad, but it's also not so stellar that I'd slap my cock at you if you hadn't seen it.

Also in the anime cinema scene, I recently watched the Nanoha movie. I know, I know, 'fag got no self-respect watchin' loli magic girl shit.' Well, fuck you too! Seriously though, Nanoha is not for everyone, just like ANY OTHER MAGICAL GIRL SHOW. Sometimes I can honestly recommend one to a friend, like say Puella Magi Madoka Magica (SHAFT FAG DETECTED), but for the most part I tell people it's nothing beyond Sailor Moon rubbish.... Rubbish that I absolutely love! Nanoha is kind of different... in the sense that there is something entertaining to watch in-between the pseudo-friendship/lesbian plot centering around two underage girls and that's this: the fight scenes. If you are a fan of aerial combat or bullet-storm games (look up the Touhou games and see a whole another fandom you can hate) then you are in luck. Nanoha's magical girl fights are some of the best in the industry, and they're not half-jet like in Strike Witches (not sure if that's a good thing for some of you). You get to see super saiyan-level beam fights all the time. It's pretty good shit, but other than that you can skip through most of the movie as the underlining thing is friendship and mother issues. Even still, it may be worth a watch if you can stomach it.

Well, that was it for me. Maybe I'll prep a short review of You Are Umasou? Maybe not. Whatever. OUT.

REDLINE

Warning: Screenshots do NOT do the film any justice.
Also, spoilers. Deal wit it.

So Redline. Where do I begin with this one? How can I begin with this one? Oh wait, I know. It's with this one word: awesomefucktits. This shit is off the walls nuts while still being insanely fun! Redline is a marvelous example of an animation that can tell a visually stunning story while simultaneously body-slamming itself deep within our guts rupturing our awesomeness glands. Madhouse really took it a step further when they finally released this beautiful masterpiece and because I never got to see it when it first came out I'll say that the wait was definitely worth it.

Sweet JP, our main character. Crashin' cars like it's casual.

When you get right down to it, Redline is a movie about one thing: RACING. Okay, really it's about LOVE. The love of animation for something like racing taken to the most extreme levels of pure unfiltered unadulterated pleasure. Redline certainly wasn't made for its deep and riveting plot, rather it's a celebration of all the cool things you can do with 2D animation. From the wacked up character designs to the immensely over-the-top action, Redline aims to please your eye muscles and let me tell you, it's a damn good workout.

Some JP vs Sonoshee action.

The story itself is pretty bland when you read it over on paper. Our tale follows main character "Sweet" JP as he tries to be taken as a serious racer in the open universe. Well, things aren't so SWEET for JP and his childhood friend and team mechanic Frisbee as they owe most of their money to a mafia boss. Throw in some jazzy side characters, including Trava from Takeshi Koike's previous work, mix in some insane RoboWorld sentai-esque villains, include some Akira level TETSUO!!, blow your face up with amazing visuals, and top it all off with a highly spectacular soundtrack and somehow you get the something that is Redline.

Our REDLINE racers. 

RoboWorld's colorful villains, including Negaverse Robot Captain America.

One thing I really want to commemorate Redline for is its pacing. You aren't super overwhelmed with too many extended action sequences because the film gives you frequent breaks. Something about most movies these days that drive me up the wall (no pun intended) is that there aren't many breaks from the action. If you don't take a break once in a while then even the most hotblooded and hyper-intense scenes begin to lose their edge. Redline is simply brilliant at this because every so often we get a chance to see what the RoboWorld officials are plotting, how the crowd is reacting, and what the fuck the magical princess is up to.

Some light romance between our stars. 

 The best way to start any car race: 

plummeting from a dropship as thousands of guns are firing at you.

Fuck your rockets, I got a gun!

Another point I wanted to touch upon with this movie is that it makes no excuses and doesn't take itself too seriously. Tons of random shit occurs and for the most part we aren't given any explanations. Sometimes shit just happens. I mean the whole plot surrounding RoboWorld's Zone X7 and their bioweapon Funky Boy seems like it's its own movie that was interupted by the Redline race. Hell, there's even a rebel faction that's trying to unleash Funky Boy and turn it against RoboWorld's president, but our movie here doesn't give a shit and just blasts on by. Then there's the magical Supergrass royal family and the Super Boins sisters. They have magic. And what the fuck? Seriously this movie takes many MANY creative liberties for fun!

Crying gives him power.

Machine Head being a machine head.

Boob Car Mech Thing. Thanks Super Boins sisters!

 Giving literal meaning to the phrase: "Winning by a hair."

My final assessment? If you haven't seen it yet, GO NOW. Don't stop. Don't turn around. Don't even think about not doing it. Just fucking watch this flick! Worth it. Every second. LOVE. The End.

LOVE.

Buying Time, Figures, and Video Games

So lately I've had a bit of a renaissance to Gundam model kits. You know the ones where you build them up and whatnot. Shit is fun as fuck. Not to mention that the Real Grade kits they've been announcing look pretty exciting. Any who, while it's not like I've actually ever stopped loving them, lately I just haven't been building many. I feel bad about it, but I'm progressively getting back into them. I've cleaned up my figure shelf and I'm damn proud of the what I've done with the front room. Even so, I still gotta organize all this junk I have! There are far too many anime/video game posters EVERYWHERE, not to mention the piles of figures, plushies, and all sorts of random shit.

Another thing that's been on my mind is the shear amount of video games (mostly fighting games) I've been getting hyped about. Recently, the new Deus Ex came out and I want to get my hands on a copy! Also, Dark Souls is going to be released soon and not to mention Arkham City and Skyrim and Dragon Dogma... but now let's talk about my secret passion: FIGHTAN GAEMZ. Yeah, it's a pretty big deal for me. I'm stupid excited for King of Fighters XIII, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Street Fighter X Tekken, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Skull Girls, and Virtua Fighter Fighter V Final Showdown. Plus, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition is getting a sweet sounding 2012 update patch AND Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Online JUST came out. JESUS, it's gonna be a busy few years for me being terrible at fighting games! I really hope a new Guilty Gear gets announced soon..

Am I distracting you from my Redline review? GOOD.

Sorry About the Hiatus AGAIN

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San Diego Comic Con International!

63.5 hours till Comic-Con, needless to say I'm pretty stoked. Dat feel man, dat feel. I'll be leaving for the drive to the convention in roughly 16ish hours. I hate this drive, but the final destination makes it all worth it. Even so, I've got a list of priorities this year. Most of which surround my fightan gaems! Basically, I'm going to make it to every Capcom and Namco-Bandai panels and every panel that has anything to do with fighting games. I've got my eye on the Street Fighter x Tekken machines they're going to having at the Capcom booth and I plan on hitting up Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

In the world of anime, I plan on hitting up Tsuneo Gouda. Yup, that's all I know from the anime world that will be there. Given that he's not REALLY anime guest. Even so, there's TONS of other things to do and check out. Lots of famous artists and comic book personalities will be there and I'll definitely have tons of fun. And I'll be able to get some face time with the Penny Arcade folks. Pretty fucking exciting!