It feels like this one has taken me ages, however I hope this Chaos Blogg has something you might find interesting. I also want to briefly mention that I’m going through some rough stuff at the moment thanks to my own brain being a complete douche, which may have an impact on the review things. Also if you recognise the pun in the title I’m sure you could possibly guess some of the content in this Blogg. Anyway hope you enjoy these remixes, lets keep going.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (DS emulator on PC):
I remember mourning that this game wouldn’t see a translation years ago, as Capcom kept this game from leaving Japan. It was a bummer because well Investigations 1 was my favourite game in the franchise and felt a lot more involved than most of the games in this series in terms of pure gameplay, it also had a well paced story and wasn’t alienating to newcomers (most characters in that game were new with only a few characters reoccurring). Investigations 2 was finally translated by the fans and a Beta patch was released just this year. For the most part the fan translators did a great job in bringing out the games charm and they put in quite the bit of effort with adjustments to the credits and even their own sound-files used for the new characters. Of course it’s not all peachy as the translators let in some horribly dated and unfunny references *cough*attackontitan*cough*pacificrim*cough* which make some lines reek of 2012/2013. Some of the fan voices also didn’t really suit the characters at all (Judge Courtney for one), however considering we’re talking about fans here I’d say it’s pretty good work. Anyway as for the game itself well for starters it looks just as fine as Investigations 1 and the new characters are most well designed in that regard. The music is freaking amazing, even by Ace Attorney standards which is pretty freaking high. There’s some remixes and reused tracks but most of it is new stuff and this new stuff has this vibe that feels a little more ‘rock’ (I really don’t have the proper words for it). Gameplay wise AAI2 feels much more restricted than AAI did, and while I don’t think linearity matters too much with the Ace Attorney series as Dual Destinies proved I do think AAI’s strength was that it felt like you had a decent amount of control. In AAI2 things are a lot more simple you investigate a specific crime-scene, cross-examine people and then repeat as the story moves you to a different location. It’s not much of a problem but it removes some of the agency the player had previously or at least the illusion of agency. Logic Chess is a nice addition to the game although compared to a lot of similar segments it’s rather easy although the time-limit provides pressure. As for the games story and plot well this is where I feel it’s either a love it or hate it kind of deal, as AAI2 tries very hard to raise the stakes with each case to somewhat ridiculous levels. Naturally as these games go on the stakes get higher and the drama gets heavier but by Chapter 3 it seriously felt like the game was in endgame territory and quite frankly that was the best case in the game (I’d say it’s pretty important to the overall series as well). AAI2 also tries to create a far more interconnected plot meaning the story itself gets a little convoluted, and although it’s still a blast and the drama is high it gets bogged in it’s own scale at times removing some of the satisfaction of solving the various mysteries these games normally present. In that sense it’s a bit of a double-edged sword and it’s what makes this game rather unique. I’d also like to mention the games focus on bringing back more and more characters from old games. Normally it’s nice to see characters returning because well it’s often balanced with a whole bunch of new characters, however by the time you reach the end it’s ridiculous just how many characters were bought back for no real justifiable reason other than to tie itself to the main series (like it wasn’t even subtle). In the end though Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is still a good game, but in terms of the Ace Attorney series it’s about the second worst only just above Apollo Justice and it’s dumb-ass time travel paradox shit. Really though it’s no going to cost you much to form your own opinion on the matter and there’s still plenty to love about this game after all is said and done.
The Giver (movie):
I read this book when I was in high school, that was a long time ago and my memory was rather fuzzy when I watched this but it did manage to connect with what little I do remember about the book. Of course judging a movie to a book isn’t something I want to do here and on it’s own merits I don’t think The Giver was a bad film at all. In fact I’d say it’s a decent movie that’s perhaps even borderline good. I will admit though that going in I wasn’t really expecting much and well it managed to jump over the bar I had set for it. The soundtrack is beautiful, and the use of colour through-out the film was nice and I like how it subtly it changed as the movie went on. In terms of presentation it was neat and the story was fairly solid, although it does feel like the movie rushed things at times. I really don’t have much to compliment outside of perhaps the piano scene and perhaps the conflict between the giver and the douche canoes at the end, as I felt it conveyed emotion well enough to the point where I felt some emotion towards the story. I also only have one real criticism and that’s the scene where they SPOILER kill a baby END SPOILER I don’t think they needed to show that scene in detail especially when they don’t really show anything similar in nature within the film. It was a huge contrast to the rest of the movie and to me felt like it was there for just shock value. In fact I’m pretty sure the audience would have got the conveyed message if you just showed the needle and then cutaway to the reaction of the main characters. Of course that’s mainly because I also felt that the scene as it was, was rather tasteless. Anyway if you think you’d handle it then I can recommend it, but this isn’t a high priority film.
Super Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PSVita):
The first Dangan Ronpa was #5 in my top 10 last year and well it had earned it’s spot with providing an addictive game, charming characters, a wonderful narrative and unique visual style and soundtrack. SDR2 has most of these things as well, however in terms of story and gameplay it’s inferior to original game. But why is that well gameplay wise you can do more things which is a plus but a lot of these things aren’t much fun, for example the mechanic of exploring the island is just dull and might as well have been a menu screen as it’s only purpose seems to be for a tamagochi mini-game (I guess it’s optional but still). The class trial segments have also seen new content added, most of which is fine like the Logic Drive and the ability to affirm as well as negate testimony (In fact these are pretty neat). However the hangmans gambit and Rebuttal showdown are just kind of annoying, and I’m not sure why they changed hangmans gambit anyway as it was fine as it was in the original. Of course these gameplay complaints aside it’s still very much the same experience as the first game with a different story and set of characters (Also yes the visuals and sound design are great, just in case I forgot to address that). The story is a mixed bag, with some of the best chapters but also some of the worst chapters. Chapter 3 for example was horrible in that a lot of stuff wasn’t explained and it’s only at the end of the game when this chapter makes sense, although it doesn’t make up for how unsatisfying and unpleasant the chapter was. On flip side there’s stuff like Chapter 4 which I thought handled characterisation really well and was perhaps the most fun to solve. SDR2 is very much a roller coaster experience of story quality which makes it inconsistent compared to the first game that was solid pretty much all around. However I will say that I think part of this came from the fact that people have been spoiling this game like crazy for me and it’s pretty annoying how casually huge spoilers are thrown around for this series, so if you plan to play these games be extra cautious about spoilers. One thing SDR2 did well is characters and characterisation (except a certain someone in chapter 3 like wtf), a lot of these characters are well written although I don’t think I like them as much as the previous games cast (a few exceptions of course). There’s also some extra modes, one of which is a strange action minigame starring Usami the games comedy mascot character and the other is a dating sim/work management game that allows you to get to know the characters better (Including the dead ones) which has it’s sweet moments. (Hmmm I seem to have neglected mentioning the core premise of the game) Just to back track for newbies this is indeed a game where you solve murders and mysteries, similar to Ace Attorney but also with some elements of the Zero Escape series. That said if you haven’t go check out the first one (I recommend setting the voices to Japanese) and if you like what you see the move on to this one. It’s a bit of a downgrade but I’d say it’s still worth playing and is overall a good game.
No Game, No Life (Anime):
What do I think of No Game, No Life? Well to be honest at this point I’m kind of indifferent towards it. I was neither impressed or annoyed out of my wits end by what I saw and overall it’s a mediocre anime with some potential. Funnily enough a certain MyIGNer mentioned this anime after my review of Nisekoi and said that many of the things I said about Nisekoi applied to this anime. While there’s truth to that as both of these shows are good looking, rather shallow and have no end in near sight I don’t think that does this show justice since this show actually has a plot and some sort of drama. For starters No game, No life takes place in a fantasy world where all conflict is resolved through games instead of war. This means the protagonists have a goal and while the plot is rather simple and perhaps generic it at least tries to draw in the viewer. The games themselves have at least an illusion of strategy between the characters and the ‘pulling shit out of thin air’ has been done better elsewhere but it’s somewhat entertaining here. The soundtrack is decent and the characters aren’t that bad. However I can’t quite recommend this one when there’s so much better stuff out there, and I don’t see myself returning to this one in a hurry.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders First Half (Anime):
Wait wait wait Chaos, didn’t you already review this? Also what do you mean by First Half? Well no I haven’t reviewed this yet since Stardust Crusaders is Part 3 of Jjba while the ones I reviewed previously were only parts 1 and 2. As for the First Half part well Part 3 is much bigger than Part 1 and 2, and from my sources is around 50 episodes which means at this point that it’s halfway complete. I decided to watch the first half now because of reasons that I myself don’t quite understand. This series takes place in the 80’s sometime after the events of Part 2 and introduces the concept of the Stand, which is a physical manifestation of a persons spiritual energy (at least that’s how I remember the characters describing it). The Stand kind of replaces the Ripple from the previous series and is front and centre most of these episodes. In that sense it’s a lot more formulaic than the previous series and it can get a little predictable but they seem to have done that on purpose for comedic value and it’s acknowledged somewhat by the characters. The bat-shit crazy charm is still there though and the show is still highly entertaining, with a wonderful soundtrack, excellent visuals and endearing characters. Not every episode is going to hit the mark though and there was one time where I was left a little queasy. It hasn’t quite reached the same level of entertainment as Part 2 did bar for a couple of episodes (6 and 12) but I guess that’s like comparing Gold to Platinum. The first half of Part 3 is a solid anime and still some of the best stuff I’ve seen all year, if you’re curious go check out Part 1 and 2 and then decide if you want to continue, and for those who have seen that much and plan to continue you’re most likely going to enjoy this. Even if Jotaro’s adventure doesn’t have quite the same amount of brilliant bullshit as Joseph’s. Note: Brilliant Bullshit is a compliment.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS):
10/10 it’s Okay
Seriously though I had everything typed up and just as I saved my internet decide “lol, I better shit myself” pretty much deleting everything I had written. Honestly I can’t fucking remember it was exactly that I even wrote, and I’m just fucking lucky that I was able to recover what I did. So what did I say about Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Well I pretty much said it was a well made that’s good for short daily spurts and not much else, and that personally I just didn’t have the commitment or attention span to invest more time into this one.
The music is relaxing, the characters are cute and the so is the art-style. It’s all very simple but charming and while I don’t recommend it for everyone if you’re into similar types of games it’s probably worth your time. As for complaints well all I can really say is that I don’t like fish, that the bugs make some annoying noises when you wear headphones and that the mayoral stuff feels a little extra pointless at times. Anyway I might go back to it around Halloween so if you want me to do that let me know and I’ll get ready for the guilt trip. If no one wants me to do that though I’ll move on to the likes of Fire Emblem and Luigi’s Mansion… hopefully doing a much better review than this one. Anyway I’m going to try and finish this up now so I don’t have to put up with more bull shit. I really am sorry but I’m tto tired write all that crap again.
So aside from that last one I hope you enjoyed this blogg, I plan to do another video review soon so please stay tuned for that. And to apologise for the fuck up here’s some pictures. Seriously though feedback is helpful people. Also if you actually want to talk about Animal Crossing New Leaf then feel free to do that in the comments as well.
Chaos_Metroid BLOGG 