Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all the folks who have stuck with me throughout this year. I’ve been somewhat behind when it comes to posting on this blog but at least I got something for you all now. Here are the tunes.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (Wii U VC):
So yeah this was meant to be in the last blogg but I decided to take my time with this one as I wanted to at least do 2 playthroughs before I considered it beaten. Castlevania III takes the series back to the castlevania 1 linear style but mixes things up with branching pathways and multiple playable characters. This gives you a lot of choice in how you play the game but you could end up screwing yourself over if you pick a character that you can’t gel with. Sypha is perhaps the most broken character in this game with the homing blue balls of magic making this entire game fairly easy. Well easy in comparison anyway, even when taking the path of least resistance this game won’t hesitate to kick your ass. In an era of save states this isn’t so bad and I found myself enjoying the gameplay while avoiding any major frustration. My second playthrough was less taxing despite the increase in difficulty due to experience, and it was quite interesting to see how many different stages were put into this game, with a lot variance and creativity to boot. I decided to call it quits halfway through my 3rd playthrough since I had seen all the stages and characters in action by that point. Overall I think this is a great looking game for its era with and excellent soundtrack and some really addictive gameplay that often kept going long into the night. It’s tough though so while I do recommend it I think you might be better off playing the first game to gain experience.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (3DS):
Ace Attorney is always a great time. So far each game has been worth playing and I’ve enjoyed each of them to some extent (Yes that includes AAI2 and Apollo Justice even though I think they were lacking in areas). Spirit of Justice is no exception and is a game that easily holds it own against the rest of the series. Taking place after Dual Destinies this game takes the story in a different direction while also expanding on some of the main characters backstories. The returning cast is balanced with a new gallery of quirky characters and an entire new setting. The story is good by my book and while I did find myself predicting most things ahead of time there were still twists that even I didn’t see coming and I’m glad I was kept on my toes. The soundtrack is fantastic as per usual and the setting introduces some new sounds that allow this soundtrack to stand out a little bit since it does borrow heavily from Dual Destinies. If I have any negatives it’s got to be Case 4 which is almost inconsequential to the rest of the game and seems to be somewhat lost in translation. It’s not the worst I’ve seen but it felt rushed as hell. Anyway it’s a small fault and it doesn’t at all stop me from recommending this game. It’s fantastic.
Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta (Anime):
A fairly simple comedy anime with a fairly large romance element. The anime follows an MMO couple who get together in real life and various miscommunication ensues. It’s standard and doesn’t exactly wrap up nicely but it’s endearing to an extent, and has the potential to be something more if another season is ever made. It wasn’t bad but I can’t recommend it to newcomers to the medium.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movie):
The very first scenes of this film are shot in a rather weird way that makes it hard to follow. However the film eventually starts to follow a more conventional pace and properly introduces the characters. Thankfully it’s a fun little movie that ends up feeling different to the Harry Potter films while also keeping all the necessary elements in to keep it within the same fictional universe. I found the ending bitter and sweet, leaving me curious as to the future of these characters. I think it’s worth at least renting at some point, assuming people still rent movies anyway. It’s got a pretty good soundtrack as well.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Movie):
I’m having difficulty with this one. I liked it for the most part and it had some of the best action scenes I think I’ve seen in this franchise. It made the threat of the Empire feel a lot more real, from the looming Death Star to the casual onslaught of AT-ATs. However I can’t help but agree that these characters could’ve used some more fleshing out. For example were meant to care about the old dude with the metal legs? he just casually dies in a pathetic way and we really get no visible connection between him and the protagonist that makes us feel anything for her loss in this scene. The soundtrack is good but not quite up to the standard set by John Williams, it gets bloddy close at points though and I think this composer has a lot of potential for greatness. The film tries a serious and dark tone which I quite liked and while time is yet to show if this is better than the Force Awakens it at least does something slightly new (somewhat ironically I guess) and most certainly puts the prequels to even further shame. Make sure to check it out if can, that is if you haven’t already, so you can make up your own mind. Of course if you somehow haven’t yet watch the original trilogy first.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Syukufuku wo (Anime):
Another anime set in a fantasy world that seems like a bloody MMO. Thankfully this is a comedy and considering how much I enjoyed Overlord I was hoping this would be good. Well it kind of is, it’s a fairly hit and miss comedy and while it did keep me entertained I can’t say it’s one I highly recommend. It’s rather short and some characters are introduced poorly but it may be worth watching if you’re wanting a comedy in this setting. Not bad.
Pokemon Moon (3DS):
While I was quite engaged by this games story portion and unique setting, it’s showing a lack of staying power. While I haven’t personally completed all of the post game content just yet it’s obvious that it’s nowhere near as expansive as the post game of ORAS or HGSS. In fact all I have to do is round up some Ultra Beasts and Zygarde Cells and it’s pretty much back to hatching Rowlet eggs for me. In terms of music and visuals I think this may be one of the best games as it exudes charm and variety. While I do miss the more blocky traditional look I can’t deny that this looks much better overall. The story has some interesting characters and themes but it felt like it needed a bit more punch to it, however as far as pokemon goes this is great storytelling and character development. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about most of the gameplay changes just yet and quite frankly if I went over all them I’d be wasting a lot of my time. Suffice to say the biggest flaw is probably the internet features being unnecessarily complex, although a lack of triple battles is also a negative in my book. If anything the game needs more content and luckily PokeBank should be filling some of that void in future. While I do recommend this game highly I would like to encourage you to ask me specific questions about this title so you might get a more fleshed out opinion from myself.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (Anime):
I never quite know what to expect from Jojo’s but I’m almost always pleased by this fun and often intense anime. It’s such a good time with fantastic visuals and a kicking soundtrack. This particular season feels a lot lighter at the start but gets pretty damn intense all the same. Hell I don’t think there’s much I want to disclose about this series since it didn’t really do much negative in my eyes, and anything positive could be a spoiler. As previously I highly recommend this anime as a whole which not only includes Diamond is Unbreakable but also all the previous parts. If you do just go with the flow.
Allied (Movie):
This movie does contain some sex scenes so consider that a warning to those sensitive to such material. I would describe this film as a romantic/thriller as I found myself on edge for majority of the film. It wasn’t bad at all and found myself actually slightly emotionally moved by the ending. I recommend giving this a watch at some point unless romance is a turn off for you, but there’s a really solid story here in my opinion and it didn’t feel all that sappy so even those folk could probably sit through it.
All right it’s done. So yes the year is over soon and I hope you found enjoyment in this last blogg of 2016. Soon I’ll do the usual list crap so keep your eyes pealed for those posts. In the meantime you can enjoy these pictures while I slowly drift into sleep.
Chaos_Metroid BLOGG 