Playin Pokemon White

Yeah, been busy playing the new Pokemon White. As usual, the original formula is still pretty much intact with several minor new features and little changes here and there. And of course, the graphics have improved and are very impressive. Buildings are pretty much fully 3D this time around, and the Pokemon sprites during battle are fully animated (finally).

There's nothing particularly interesting to mention, but just like series like God of War, its better to leave a formula that works. It's still the same Pokemon we've all grown to love, and its still fun. The new handful of Pokemon are interesting, but none of the new designs are particularly good. In fact, they've gotten a bit strange and unimaginative, especially compared to the older generations.

Finally, I thought I'd add: the girl character is waay cooler than the boy character. Normally it was just a given to choose the male, but this new "Hilda" design is definitely more appealing. I've actually chosen her for my first playthrough. Its interesting because a lot of other gamers and reviewers have had similar opinions about the player characters. But yeah, that's pretty much all there is to Pokemon White!

[PSP] Super Robot Wars Z 2

So I've never really been too big on the Super Robot Wars series, despite its enormous popularity. I guess I've always seen it as too fan-pleasing, since you tend to watch action cutscenes more often than play the actual game. Still, I've never totally given it a chance and I think I can really learn to enjoy it.

Thanks to some fellow blogs that have featured this series recently, I've taken some interest in the latest game: SRW Z 2 for the PSP. It really is all about the graphics and dynamic action sequences when you attack, and this game has some of the smoothest animation I've seen in the series. I also love the super-deformed artwork for the mechs. This game also got my interest because it features Macross Frontier, Gundam Wing, and Gundam 00. I'd love to see the mechs from these shows in action.

 

Apparently Z 2 is a direct sequel to a PS2 game, and is part of a 2-part release. I don't know anything about the story so whatever on that. I might try this game out soon, though the japanese is sure to give me a hard time. It doesn't really seem to stop anyone though. Any opinions on this series are appreciated!

 

Soul Braves: Real Stars of the Gundam 00 Movie

I only recently saw the Gundam 00 movie, A wakening of the Trailblazer, and I gotta be honest: I wasn't all that impressed. Not too many people were satisfied with it either, so I'm not alone. I think the main issue was that it involved aliens, which is a first for the Gundam series. These aliens were just soulless parasites and we really don't get any explanation for their existence. But besides that, the new Gundam designs were really, really bad. I thought the second season designs were a total downgrade, but these new designs are even worse. None of them appealed to me at all. The Qan't was slightly interesting, but still too plain. The ending was especially unsatisfying. The Qan't, which seemed to have some pretty incredible power, barely got any screen time. Then, the ending comes out of nowhere and it ends. No real explanation is given for what happens.

Still, one thing shined during the movie, and that was the Brave mobile suit. Graham Aker and his Over Flag was a true underdog and badass during the first season of Gundam 00, and the flag has come back to bring that same charm to the movie. The Brave is a successor to the flag unit, and totally kicks ass. As soon as it came out, the Soul Braves elite team saved Celestial Being's ass, showing off some incredible mobility, teamwork, and powerful weaponry. It was so entertaining watching them zip around and kicking alien ass, and they never really degrade to cannon fodder like the other GNX mobile suits. The Braves were the one thing that had a lasting impression on me.

I might even go ahead and buy the HG 1/144 model; its been so long since I've bought a model kit anyway. I bought the Over Flag after watching Graham kick the Gundam Thrones' ass, and the Braves have done the same thing to me!

CG Set: Black★Rock Shooter

To keep up with the occasion, I bring you Black Rock Shooter! This design really is awesome. When it comes to art, I've always been drawn to dark colors with tints of blue, and this design really works for me. This character represents my blog's theme too, so there you go. These aren't ecchi like my previous CG sets, its all for the artistic value!

Download Batch: http://depositfiles.com/files/aks6jgpgv

Black Rock Shooter OVA

So, I just watched the Black Rock Shooter OVA that came out awhile ago (I know, I'm always behind). This thing received a ridiculous amount of hype, and that really goes to show how much excitement a sexed up loli can bring out from otaku's. BRS started out as a simple character illustration, followed by a song sung by Hatsune Miku and a music video to tie in. The whole thing became so popular that they turned it into an OVA.

I'll keep this brief. The OVA stars Kuroi Mato, a girl starting her first year of junior high school. She meets a girl named Takanashi Yomi, and they quickly form a friendship that borders lesbian levels (gold for yuri artists). But eventually, Mato starts hanging out with another girl named Yuu, which makes Yomi extremely jealous. Then out of nowhere, Yomi disappears.

Nobody knows where she is, and she does not reply to anything Mato sends her. All along these events, we see short clips of Black Rock Shooter, who appears to be in a different dimension. She finds the Dead Master, who looks suspiciously like Yomi, and they engage in an epic battle. By the end of this battle segment, BRS saves her enemy from falling to death and effectively saves her friend.

If that sounds confusing to you...it's because it is. That is basically how it is presented. The fight between the mysterious BRS and Dead Master characters is never introduced or explained. Cut in between everything are a couple random segments of an unknown character that is presumably connected to Yuu. I guess we are to assume that Mato is connected to BRS, Yomi is connected to Dead Master, and their battle and BRS's eventual saving of Dead Master is supposed to represent their relationship in the real world.

The ending even seems to set up for a sequel, so maybe they'll explain the confusing parts with further episodes. But anyway, everyone seems to be very disappointed with this OVA, mostly due to the short, confusing plot. I honestly don't know what they are complaining about. The hype was hopelessly pointless, and this OVA was basically just made for fans to fap to while the merchandise sells. It does its job in showing the BRS in motion, and that's all that matters.

I mean, the animation and presentation were excellent; the battle sequences were particularly entertaining. The pastel backgrounds in the BRS world were very nicely made as well. Despite being confusing, it works as a stand-alone promotion for the Black Rock Shooter character.

I'm sick of this disparity

I just recently got back into blogging after almost a half year absence, and I've got to say...I'm amazed at how fast I'm being turned away by it again. Months ago, Ngee Khiong officially ended his blog citing reasons related to the progression of the Gundam community. I was a little confused by his reasons, but I think I'm beginning to understand.

Personally, I'm sick of this disparity between the old, Gundam embracing generation of fans, and the newer, younger fans. The first group is a group of long-time fans that often prefer the Universal Century timeline, and have a wider view of the Gundam series as a whole. The second group...is basically the teenagers who happen upon the very latest Gundam series and become new fans. This new group is incredibly troubling (and to me, very annoying) because the latest series have degraded into shounen action anime's similar to the likes of Naruto and Bleach. The fans they attract are the same mindless children that argue about "KAKASHI IZ SOOO MUCH BETTER THAN SASUGAAYYY" on online forums.

You can just imagine how idiotic the discussions can get. It began with Gundam Seed, when new fans were the majority, and all they could talk about was Kira and the Freedom Gundam. Then it moved over to 00 Gundam, with the magic Trans-Am powerups and innovators. I make my Gundam Top 5 posts to share my love for the long rich history Gundam has had over its decades old run, but all I run into is "WHAT ABOUT 00 GUNDAM AND ITS GIANT STRONGER THAN EVERYTHING WEAPONZ" comments. I can't keep this up if the trend is just "make it bigger, flashier, and more magical than the last show".

This disparity will continue if the trend continues like this, and I'll likely keep ignoring the new bullshit powerups that keep showing up in newer series. I'm not going to sell out and add things from the latest series just to appease the younger fans who only know how to appreciate the only series they've watched. That's all I really have to say...

The Playstation Network Outage

If you keep up with even the slightest bit of gaming news (or own a PS3), you'll know about the Playstation Network outage that has plagued gamers for about a month now. It's been pretty much the biggest hub-bub in the gaming scene as of late. In case you haven't heard about it, the PSN was basically attacked by a hacker collective known as Anonymous due in part to the George Hotz incident. The personal data of millions of PSN users (including credit card information) was compromised, and Sony was forced to shut the entire network down until they could re-work their entire security infrastructure and make sure there were no loose ends.

In the beginning, Sony had claimed that they could get the network back in a week, but that was extended further and further until it reached a full month. Fans were understandably angry, and they issued apology after apology whilst preparing a welcome back package to compensate for the downtime. I wasn't part of that angry mob, however, and I'll tell you why...

I was barely affected by the outage at all. Though I love my PS3, I was away at college for the entire time the PSN was down, so I never even got to play my PS3 except for the occasional saturday. But even when I was playing, I don't play any online multiplayer and Netflix still worked, so it wasn't a bother at all. I do like checking the Playstation Store and downloading demos though, and I've been wanting to buy the new game Outland, which is apparently amazing, so that's been kind of bothering me (the store comes back on the 24th). 

What I'm trying to say is, I don't share everyone's rage about the whole incident. I understand it is ridiculous for the entire network to be gone for so long, but there are worse things than not being able to play Call of Duty deathmatches online. Sony is obviously not willing to take any shortcuts whatsoever in order to insure that their network is resistant to hackers. Xbox Live will throw in the occasional patch to fix loose ends in their network, and that won't take more than a day. But what Sony is doing is re-building the entire security network into something much stronger than before. As long as it is for the better, I'm willing to give them as much time as they need.

I hate hearing all this "I'll never trust Sony ever again!" bullshit. I mean, really? Grow the fuck up. Shit happens, and they're taking every precaution to make sure it doesn't happen again. It's not even like you're entitled to it (PSN is fucking free). People are letting their anger over not being able to play games online cloud their judgment. Its sad really. It's back up anyway, so hopefully the shit storm dies down as soon as the Playstation store is back up.

Well, at least we get some free stuff as compensation. I feel like I'm just getting a treat because I didn't even care about the outage. Along with a bunch of other meaningless things, every PSN user gets to pick 2 out of 5 games to download for free! It's not just third-rate shit either. The choices are...

                                        Wipeout HD                                         Dead Nation

                                               inFamous                                   LittleBigPlanet

                                                                   Super Stardust HD

The obvious choices here are infamous and LittleBigPlanet, as they are two of the PS3's most acclaimed titles. I don't have either of them and I've been wanting to try them, so they are my choices. I already own Dead Nation, and I actually highly recommend it to people who own the other two titles. It's tons of fun to play with a friend, and just a great alternative to Left 4 Dead. But yeah...free games!

MG Epyon?! And Deathscythe Hell Custom...

I...am...so...BEHIND!! I knew this was going to happen when Ngee Khiong shut down. I haven't been able to catch up on any gunpla news so I just have no idea what is coming out or what has been announced. So just now, I have been freaking out because a couple of the most epic, fan-favorite Gundams are already being given the Master Grade treatment (one is already released).

The first, is pretty old news. I'm so ashamed for not knowing about it earlier. Here is the MG 1/100 Deathscythe Hell Custom EW! It is the most badass design from Endless Waltz next to the Zero Custom, and definitely looks amazing as a Master Grade. The model is basically the same thing as the Katoki Deathscythe that was released much earlier, with a different paint-job and some wings and shoulder parts. Still, it totally works and is worth getting. This is officially my number one priority choice if I manage to buy another model. Here are some pics:

Looks amazing, I will buy this and review it as soon as possible. But that's not the big news...the big news is the upcoming Master Grade version of the Epyon! Finally, right?! Well apparently, this is not the original TV version, it's another "Endless Waltz" version. Epyon obviously wasn't in EW, but this apparently the Epyon-II from a graphic novel sequel to Gundam Wing...or something. I've actually never heard of it. But it looks close enough to the original design, and it definitely looks amazing:

Very tempted to get this one too. Pre-ordering has already begun, and it is slated to release in June, so its very very close! That large beam sword is as epic as usual, and of course the heat rod is something to look forward to as well. 

Top 5 Most Annoying Gundam Characters

I've already honored some of the best characters in the Gundam universe, but one will find that there is actually a disproportionately higher number of annoying characters that clone themselves and spread out to every Gundam series. From whiny, emo boys, to shrieking psychotic bitches, Gundam has been host to countless intolerably annoying characters. This list is comprised of my opinions, and the opinions of the general fan populace. Get ready for some serious hating...

*Disclaimer: This list no longer reflects my views. It is very old and I do not plan on updating it. I don't actually hate Gundam Seed, and I never have. This list was mainly made for laughs. This is for people who are still stumbling upon this list and complaining.*

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5. Kamille Bidan 
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He does go on to become a psychic badass, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he was a stubborn little prick during the first half of Zeta Gundam. He runs around screaming about how everybody makes fun of his girly name, and kicks the shit out of people for it. This is definitely rather machismo, but who the fuck does he think he is. He's openly defiant about every law that ordinary people don't seem to mind following, and repeatedly steals mobile suits to go out and fight when everybody seems to yell at him for it. And does he feel sorry? Noo, he just whines and screams like a child. Ugh, and he's a nail-biter too. Thank god he ends up awesome as he grows.