tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8089212715233734312024-03-27T23:03:14.301-04:00The Shonen Otaku CornerWhen it comes to shonen manga, anime and games, there are few with as much knowledge and love as the Shonen Otaku. Join me as we look at the settings and characters that give us our favorite stories in both anime and gaming.Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-65302872083228410932024-03-19T00:00:00.002-04:002024-03-27T23:02:40.515-04:00Capcom vs. SNK: The King of Arcades: 1989<p>It’s 1989 and even though it hasn’t hit the start of the
next decade, you might consider this year to be 90s as hell. 1989 is when a lot of cornerstones of the era
got their start as they continued into the next decade. Tim Burton’s Batman movie changed the way
people looked at comic book movies and a few years later lead to the creation of Batman:
The Animated Series.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K_QBfJK73-o" width="320" youtube-src-id="K_QBfJK73-o"></iframe></div><p>Disney’s The Little Mermaid hit theaters, leading to what is called the
Disney Renaissance with several more iconic animated movies from the company in
the following years. In gaming, one of
the games I’ll be looking at, Final Fight, also set a standard for beat-em-ups
of the 90s. It was the transitionary
period to the new decade and both Capcom and SNK brought both their A-games and
B-games. Let’s see who comes out on top!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span></span></b></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/03/biff-pow-punchy.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-22507480583939146582024-03-11T20:56:00.001-04:002024-03-18T21:38:31.980-04:00Capcom vs. SNK: The King of Arcades: 1988<p>It’s 1988 and the pop culture swing of the era wasn’t quite
over yet, what with Die Hard, Bloodsport and even slasher icon Chucky in
Child’s Play all hitting theaters. Signs
of the move into the technological advancement era of the 90s started to
trickle in though, as a thing you might have heard of called the internet made
its very first official connection and Capcom brought out their new weapon in
the fight against SNK: The Capcom CPS.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bd/CPS_1.5_board.gif/220px-CPS_1.5_board.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="220" height="122" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bd/CPS_1.5_board.gif/220px-CPS_1.5_board.gif" width="200"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's more what you didn't see inside the cabinet that impressed.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal">The newfound power given by this mighty piece of hardware
would allow Capcom to be on the cutting edge, with more and bigger sprites and
better, clearer audio to make for gaming experiences not even the 16-bit
consoles that would come out a few years later could match.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SNK, meanwhile, hadn’t quite made that
leap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps bigger doesn’t mean better
and SNK can instead eke out a win this year with their charm and game design
alone, but it’ll be some stiff competition.<span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/03/i-am-heavy-capcom-guy-and-this-is-my-weapon.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-31476266694143994232024-03-09T10:23:00.007-05:002024-03-18T21:37:26.568-04:00Capcom vs. SNK: The King of Arcades: 1987<p><st1:place w:st="on">It's 1987 and out competitors are in full swing! This year we can see the start of Capcom's drift away from the shooty shooty bang bang games that have dominated the arcades, but SNK was still going all-in on the shooting action so I guess you can say they stuck to their guns. This isn't a competition for who made the most creative and genre-busting games though. This is for who made the best games. In other words, who is the year's King of the Arcades and</st1:place></p><p>who's bad?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lpZGF8uLDkY/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lpZGF8uLDkY/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Well, Data East, but that's not until next year.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><st1:place w:st="on"><span></span></st1:place></b><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/03/try-again-kiddo-athena-ikimasu.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-35027286855737509162024-03-03T20:18:00.002-05:002024-03-18T21:35:40.689-04:00Capcom vs. SNK: The King of Arcades: 1986<p>1985 was a year of shooty shooty bang bang arcade games and
that trend continues with 1986, but perhaps because they were aware of the
saturation of such games, this year saw some new innovations. The question then is who innovated and
polished their games the best.</p><p><b>Ikari Warriors(SNK)</b>: Ikari Warriors has a lot of the same
problems as its run n’ gun contemporaries of this time period, but makes enough
significant improvements to make it stand out.
It’s viciously unfair and brutal like the others, but unlike TNK3, the
Ikari Warriors can move a little faster and unlike Commando, bullets are bigger
and easier to distinguish. When the
enemies thinned out in between impossible to dodge onslaughts of deceptive
grenade blast radiuses and hails of endless machine gun fire, there were
moments of fun. Those 5-15 seconds of
not dying, dodging bullets while gunning down enemies and the grenade
trajectories cooperating gave me dopamine hits that were just frequent enough
to keep me going. It helps that it’s
also one of the nicest-looking games yet and there’s only 2 music tracks, but
the main one is long enough to make it not feel
grating and it’s an impressive bit of music for the time, with the
multi-layered music and backup drum beat.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpujv7B0_z0" width="320" youtube-src-id="qpujv7B0_z0"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span></span></b></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/03/round-2-shoot.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-46861449150547021072024-02-26T20:33:00.007-05:002024-03-18T21:34:17.334-04:00SNK vs. Capcom: The King of Arcades: 1985<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MEvHzx-nal0" width="320" youtube-src-id="MEvHzx-nal0"></iframe></div><p>At last the clash of the century begins. Capcom and SNK, having already established a
portfolio of modest titles, but 1985 is when things start to get heated. Something you may notice though is that their
games of 1985 are very… Shooty. In fact
all of them are either space shooters or military shooters. It could be a coincidence, but there was also
a very shooty movie that came out that same year.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8KnBrlBRYo4" width="320" youtube-src-id="8KnBrlBRYo4"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal">It’s entirely possible that the monster popularity of this
shooty movie influenced what games they were wanting to make. Just a hunch, but regardless of their
intentions, what matters here is how good they are, so let’s begin.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span></span></o:p></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/02/bang-bang-pew-pew.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-26580324655482872852024-02-24T09:58:00.004-05:002024-03-18T21:33:15.122-04:00SNK vs. Capcom: The King of Arcades: Introduction (1979-1984)<p>In a truly massive sale from the Humble Bundle, I recently
acquired a dearth of classic Capcom arcade titles and before that I had already
amassed a dearth of classic SNK arcade titles.
To add to that, I have access to a dearth of various classic arcade titles
through a chain of arcades all within driving distance and I have coupons for
them to boot. With such a massive
collection at my fingertips, I thought I’d do something fun.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I didn’t get to go to a lot of arcades back in the 90s and
when I did, I was such a small kid that I could barely reach the controls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when I could, I couldn’t really
appreciate what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that
I’m older and more experienced, I’m going back in time to the days of Capcom
and SNK’s rivalry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The days before
Sengoku Basara 4 or Mohammed Bin Salman; the simpler times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both companies were innovating and making
games of all types and genres, but now that I can assess the majority of their
catalogues, I can answer the question of which company I would’ve considered
the best of their day.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For this series of posts, I’ll be playing through both SNK
and Capcom’s arcade games by order of release, year by year, and judge which
company made the best games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For each
game I’ll be giving some of my thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some brief, but some a little more in-depth as there are a few I have a
bit of a history with to tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With over
100 of these games to play in total, I won’t be going in-depth on every single
one and each one will be judged by how much fun I have, regardless of the time
period.<span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2024/02/snk-vs-capcom-king-of-arcades.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-9696424395426934372023-09-10T16:33:00.003-04:002023-11-25T21:33:25.458-05:00The King of Fighters 15 Review Addendum: The Updates<p>It’s been well over a year since The King of Fighters 15 came out and right from the word go SNK has been adding update after update to
sweeten the deal, to the point that looking back on it, some of the information
in my review of it is dated. Some of my comments and complaints from back then
have been addressed and there has been so much added to the game that I think
it’s worth updating my thoughts on the game's content a bit and addressing what has
changed so that people reading about the game today have a better understanding
of its current state. Consider it an addendum of sorts to my review.<span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-king-of-fighters-15-review-addendum.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-3392114978295348182023-04-01T16:14:00.002-04:002023-04-15T13:29:54.196-04:00Learning True History<p>Like any medium, games have the potential to educate. Unlike a textbook, movie or documentary,
however, games have the unique property of being an interactive medium,
allowing for a whole new level of engagement.
When most people think of educational games, they think of the classic
educational games, particularly from the 90s, with games like the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Liberty</st1:place></st1:city>’s Kids game, the
Carmen Sandiego games, Zoombinis or the Cluefinders series. Nowadays most of us have moved on to more
traditional hardcore games, but the truth is that even those games have
something to teach us. More than you may
realize, in fact. Historical revisionism
is a pervasive issue in textbooks. They
are full of lies and disgusting sanitization, but games give us nothing but the
truth. The following are just a few
things games have taught us about <b>true</b>
world history over the years.<span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2023/04/fighting-history-revisionism.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-35779558267888370482022-10-02T16:49:00.006-04:002023-04-22T19:53:12.308-04:00Soulstice Review<p>Capcom and Platinumgames seem to be the center of attention on
the fast-paced hack and slash 3D action games nowadays. Since Kratos took it easy on the deicide to
be a dad, Bayonetta and Dante are the faces of the genre without much
competition. If there’s a big fast-paced
hack and slash adventure going on, it’s likely from those two companies, as
also seen with Nier: Automata and DmC: Devil May Cry. They’re good at that, but sometimes I got to
thinking that I wouldn’t mind someone else trying their hand at that style of
gameplay for once instead of all the games taking cues from Dark Souls that
keep coming up. Darksiders sure wasn’t
doing it for me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now in 2022 Reply Games Studios has taken that crack at it
with Soulstice, a fast-paced hack and slash 3D action game adventure that
doesn’t even try to hide its inspirations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This review is based on the PC version and was given to me
for free.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1602080/header.jpg?t=1664472550" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="215" src="https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1602080/header.jpg?t=1664472550" width="460"></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2022/10/Claymore-May-Berserk.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-15101542312393986002022-04-01T09:45:00.007-04:002022-11-28T18:31:56.499-05:00Steps on How to Get Gud at Fighting Games<p>In fighting games there are fundamental rules that carry
over into each other. Things like light
attacks being quick and weak, heavy attacks being slow and strong, super meters
being used for super attacks and overhead attacks hitting crouched opponents.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thinking within these fundamentals is the right way to
quickly latch onto the different fighting games there are in tandem with the
kind of things that go without saying, like reading your opponent and reacting
accordingly, but there are many techniques that go beyond the basic rules of
the game and can elevate a player from being simply “good” to being “gud.” These are the methods utilized both in and
out of the games that give a player that extra push into mastering fighting
games as a genre and earning the respect and admiration of their peers. With this post, I hope I can lead players
into that push so that we can all enjoy playing fighting games at the highest
levels of play. These are my tips and
tricks on how to get gud at fighting games.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l3HMALfodb8/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l3HMALfodb8/hqdefault.jpg" width="320"></a><span></span></div><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2022/04/not-a-scrub-stop-calling-me-a-scrub.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-77152812600193704642022-02-26T23:44:00.013-05:002023-09-10T12:09:20.419-04:00The King of Fighters 15 Review<p>When a new fighting game comes out, and especially a King of
Fighters game, it’s inevitable that comparisons will be drawn to The King of
Fighters 13. I used to give the title of
“Best Fighting Game of All Time” to a tie between KOF 11 and 13, but after years
of thinking I’ve tipped the scales onto 13’s side, even if it’s not as good
without 11 and 2003 to establish its story.
No fighting game since it came out has come close to its presentation,
music, story and flowing, perfected gameplay.
Not Guilty Gear Xrd, not Street Fighter 5 and not The King of Fighters
14.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The King of Fighters 15, however, comes close.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would post the game’s opening here, but there isn’t one
for some reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closest thing is a
short animated music video from the guy who directed those crappy Fatal Fury
anime specials in the 90s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's pretty good.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_3rzUgD53h4" width="320" youtube-src-id="_3rzUgD53h4"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-king-of-fighters-15-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-23127057837173777572022-02-13T00:33:00.004-05:002022-02-13T00:44:01.925-05:00NeogeoNow's King of Fighters: The Story So Far: Comments and Additions<p>In preparation for The King of Fighters XV, Youtube user
NeogeoNow collaborated with SNK to create a trilogy of videos recapping the
story of the games in the mainline KOF series, presumably to give possible
newer players some background and older players a refresher.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The videos get the job done and the guy has played KOF even
longer than I have so he knows what he’s talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, it’s clear that he was trying to
be concise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously he wasn’t going to
go through every little plot thread, but even focusing on the important stuff he
really sped through the story of those 10 games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, I think there are points in the
videos in which casual viewers not in the know might do a double take and/or there
is some context that’s skipped over I feel is necessary to understand the story
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have a little criticism
about the videos and some insights of my own, including a few parts in which I
don’t want to claim the guy with decades of KOF experience working with the
company itself is wrong, but it seems at odds with the official material.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I will go over NeogeoNow’s plot recap of each game from his
videos in order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t be going over
every little thing, because they’re largely fine and the majority of my
reaction is nodding my head saying “yep.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not exactly bad enough to clown on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are other videos for that.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MU1lPbqac6M" width="320" youtube-src-id="MU1lPbqac6M"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal">When I reach a particular part in which I have something to
say, the quotation will be highlighted in bold followed by my comment. Occasionally, such as for the first one, I
will comment on certain parts wholesale instead of on a single line. I hope this will at least partially act as a little
supplementary piece to his videos for more comprehension into the KOF story
because I too love it and want people to enjoy it.</p><span></span><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/in-which-I-rant-about-some-guys-videos.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-43684080855637411742021-12-29T23:19:00.010-05:002021-12-31T13:26:18.196-05:00Iconoclasts Review<p>On very rare occasions, every half-decade or so, when the planets and
stars align, there comes a game that is so excellently done in its every aspect
that it’s near-impossible to criticize.
These games are usually ones with fancy current-generation graphics
by huge companies with the best voice actors and motion capture money can buy,
such as the case with the recently-released Psychonauts 2, Bayonetta 2 and
Xenoblade Chronicles. Imagine how
bizarre it is that this new game in the pantheon is a $20 2D indie game made by
one man. Call me an elitist, but I
generally look over indie games because they run out of game too fast and don’t
have the big expansive worlds or the Crispin Freeman like the big boys, yet
here we are with Iconoclasts, a game that manages to reach the heights of its
strongest peers.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ninja-blues.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Iconoclasts-Title.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="http://www.ninja-blues.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Iconoclasts-Title.png" width="400"></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2021/12/play-Iconoclasts.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-30075100511593484912021-07-04T20:09:00.002-04:002022-01-07T18:32:13.998-05:00Devil May Cry: The Bloody Palace Board Game Review<p>Readers of this blog will remember I very much liked
Steamforged Games’ Resident Evil 2 board game. I think it was very true to the
license and I love all the little details it was crammed with while still being
a fun board game in its own right. Since then I also got the Survival Horror
Expansion, which adds even more detail and some PVP modes based on plot points
only mentioned in files and flashbacks. Interestingly, those PVP modes play
sort of like precursors to the multiplayer game Resident Evil: Resistance over
a year before that game was made. I regretted missing its Kickstarter by a mere
week.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I did not make that mistake again with their Devil May Cry
board game, nor their RE3 one, for that matter. After several delays due to the
pandemic, Devil May Cry: The Bloody Palace and all its expansions came into my
possession. Unfortunately, also due to the pandemic, I couldn’t find people to
play it with to write this review sooner. It has a solo mode, but I don’t
consider it a thorough review without knowing how it plays with others. Having
now played with some others and by myself, I can confidently give my full
thoughts.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Ow9nF8zv_MNNLvZZkfZeUg__imagepage/img/0cUr5_lsDekYUoBo5j8NqLojjzc=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic4747199.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="446" height="469" src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Ow9nF8zv_MNNLvZZkfZeUg__imagepage/img/0cUr5_lsDekYUoBo5j8NqLojjzc=/fit-in/900x600/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic4747199.png" width="446"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>But does it feature Dante from the Devil May Cry series?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span></span></div><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2021/07/DMC-clean-palace-board-game.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-39673383362490758682021-05-17T21:48:00.005-04:002023-02-17T01:04:35.473-05:00The Wonderful World of King of Fighters Ports<p>The King of Fighters is my all-time favorite fighting game
franchise hands down, but I’ve never been what some would call a purist. Some
fans spend a fortune trying to get original Neogeo hardware to play games on,
but I have always played pretty much anything but the original hardware unless
I come across it at an arcade. KOF 11
has a great PS2 port and 13 and 14 have solid multiplatform releases, as KOF 11
is when SNK really started upping their game in bonus content for home versions. The games before 11, however, have been all
over the place over the years, with many different ports that can give a player
a noticeably different experience and range of content despite the core games
remaining, be it in presentation or bonus features.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I very much want people to play all the KOF games that don’t
make you want to ram a nail through your skull (i.e. not KOF 94 & 95) and
there are so many different ways to get them now that it can be tricky to know
which ones gives you your money’s worth and is the best way to play them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the sake of helping with such decisions,
and for an interesting little look at the differences, I have written this
little guide on a few of the different ports available for the KOF games before
KOF 11.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span></span></o:p></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2021/05/lots-o-KOF-ports.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-86635886336315612192021-04-01T11:19:00.001-04:002021-04-01T11:19:29.043-04:00The Fighting Game Character Shonen Otaku Awards<p class="MsoNormal">Characters are the lifeblood of a fighting game. They are
the means by which the players engross themselves in the game through their
varying fighting styles and personalities as they clash in combat. From Mexican
wrestlers to masked karatekas to flawed super soldiers, the guys you see in
fighting games get wild.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fighting game characters often shine in their own particular
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are made to look cool first
and foremost, some are meant to be the most fun to play with and others are
made to be extremely difficult to use, but incredible in the right hands. Over
the years in the many many different fighting games I’ve played, I’ve
identified some fighters that excel in certain ways that no other has ever
matched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To recognize those standouts,
I’ve made this list of awards to celebrate the best of the best in fighting
game history, the Shonen Otaku Awards!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The only criteria I have for these awards is that they
cannot be from fighting games based on a license.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span></span></o:p></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2021/04/legit-FG-awards.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-56809135730198639862021-02-22T20:21:00.003-05:002021-02-22T20:36:17.045-05:00Shonen Otaku Plays Dead by Daylight<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYeOScM1OlsbCfgYXjzW_37FihBszrmKalQXEHrJTuxP3brLrdBuudTZGVBWd8lHU8OY9AwQf-TKjwkIkIvB2dolAOc8OP3ae-zs1MrlIz6ROF1CK4lNAuPIEa5gcPLxwD9rJ3M-XOVsY/s1359/RBT.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1359" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYeOScM1OlsbCfgYXjzW_37FihBszrmKalQXEHrJTuxP3brLrdBuudTZGVBWd8lHU8OY9AwQf-TKjwkIkIvB2dolAOc8OP3ae-zs1MrlIz6ROF1CK4lNAuPIEa5gcPLxwD9rJ3M-XOVsY/w640-h268/RBT.png" width="640"></a></p><br><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/01/24/dead-by-daylight-saw-dlc-1516797083829_1280w.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/01/24/dead-by-daylight-saw-dlc-1516797083829_1280w.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2021/02/dirty-playing-pig.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-18193953269786742242020-09-15T21:39:00.006-04:002021-08-23T23:34:43.763-04:00Neogeo Arcade Stick Pro Review<p>Plug-and-play consoles are a great idea on paper: a quick,
portable means of playing games right out of the box with almost no other accessories
or game cartridges required. Unfortunately,
be it due to the limited technology of their time or just plain laziness, a lot
of plug and play consoles aren’t that great.
Over the years the most common ones I’ve seen are the basic Atari and
retro arcade games like Pac Man with the occasional Double Dragon or original
Mortal Kombat.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The NES and SNES Classic systems caused a bit of a
resurgence in retro plug-and-play consoles. After how much demand they got, I
started seeing more of the retro Sega Genesis and Atari plug-and-play consoles
as well as the PS1 Classic on store shelves.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEvp8yVWMxs" width="320" youtube-src-id="NEvp8yVWMxs"></iframe></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Super Nintendo Classic was the only one to catch my
interest, but it wasn’t enticing enough to join the rabid fans in hunting one
of them down, especially when I already had, or could easily get, the games on it off the WiiU eShop or other ports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d have to put KOF on your retro game
system to get me to want it.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gematsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/NeoGeo-Arcade-Stick-Pro_09-02-19.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://gematsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/NeoGeo-Arcade-Stick-Pro_09-02-19.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wuzzat.</i><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2020/09/neogeo-arcade-stick-pro-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-6113083149970378352020-06-25T21:37:00.005-04:002022-01-07T18:18:33.823-05:00Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection ReviewI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love game
compilations. They’re a bargain, convenient and sometimes have extras for
added value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of great
game compilations I can recommend starting around the time of the Gamecube, but
in recent years game developer Digital Eclipse has been rising to
prominence in this particular subgenre.<br>
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<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Digital_Eclipse_logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="188" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Digital_Eclipse_logo.png"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A not-inaccurate way to describe Digital Eclipse compilations is that
they are the Criterion Collection’s game counterparts. Using their Eclipse game
engine, they’re able to take the ROMs of older games and decompile them for
modern systems at maximum efficiency, and using painstaking effort and
resources from whoever hires them, they get every detail they can about the
games included. That includes development history, interviews, high
quality scans of whatever production and promotional artwork they can get their
hands on, music galleries and explanations of each game’s central idea and what
unique parts they play in the history of its franchise and gaming. It can
almost make the games more of a side attraction there to let you experience the
history the rest of the package lays out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I recommend their Street Fighter 30<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Collection, even if Street Fighter is obviously for peasants who can’t play
KOF.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It not only has all the mainline
games made before Street Fighter 4 (as well as the original Street Fighter nobody cares about),
but it also has online play for the four most important games included and the aforementioned museum.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://streetfighter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sf30-game-menu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://streetfighter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sf30-game-menu.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's a lot of games.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">After how well they pulled that off, I got excited for their
new fighting game anniversary collection on the PC: the Samurai Shodown Neogeo
Collection. It may not be as awesome as the fast-paced action of KOF, but
Samurai Shodown has its own legacy as a series less focused on high speed
combos and more focused on slower-paced fencing, where one strike from a weapon can do tons of damage and draws lots of blood to really make you feel the weight of the blades. With a beautiful aesthetic of the Edo
period of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, it’s host
to all kinds of warriors of old from around the world, from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Prussia</st1:country-region>
to <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region> to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state>. It’s a great
series well-deserving of such a compilation.
There was already a Samurai Shodown compilation, the Samurai Shodown Anthology
for the Wii, PS2 and PSP, but more game compilations available on more systems
is good to have and both the Anthology collection and Neogeo collection have their
own quirks and upsides, regardless of what might be considered the better
one.</div>
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<br></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/egs-samuraishodownneogeocollection-digitaleclipse-s2-1200x1600-105976373.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/egs-samuraishodownneogeocollection-digitaleclipse-s2-1200x1600-105976373.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is one of the best pieces of cover art ever. Gold star.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2020/06/samurai-shodown-neogeo-collection-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-33729688705781351702020-04-01T13:55:00.000-04:002020-04-01T13:55:40.641-04:00Shonen Otaku's Top 5 Voice Actors<br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 243.75pt;">
Voice actors are a critical part
of any animated medium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like any
live-action movie or TV show, no game or animated series would have anything
close to the kind of emotional impact it has without the performance to back it
up and voice actors have just as much training and background as the <st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place> stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Among the many actors in games and anime, there are a select few who
stand out as my favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on my
previous writing one may expect such favorites to be the likes of Keith
Silverstein, Kevin Michael Richardson, David Brimmer, Maddie Blaustein or
Christopher Corey Smith, but that is a misconception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To set the record straight, I present my top
5 favorite voice actors ever.</div>
<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2020/04/totes-not-guilty.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-61710997183602682312020-01-19T00:21:00.004-05:002022-08-16T22:04:10.950-04:00Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal ReviewA remake of Senran Kagura: Burst using the mechanics of the
later games seems like an easy recommendation. The original game’s story is my
favorite second only to its direct sequel and Estival Versus has the best
fighting mechanics among the spin-off games. Logically something good combined
with something also good should create something good, but that can be hampered
if the combined elements don’t come together right and Senran Kagura Burst Re:
Newal is a good example.<br>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t understand why the decision was made to remake Burst
in the first place. The game was barely 5 years old when it came out and I’m
generally of the mind that a game should have a remake if the first one is
archaic shite that badly needed the resources and technological advancements of
the modern age or is simply a particularly old game that could use a makeover. Games like the first Resident Evil, first Persona and first KOF
needed their remakes because, with the debatable exception of Resident Evil,
they’re unbearable torture to play. The original Senran Kagura: Burst has some
shortcomings, but is tightly designed, looks nice and its old-school fast-paced
gameplay is still fun. Xseed’s historical screw-up was the worst thing about it
and that didn’t even apply to its release in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I really wanted was to have it on a
cartridge.</div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The remake could have been a nice little distraction for Vita
owners, but the developers couldn’t even get that right. Senran Kagura Burst’s
remake is only available on the PC and PS4. With Senran Kagura: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Peach</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></st1:place>
Splash there was a justified reason for this: as strong as the Vita is, it
couldn’t handle a game that was half detailed water physics and matches typically had several different characters on the field at once. That’s fair
enough.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Neither of those factors apply to Burst Re: Newal, which can only
mean that the reason the game isn’t on the Vita is because it uses the PS4 to
its fullest potential by making games of the highest graphical fidelity on par
with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Devil May Cry 5 and the PS4
Spider Man game. It’s a bit strange that it would go that route considering the
original game was best suited for quick bursts of handheld play, but surely
they wouldn’t completely ignore their one of their go-to handhelds for no
reason.</div>
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<br></div>
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Prepare for disappointment.</div>
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<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y6DWIxBA_VQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y6DWIxBA_VQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<br></div>
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I guess it’s nice they made a new song, but rather than play the same videos in both stories, why not just use the originals?</div>
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</div>
<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2020/01/senran-kagura-burst-re-newal-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-27897673833711305662019-11-20T15:44:00.002-05:002019-11-20T15:44:57.652-05:00The King of Fighters: Allstar ReviewEvery big franchise seems to have a licensed “gacha” game
these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s one for Senran
Kagura, Fire Emblem, Marvel, Love Live and Castlevania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some decry such games for being
exploitative and microtransaction-ridden, I’ve always thought the collection
aspects combined with a solid core gameplay looked fun, but both the licenses
and core gameplay didn’t hook me most of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There just wasn’t a gacha game I could get
into unless you count Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links.<br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
KOF Allstar got all the hooks to catch my interest: it’s a
beat-em-up with collectible characters utilizing the KOF license developed by
the mobile company Netmarble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously
I’m a huge KOF fan, I’ve enjoyed action mobile games with touch controls in the
past and I’ve read both good and bad things about Netmarble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of a beat-em-up based on a fighting
game franchise where only two fighters are going at it at a time may seem like
an odd idea, but KOF has always had characters fighting gangs of enemies, it
was just rarely shown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had some
careful optimism.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In preparation for the global version, I played the Japanese
version for a couple of weeks, both because I was excited to play and so that I
could write about any possible differences between the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t utilize every one of the game’s
features as my Japanese isn’t expert level, but from what I can tell the only
substantial difference is that the new content for the global version is coming
out much quicker because it has a year of updates from the Japanese version to
work with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that I’ve gotten to play
the global version, this review can be written proper.</div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0PaPhLEcnHQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0PaPhLEcnHQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
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</div>
<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-king-of-fighters-allstar-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-86545792434891111752019-10-02T17:08:00.000-04:002020-04-18T00:52:23.156-04:00SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy Review<span style="font-family: inherit;">SNK has always admired its history and legacies, no matter
how old or forgotten. This is the
company that brought back Hwa Jai for KOF 13 after being in just one game
decades before and callbacks to the first Art of Fighting game are omnipresent,
both visually and in gameplay. With SNK, you never know what they’re going to
dig up next and I can definitely say I did not expect a follow-up to SNK Gals
Fighters.</span><br>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">SNK Gals Fighters was a silly fighting game on the Neo Geo
Pocket Color where a bunch of SNK’s girl fighters compete to win a wish in the
girls-exclusive Queen of Fighters tournament, spearheaded by the enigmatic-yet-familiar-looking
Miss X.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nz2/game/snk-gals-fighters-missx-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nz2/game/snk-gals-fighters-missx-screenshot.jpg" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="672" height="304" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>At first I thought it was Iori in drag wearing Eiji's mask, but she specifically says "私は庵ではない!"</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The roster was mostly KOF girls like Whip, Leona and
Shermie, but with other SNK characters like Shiki and Nakoruru from the Samurai
Shodown games and Kyo’s largely offscreen girlfriend Yuki.</span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters4/yuki-gals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters4/yuki-gals.png" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="190"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone in the game was drawn as chibis, there was a
mechanic in which the fighters clashed in a big ball of violence not unlike the
Persona games post-2 and the new characters Yuki and Miss X had moves that
included hysterical slapping, tripping and tearing apart the opposition with a
fork and knife.</span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Needless to say, it was not a serious game. It was fun and silly
with simpler controls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a breed of
game we don’t seem to see as much of anymore since most fighting games want to
be the newest competitive affair. That’s why the spiritual follow-up, SNK
Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, being released on the PC was such a pleasant surprise.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nf2/game/snk-heroines/snk-heroines-logo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nf2/game/snk-heroines/snk-heroines-logo.PNG" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="800" height="131" width="320"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br>
</div><a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2019/10/snk-heroines-tag-team-frenzy-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-68065254939740497012019-05-26T16:47:00.003-04:002021-07-26T16:08:45.002-04:00Senran Kagura: Shinovi Masters ReviewThe first Senran Kagura anime is one of the worst
game-to-anime adaptations I’ve ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took what made the first Senran Kagura game such a well-crafted story
and gutted it by taking out critical character moments and what was kept was
changed enough to miss the point entirely.<br>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite this, the announcement of the new Senran Kagura
anime, Shinovi Masters, had me optimistic, and not from the more subdued
trailer nor the presence of Bebe-tan (although that certainly helped).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was convinced to watch it based on one name
credited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll give you one hint as to
what that name is.</div>
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I’ve said it once and will again: Yukinori Kitajima is the
lynchpin of Senran Kagura.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s on the
level of J. Michael Straczynski, Greg Weisman and Joss Whedon in writing
talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can make anything work and
his writing for Senran Kagura is a key reason it’s as good as it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could not convince me not to
watch something with his name on it unless Kitajima himself told me not
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, Shinovi Masters has the writing you'd expect from him. </div>
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<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2019/05/senran-kagura-shinovi-masters-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808921271523373431.post-69770021768219444092019-04-23T15:28:00.001-04:002019-04-25T18:15:24.848-04:00Digimon: Data Squad ReviewIn my review of Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links I said Yu-Gi-Oh was an
anime that stuck with me, but another franchise that defined my childhood just
as much was Digimon. The show was Fox
Kid’s juggernaut back when it was around, almost like what Teen Titans Go is to
Cartoon Network today. In direct contast
to Teen Titans Go, however, it was a well-written character-focused adventure
with a lot of heart that many people, including myself, still love to this day.<br>
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The first two seasons are the ones the most people remember
since they’re within the same continuity and hooked everyone to begin with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like some people, I lost interest in Digimon
around the time Tamers came along because of the unfamiliar characters and
tonal shift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I missed out on the fourth
season, Digimon Fronteir thanks in part to airing on a new channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did catch up with the ones I missed on
Disney channel re-runs and appreciated them on their own merits, but I still
preferred the original adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
got to Digimon: Data Squad, the fifth series, I wasn’t able to catch every
single episode, but what I did watch was interesting and possibly even darker
than Tamers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fusion, the most recent
one, I was able to watch in its entirety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was pretty fun, but certainly not my favorite.</div>
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For a long time Digimon was unlocky when it comes to home
releases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very TV-only affair
for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the seasons got
a few episodes on VHS or DVD if it was lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You could only really watch the series outside of TV through recordings
of the TV airings, which weren’t the optimum quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After over a decade of this, things changed
around the 2010s when New Video Group released them all in DVD box sets for
relatively cheap prices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crunchyroll
also streamed the Japanese versions of the earlier series and Netflix added
Digimon Fusion to their lineup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
it’s one of the more controversial Digimon seasons not enough people have seen,
I thought it best to take advantage of this and get the box set for the season
I don’t think enough people have seen: Digimon: Data Squad.</div>
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<a href="http://shonenotakucorner.blogspot.com/2019/04/digimon-data-squad-review.html#more">Read more »</a>Bryanoftoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07814160481343901577noreply@blogger.com2