Obligatory post due to long silence.
Warning: may contain internet humour and randomness.
Needs moar moe!
Ok, that's not true but it's been hella* funny. For comedy, it has risen above Kanon. The story seems to be slightly better too. However, I'm still undecided as to whether the characters are any better though.
*Note: No, I'm not American.**
** Note 2: I like Americans. Don't take it the wrong way.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Resident Evil 4: Wii Version
I've never actually played a Resident Evil game in my life, despite all they hype the series gets. I think it's due to the fact I've never been a fan of horror games. Seeing as Resident Evil games are generally survival horror games, I've had less reason to play them. Survival horror games, while having good action and such, never have much depth. Right, now on with the review.
I decided to go with the Wii version since I actually have only one other game for my Wii, and I wanted to see how the Wii would manage with a 3rd person shooter. As with other shooting games, movement is done by the use of the nunchuck, and everything else is done by the Wiimote. The plot is rather basic. In this game you are Leon from Resident Evil 2 and have been sent to a remote part of Spain to rescue the US President's daughter. Upon arriving at the village where it's suspected she's being held captive, Leon receives a rather rude welcoming in the form of villagers wanting to run him through with pitchforks, axes and scythes. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets. However, the real greatness lies in the atmosphere. There's just something about diseased looking villagers that's more creepy than zombies. I won't go any further into the plot because that would just create spoilers.
Most of the controls are pretty spot on. The motion sensory is put to good use through aiming, and it's handled well. There were a few odd moments where my cursor/aiming sight wouldn't move, but I think that was just the Wii having a bit of trouble keeping up with all the action that would be going on in one moment. What I didn't like was the high amount of "Wiimote waving". For some reason, developers like to put as many motion sensitive elements into Wii games as possible. With Resident Evil 4 it was used to run during cut-scenes and reload during gameplay. Um, ok? I still don't understand how that adds any extra fun. Who actually likes having to furiously move their arm in order to run? Surely it would have been better to move the Wiimote back and forth. That would actually simulate running decently. Flicking the Wiimote to reload was nothing more than a replacement for pressing a button. Having Leon limp and run slower when he was low on health was a nice touch, and it helped increase the difficulty of an otherwise easy game.
Despite how impressive the bosses looked, they were also quite easy. They weren't exactly a walk in the park, but I could defeat them after only a few tries. Graphically, the game is very nice to look at, but it really does a fantastic job with the boss fights. They are so freaking huge. I have to say that I loved the first boss. The way you have to fight is just so fun to do because it's so fresh. It actually felt like I was in a movie, which I guess is what the developers were going for with the entire game. Another great moment was when I was having to dodge the tail of a creature that tried to impale me from above and below me. While it wasn't a boss, it was definitely a highlight of the game for me.
If I was to give an honest opinion about Resident Evil 4, I'd say it was good. It definitely had some flaws that I hope get sorted out for Resident Evil 5, but those weren't enough to remove the fun from the game. I would recommend it for those who like the Resident Evil series or like 3rd person shooters.
I decided to go with the Wii version since I actually have only one other game for my Wii, and I wanted to see how the Wii would manage with a 3rd person shooter. As with other shooting games, movement is done by the use of the nunchuck, and everything else is done by the Wiimote. The plot is rather basic. In this game you are Leon from Resident Evil 2 and have been sent to a remote part of Spain to rescue the US President's daughter. Upon arriving at the village where it's suspected she's being held captive, Leon receives a rather rude welcoming in the form of villagers wanting to run him through with pitchforks, axes and scythes. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets. However, the real greatness lies in the atmosphere. There's just something about diseased looking villagers that's more creepy than zombies. I won't go any further into the plot because that would just create spoilers.
Most of the controls are pretty spot on. The motion sensory is put to good use through aiming, and it's handled well. There were a few odd moments where my cursor/aiming sight wouldn't move, but I think that was just the Wii having a bit of trouble keeping up with all the action that would be going on in one moment. What I didn't like was the high amount of "Wiimote waving". For some reason, developers like to put as many motion sensitive elements into Wii games as possible. With Resident Evil 4 it was used to run during cut-scenes and reload during gameplay. Um, ok? I still don't understand how that adds any extra fun. Who actually likes having to furiously move their arm in order to run? Surely it would have been better to move the Wiimote back and forth. That would actually simulate running decently. Flicking the Wiimote to reload was nothing more than a replacement for pressing a button. Having Leon limp and run slower when he was low on health was a nice touch, and it helped increase the difficulty of an otherwise easy game.
Despite how impressive the bosses looked, they were also quite easy. They weren't exactly a walk in the park, but I could defeat them after only a few tries. Graphically, the game is very nice to look at, but it really does a fantastic job with the boss fights. They are so freaking huge. I have to say that I loved the first boss. The way you have to fight is just so fun to do because it's so fresh. It actually felt like I was in a movie, which I guess is what the developers were going for with the entire game. Another great moment was when I was having to dodge the tail of a creature that tried to impale me from above and below me. While it wasn't a boss, it was definitely a highlight of the game for me.
If I was to give an honest opinion about Resident Evil 4, I'd say it was good. It definitely had some flaws that I hope get sorted out for Resident Evil 5, but those weren't enough to remove the fun from the game. I would recommend it for those who like the Resident Evil series or like 3rd person shooters.
CLANNAD and Shakugan no Shana Second: First Impressions
Finally my internet has decided to go at its regular speed so I've been able to finish downloading the first episodes of CLANNAD and Shakugan no Shana Second. I'll start off with Shakugan no Shana Second (which I'll abbreviate to SnS2 from now on), then CLANNAD.
To be honest, I was never that excited about a second season of SnS. The first season was rather boring. I felt lacked any creativity. You could say it was an anime of cliches. Anyway, this episode revolves around a dream that Yuji is having where all the events are things that have happened in his past. For quite some time he doesn't realise he's in a dream until he manages to figure out how to break the spell that's been cast upon him. When he wakes up, we find that he's in the middle of a battle with Shana against a Tomogara. I could go on about how embarassed Shana gets when Yuji asks what Shana what she said at the end of the last episode of the first season. Obviously, she said "I love you", but since Yuji is an idiot, he believes her when she tells him that she said that she had gained more respect for him. I just find it cute when tsunderes get embarassed like that and I don't really care about the guy. Basically, it looks like it'll be more of the same.
CLANNAD, however, had a good first episode. As expected, the animation and music were top notch. However just like Kanon, KyoAni are only finding their feet at the start, so the animation will improve as the series progresses. Okizaki and Nagisa meet on the way to school and meet up at various points in the episode. Okizaki seems to be a kind but cool loner, and Nagisa seems to be a quirky and mysterious girl. Sound familiar? Sure does to me. However, I'm sure I'll get a better idea of their personalities as time goes on. This episode seemed to be rather comical at points, and it's probably the hardest I've laughed in a while. While Kanon and Air benefited from a good main cast, I think CLANNAD will heavily rely on its support cast because they seemed to steal the limelight. Nagisa's parents were the highlight of the episode. At the end they slip in just a hint of tragedy just to round things off by showing Okizaki's father waking up from a drunken stupor. Even though Okizaki narrates that his father is an alcoholic, we can tell just by looking. At the very end we see Nagisa invite Okizaki somewhere, while being surrounded by a mysterious light. All in all, a good episode. Not quite up to the same standard as Kanon and Air, but I'm sure it'll still turn out great.
To be honest, I was never that excited about a second season of SnS. The first season was rather boring. I felt lacked any creativity. You could say it was an anime of cliches. Anyway, this episode revolves around a dream that Yuji is having where all the events are things that have happened in his past. For quite some time he doesn't realise he's in a dream until he manages to figure out how to break the spell that's been cast upon him. When he wakes up, we find that he's in the middle of a battle with Shana against a Tomogara. I could go on about how embarassed Shana gets when Yuji asks what Shana what she said at the end of the last episode of the first season. Obviously, she said "I love you", but since Yuji is an idiot, he believes her when she tells him that she said that she had gained more respect for him. I just find it cute when tsunderes get embarassed like that and I don't really care about the guy. Basically, it looks like it'll be more of the same.
CLANNAD, however, had a good first episode. As expected, the animation and music were top notch. However just like Kanon, KyoAni are only finding their feet at the start, so the animation will improve as the series progresses. Okizaki and Nagisa meet on the way to school and meet up at various points in the episode. Okizaki seems to be a kind but cool loner, and Nagisa seems to be a quirky and mysterious girl. Sound familiar? Sure does to me. However, I'm sure I'll get a better idea of their personalities as time goes on. This episode seemed to be rather comical at points, and it's probably the hardest I've laughed in a while. While Kanon and Air benefited from a good main cast, I think CLANNAD will heavily rely on its support cast because they seemed to steal the limelight. Nagisa's parents were the highlight of the episode. At the end they slip in just a hint of tragedy just to round things off by showing Okizaki's father waking up from a drunken stupor. Even though Okizaki narrates that his father is an alcoholic, we can tell just by looking. At the very end we see Nagisa invite Okizaki somewhere, while being surrounded by a mysterious light. All in all, a good episode. Not quite up to the same standard as Kanon and Air, but I'm sure it'll still turn out great.
Monday, 8 October 2007
Aaaannnnnnd...They're Off!
The Autumn 2007 anime season has started. Typically, I can't watch the first fansubs yet because of work. Now I have another reason to hate my job. Anyway, if you happen to see anything I didn't mention in the last post, I'd be grateful if you could recommend me stuff, or tell me your thoughts on the stuff I did mention.
It looks like Static Subs have got some of the biggest ones. They're currently halfway through Hayate no Gotoku and have started Shakugan no Shana Second. Seems they'll be the "go to" fansub group for quite some time.
It looks like Static Subs have got some of the biggest ones. They're currently halfway through Hayate no Gotoku and have started Shakugan no Shana Second. Seems they'll be the "go to" fansub group for quite some time.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Autumn 2007
Autumn 2007 Anime list
So there you have it. Every T.V show, OVA and movie that's going to start airing/be released during autumn. There's not much to say about it since nothing there has been fansubbed yet. I'm sure in a few days time there will be a huge flood of fansubs though. Anyway, hopefully I'm going to watch:
Code Geass 2
Da Capo II
Prism Ark
Night Wizard
Haruhi Suzumiya 2
Shakugan no Shana: Second
CLANNAD
As you may have heard, Geneon USA may be going into liquidation. People seem to be getting a bit too panicky. It's not as if it's official, and worst case scenario, other licensors will pick up the series they had already licensed, regardless of having started production and whatnot.
So there you have it. Every T.V show, OVA and movie that's going to start airing/be released during autumn. There's not much to say about it since nothing there has been fansubbed yet. I'm sure in a few days time there will be a huge flood of fansubs though. Anyway, hopefully I'm going to watch:
Code Geass 2
Da Capo II
Prism Ark
Night Wizard
Haruhi Suzumiya 2
Shakugan no Shana: Second
CLANNAD
As you may have heard, Geneon USA may be going into liquidation. People seem to be getting a bit too panicky. It's not as if it's official, and worst case scenario, other licensors will pick up the series they had already licensed, regardless of having started production and whatnot.
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