Revolution Season Two Episodes 1 – 9, Thoughts So Far and why I like it this series so much

I am now back with some more reviews but I have decided to do something a bit different today and do an overview Revolution Season Two episodes 1 – 9 as a whole and how much I have liked it so far. I have decided to do this for two reasons; Revolution is one of my favourite TV series currently airing right now I can not get enough of it and secondly it is because here in the UK I think the series is back on Saturday and I wanted to do this quick review before then.

Also because I will be discussing the characters and events in season two so far there will be MAJOR SPOILERS, I will be going really in depth in them.

So as always I will start off with a quick summary of the story; it has been six months after the events of season one finale and Randall had successfully launched nuclear missiles at the Monroe Republic and The Georgia Federation, destroying their capital cities and removing the two new superpowers. Miles, Rachael and Aaron have taken shelter in the small town of Willoughby, Texas with Rachael’s father Gene Porter (Stephen Collins), the town doctor. Charlie meanwhile has decided to leave the group and wander the Plains Nations while Neville and his son Jason are trying to find any news of his wife in numerous refugee camps. While everyone copes with the consequences of the events six months ago a large group calling themselves The Patriots have arrived in several places across America and claim to be remnants of the United States government that have come to restore order and take back the country.

One of the reasons why I like this new plot so much is because it borrows from a famous conspiracy theory that a secret organization will one day destroy the world and then rebuild it the way they want and that is exactly who The Patriots are. Randall admitted working for them before killing himself so we know they dropped the bombs whether or not they knew what the nanites would do and intentionally shut off the power is something that is yet to be revealed. Even though however I really miss the Monroe Republic these Patriots are shady enough that I want to know more about them. Speaking of the nanites we delve deeper in to their working then in the previous season because now they seem to have developed think beyond their programming. As a child representation says to Aaron in the ninth episode ‘He woke them up’ I for one am very interested to see what this new A.I. can do and what it is fully capable of.

Now on to the characters and I will start off with the recurring ones starting off with Miles and Monroe. Like in the first season I have no complaints about Miles he is a badass character and a great leader for the series and I hope he will continue to be so. As for Monroe, though he was a great antagonist in the first season, this season he sides with the good guys and tries to redeem himself to them. I really like this with Monroe because he is now a guy who has completely lost everything now and has become a sympathetic character and it is great to see him and Miles working together now instead of trying to kill each other.

As for Rachael in my last review you will recall that I did not like her that much and that is still the case here. Her back story and her involvement with the Blackout could make great character I admit that, I just really wished they get rid of the smug look she always wears, her always right attitude and her detached personality. For example she finds out her father is cooperating with the Patriots and she acts like it that is even more wrong then him killing or raping someone and she then goes to kill him with a mixer of poison chemicals (Miles stopped her though). I mean for Gods sake Rachael you did not even ask him why he is working for then or how much he is loyal to them. Gene even asks her ‘Haven’t you ever done something bad for the right reasons’ and that is a good point. Rachel worked on the nanites which, when released, kind of caused the deaths of millions then she turned the power back on for Randall to fire the missiles, indirectly causing the deaths of thousands and it was all because she thought she was doing the right thing and did not care what anyone else thought. Sorry for ranting on so much about her but unlike Andrea on the Walking Dead she had the potential to be a good character if they just dialled her down a bit.

Now for my favourite character which is Aaron, some have disliked his character arc in this season because he seems to have control of the nanites and can make them heal wounds and burn people alive, I for one like this development. I want to know more about the nanites and what they can do and I like that they have given the power to Aaron because his character struggles with his usefulness in this new world while this new power might mean that he has more worth than he realises. However those who dislike this arc might rejoice now because the powers seem to leave him in episode nine either forever or temporary. I want it to be only temporary because as I just said I am very like and am very interested in this development of Aaron and the nanites.

Next I want to go in to three characters who I feel have not had much development in this season as they should have had; Charlie, Neville and Jason. Charlie’s character in the first season was great because he had to rescue her brother and then avenge him and we get to see her develop from a sheltered girl of her tiny village to a rebel fighter. In this season however she does not contribute much to the story at all and feels out of place with the fight against the Patriots, the only notable thing she has done so far is bring Monroe to Miles that is it. It is shame and I hope that this changes when the series returns. As for Neville and Jason I think their role in infiltrating the Patriots is great because we get to see more Patriot activity outside of Texas and Neville is one hell of a good manipulator. However I don’t think this part of the season has been given much screen time or progress; a lot of things have happened in Texas, lots of events and happenings but I don’t feel that much has happened when the episode changes to Neville and Jason.

Now I want to discuss two new characters that have been great additions to the series; Gene Porter and Dr. Calvin Horn (Zeljiko Ivanek). Gene is a great character and it is interesting to see him struggling with is involvement with the Patriots and helping out his family. He dislikes what the Patriots are doing but he owes them a lot, as I mentioned above he has seen and done terrible things for them but it has all been for good reasons. I want to know whose side he will decide to take in the end.

Next is a Patriot doctor and advisor Calvin Horn who has come to Texas to investigate the strange behaviour in the nanites recently and is quick to notice that Aaron is the cause. I like it when he showed up because it proves that the Patriots are more aware of the nanites and what they have been doing than we might have thought and that they obviously want to control them. Why and how is still unknown but it is possible that, like the Monroe Republic before them, they want to be the ones who control all the power.

Back to Horn though the thing I really like about him is that he is not just some Patriot lackey who is just following orders, the reason he wants Aaron and his powers so bad is because he has a tumour in his brain. In the end he did not care much for Patriots plans and only wanted the nanites healing powers to live. He had a great back story and his acting is so well done that it is a shame that he is only in it for a couple of episodes (four I think), but he goes down hard by first causing the death of Aaron’s new girlfriend and indirectly causing Aaron to lose his powers.

Overall episodes one to nine of this season have been great so far, introducing interesting new characters and a great new replacement group for the Monroe Republic. I am not going to give these episodes a score out of ten; I will wait until I see the rest of the season.

Now I would just like to address the rather disturbing news that I have heard in these past few months that Revolution has had a break and that is that NBC is unsure about renewing it for a third season. That would be the most stupid decision that could possibly make and I will give you the reasons why;

It has a strong fan base: I am following Revolution on Twitter and on Facebook and I am confident in saying that this show has a MASSIVE fan base (including myself). I read the comments people put up on those social sites and it seems to me that they will have a thing or two to say if it is cancelled after season 2.

It is something really different: Besides being a great sci fi and adventure/action series it is really something unique. I mean if they get rid of this what are they going to replace it with; a family or friends comedy set in a big American city? There are only about a hundred of those airing already!!

There is still room for more: Luckily Revolution get over twice as much episodes in one season then most shows have; it has over twenty while most have between ten and twelve (Game of Thrones and Falling Skies for example). However I am unsure if they can resolve everything with just this season, I really think they need at least two more seasons that would be perfect. Even if they only have just a third season and it is really good than I think I can be happy with that (it will end with over sixty episodes).

Thos are just are few arguments about why it should have a third season even though I am sure there are lots more. Now I just want to say why I like this show so much and why it is one of my favourites.

One of the first things I liked about it while I was watching season one was that despite it being a post apocalyptic show, humanity has not been completely screwed. Let’s take the Walking Dead for example; great show and comic book however it annoys me sometimes with how easily man has fallen to the apocalypse. Sure they fight zombies in that so it is not a very fair comparison but at least in Revolution we get to see a world were people has managed to rebuild.

Second is a continuation of the first and that is how interesting this new world is and what a great job they did at bringing it to life. It is fifteen years after the Blackout and there are numerous republics to replace the old America; Monroe, Georgia and the Plains Nation for example. So during season one when they were travelling all across the country to get Danny back and restore the power I just loved seeing how the world has changed and it was one of the biggest highlights of the series. Also of course we now have the awakened nanites so it is going to be interesting to see what more they can do.

Another is the awesome fight scenes that they have had in both seasons. It is always a mix of sword fighting and shootouts and both have always been on the edge of your seat brutal.

Lastly are the characters they have created for the season and I think they have done a good job of making every one of them unique. Take Miles for example; the leader type who is one of the good guys but has probably killed more people than any bomb! But despite that you can always say he just tries to do the right thing in his own violent way and that he is a character with a lot of inner conflicts. Then there are the rest of the superb cast like Charlie, Aaron and Neville to name but a few.

However it is not even the main characters but even the minor characters that have influenced this show a lot. Maggie in season one for example had a really sad death scene which started to cause a change in Charlie that I think as shaped her in to the person she is in season two. Then there is Charlie’s dad Ben who dies in the first episode of season one but who is still so important to the story that he appears in a lot of major flashbacks later. Even I will say that Ben Matheson is one of my favourite characters and I wished Rachael was killed off in stead of him and that is mostly because Rachael only cares about herself, cheated on him numerous times and is the most unlike able character in the show. However since I can not change what they have done I hope something comes up in season two that involves work he had done and we see him in more flashbacks.

There you have it, my review for season two so far, why it should continue and why I like it so much. I may have ranted on for ages but this is one of my favourite shows and I just like it so much. I can not wait for it to continue here in the UK, I have no idea what happens after episode nine of season two even though it is past that in the US (I have not even read about it).

My new profile picture that I will change soon (also more reviews soon)

Resident Evil 6 Monster Fanart

TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season Two

Now my loyal followers I shall now review Game of Thrones Season Two! This will contain MAJOR spoilers so it is advisable that you watch season one first or at the very least the book Clash of Kings that season two is based on.

Season two continues right after the events of season one; Ned Stark has been executed, the Lannisters have seized the power of the Iron Throne and Robb Stark has risen in rebellion. Meanwhile the recently deceased former King Robert Baratheon’s younger brothers Stannis and Renly have raised forces of their own and both claim to be the rightful heir to the throne. Renly (Gethin Anthony) is beloved by the people and has the entire power of the South behind him while Stannis (Stephen Dillane)is a seasoned commander and is assisted by a powerful sorceress from the East; Melisandre (Carice van Houten). However Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) ruler of the Iron Islands has declared the Iron Island’s independence form the Seven Kingdoms and starts warring in the North. Thus begins the War of the Five Kings.

I will start off by saying that Clash of Kings is a personal favourite of mine because it is the start of a major war between the great houses and once again is adapted brilliantly. Like the first book and season this one does not show the major battles (Except near the end which I will go into later), no, what George RR Martin does instead is show the strategies and schemes behind them but this time we are introduce to the horrors of war on the common folk. Even though some stuff has been dialled down from the book (like major rape and torture scenes) the still include a lot of stuff which I will go in to now. Also this series delves in to magic more than the first one did, I will just mention Shadow Babies and say that was one cool scene!

King’s Landing will always be my favourite setting in the books and the TV series maybe that is because it is where most of the scheming takes place and it is the seat of power.  We also have the subplot in Winterfell which are a major factor in why the second book is one of my favourites and that has a lot to do with Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) and the Ironborn. I won’t spoil anything but I will say we get some damn great scenes with Theon and how he struggles with his loyalties. We also have Arya Stark and her journey to get home and even though I always thought that too much time was devoted to her (in the book and the series) it is with her that we see the effects on war and the brutally of soldiers and their leaders.

We also of course have the scenes with Jon Snow in the far North and Daenerys in Essos but if I am honest I have never been invested in their stories as much as the others. I know they both have a big fan base but I guess I just prefer to be where the major events are happening in the areas of King’s Landing and Winterfell; I just never got excited seeing Jon hiking in the mountains and I don’t care much for the Night’s Watch.

Also (and I know I might get some hate) but I have never liked Daenerys in the book or in the series and you might have already suspected this since I barely talked about her story in my last review. I know she has dragons but I just hate her damn superior attitude, I know she thinks she is the rightful Queen but she doesn’t do anything to prove it except relying on others and her dragons. Heck I admit I liked and felt a lot sorrier for her brother than I even did her.

Once again the cast of characters do a great job in this and we have some flawless new additions, my favourite being my favourite character in the whole story; Stannis. I have always been a massive supporter of Stannis in his fight for the throne and I think he is a really well written character. He is of course joined with another favourite of mine Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), I enjoyed reading his chapters and his scenes in the series are no different.

Now I will go in to a bit more detail on episode nine of the series, the Battle of Blackwater, so expect major spoilers. This is the battle between Stannis’s navy and the merger forces that are guarding King’s Landing. Even though it is not has long or massive as it is in the books (even though a whole episode is given to it which was a good move) I never expected it to be in the TV adaptation. I knew they could not have included all of it but what we still have is one of the best battles I have ever seen from a TV series or a film; it is violent and the fighting is so well done. Like in the books Tyrion is the one who leads and inspire the men to fight but what came as a surprise was the interaction between the Hound and Bronn (Jerome Flynn). I don’t think they talk to each other at all in the books but he they have some great scenes together whether it was the bar scene before the fighting or the fighting itself; they were great.

Overall this is probably my favourite season so far only let down by the uninteresting subplot of Jon and Daenerys but they do get better….

SCORE: 8/10

Bleach and Naruto Fanart

Top 5 Slasher Villains

My second top list and I have decided to do it on my top five slasher villains! I am a massive fan of slasher films, I remember times where I have stayed up throughout the night watching them so in the future I will review those films. The reason it is five is because I cannot think of ten.

5. GHOSTFACE

 

Love the whole Scream franchise and Ghostface was a formidable slasher for the protagonists; he has a great mask and costume and the guy can take some punishment. Not to mention he has a love for horror films and likes to reference them. However the reason that Ghostface is fifth is because the identity of Ghostface constantly keeps changing and that is something I do not like. Not only that but his incarnations in Scream 2 – 4 have never been as great as the one in the original Scream.

4. FREDDY KRUEGER

 

The Nightmare on Elm Street film; a series that was so creative yet declined with every new film they released, the only ones I liked where 1 (of course this one!), 3, 4 and Freddy vs. Jason (If that counts). However something they did get right creating such an iconic character like Freddy; the burnt, knife fingered dream invader. This guy can really dread going to sleep however as the series declined so did he and they just made his murderers silly instead of creative since he could do anything in a dream. But I do not blame Robert Englund for this because he is one hell of a slasher actor!

3. NORMAN BATES

 

One of the first ever slashers to grace the screen and I am talking about the Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece not the remake. This guy is creepy as hell and I am not talking about when he dresses like a woman and kills women in the showers, even when he is not in his mother disguise there is just something unnerving about him. I am sure anyone who has watched the film remembers the scene where he is talking about taxidermy.

2. JIGSAW

A quite unique villain for the fact that he does not just straight up kill his victims with a knife; instead he creates many elaborate traps and make his victims kill themselves. Another reason is that he is not doing this out of pleasure or revenge (like some of his apprentices do), he has suffered in the past and his suffering with cancer so he knows how precious life really wants his victims to know that as well.

1.      JASON VOORHEES

 Now my favourite is the deformed serial killer from the Friday the 13^th series. Sure he has a bit of a mother obsession and he was not even the killer in the first film but he has become an imposing, un – killable behemoth. His signature machete and hockey mask have become so iconic and out of all of the killers on this list I really don’t want to be chased by him. I also really like all of his films and all of his portrayals; I even really like Jason X and the Friday the 13^th remake even though I know they were not well received.

 

References:

http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131103072806/h__/halloween/images/6/60/Ghost-face-accessory-mask-large.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Freddy_Krueger.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Norman-bates.png
http://crimson.fit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Jigsaw-puppet.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Jasonf.jpg

Drawing Fanart Again!

As you can see by these uploads I am drawing again, I will upload them here not along with my reviews.

Anime Review: Sword Art Online

Back now with another anime review and this one is about an anime I have recently watched and one that I know is really popular; Sword Art Online. Now I know you are probably tired of reading this next part again but I have to say it; there will be SPOILERS, especially near the end as Iwant to go on a rant about a certain part of the anime.

The anime is about a young teenager named Kazuto Kirigaya (Bryce Papenbrook), also know as Kirito, an avid gamer of MMO games and has recently purchased the most recent and most popular game on the market; Sword Art Online. Unlike typical MMO games this put you right in the virtual world by providing the gamer with a special helmet which allows him to control his avatar in the fantasy world. Shortly after entering the game however Kirito and the thousands of other players are transported to the beginning area where the creator of the game Akihiko Kayaba (Marc Diraison) appears as a massive hooded figure. He tells them that all of the players have had their log out option removed and that they are trapped forever within this virtual world and that if you die he your real body dies. However there is a way to escape and that is by clearly the games one hundred floors each one becoming more and more difficult and having its own boss at the end. Even though Kirito is trapped in this world like thousands of others he has an advantage that only a few have; he is a Beta Tester (Beater), someone who has played the demo version of this game before its release meaning he has advanced knowledge of this world. Kirito puts this to good use and we follow his adventure of trying to reach to the hundredth floor.

Now I really like this story because like the anime Btooom! this is based on video games but unlike Btooom! the action and feel of this is more fantasy than realistic. This is shown with its typical MMO elements like monsters, guilds, item drops etc. Overall this kind of reminds me of my favourite RPG series Final Fantasy in some ways and that is a really good thing in my book. However one thing that did bug me in this however was the pacing of this anime because in between the episodes there are massive time skips, the players have even spent two years in the game before we reach episode ten out of this twenty five series and they also skip a lot of floors and boss battles as well. I know they could not show every floor and every boss but it is really off putting, a more detailed reason for this I will explain further down. Another thing I liked about it is how it tackles the theme of death so many times because unlike normal video games you cannot use another life, in this if a person dies they die for real.

As for the characters most are really great; the main character Kirito may be a bit of a loner because he does not join guilds but he opens up a lot as the series progresses and he is such a badass because of how good he is at this game. The main female lead, Asuna Yuuki (Cherami Leigh), is great as well because like Kirito she is one of the best players in Sword Art Online, even becoming second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the most powerful guild there is. She is also Kirito main love interest eventually becoming his girlfriend and even his wife in the game. There are also plenty of others characters these two come across throughout the series, each with their own stories and skills and most I have found to be very likeable.

The animation is excellent throughout the series, I do not think there is a single time that I did not like it, and the battles are so well done; the movement is really fluid and fast paced. However as for the music there is really none that I found that stood out much. Not that I am saying that soundtrack is bad because it is really good and suits the settings and mood well.

IN DEPTH SPOILERS NOW

Now if I was to end this review here I would say something like ‘This is one of the most epic and unique ones I have seen and has instantly became one of my favourites’ unfortunately I won’t be saying that because after episode fourteen in this anime it take a massive turn for the worst. Episodes fourteen onwards introduces another antagonist, Nobuyuki Sugou (Todd Haberkorn), who is one of the worst anime characters there is. I find a good villain is someone who the audience can like as well but there is nothing like able about him at all, he just irritated me with his story, attitude and plan to marry Asuna. A very disappointing villain for the second half of the series which is a shame because he is voiced by one of my most favourite English voice actors. Another pain is Kirito’s cousin, Suguha Kirigaya, who is in love with him and is just really annoying about it; I just could not stand her at all.

Another thing that bugged me about the second half is that it is set in another MMO which has fairies, it looks like an interesting world but far just not as good as the Sword Art Online world. The reason they move to this world is that Kirito finds a way to beat the game in episode fourteen on floor eighty five and they have just beaten a floor boss that almost killed all of them. I was really excited to see what the other floors where like, their bosses and the ruby palace that was on the hundredth floor but NO they skip all of that so they can go somewhere else for the second half.

That is what I was going on about with the pacing of this anime; if it where up to me the two years they spent in Sword Art Online would take all of the twenty five episodes and the second half would not exist at all.

Another reason I did not like it was how serious the second half was compared to the first; there may have been the threat of death if they died but it was really fun to watch. Examples of this was when Kirito meets Silica (Christine Marie Cabanos) a beast tamer and they try to find a way to resurrect her defeated pet dragon or when Kirito and Asuna go on their honeymoon and they help that guy fish a monster or when they have an adopted daughter. Sure it is not like I want the anime to be all warm and fuzzy but it had a light hearted tine the second half lack, I mean the last fight has Nobuyuki Sugou trying to kill Kirito with a knife in the real world, not exactly an epic last fight for something that is supposed to be a fantasy game anime.

In the end I was massively disappointed with how this anime ended, if it was just episodes one to fourteen I would have been happy but no it had to be longer and because it has those more episodes I can not even watch the first half anymore without being reminded of the second half. This is a real let down for me because the first half was SO GOOD and would have been really high on my list of favourite anime when I get round to making one. Overall all I can really only give this anime just over half in the score because I only like just over half of the story.

SCORE: 6/10 

Film Trailer Review: Transformers Age of Extinction

My first review of a film trailer and I have decided to review a recent trailer; Transformers Age of Extinction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pmvkR3NbGM

Now let me first start off by saying, even though I might get a bit of hate from it, that I really life the Transformers film series despite some of its flaws. Does Michael Bay seem to care more about special effects and explosions; yes, does it seem to focus a bit too much on humans than the transformers; yes and does every film has a very useless female lead; definitely yes.

However despite all of that I have found enjoyment in the film, being a fan of the original animated series I do like seeing some of my old favourites in a modern film (even though they barely look like their counterparts).

Also since I have attached the link to the trailer on this post I am not going to go over what happens in it, I am just going to pick out two highlights.

To start off it looks like Megatron is back in this film, he is one of my favourite transformers and I really don't want him to be Galvatron just yet. Also it looks like he can finally, and I mean finally, transform in to a gun. Sure it is just his head but it is close  and I was annoyed that in the previous films he transformed in to trucks and jets. In the original animated film I really liked that he transformed in to a really small but incredibly power pistol for his Decepticons to use (mostly Starscream). The reason for this is because I found it funny that the leader of the good guys transforms in to a really big truck while his evil counterpart is a gun, it was not even anything close to it or an opposite.

Better late than never they are finally featuring the Dinobots in the film and I say that it is about time. We only see Grimlock but he was my favourite Dinobot and he looks great in this. We only see his dinosaur mode in this and I guess that is enough for now, I know the Dinobots relied more on their animal modes put I do hope they have humanoid forms as well like everyone else. Also we get to see Optimus riding on his back carry a badass sword which was one of the best part of the trailer.



Now I know that they have humans in this but I really don't want to talk about them right now (maybe when a full trailer comes out I will) because I just think I am not going to be that interested in their stories.

Overall it may have been a quick glimpse of the film but it looks like this good be the best one yet and I am looking forward to the release of another trailer so I can see more transformers.




References:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/transformers-age-extinction-super-bowl-trailer-rolls-dinobots/
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Age_of_Extinction_(film)

Top 10 Characters in Gantz

For those who do not know Gantz is an extremely violent science fiction manga by Hiroya Oku. It recently ended earlier this year and it is one of my favourite mangas. Here is the list of my top then characters from the series (Spoilers for those who have not read the series).

10 – Oka Hachirou

Legendary member of the Osaka team and has cleared the game seven times. Oka definitely deserves a place on my list for being a complete badass to have survived the games that long. He also introduces much of the new equipment to the series such as the hover bike, heavy suit and mecha. His fighting style is mainly close quarters using hand to hand with the heavy suit and the gantz sword when it is destroyed. He is a very imposing individual and he always goes after the strongest aliens in the hunts, such as his epic battle with the Nurarihyon. The reason he is so low however is because we don’t know much about him due to lack of screen time and for being so legendary he gets killed off screen by being sliced in half.

9 – Kenzo Sakata

Member of the Tokyo team and managed to clear the game once, using his points to bring back Sakurai, though it is hinted he may have been in the game before. The psychic of the team he prefers to use his powers and crush the alien’s hearts or brains which I always found to be cool. Like Oka he is lower on this list because we do not get much back story and also because I think he could have had a better death scene.

8 – Hojo Masanobu

Member of the Tokyo team that was killed during his second mission against the Buddhist statue aliens. I like Hojo mainly because of his funny interactions with his stalker and that everyone acts weird around him because he is gay. He fights with a mix of close quarters with his fists and mid range with the x – gun and he did have some really cool moments when fighting. Also his death scene against the thousand armed statue was one of the coolest in the series.

7 – Hikawa

Leader of the vampires and one of the coolest characters in the series. Has a very cool design too with his tuxedo, hair style and constant smoking. Hikawa is an enemy of the gantz players and is responsible for killing several of them, his most famous ones being Izumi of the Tokyo team and the sadistic trio of the Osaka team. He is always shown to be very calm (even after having his finger sliced off) and is also a sadist that is shown through his sword fighting style. Could have been higher in the list but he has real conclusion to his story and is not shown at all except the end in the Katatrophe arc.

6 – Kazuo Kuwabara

Veteran member of the Osaka team and has cleared the game three times. Kazuo is without a doubt the biggest pervert in the series and is known to rape the aliens in the missions. He has a very cool design and is noticeable that he only ever wears half of the gantz suit. He prefers using the gantz sword his scenes are very cool when using it but he is also known to use the z – gun. One of the funniest parts I think of the series is when Kazuo gets caught by the Nurarihyon when it transforms in to a golem of naked women but when he breaks free he rapes its head lol. Survives the mission but chooses to exit from the game.

5 – Kei Kurono

The main protagonist of the series and victor of the final battle against the giant aliens. Kei is definitely one of my favourite characters because of how much he has done and been through to survive the games. I also liked his character change from someone who only cares about himself and his points to someone who wants everyone to survive the games. He has no real fighting style because he prefers to use all of the gantz equipment and weapons.

4 – Kei Kishimoto

Member of the Tokyo gantz team who unfortunately dies during her third mission before she could even clear one game. She is mostly known for her large breast size and for being naked in a lot of the chapters she is in. However I do like her character for more than just that because she really has been cool in the fights she has been in and her naïve attitude when she was staying with Kurono was really funny. She was not in it for long but I think she was one of the best written characters, I really wished she could have been revived later on in the series.

3 – Reika Shimohira

Member of the Tokyo gantz team and at one time its unofficial leader. Like Kishimoto she is mostly known for her large breast size and for her nudity but this is mostly excused by the fact that her occupation is a model. She is this high on my list is that because unlike Kishmoto she survives a lot longer and has been really badass in all of her fights either with the gantz swords or guns. Disappointed by her death however because like Oka it happened off screen.

2 – Joichiro Nishi

Veteran member of the Tokyo gantz team and one of the coolest characters of the series. Despite being only 14 years old he has killed both aliens and people and has a lot of knowledge about gantz even though he barely shares it. Only cares about himself and his points and his willing to use the lives of his team mates to be the best there is. His preferred fighting still is using the controller to become invisible, waiting for the alien to become distracted (Even if it is slaughtering his team mates) then moves in for the kill. His fate is left unknown because he is last seen stranded on the alien spacecraft.

1 – Shion Izumi

Veteran member of the Tokyo gantz team and had cleared the game at least two times, he is also my favourite gantz character. The first time he won the game he chose to leave but had the burning desire to go back even though he lost his memories of it. After receiving a message from gantz for more players he paints himself as a black man and goes on a massive killing spree, killing hundreds before entering the games again. He cares for none of his team mates and usually goes off after the boss alien for the highest score possible. He was the first one to use the gantz sword and is the best when wielding it. Killed by Hikawa which is a shame because it would have been interesting to see him interacting with the Osaka team or fighting the giant aliens.

So there you have my list, what do you think?            

Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII

Back to do another game review and I have decided to chose one that has caused a lot of controversies since its release; Final Fantasy XIII. The Final Fantasy series is my favourite series of game ever however I will try not to be bias with XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII is set in a fictional world called Gran Pulse however floating above Gran Pulse is an artificial floating world called Cocoon, which is based on a Dyson Sphere. People live on both worlds and for centuries they have hated and warred with each other, helped by godlike beings called the Fal’Cie. These beings have immense power and play a specific in the running of the world they belong too, for example there is a Fal’Cie on Cocoon that acts as its sun. They can also turn humans in to beings called I’Cie; they have powerful magic abilities granted to them but they are also given a Focus, a vague mission that they must complete. If they do not complete it they will turn in to monster but if they do complete it they turn in to crystal, so it is a no win situation. The game’s protagonist Lightning, a member of Cocoon’s Guardian Corps, along with several others are dragged in to this long lasting war between Cocoon and the world below and eventually discover a plot that can destroy both worlds.

Now I shall first start off by saying that this game is very, very story focused, I think they spent longer on it than any other part of the game. While this can be seen as a good thing some have said that it has sacrificed the game play element of it and I will come to that in a bit. I for one love this story; it is one of my favourites in the Final Fantasy series, it is just so thought out and rich in history and detail. The worlds, the war, Fal’Cie, l’Cie – I like all of it.

As for the game play, though it works overall for this game, there are several issues I have to address. Firstly there is almost no backtracking in this game at all which is a downer, beautifully thought out areas such as the Vile Peaks and Sunleth Waterscape can never be revisited again unless you start a new game. This was frustrating to me; the game is just like walking in one big straight line however I loved the story and experience of it so much that to me it is one damn good straight line!

When it comes to battle however XIII is again one of my favourites for it. I really liked the Paradigm Shift to change job class because it adds a lot of variety to the fight and each character has their own strengths and weaknesses with them. Apart from that the rest battling should feel really familiar; wait for bar to fill up and select what move you want to perform.

When it comes to levelling up they use Crystarium System, were you collect CP points off monsters and power up your character, it is kind of like the Sphere Grid in X but this is a lot more straight forward and you can not stray from your path and you have to wait for the System to level up at certain points to advance further. This might seem annoying but I liked it because it made sure I did not over power my characters, I am not usually one to grind in Final Fantasy but sometimes I accidentally do and the boss and enemies are then easy, at least when they stop you in this you and the boss seem to have an equal chance (of course since I have finished the game multiple times now I know all of the strategies so that doesn’t matter)

One other thing that did annoy me however was the lack of side quests and the after game missions. There are a lot of monster hunting mission, and I mean A LOT of them, and I enjoyed them all but that was all there was.

For the cast of characters in this game I really like most of them and they all fit well in to the story. Lightning is has a no nonsense, serious personality but but is not heartless and helps those who need it. She is a great protagonist, the first lead since VI and is one of my favourite female Final Fantasy characters. Then there is Snow who is the complete opposite of Lightning in terms of personality and the self proclaimed ‘Hero’ of the game. Snow is my favourite character in XIII, I just like his attitude and the way he never gives up. As for the rest we have Sazh, someone who comes off as the comic relief but has a lot more depth to him than that, then there is Hope a young boy trying to find his inner strength and wants to be stronger and Vanille, a spirited girl who never seems to get sad at all. Now there is another character and that is Fang and I have to say that I hated her completely (even though I know she has a strong fan base). The reason for this is because I just can not stand her personality and attitude to the other characters and the world. I don’t how many time she mentioned that Vanille is more important to her than anything and what she would not do for her and I really wanted to tell her to shut up. Also she is not in the game for a while, which is great, but when she does she some how has to make everything to do with; she is a bloody scene stealer in my opinion.

The graphics in this game is really something to look at; there is so much detail in everything they created from the character designs to the backgrounds. As I said before however there is no backtracking so for most areas you can only appreciate it once until you start new game again. And since there is no revisiting the same can be said for the music; the background music for areas are perfectly done but you can not go back to hearing it again. As voice acting it is my favourite out of any Final Fantasy game so far (even though they have only been doing it since X) but then again anything that has the voice talents of Troy Baker (Snow) will always be great.

Overall this is a Final Fantasy game that is not for everyone, those who like the previous games for its massive amount of game play content will be disappointed here but that is not to say I won’t recommend it. Sure I, like most, am frustrated by the lack the backtracking and things to do but to play a game with a story with so much depth with characters that are so amazing is an experience I have not regretted. I myself still have my copy of XIII and I still start new game on it, I think since I got it near the end of 2010 I start and finish it at least twice a year (I might have even fit in a third playthrough but I do have other games to play). Why you might ask? Because it is one damn good straight line from start to finish.

SCORE: 7/10