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 

Game Review: The Devil May Cry HD Collection

For my next game review I thought I would review one of my favourite series, Devil May Cry. This review covers only the Devil May Cry game featured in the HD collection so the fourth instalment and its remake are not included, spoilers a head though I will limit it as much a I can. Before we begin I just want to say that my game reviews will mostly be about older and classic games, I do have a PS3 but I am picky about what games I get but I have played lots of the old classics which is why I have a lot of the HD collections.

The story of Devil May Cry is about a man called Dante who is a jack of all trades and accepts any job from his shop called Devil May Cry. He is also a half demon whose father has a demon called Sparda who betrayed the demons and chose to fight for the humans instead. So Dante has incredible power within him and chooses to also be a demon hunter and protect the humans like his father did.

Devil May Cry focuses on Dante accepting a job from a mysterious lady named Trish who wants Dante to go to MulletIsland and slay the demon king Mundus who is gathering power.

Devil May Cry 2 is about Dante helping a group of humans who fought along side his father Sp and now wants his help to stop a powerful tycoon named Arius from transforming himself in to a powerful demon so he can rule the world.

Devil May Cry 3 is actually a prequel to 1 and 2 and takes place before Dante has even opened Devil May Cry. He battles his twin brother Vergil, who is aided by a man named Arkham, who wishes to open the portal to the demon world that their father sealed.

Overall the combined story of the three games is very good and immersive and Dante is an instantly badass protagonist. Devil May Cry 3 story is particular is the best because Dante is younger and a lot more rash, plus it introduces his brother Vergil who in my opinion is one of the best video games villains of all time. A let down however is in the story of Devil May Cry 2 mainly because it seemed rushed and Dante seems to lack any personality in it. He does not even seem that bothered to be there, he has a lack of lines in cut scenes and the main villain and leading lady are really forgettable.

The game play in the series is a hack and slashes type and is one of the best in genre. Dante’s primary weapon is a sword but in each game you gain more weapons over time for a lot of variety. The environments are really big and when you fight a crowd of enemies you really feel in control of Dante; you can dodge, jump and perform combos with ease, many new comers can pick it up almost right away. There are also a lot of upgrades for weapons and abilities which adds even more ways off battling the enemies. One thing however that is not very welcoming for a newcomer is the series increased difficulty. Even normal mode can prove to be challenging, veterans to the hack and slash genre won’t be that put off but those who are new may have difficulty. Also they have added trophies which make for good challenges.

As I mentioned earlier in the review the standout characters in the series are Dante and Vergil because their stories and personalities are so well written and interesting; in Devil May Cry 3 I looked forward to every cut scene where they interacted with each other. Other great ones include Lady and Arkham for Devil May Cry 3 and Trish from the first game, unfortunately there are none from Devil May Cry 2 who are worth mentioning because I believe the story was just not very good in that one.

The graphics have really been improved in the HD collections; little touch ups that make the visuals a lot sharper and more up to date. The soundtrack they use in the games is very fitting with really fast based rock music for when the battles start and really good orchestra music that goes perfectly with its gothic theme. One thing that annoys me however is that in Devil May Cry 1 and 3 of the HD collection the voices are not in synch in the cut scenes, not in all of them but enough that it is frustrating.

In conclusion the HD collection is a near perfect import of the PS2 games to the PS3, let down only by the poorly written Devil May Cry 2 and the out of synch voices. I highly recommend this to fans of the original Devil May Cry series who wish to play them on the PS3 but I also recommend it to new gamers who want to get in to the hack and slash genre; it is a great series to start with.

SCORE: 7/10

References:
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Game Review – Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy

My very first review and I have decided to do it on Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy a 2005 interactive movie game developed by Quantic Dream. Before we begin however a quick word; I have decided to review old and classic games and films to start off with and I won’t be using any pictures during the review. The reason for that is because once a few years on Youtube I had a warning about copyright and after that I decided I will never again almost breach it. Also these reviews will not be spoiler free because I will talk a lot about the story.

First off a quick overview of the plot of Fahrenheit; it is set in New York city during the worst winter in recorded history, you start off as Lucas Kane a man who wakes up from a trance in the bathroom of a diner to discover that he has recently killed someone. During the course of the game up have to uncover what caused Lucas to commit murder while along the way hide evidence from the cops on your trail. This is where Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles comes in; two New York homicide detectives who are in charge of brining Lucas in. It starts off sounding simple enough however half way through the game and near the end you discover that the murder is just part of a bigger plot, one that involves Mayan rituals, secret clans, corrupt A.I. and the destruction of the world.

Now to touch on what I thought of the story it is a love it or hate it kind and I for one loved it however I can easily understand why someone can hate it. It starts off as a murder mystery where you can play as killer and cops but soon it becomes a supernatural sci-fi, the sudden change in the concept of the story will not be for everyone. There are as well several nude and sex scenes in the game that I felt was slightly out of place and just plain awkward.  

As for game play most of it is simple point and click; where you can interact with the environment and other characters. When you talk to other characters you can chose from a selection of dialogue for a response, each one different and may affect the overall story. That was a selling point for this game is that each decision you make will affect the rest of the game, for example; After you commit the murder with Lucas you can try to hide as much evidence about it as you can so that when you play as Carla and Tyler they can have a harder or easier time catching you. However as interesting as it the story inevitably remains largely the same with you decisions only having small consequences.

Another game play element which is interesting is the action sequences when you play as Lucas. This is similar to the game of Simon and you have to move your analog stick in the direction of the highlighted colour just in time for Lucas to make a move. This was a very interesting way to convey the action scenes and they can range from being easy to being a challenge. Some players however who do not like the second half of the story however will not like that later that these action sequences control Lucas as he fights and flies around like Neo from the Matrix.

The best part of the game however is the morale meter in the bottom left side of the screen. This is affected by the choices you make in the games and could fill up or go down and you lose all of it your character it will end the game with your character being either depressed or even committing suicide.

As for the characters I think they are very well done but the do have their flaws. Lucas is a very interesting protagonist who has to deal with the murder whilst keeping it a secret from his ex – girlfriend and trying to convince his brother to help him. He has a really good back-story however a low point of the game is the flashbacks where you play with him as a child; even though it reveals more of his history it is not the most exciting parts of the game.

Carla is a good character to control as well and her investigation scenes with Tyler are some of the best of the game. However unlike Lucas and Tyler she has nothing in her personal life to make her more interesting, it is just all about the job for her.

Now for Tyler and he is definitely one of my favourite characters because he provides the comic relief and he has an interesting personal issue where his girl friend wants him to quit the force. A downside to him however is that half way through the game his role in the story diminishes because it focuses more on Lucas and Carla which is a real shame.

As for secondary characters they are all interesting and well written like the Mayan Oracle who is the primary antagonist, Markus Kane who is Lucas’s priest brother who has conflicted between his faith and his brother and the mysterious Agatha who helps Lucas through the game. There are many more who just have small roles but all are very unique.

Lastly I will touch on the graphics and sound in Fahrenheit on whether or not they are good of bad. The graphics in this game are very good for its time especially with the characters and their facial expressions however that cannot be said about the backgrounds. While the backgrounds are very well detailed they do sometimes look flat and it is noticeable when you spot it but it does not take away from the gaming experience.

The voice acting in this game is some of the best I have ever heard; all of the voice actors play their roles perfectly and you can really feel the emotion off all of them. Like the Oracle for example has one of the deepest and most menacing voices I have ever heard. The soundtrack is great as well and even though I have never heard of most of bands whose songs are in the game the Fahrenheit original soundtrack really goes with the mood of this game.

Overall Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy is a very unique game but it is not for everyone. It is more about telling a story than anything else each which you interact with it which is not for gamers for prefer game play over story. In the end Fahrenheit is a great experience and in my opinion one of the most stand out games of 2005. If I have any major issues with it is that as much as I like the second half of the game I wish the first half, which is all about the aftermath of the diner murder and Lucas hiding evidence, was a lot longer because it was the game’s high point. In the end I recommend Fahrenheit to all those who like major twists in their story and likes something a lot different from other games.

SCORE: 8/10

References:
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