Blindsided by Politics

It was either this, or another post on Marvel’s Spider-Man.  And come on, nobody cares about that stinker.  That garbage is headed straight to the bargain bin.

It’s a super-good game, thoooooooooooooooough.

Besides, this is more important.  Slightly more important.

Slightly.

Kingdom Hearts makes me sad and mad.

Okay, so I know I already did a couple of posts a few months back explaining that I still like Kingdom Hearts despite everything.  I mostly stand by what I said back then.  But, well, that was months ago.  This is now.  So let’s get into it again.

*sigh* Friggin’ Squeenix, man.

RE: Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)

All right, I’m going to make this as quick a post as I can.  Why?  Because the sooner I finish, the sooner I can play more Marvel’s Spider-Man.  

The Emissary from Hell has arrived.  And I couldn't be happier.

A Good Case for Bad Heroines (Gundam Edition)

Don’t be fooled by the title.  Even though SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy just came out (as of writing), this isn’t a post on that.  How could it be?  Until it adds King -- sans sketchy costumes or her clear discomfort -- the product is fundamentally flawed at best, with a strong lean toward “worthless”.

Believe it or not, this doesn’t have to do with video games.  Well, not entirely.  I’m sure I’ll find a way to shoehorn a few into the discussion at some point, because I’m me and need to spend some time in a strait jacket.  No, the real spark for this post was…video games, technically, but another catalyst intervened.  And I’ll say upfront that the fact that it’s even the spark in the first place makes my soul ache.

So.  Let’s talk about Gundam Build Divers.

RE: Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker

You know every so often I’ll mention that my brother was the inspiration was behind a post?  This is more than one of those times.  This is peak “thank my brother for this post”. We’ve entered maximum broverdrive here.

Strap in.  This is Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker.

Let’s discuss All Might.

I want to start this off by saying, yes, I like My Hero Academia.  I like it a lot.

I’m not just saying that because it’s popular, or because other people like it.  This anime (and the manga by extension) is legit.  Scarily so.  It’s not hard to see the machinery behind it, and its attempts at emotional torque -- but the execution here is generally at such a high level, it almost always works.  I’ve gotten the chills.  I’ve stifled the gasps.  And I’m about two steps short of starting a tally of how many times I tear up.  It’s getting pretty high up there.

Am I being emotionally manipulated?  Probably.  Am I an easy mark for this sort of thing?  Probably.  But until proven otherwise, I’m happy to say that, well, I’m happy with My Hero Academia.  There are plenty of viable reasons to point to -- to identify as successes -- with the chief one being the horrifically-lovable cast.  Certainly, All Might is among them.

But here’s the thing.  The deeper I go with the anime, the more I realize something.  I like All Might not because he’s Not-Quite-Anime Superman.  I like him because the more I think about him, the more I suspect he’s actually the worst…which is why he’s the best.

The Overwatch Salt Mine Report -- August 2018

It seems like the only time I consistently play Overwatch is when there’s an event that gives me a chance to deck out my girl Mercy with some stylin’ new threads.  Most of the time my chances are non-existent, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying.  And failing.  And trying again.  So it goes that, in the wake of the 2018 Summer Games event, I’m back in and grinding it out to try and get my hands on the Winged Victory skin.

I’ve failed.  Triumphantly.  I might have a chance to grab one or two more loot boxes, but by the time you read this, I’ll probably have thrown in the towel by virtue of the event’s end.  Still, I’ve been grinding it out before I miss the Winged Victory costume again, so you know what that means.  Time for me to start a new, off-and-on series on Overwatch.  So let the salt flow through you as I talk about Blizzard’s beloved (?) shooter.  Starting with…

Super Hero Time 2018…Relatively Speaking

Like I said before, not every post on this blog can be about My Hero Academia.  Kingdom Hearts, maybe.  But every so often I need a chaser.  So let’s go ahead and do this lickety-split.

In a way that doesn’t tie to Kamen Rider or Super Sentai.  Much to my dismay, granted, but at least this way I don’t have to worry about Toei’s army of Lawyer Combatmen coming to break my legs.

Here comes a new(ish) challenger, I guess?

Proving that EVO lasts all year here on Cross-Up, here’s…something that is distinctly not tied to any currently-released or upcoming fighting game.  But the blog is called Cross-Up, so I would be remiss if I didn’t adhere to the theme.

Well, since I’m not planning on boring anyone with the details (for once), I’ll make this brief.  I’ve been putting in the work with my characters recently, primarily because I’ve been on something of an art kick -- though as a writer of sorts, you can bet that many a notebook page has been scribbled upon.  What’s relevant to this blog is that because of my work beyond it, I may have reached a new level.  Presumably that means I’ve leveled up as a writer, but more importantly, I feel like I may have made a breakthrough with a certain character.  

Right now, he’s the one character I need to make a breakthrough with the most.

Shower Thoughts with My Hero Academia (Season 1)

You know what?  There’s a version of My Hero Academia out there in another dimension, locked deep within the darkest confines of the multiverse, where Midoriya never got his Quirk.

Like, I’ve been thinking about it, and I realize that if All Might had never run into Midoriya, and/or if neither one ran into that green blob villain -- which is feasible, given the slim odds of their encounter -- then the Symbol of Peace would have gone on as planned, given his Quirk to someone else he deemed worthy at U.A., and left our hero to be…not a hero.  

I won’t lie: there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing that story play out.  Maybe have Midoriya enroll in U.A. anyway in the support class?  Have him develop gear for heroes (in-training or otherwise) while providing support as their mission control?  Let him find ways to build armor/equipment that simulates useful battle Quirks?  Or -- and here’s the real kicker -- have him team up with Bakugou so at least one of them can make it to the top.  Bakugou’s got the talent and power, but Midoriya assists and conditions him so that the fire in his belly gets directed instead of scattered in all directions.  An uneasy alliance, sure, but a BEST MATCH when the two truly learn to work as a team.

But you’re not here for hypothetical situations.  You’re here to find out who is best girl in My Hero Academia (besides Iida, as discussed).  And the answer is…drumroll pleeeeeeeeeeeeease…