RE: Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue HD

So I finished Kingdom Hearts 2.8, and to say that I have mixed feelings would be an understatement the size of a blue whale on steroids.

RE: BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

With each passing day, we come one step closer to the grand, global debut of our lady and savior, Blake Belladonna.  Yea, verily, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is soon to be delivered upon us by the angels from on high, so that we may all engage in glorious combat with our blessed Faunus warrior.  Now, join me in prayer, that we may spread the holy word in the name of the best girl.

...

…Too strong with the kayfabe?  TOO BAD.

Avengers: Infinity War: So That Happened

I was going to give this Avengers: Infinity War post a subtitle that made a none-too-subtle reference to Bleach, but then I realized that that in itself would have constituted a spoiler from moment one.  And as lax as I can be with spoilers, I know that that’s a dirtbag move.  

I guess my only option is to meet others halfway and embed one of its most infamous songs.  A fair tribute, yes?  Anyway, let’s get in there.

THERE ISN’T A FONT SIZE LARGE ENOUGH TO CONVEY HOW MANY SPOILERS THERE ARE IN THIS POST.  THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.  IF YOU WANT A SPOILER-FREE TAKE, GO HERE INSTEAD.

…Okay, maybe there is a font size large enough, but I don’t want to use it.  That’s a last resort.

RE: Avengers: Infinity War

Prior to watching Avengers: Infinity War, I learned something about Thanos thanks to my brother.  Apparently, back in the days of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (among other crossover titles), Thanos was a playable character -- not a very good one, from what I’ve heard, but that’s to be expected in a game infamous for its god-tier characters to this day.  In any case, the Thanos incarnation in that game had a certain quirk to his moveset: he could trap foes in bubbles.  That’s exactly the kind of move you’d expect from the Mad Titan, and not, say, a foul-mouthed magical girl from a game released nearly a decade later.

So in the lead-up to Marvel’s latest, my brother ecstatically went on and on about that move.  “Oh boy, I hope Thanos uses his bubbles!” he said with a grin, and rubbed his hands in anticipation.  It was the most bizarre thing I ever heard.  But what’s more bizarre is the fact that, yes, Thanos uses bubbles in Infinity War.  Twice.  That nearly made my bro rocket out of his seat.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  Gamora grabbed a knockoff Proton Cannon in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.  Someone on the staff is a Mahvel fan.

Anyway, Thanos using bubbles is the only spoiler you’ll get from me in this post.  So let’s get to it.

I Still Like Kingdom Hearts, Despite Everything (Part 2)

I’ve been thinking about this before I started playing Kingdom Hearts 3D the other day, but now that I’m back in, I feel like I have to ask:

Is it just me, or is Sora the cause of countless problems in the canon?

RE: Gundam Build Divers

I don’t understand how this anime can even exist.

…Is the line I would use to start this post if I hadn’t done that twice already in the past.  In all honesty, I have no problems believing that Gundam Build Divers exists, because it’s had two seasons to blaze a trail beforehand.  Granted Divers is its own beast on that front; the beauty of it is that it’s (seemingly for now) a franchise reboot, so you don’t need to watch Build Fighters or BF Try in order to understand what’s going on.  You should, because they’re friggin’ great IMO, but anyone who wants to jump on board now is free to do so.  Failing that?  Do yourself a favor and watch the 14-ish minute prologue to Divers.  No seriously, do it.

In any case, the anime fandom has this thing called the three episode rule.  That’s the grace period of sorts; any given show has three episodes to convince a viewer to keep watching, and/or justify its existence.  If it can’t, then it’s off to the shadow realm.  Given that, I think it’s time for me to take a hard look at Gundam Build Divers and see how it handles itself.  Don’t take me as an authority, given that I have a MASSIVE bias going in, but this is the first time I’m watching episodes as they air, rather than reacting to archived videos months after the fact.  I’m excited.

And what better to way to keep up that excitement than with a hype intro?  Play ‘em in, boys!

I Still Like Kingdom Hearts, Despite Everything (Part 1)

Alternate post title: I Still Like Kingdom Hearts, Despite Itself.

…Part 1.

The Battle for Everyone’s Sons (I Mean Souls)

*looks at God of War 4*

*looks at Yakuza 6*

*narrows eyes*

Video games?  We need to talk.

Let’s discuss Kamen Rider Ex-Aid (FINALE).

I thought of something else I like about Emu from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: his ability to bring disparate (and routinely awful) people together for a good cause.  That’s probably not a unique trait among protagonists -- count how many of Goku’s allies once tried to kill him or his friends -- but it’s still something I appreciate here.  As part of his character arc, Emu has to learn how to work with others so that he can be more than just an MLG pro gamer; by learning how to trust others and accept his limits, he evolves as a Rider, a doctor, and a person.  The ultimate proof of his growth comes late in the series, where he makes a choice that comes off as strikingly dark in the context of Ex-Aid.  It’s for a good cause, but still.  Yikesy mikesy.

I wish that Emu had a better supporting cast along the way, because anyone not named Emu on the heroes’ side is tolerable at best (IMO, of course).  Admittedly that would take the punch out of his arc, and to be fair steal whatever good moments the others can muster, but they go a long way to make the journey to the final episode a rough one.  But even so, there is a saving grace.

If you’re just tuning in, then I’ll say it upfront: Ex-Aid is worth watching just to see its villains.

I’LL CLEAR THIS POST WITH NO CONTINUES!

(Just tons of spoilers.)

Overwatch: Retribution: Uprising: Revengeance: Revelations: Subtitle: Sequel

I wonder if anyone will ever notice that I called all of the Offense heroes in Overwatch “Attack” heroes instead.  Whoops!  I mean, I could change that with a few minutes of editing, but you know what?  I think I’ll leave it for posterity -- as a way of proving just how little I know about an entire class of the game.  It’ll be great.

In other news, I’m seriously a fan of Mercy’s new ult.  No doubt it’s a dream come true for the “battle Mercy” types, but since it doesn’t correct my utter inability to aim, I’m out of luck.  For the most part.  But in a pinch, I can fight back if the need arises; I remember when I first activated it and went “WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!” as power coursed through me and the bullets brought the pain to three rival players.  It’s a powerful tool, as is the case with all ults -- even though these days, I mostly just use it to take flight and bail the hell out of a situation.  Because that’s my secret: I’m always a huge coward.  Bruce Banner would be proud.

Anyway, let’s talk about Overwatch some more.  And going off of the end of the last post, I’ll ask again: where does Overwatch go from here?

I have some thoughts.  But you may not like them.