That Time I Tried Getting into Sword Art Online

I mean, granted, I didn’t try very hard.  But there was an attempt.

RE: Omega Labyrinth Life

Now, I’m not going to say that Omega Labyrinth Life is the best game of 2019 -- far from it -- but in some ways, it is among one of the most interesting I’ve played this year.  The sort of thing I can’t help but want to put under the microscope, you know?  Which I did.  And, despite its nature…and history…and premise…and everything…I’m actually, genuinely kind of glad I took the plunge.

That said, this plunge cements the fact that I’m bound for the deepest, hottest circle of Hell.  So, yeah, I’ve been given one more reason to not die anytime soon.

Thanks, video game!

Teppen! But Also, Housekeeping (and Indignation)

I can’t think of a lot of games that I’ve fallen for so quickly, but wouldn’t you know it?  Teppen is one of them.  And to think it’d not only be the very first mobile game I’ve talked about on this blog, but the very first mobile game I’ve ever owned.  Well, besides some Tetris/Pac-Man hybrid built into this one phone I had a geologic age ago.

So let’s talk about Teppen.  Briefly.  Because God forbid, I get to talk about something I actually like and/or can be positive about.

RE: One Piece: World Seeker

One day I need to have a talk with my brother about his penchant for impulse buys.  

Like, I’m not about to tell him how to spend his money, but him grabbing One Piece: World Seeker -- and preordering it months in advance, at that -- has to qualify as a potential red flag.  Did he know that the game would be good?  No.  Did he have room in his schedule for it, given that its release date was sandwiched between Devil May Cry V and Sekiro?  No.  Is he even a fan of One Piece?  At best, he tangentially orbits it; he’s seen a whopping four episodes, played snippets of one game, and likes the “manimals” of the Enies Lobby Arc.

Oh, and he’s a fan of Tony Tony Chopper…even though he got the name confused and called him Tony Chopper Chopper.

I don’t know what possessed him to get the game, and I never will.  But what’s truly bizarre is that, in a way, I’m actually glad he did.  One Piece: World Seeker is easily the weirdest game I’ve played in a while.  So let’s talk about it.

Because it gives me an excuse to embed One Piece theme songs.

RE: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

So from what I’ve heard, we’ve recently hit the halfway point of JoJo Part 5.  Having caught up (give or take an episode), let me say this to start:

Huh.

So that’s how that works.

Mild-ish spoilers for everything up to episode 21.  If you’re wary of getting spoiled on anything, this post is very not DI MOLTO.

…It’s funnier to use the phrase improperly.

The Super Sleepy Housekeeping Post (feat. Existential Dread)

Remember, kids: always get a good night’s rest.  Otherwise your brain will start eating itself.

I know that sounds like something out of some B-movie schlock (it IS October, after all), but wouldn’t you know it, science provides.  Anyway, on to this quick little post of mine.

And not sleep.  Not yet.

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.

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…

On God of War and Narrative Transparency

Let me jump ahead of any comments and say this: when asked by my brother what I think of God of War (2018), my response was “Yeah, s’pretty good.”  Admittedly my concentration was split at the time since I was in the middle of an enemy skirmish, but it seems like a pretty apt descriptor.  I’m still not going to call it GOTY 2018 yet, or slap a 10/10 on the box; that said, it’s a good game that’s a worthy addition to any gamer’s collection.

There.  Now that I’ve made that clear, I’m at a much lower risk of ruffling tail feathers with my next statement: boy, the devs did not even try to hide their intentions with this game.  There’s pulling back the veil, and then there’s using a veil made of saran wrap.

But that might not be a bad thing.  Well, except when it is.

…

…Except when it isn’t.

The 900th Post: My Hero Academia (?!)

Hello, and welcome once again to Cross-Up, your one stop shop for dozens of Kingdom Hearts posts all sorts of posts on video games, movies, TV shows, and more.  And in this case, “more” happens to include anime.  And manga, by extension.  So let’s not delay any longer.  My Hero Academia has been making waves for a while now, and it’s time I use this milestone celebration -- the 900^th post here on this blog -- to take a closer look.

Here we go.  These are The Top 5 Best Girls of My Hero Academia.

…Oh, wait.  No it isn’t.  Never mind.  Continuing on.

What’s Going On With RWBY?

With BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle right around the corner, I was thinking of convincing my brother that RWBY was worth a closer look -- as compared to no look at all.  Granted I knew I had a 0% chance of convincing him to watch; almost every time I make a recommendation to him, it ends up being a Green Eggs and Ham situation sans the last few pages.  Still, the thought and the upcoming game release gave me an impetus.  I haven’t seen a single episode of RWBY Volume 5 yet, and I doubt I could call myself a fan if I skipped out.

…Except I still haven’t seen a single episode.  And as much as the thought worries me, I think I know why.

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!

A Writer’s Hubris

It was a coin flip between putting “Writer’s” in quotes or not, given that the same qualifier could be applied to me.  But there are times when I like to pretend I have some shred of legitimacy, and this is one of them.  Now watch closely as I proceed to rip that legitimacy into thousands of tiny pieces.

Such is my way.   Take heed of it -- of the aesthetics of justice.

Let’s discuss Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Logic dictates that I use this slot in the schedule to do another post on Black Panther, but that’s going to have some political undercurrents in it.  And given that the last post was most definitely about politics, it’s time for a chaser.  I wouldn’t want anyone to think that this blog was serious or anything.

Of course it isn’t.  I can’t strain my credibility here.  So let’s talk about Dragon Ball FighterZ instead.

Re: RE: Dragon Ball FighterZ

So I’ve been playing more Dragon Ball FighterZ, and…whew.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not a bad game at all.  If you know anything about it at this point -- and you should -- then you don’t need me to tell you that it’s an audiovisual treat that does justice to the brand like few other DBZ games have before.  And while the difficulty of mastering the gameplay is present (as it is with any fighter worth its salt), it’s worth it in order to fight it out with your favorite characters and carve out a win.

Still, I don’t envy anyone who’s struggling to git gud.  Nor am I willing to begrudge them, or shrug off their efforts.  Dragon Ball FighterZ may seem beginner-friendly -- and mash-happy -- on the surface, but as with any fighter that has autocombos baked in, that’s not enough to guarantee a win.  Or even the ability to stand a fighting chance.  Ergo, the learning process involved with the game.

So in the interest of trying to help out others who are getting in deep with the game, here are my thoughts, experiences, and tips so far.  Because if there’s anyone qualified to dish out pro tips, it’s a guy who hasn’t touched an arcade stick since BlazBlue came out.  The first BlazBlue.  Take that as you will.

RE: Dragon Ball FighterZ

You know that dream where you’re suddenly thrown into a classroom and forced to take a test you didn’t study for?  Or that other dream where you’re late for school/work and you have to hurry to make it there on time?  Or that other (other) dream where you drastically underestimate the length of your commute and fritter away time with naps, snacks, and video games, only to get lost both along the way and at your destination because you didn’t think to write down any navigational details?

Okay, that last one might be specific to me.  But the point is that right now, that’s what Dragon Ball FighterZ feels like to me right now.  It’s kicking my ass…and that’s (mostly) okay.  So now I’ll have to explain why.

Before that, though?  A moment of silence for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.  Granted it’s not dead yet, but…well…this is a deathblow dealt to a game that’s suffered plenty already.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: A Very Special Post (Part 1)

Hey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2.  I have a question for you.  You know that old taunt “Well, if you love it so much, why don’t you marry it?”  Why aren’t you adapting and using that in your game?

Actually…why don’t any games really adapt and use it in their games?  

I don’t know.  That’s probably a question worth pondering from here on out, but it’d expand the scale of this little argument to something the size of a dissertation, so let’s focus on this game for now.  Otherwise, we'll be here for a million billion years -- and since I'm technically still on hiatus, I shouldn't even be bothering with this.  Yet here I am regardless.

Why?  I dunno.  Everyone needs an outlet for their rage.  I guess this is mine.

THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME?  

(And my spoilers.)

DON’T FORGET ME!  

(And these spoilers.)

What Anime Should I Watch? (Also, I’m a Kamen Rider)

So a funny thing happened the other day.  See, Kamen Rider Build started airing on September 3^rd, and -- as a fan of the franchise for a good four years now -- I’ve been following its progress and details whenever I can.  I haven’t seen the first episode yet, mind you, but I’ve seen clips and read up on details.  One point in particular crossed my path: apparently, Build’s special moves (some of them at least) are called “Boltech Finish” and “Boltech Break”.  Seem familiar?  Well, depending on how you hear the sounds and read the katakana used to craft them, it can be interpreted as a B or a V.  In other words?  If you go by what TV Tropes has on the series, it’s actually a “Voltech Finish” and a “Voltech Break”.

To quote the famed nihilist philosopher Homer Simpson: “HE’S NAMED LIKE MY NAME!”

Logic would suggest that it’s just a happy coincidence (because incidentally, Voltech has also showed up in move names in Guilty Gear Xrd and Under Night In-Birth).  Of course, better logic would suggest that, because of my enduring loyalty and constant efforts as the unofficial herald of The Church of Rider Kicks, the creators from on high paid tribute to me, my humble and most undeserved self, in the best way possible.  So yeah, I'm basically a Kamen Rider now.  Just give me a belt, a mask, and a motorcycle, and I’m all set.

…

…Okay, let’s talk about anime for a bit.