Game Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

SRPG; Nintendo DS; Atlus; 2011

Big news from over at the Mighty No. 9 forums, the infamous Call vote is over and the winner is *DRUMROLL* Call F! From now on, this design is the official design for Call though it was close with only a 2.25% difference between the winner and the first runner up Call E. Of course naturally the immediate reaction over at the forums is celebration from the Call F crowd and immediate calls for a re-vote because the vote was "unfair" and that Call F only won due to "Comcept favoritism." It will take a while before all this will blow over. Until then here is a video game review. Oh and for Christmas I got Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, Kirby's Mass Attack, Luminous Arc, Spice and Wolf Vol. 6 (unfortunately I don't have Vol. 5 yet), and for some reason DmC: Devil May Cry. Anyway, onto my review of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2.

Christmas Review: Tokyo Godfathers

Well the entire Dina debacle has died down for the most part over at the Mighty No. 9 forums. Mainly because it has been replaced with the 2nd Call Vote, which as sparked a massive war between those who vote for Call E and those who vote for Call F (Because apparently no one bothers to remember that there is also Call H in the running). I voted for Call F because she looks the most capable of being a fighter and she compliments Beck's design the best, despite the countless accusations that she is just a Roll clone, which I kind of understand  why people say that, but on the hand she isn't really that similar to Roll if you really dissect their designs. Anyway, Christmas is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate it then by reviewing that anime Christmas Classic Perfect Blue.... What? I'm reviewing Tokyo Godfathers? Well it's done by the same director.

Crescent's Quick Report: The Mighty No. Fiasco or I'm Not Going to Talk about This.

I'm sure many of you have heard about the issues regarding the Mighty No. 9 Backer forums and our newly appointed Community Manager (or CM for short). Articles from various news sites have written articles and videos on Youtube have been made about one Dina Abou Karam and in particular our community's response to her appointment as announced in last Monday's update. Concerns have been raised, some more vulgar and vitriolic than others; however, most are civil and respectful, all centering around how Dina will preform as a CM, and Dina and members of 8-4 (who are helping to manage English communities for Comcept) have responded with reassurances to a number of the concerns that have been raised (the quality of those reassurances vary from user to user).

Personally, I am trying my best to stay out of this particular debacle. In fact, I am rather conflicted about even writing this post because I want the issue to pass until there is more solid evidence about whether or not Dina is having a positive or a negative influence on the development of Mighty No. 9. However, I want to clarify some comments that have cropped up on some sites about the nature of these concerns, but it is just as likely that by me voicing these issues (in any light) will just cause the problem to be exacerbated.

The one this I WILL make clear about this incident is that any and all reports that this issue is fueled by anything even remotely close to misogyny is painfully inaccurate. All concerns regarding Dina being made CM are purely aimed at her professionalism and qualifications in regards to her position as CM and the extent of her influence on Mighty No. 9. There has been NO criticism levied against her based on her sex.

As of writing this, the current state of the forums are slowing returning to normal operations, with a number of users still unconvinced by the reassurances of Dina and the 8-4 staff. I just hope everything will be back to as close to normal as possible by the time the Call voting starts on the 19th.

Sorry for just a short post, hopefully I will have something more fun (like a review) next week.

Until then

-Crescent, It's strange quickly things went so far south.

Anime Review :Occult Academy

Not much to talk about this week, other than the fact that tomorrow the most important decision about Mighty No. 9 will be decided: Which Call will be the official design. After that we just have to choose things like gameplay concepts and stuff like that, you know boring things. Personally, I am a Call F fanboy so I HOPE she wins. Other than that, not much going on except me watching the Persona Q trailer over and over again. How long will I have to wait for that game to come out? Anyway, this week's review is a fun little anime about Aliens, UMAs, Poltergeists, and the end of the world. This week I'm reviewing: Occult Academy.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Youtube on 3DS and Persona News or Youtube is completely broken and Atlus here is all of my savings!

My God... It's full of Chairs!

Sorry for posting two "Crescent's Thoughts On" in a row, but there has been some news this week that isn't Anita Sarkeesian related that I want to talk about. Said news is 3 parts awesome, 1 part suck, and 1 part "I have no idea what's going on." And you can probably gather from the title of today's post, this is about Youtube and the deity known as Atlus bringing us the second coming of the Messiah (Which for one of the news topics I'm going to discuss is actually surprisingly accurate). So while everyone is in a rush to consume as much Thanksgiving leftovers as possible before it all goes bad, I will go over this news one by one, starting with Youtube.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's Ms. Male Character Video or How Making Female Characters Feminine is Sexist.

MY GOD! She is wearing a different plaid shirt!

Before I begin this week's incoherent ramblings, I have some good news: The Mighty no. 9 community forums is online and all those who have backed the Kickstarter have received their Mighty No.s. I am Mighty no. 61357 AKA CRES. If you see me on the forums say hi and for the love of god check out my blog, I'm very lonely here. Anyway, over the course of last week Anita Sarkeesian has released her next video in her "Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games" series at the impressive rate of one video every 3 months. This latest video "The Fighting Fu-" um, I mean "Ms. Male Character" is focused on the presence of the female version of several popular male counterparts, and how bows apparently are the worse thing to happen to girls since the dawn of time. Throughout the 25 minute video, Anita Sarkeesian makes only two points, one regarding the Ms Male Character and the other referring to the Smurfette Principle, but she makes up for this lack of content by making her first point over, and over, and over, and over again. And so, since unlike last time with the Damsels in Distress Part 3 where she had absolutely NO content to work with, I have a brand new wealth of arguments to vivisect and expose just how poorly thought out her criticisms are.

Anime Review: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Nothing much changed with me other than FINALLY Nintendo has announced Youtube is coming to the 3DS. Unfortunately it is at a time where most people are completely fed up with Youtube and it's Google+ shenanigans. I don't have a Google+ account, never wanted one, but now I HAVE to get one to do something so simple as to even LEAVE A FREAKIN' COMMENT!? To be honest, the only reason I wanted Youtube on my 3DS is so that I can watch Spice and Wolf on the damn thing. It's a similar reason why I want Crunchyroll to release a 3DS app, so that I can watch Maoyu on my system. A message to Google: STOP SCREWING WITH YOUTUBE! It's fine if you do things that make the experience better, but all you are doing is making it worse! Anyway, on to reviewing this week's anime: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Game Review: Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (AKA Castlevania: Rondo of Blood)

2D Action; Turbo Grafx CD; Konami; 1993

Hi there, ho there. Sorry about my absence last week, I'm sure the 5 of you who actually read my blog missed me. I had several things occur in rapid succession last week that prevented me from preparing a review. First was my brother's wedding that took place on Halloween. The very next day was the Black Belt testing were I was going for my 1st Black Decided (which I did earn), and the following day was testing for the rest of the martial arts school. So by the time Sunday came around I was mentally and physically exhausted. Anyway, As a delayed celebration of All Hallow's Eve, I am going to do another Castlevania review, this time of what is commonly considered the best of the classic Castlevania games. A game that for the longest time was only released in Japan until it graced the Wii's Virtual Console and remade for the PSP: Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo. More commonly known in the west as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. This was my first time playing the game, so does this classic of the old school stand up to the test of time? Find out in my review.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Games about Mundane things.

An engaging game about a boring job.

Honestly, I had nothing planned for today. I got school work to do, a wedding to attend, and a Black Belt testing to get ready for. So yeah, writing reviews and playing games is kind of pushed aside for now. However, next week I should have less on my plate for a while. But while I was sitting at my computer wondering what the HELL I am going to do for this post, I found a video that Youtube recommended for me which was a Let's Play of the PC game "Papers, Please." I was aware of the game before watching the Let's Play and I knew the basic premise, you are a border inspector to a fascist communist fictional nation and all you do is approve or deny entry. That's it. You also have to manage your budget as you are paid for each person processed, but are penalized for when you make a mistake, like letting a person in with invalid or missing documents. There are also terrorist attacks, a secret cult, and an overall oppressive atmosphere, but I'm not here to talk about the game. Not really. What I'm here to talk about is the rather fascinating genre of games that I can best describe as "Doing boring things."

Anime Review: NieA under 7

Not much to say this week. Things are starting to wind down a bit, I don't have as many things going on this week. My testing is still two weeks away as well as the wedding I'm to be attending, but I don't have anything due for the week. Yeah, not much going on, so time for an anime review about aliens and mundanity.

Game Review: Radiant Historia

RPG; Nintendo DS; Atlus; 2011

Not much has changed since last week, other than the fact that I'm still a little overwhelmed by all the things I have to do over the course of this month. Anyway, it's time for the first Video Game review in a while. If you are wondering when I'm going to do my Shining Force III Scenario 3 review, that will come when I beat the game. When am I going to beat the game? Well, I beat it as soon as-OH Look a butterfly, let's forget this entire conversation. Anyway, this week is an obscure goody called Radiant Historia.

Anime Review: Dirty Pair/Dirty Pair Flash

I'm going to be a bit busy for the rest of the month. The reason for it is because I not only have classes going on right now, but I also have a Black Belt testing to get ready for, AND I'm going to be attending a wedding at the end of the month. That's right, I'm going to a wedding on Halloween, the bride and groom are weird. Anyway, here is another written review, this time you are getting a double douse of anime: Dirty Pair and it's movies and OVAs as well as it's sequel Dirty Pair Flash...... AHHHHH!

Special Report: Mighty no. 9 SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED!

Was it any surprise that this game was going to be funded? It is a classic style action platformer made by several of the people who MASTERED the genre all the way back in the 80 with a tiny little series of games called Mega Man. Since the conclusion of the PAX panel where Keiji Inafune revealed to the world this project, and how it was going to be funded by Kickstarter with HEAVY emphasis on fan involvement, there was no doubt that the $900K initial goal would be cleared. But with that goal having been reach within the first 24 HOURS the only question that remained, apart from Call's design, was can we reach the major stretch goals that we fans wanted. Well, we did... to the tune of $4 MILLION!! What does that mean, the fanbase of Mighty no. 9, a game that hasn't been made yet and no one even knew existed until a month ago, was able to raise enough money to HIT EVERY SINGLE STRETCH GOAL SET FOR THE GAME!

Video: In Regards to Anita Sarkeesian

I wanted to do an actual written review, but I lost track of time, forgot that I needed to write something, had my mind preoccupied by other necessaries, and of course the bane of my existence, Youtube and it's deleterious effects on productivity. So I'll just leave this video I've done regarding something that I noticed about Anita Sarkeesian (the "feminist" "gamer" who is trying to shame people into agreeing with her that video games are somehow sexist whenever they portray a women, and that gamers themselves are misogynistic assholes) that I don't feel like it is covered as much as her arguments and conduct before, during, and after her kickstarter. Whether I do another video, or transition from written reviews to video reviews will largely depend on the reception of this video. Namely if you guys can stand to listen to me talk I might consider doing more videos in the future.

Until next time

-Crescent, Am I using Anita's popularity to bolster my own? Well... Yeah.

Video: A Tribute to Mega Man

This is the first video I've made in a while, and as you can see it is dedicated to everyone's favorite blue bomber: Mega Man. Please check it out and leave your comments here or on Youtube, but please leave them here.... I'm lonely over here. I don't know if I'm going to routinely make video or not. I may make video reviews at some point, but right now I can't stand the sound of my own voice.

Until Next Time

-Crescent, Blue Bomber Forever!

Crescent's Thoughts On: Mighty No. 9 or YES! YES! YES! YES!

Not much to say as an intro for this week, not a lot happened that I feel I need to inform the 3 people who actually read what I have to say. Although, I don't know if I even have 3 people reading what I'm writing because I have NO IDEA whether or not anyone is actually reading this or they are just Google image searching and finding the pictures I use for my blog. Seriously, I've breached over 2,000 views and I STILL don't have a single comment? What the hell people? Anyway, on to my thoughts.

Game Review: Shining Force III: Scenario 2

Strategy RPG; SEGA Saturn; Camelot Software Planning/SEGA; 1998 (JAPAN ONLY)

Yes, it's been forever since my last video game review, for that I am sorry. For those of you who don't know, Shining Force III came in three parts called Scenarios, and much like the Mass Effect series many years later, clear data from the each game can be used in the later games, where your choices in each effect the outcome of events in later games. However, only the first scenario was released outside of Japan, leaving the story frustratingly incomplete. But thanks to the efforts of the Shining Force III Translation Project, all three scenarios (as well as the Premium Disk) are available for English translation (provided that you have the original CDs). Due to the legal uncertainty of emulation, I will not provide links (though they are easy to find on your own), but I will review this game and give my thoughts on it. Mainly because that's what I do on this blog. Anyway, on to the review!

Anime Review: The Devil is a Part-Timer

New review, and it's about time. I've spent too much of August talking about Anita Sarkeesian, Atlus being sold, and Capcom shooting themselves in the foot with how they are handling the classic Breath of Fire series which almost makes me want to write the entire company off. However, in that period of time I have finally beaten Shining Force III Scenario 2 and watched several anime, but since I can't find good screenshots of SFIII-S2 I've decided to write this review for the anime I just finished watching: The Devil is a Part-Timer.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Breath of Fire 6 or Capcom You Are Making It Really Hard To Be A Fan You Know

Good old fashion Nostalgia.

Last "Crescent's Thoughts On" for a while, promise.... Well, that is until I get news on Atlus's auction that is. Anyway, this is the last bit of news that has recently surfaced that I feel the need to talk about, and the reason for that is because it regards one of my beloved series of all time: Breath of Fire.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian Part 3 OR How I Learn To Stop Whining And Love The Satire.

I can't tell which which one is whining more.

Okay, so last week Anita Sarkeesian has released her 3rd and FINAL video about the Damsel in Distress in her "Tropes Vs Women In Video Games" in which she contradicts herself several times, whines about simple low budget games have simple low budget plots, displayed her double standard when it comes to gender representations, throw Princess Peach under the bus once again, claim that when game hackers (most of which are male by the way) gender swap the characters it's progressive but when game developers do it it's just an excuse to use the trope, miss the point of satire and parody so completely that I wonder whether or not she was even aiming at the correct planet, and finally pitches her own idea of a game which in all honesty is as hackney, cliche ridden, and surprisingly sexist as all the games she criticizes. I was going to do the same thing I did last time she posted a video, but since several people have already done their own point by point dissection of her video (This one by Triox45 is my favorite and most accurate to what I find wrong with her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wm8nxLUdRo). So instead I'm going to try something different. Since Anita mentioned Satire in her video not circumventing tropes, or showing that such tropes are stupid, I'm going to write a parody "analysis" using all of Anita's points and arguments to PROVE, not just show but PROVE, that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is the biggest sexist game ever published. Let's begin.

Crescent's Thoughts On: An Atlus Auction

This image doesn't accurately reflect my predictions, but it is amusing.

So when am I going to review Shining Force III Scenario 2? When I stop being lazy watching videos on Youtube and actually beat the damn game. I'm almost done though, but I still have an escort mission to complete (annoying) and a character I have to train up from Level 1 unpromoted until she comes to a point where she is actually USEFUL. Anyway, to make up for that, I'm going to talk about the news that I, and many others, have been following like a hawk for a while now: The Bidding for Atlus.

Anime Review: Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

Yeah, I got nothing to say as a overly long winded intro that only serves to give a brief description of what is going on in my largely uneventful life. And so I'm here to review an anime that I first heard about from my broth yesterday, and we spent almost all of the day watching all 13 episodes. Good thing too, because otherwise I would have been at a lost as to what to talk about seeing as I haven't beaten Shining Force III Scenario 2 yet. Anyway, on to an anime about a boy, his robot, and a Kevin Costner-less water world.

One Year Anniversary for Crescent Reviews!

That's right, I've maintain this blog for an entire year. And in that year I have written 50 posts of various quality, and garnered 1,815 views, and ABSOLUTELY NO COMMENTS! Please, if there are a few of you who are actually reading this blog and are enjoying my content PLEASE tell me. Leave comments and criticisms. I know this is one big ego project for myself, but please, at least give me the illusion that I'm not talking to a brick wall. Hopefully, this self-gratifying blog will still be here one year from now... and hopefully with a lot more comments.

Oh, and I'm not writing this because I'm lazy and have absolutely nothing planned today, I'm writing this because- OH LOOK A FLEET OF FLYING SAUCERS!

Anime Review: Allison & Lillia

Well, I royally screwed up. I was playing though Shining Force III Scenario 2 and I was looking at guides to make I don't miss any characters, when I realize a few things I did in Scenario 1 was going to screw me over. It turns out, some enemy characters you are not suppose to kill, that is if you want to get them in later Scenarios. And so I had to play through Scenario 1 again just so I can get 100% completion... In Scenario 3... yeah. Anyway, sorry this update is a little late (for the 3 of you who actually read this), I had a parade to walk this afternoon and only recently got back. Without further ado, here is an anime called Allison & Lillia, a series about planes, trains, and couples who everyone around them are forcing to get together.

Game Review: Shining Force III

Strategy RPG; SEGA Saturn; Camelot Software Planning/SEGA; 1998

I hope you all have a good Fourth of July, even if you live in a part of the world where the Fourth of July is just the fourth day of the seventh month of the year and not some celebration of independence and the foundation of new nation. Anyway, a few weeks back I was going through the Nintendo eShop on my 3DS when I saw something that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside; Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya. I have fond memories playing the SEGA CD version of that game in the form of Shining Force CD, and it's nice to see a Shining Force game that is an ACTUAL SRPG, rather than a Diablo clone (There is nothing wrong with that style of game, it's just that it's not Shining Force). And this lead me to realize that I haven't played Shining Force III yet. So after acquiring the means of playing SFIII (what those means are I will not say) I've played and beaten what is considered the last of the "true" Shining games... Well, at least I beaten one-third of it (I'll get into that later). And so here is my review of Shining Force III.

Anime Review: Detroit Metal City

Sorry for the lack of a post last week. My computer gave me no end of grief as it decided to just stop working until... well... it decided to start working. I really have no idea how else to describe it. With that, and the fact that after it started working I had an online class to take, and I finally gotten one of my life long goals accomplished; finally being able to play Shining Force III, I really didn't get around to actually sitting down to write a review. Anyway, this week, I had a choice between which anime to review, either it was a magical girl show about friendship or it was a show about a death metal band who's motif is killing and raping, and so I decided to go with the anime that didn't leave me feeling completely depressed. Thus, I present to you Detroit Metal City! (In case you where wondering the Magical Girl anime was Puella Magi Madoka Magica.)

Game Review: Bayonetta

Action; PS3/Xbox 360; Platinum Games/SEGA; 2010

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads who read this... None of you are fathers I take it? Anyway, to celebrate the day of patriarchal appreciation I will review a game that all fathers will enjoy... namely because it stars a hot chick with librarian glasses fighting monsters wielding a set of 4 guns and an outfit so skin tight that it would have left very little to the imagination if she didn't take it all off at a moment's notice revealing what remaining imagination there was. This is Bayonetta.... Okay, I didn't actually plan this as a Father's Day entry. I saw the Nintendo E3 Direct and saw footage for Bayonetta 2 and then realize that I hadn't played the original despite having a copy and being a Devil May Cry fan, and today just so happens to be Father's Day... So yeah. Anyway, on to the review.

Anime Review: Sword Art Online

Okay, my spring quarter is coming to an end. I just have to get through finals week and then I'm free... until the summer quarter... yeah. But I'm sure none of you are interested in that, mainly because I'm sure very few of you guys are actually reading my blog posts at all, or are even interested. Anyway, now it's time to talk about some anime and this week we have Sword Art Online, an anime about a fictional near future MMORPG that uses a virtual reality interface... I SWEAR this isn't .hack!

Crescent's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Damsel in Distress Part 2

How long does it take to make your videos?

Okay, 3 weeks back I decided to tackle Anita Sarkeesian's "Tropes vs Women in Video Games" first video "Damsel in Distress: Part 1" as a replacement for having any actual content ready for Mother's day. Though I was late to the party, the fact that she hadn't released another video in the series in a little over 2 months since writing that article and the deafening silence from Sarkeesian gave me the impression that she had abandon the project and I might as well give my thoughts since that was what seemed like the last we would hear from her. But then about 5 days ago, Sarkeesian released her second part of her series, which is a continuation of her look at the "Damsels in Distress" trope. I seriously question why it would take Sarkeesian so long to produce videos when this project is the only thing she is doing at this time. I mean, I can sort of understand the year long gap between her Kickstarter and her first video as it was her gathering her research and getting the script planned out for the 13 video series. But seriously, I've seen people do higher quality content on shorter time frames.

Anyway, in this video Sarkeesian not only looked at modern day Damsels in contrast to her old school Damsels talk last time (Which is inaccurate given she talked about Mario, Zelda, and Double Dragon up to present day), but also a series of inverses and modifications of said cliche used now-a-days, modifications she calls the "Damsel in the Refrigerator" and "The Euthanized Damsel" and how this relates to domestic violence because....... Violent Video Games? And so, here are my thoughts.

3DS inside covers project

Tired of me using the FE Awakening box art? Well too bad.

Hello, Crescent here. If you are like me, then you love not only your 3DS, but also having the physical copy of a game in your hand rather than a digital one. There is something gratifying about having a massive collection taking up space on your shelf rather than having a single SD card that contains your entire hobby sitting in a small handheld device. There is just something about having the game sitting in it's case, reminding me not only of it's presence, but also of how awesome the game was. However, there was always one thing that kind of bothered me and it's those Eco-friendly cases. There is nothing wrong with the cases themselves, I think it is a good idea to try to reduce the amount of plastic used in manufacturing not only from an ecological standpoint but also an economic standpoint. No, what bothered me is these big holes to just a white background surrounding the game itself. It just seems like a waste to be able to see nothing. And thus I began what I personally called the "3DS inside covers project" an attempt to fill in those holes with something.

Happy Birthday... To ME!

Yes, yes. It is my birthday, and thus I am way too lazy to even attempt at writing a review. Furthermore, in addition to not having any new content for you to ignore, now that you know it is my birthday, you are contractually obligated to give me a present, a gift, or your worldly possessions. If you do not comply with this request your life is now forfeit under Article 4 of the "Crescent VS the World" agreement that you all have signed... *SOMEONE WHISPERING INTO MY EAR* What do you mean that was never released? *MORE WHISPERING* Wait, it's not signed by ANYONE!? I thought in order to view Crescent Reviews people had to sign that agreement.... Maybe that's why I still don't have any comments. Anyway, it's Happy Birthday to me and next time an actual review.

Anime Review: Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth

Well, over this weekend we celebrated 3 birthdays, my dad's, my brother's, and my own. See, our birthdays are all one week apart (My brother: the 13th, my dad: the 20th, and mine: the 26th) and since my brother lives out of state it is impractical to have him visit once every week for three weeks, so we combined all of our respective birthday celebrations on one day. Which of course means I got my birthday gifts sooner! I received: Atelier Meruru, Dragon Quest VI, and Radiant Historia. Although, it is odd that I'm constantly not getting new 3DS games. Seriously, the three 3DS games I own, I bought with my own money or gift cards. Anyway, we also went to see Iron Man 3, which is pretty good. It has everything we come to expect from Iron Man, the lovable jerk in Tony Stark, amazing CGI effects, and more Iron Man suits than you can shake a robotic arm at. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about a drunk multimillionaire wasting his money on tools that can save the world. I'm here to talk about a tiny Japanese girl hanging out in 19th century Paris in the anime Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth.

Crescent's Thoughts On: The Damsel in Distress

To all mothers out there: Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all maternal gamers, and I know there has to be at least one in the world: My own Mom. In celebration for the appreciation of the fairer sex's perpetual struggle to ensure our species survival for an additional generation, I've decided to take a look at all the great mothers in video game history....... Okay, maybe not. To be honest, outside of the majority of the female cast in Fire Emblem Awakening, I can't think of that many mothers taking an active role in video games. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they are there, but it does highlight an issue with the greater representation of characters in video games. So, in light of this I will look at one of the most divisive issues that has cropped up in recent video gaming news: Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games "Project."

Game Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

RPG/Dungeon Crawler; Nintendo DS; Atlus; 2010

Not much to say about goings on this week, other than it is finally feeling like something OTHER than winter here in the beautiful, perpetually overcasted Pacific Northwest. That, and my birthday is in 3 weeks. Anyway, with not much else to say, it is time to move on to this week's review: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. The first SMT game planned as an international release, and first entry in the core series since Nocturne. But is this a strange journey worth taking, or is it just plain out there?

Anime Review: Bamboo Blade

Sorry this is a little late this time around. I've been busy with school work, namely a project that is due this Tuesday that I haven't worked on at all until this afternoon. But hey, at least I didn't wait until the very last minute to complete it. Anyway, recently I've noticed that my view count has sky rocketed, which is good, until I realize that most of that is people viewing my April Fools joke post. It feels nice that I've breached the 1,000 views mark, but it also feels kind of hollow since a good number of those was looking for Spice & Wolf porn. Anyway, it's time for the new review and this time we have slice of life anime about a girl's kendo club. It's time to jump right into Bamboo Blade.

Crescent's Thoughts On: Video Game Awards and GOTY

If this belongs to someone, I'm sorry.

Last week a weird thing happened to me. I was just walking down the street to get home from college, like I always do, and when I looked down on the street I saw an MP3 player.More interesting was that after closer inspection, it was a working MP3 player. I have no idea where it came from or who owned it before it came into my possession, but hey free MP3 player. That has nothing to do with the topic at hand, it was just a funny little thing that happened to me.

I know it is early to do a rant about video game awards and Game of the Years but this has been on my mind since the release of a particular game. Well, actually two particular games, which I hope will help illustrate my issue with the current state of video game journalism. And it all starts with my favorite game of this year: Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Game Review: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Action/Adventure/RPG; Nintendo DS; Konami; 2005

Well, now that I've gotten Fire Emblem Awakening out of the way, time to play something completely different. Time for some Castlevania, and not that Lords of Shadow crap. Okay, I'm not that fond of the Lords of Shadow reboot, mainly because they changed EVERYTHING about the lore of Castlevania and now with Mirror of Fate it just feels like they are putting character in there just for mindless pandering. *SIGH* Oh well, I still have the good old Castlevania games, and so for this week's review I'm going to tackle the sequel to my favorite game of the GBA Castlevania games: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Let's get this vampire hunt underway.

Anime Review: Maoyu

In case you where still wondering, NO I'm not reviewing porn... yet. That was an April's Fools joke, although the number of views it has gotten isn't surprising. Anyway, if you want Spice & Wolf porn, there are other places to find it. This is a serious and clean blog... well mostly clean. Anyway, onto my review of Maoyu, short for Maou Yuusha (or Demon King and Hero), a series that takes the most cliche of fantasy tropes, and completely throws it on it's head, through the power of an agricultural revolution!

April Fool's Joke

Sorry for the lack of a review yesterday. I woke up in the morning ready to write a review (well, not really but saying that don't help tell a story), when suddenly my brother got a phone call from our dad telling us about an Easter Barbeque that he and his fiancee was throwing that day. It was at this point where I realized that it was Easter, and it was also at this point that I was annoyed at my dad and his fiancee for telling us about a Barbeque that they where inviting us to attend, on the day of. Anyway, it was free food, and for some reason after being fed, we had to move a lot of wood... This was actually rather common with our dad's fiancee. So sorry about the delay.

Anyway, while looking at my traffic history I've discovered a disturbing trend, by traffic has been slowing down, and very few people are visiting my blog. True, my numbers have never been that great, and I still don't have a single people who has commented on ANY of my reviews, but it is still disconcerting that no one is paying attention to me. And so after minutes of market research, seeing what people like to search on the internet, I've come up with a new and daring plan to increase my view count: PORN. That's right, I'm going to start reviewing porn, and why not? People love porn, but very few actually try to review it. Most don't even regard porn as an artistic means of expression, choosing to instead view it as a crude, inartistic form of vulgar entertainment corrupting our society. Not unlike video games or anime, very few people see porn's potential of being able to tell a gripping story about interpersonal relationship between a man and a woman... or a man and several woman... or a woman and another woman, the point still stands. And so for this inaugural post in my new Crescent Reviews Porn, I will give a in depth review of a 126 page doujishi anthology of Spice & Wolf porn.

Game Review: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Strategy RPG; Nintendo 3DS; Nintendo/Intelligent Systems; 2013

Sorry for having nothing for you last week, but to make it up to you, I have finally accomplished what I sought out to do. After almost an entire month since I acquired it, after several soft resets, and after 117 HOURS, I have finally done it. I have beaten Fire Emblem Awakening, and it is ready for a complete review. What does the latest installment of Nintendo's very own Strategy RPG series, and perhaps the longest running SRPG of all time, have in store for players both old and new? Be prepared for my longest review yet. This is Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Anime Review: Le Chevalier D'Eon

I don't have much to say this week. Fire Emblem Awakening is still consuming much of my free time and I will have a review for it as soon as I beat it... Which could take a while at the rate I'm going. Anyway, right now I need to get this review squared away. Have you ever wanted to watch an anime about a historical figure who dresses in drag and has to fight zombies with help of his dead sister who possesses his body from time to time? No? Well too bad, this week I'm reviewing Le Chevalier D'Eon.

Crescent's Thoughts On: The Nintendo 3DS

*Mumble* *Mumble* Okay, your attack power is 25, yours is 23, and yours is 17 against my defense of 19... *Mumble *Mumble* Wait, I'm weak against your attack so that 8 times 3 plus 9.... crap... Hmm? Oh, Sorry! Yeah, Fire Emblem Awakening has been consuming any bit of free-time I have had and I don't even think I'm halfway through the game. I probably am, but it doesn't feel that way, and I'm currently 40 hours into the game 40 HOURS. True, most of that is a lot of grinding but still. Anyway, because of my Fire Emblem relate commitments, I haven't had much time to put together a new review, or even think about what to review next. And so, since I've had my 3DS for almost a year now, and I have some experience with various games for the series, I will share with you my thoughts on the 3DS. I guess you could call this a review of a game system, but I don't really plan on doing this consistently.

Game Review: Star Fox 64 3D

3D Shooter; Nintendo 3DS; Nintendo; 2011

FINALLY! I finally got my hands on a copy of Fire Emblem Awakening, and goddammit it is eating up any free time I have. I'll have a review as soon as I finish it, which may take much longer than expected depending on how much fuffing about I do. But for now, it's time to review another game, this time a remake of a classic... IN 3D!!!!!!! This is Star Fox 64 3D, one of the most confusing titles if you don't know the history of the game.

Anime Review: Dog Days

Okay, what the hell Nintendo? It's been two weeks since Fire Emblem Awakening has been released and yet I STILL can't get my hands on a copy? Yes, I know that it is available for digital download, but I much prefer having a physical copy as appose to a digital one (Partly because I'm a collector, and also I don't want to get into a position where I lose my entire gaming collection because of a misplaced SD card). Anyway, if you like catgirls and pretty much any form of animal eared anime characters, then I have a series for you. If you don't, well you might as well not bother clicking on the "Full Review" link below. This is Dog Days.

Top 7: Overpowered Abilities in RPGs

See those numbers climb.

Well, for reasons that are beyond my control, or even comprehension, even though Fire Emblem Awakening was released last week, my local Gamestop STILL doesn't have a copy. What the Hell!? Why is the universe preventing me from getting my hands on a copy of this game!? True, I can download it from the Nintendo eShop for the same price, but I'd rather have a physical copy of a game that I can hold in my hands, that's just me. Anyway, putting that aside, I've decided to bring back one of my favorite time wasting activities, coming up with pointless lists that pleases no one, not even myself, and then claim some sort of authority on the subject of an entirely opinion based topic.

This time I'm going to be talking about Overpowered Abilities. Abilities that are so skewed, that any kind of balance is thrown right out the window as soon as they become available. For this list, an Overpowered Ability is an ability whose effectiveness exceeds it's cost by overwhelming levels. It is not just how much Damage it does or effects that it gives, but also how often can it be used and does it make the game overly easy once it is introduced. Now since I prefer to not cross genres in these lists, I will only cover overpowered RPG abilities, and in order to be on this list the item must be extremely effect, and have a cost that is quite frankly laughable. And so without any further ado, here is my Top 7: Overpowered Abilities in RPGs. Why Top 7?...Why not?

Game Review: The Last Story

Action RPG; Nintendo Wii; Mistwalker; 2012

Tomorrow is the day Fire Emblem Awakening launches in North America. Though I am still pissed that New Mystery of the Emblem was skipped, I am so psyched about this new entry. But before I go into another Fire Emblem fangasm, I will review another game that for the longest time was thought to have never be released in the US: The Last Story. There are very few game designers as prolific as Hironobu Sakaguchi, the main creator of the Final Fantasy series. While your love for the FF franchise might vary, there is little doubt that the games headed by Sakaguchi was some of the best in the series. And now we come to his most recent game: The Last Story. But will this tale be one for the ages, or forgotten legend... I think I just stumbled on Hironobu Sakaguchi's next game title.

Anime Review: Angel Beats

Another week, another review. Since my first look on Fire Emblem Awakening (Goddammit, why does it feel like it should be out already) didn't really count as a review, I'm declaring that a breach of my Game Review- Anime Review pattern. As such here is today's Anime Review: Angel Beats. Although, how the hell am I going to review such a strange series?

Crescent's Thoughts On: The Fire Emblem Awakening Demo

I interrupted my regular reviewing schedule to bring you this important message: Fire Emblem Awakening is coming to the US on February 4th... Okay, I'm sure all of you who actually care about the Fire Emblem series already know this, and those who do not care would likely regard this information as "meh." However, to feverish frantic fundamental Fire Emblem fans such as myself, this is important news with dire consequences. See, since Fire Emblem's formal introduction in the West thanks to Super Smash Bros. Melee, the series has had it's ups and downs, the most recent down being the average to poor reception of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, a remake of the original NES game that started it all Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi (Shadow Dragon and the Sword of Light). This was likely the reason why the next game in the series Fire Emblem: Shin Monsho no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyu (New Mystery of the Emblem ~Heroes of Light and Dark), another remake, was never released outside of Japan, leaving the series' future in the West unsure. However, with the confirmation that Fire Emblem: Awakening will hit the US next month, the time to secure that future is now with the release of the Fire Emblem: Awakening Demo that was available for free download in the Nintendo eShop on the 3DS. But what are my thoughts about this first glimpse at the newest FE game? Click below to find out!

Game Review: Persona 4 Arena

2D Fighting game; PS3/Xbox 360; Atlus/Arc System Works; 2012

Okay, I have to say something, Atlus can you slow down on the Persona franchise. I mean, I love the Persona games, they are an awesome collection of RPGs with a rich set of characters and a fresh world to explore. But seriously, Persona 3, FES, Portable, Persona 4, The Animation, The Golden, and now the Arena. I guess it's fine so long as they are all awesome (which they are) but eventually we are going to burn out on Persona. Please stop it before it's too late. In the meantime, here is my review of Persona 4 Arena, a 2D sprite based fighter spin-off of a 3D Dungeon crawler RPG/dating sim hybrid...There has been weirder games.

Anime Review: Kaze no Stigma

Somehow, I find myself flooded with various anime and video games I can choose to review from. Hopefully, this will mean I will not run out of ideas for this series for a long time. Of course, as soon as I say that I will probably start forgetting stuff, and will begin the process of running out of ideas again. Anyway, with that in mind I'm planning of trying to keep a routine where every other week I review an anime and on the other every other week (is that how the phrase is suppose to go?) I will review a video game. This will probably last only a month before I am forced to break it because some of the games I play take FOREVER to beat (I'm looking at you Shin Megami Tensei). In any case, today we are looking at an anime about smoking hot girls and breezy assholes... Wait, huh?