Game Review: The Legend of Dark Witch 2

2D Action Platformer; 3DS eShop; Inside System/CIRCLE Entertainment; 2015

Merry Christmas Everyone who isn't Charlie Brown. Did you all have a good time on a holiday that has little to do with it's origins and is instead a means for various companies to milk money out of culturally mandated love and affection? For me, I just received a few games that I kind of wanted but not really and got some things that I didn't really need but was neat to have, and I got the next volume of Spice and Wolf. Anyway, here is a review of a game that I didn't know existed until last week: The Legend of Dark Witch 2. For those of you who don't know I reviewed The Legend of Dark Witch last year (Here is a Link) and it was a Mega Man clone that had it's DNA spliced with Gradius. Now it's sequel is here and is it better than the original, or is it just the same? This is The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2 -The Price of Desire-.

Anime Review: Servant x Service

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! And you know what that means? I GET SEVERAL DAYS OFF OF WORK! Oh and gifts. And the sudden draining of my bank account for gifts for others... Yeah. Anyway, Sorry for doing another anime review, I don't really have any video game reviews ready, and since I'm now playing Xenoblade Chronicles X, my free time is suddenly a lot less productive. Anyway, this time it's a series about working, but isn't the series called Working. This is Servant x Service.

Anime Review: Tytania

I REALLY need to stop procrastinating on these things. I really need to create a schedule AND KEEP TO IT. Unfortunately, it's probably going to get harder to do given that Christmas is right around the corner, and I have Xenoblade Chronicles X to forever distract me from writing. Fortunately for you guys my brother is right now using the TV and I really would rather not play XBCX (I think that's the official acronym) on the Gamepad. Anyway, it's time to review an anime that can be best described as pretty boys, IN SPACE! This is Tytania.

Anime Review: Nyarko: Another Crawling Chaos

Sorry for the lack of a post last week. It was something I kept putting off for no other reason than I was incredibly lazy, and was more interested in the 4 day weekend that Thanksgiving was going to give me. It was pure laziness nothing more. Anyway, this time I have an anime that I never really expected to review because a few weeks ago I didn't even know it existed. But given Japan's proclivity for taking anything and turning it into a romantic comedy featuring a cast of beautiful high school girls, I really should have expected it. So here is Nyarko: Another Crawling Chaos, a High School romantic comedy featuring Cthulhu monsters.

Game Review: Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

First Person Dungeon Crawler RPG; 3DS; Atlus; 2015

Hey, I'm writing the review on time this time, how about that. There isn't much to say this time around, although coming up I'm going to go see Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, which I can only assume that Nintendo decided to name the film. Serious, "The New Movie" how long is it going to be before that title becomes inaccurate. Anyway, this time I have a video game review about the latest entry in a series you guys should know that I'm VERY much into. Let's dig into Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight.

Anime Review: Ben-to

You know, maybe getting a gaming PC might not be the best idea when you want to write reviews for a blog. Because every time I start it up, I'd much rather check out Steam and see what ridiculous deals I can get instead of actually writing something. Anyway, this week we have an anime, an anime about food... and fighting... and fighting for food... This is Ben-to.

DEMO-lition: Stella Glow

Sorry I'm so late this week. I just started playing Trails in the Sky and it's surprising how easy it is to start playing it and then forget how long you've been playing it, especially when you are trying to find a good place to stop. ANYWAY, This week I'm doing another DEMO-lition where I give a run down on a Demo I've played recently on an upcoming game and share my thoughts on the game and the Demo itself. This week I'm tackling Stella Glow, the last game made by Image Epoch, for those who don't know a little back story. Image Epoch was a smaller RPG developer that started in 2005 and is most well known for games like Luminous Arc, a SRPG with a plot revolving around witches, and Arc Rise Fantasia, an interesting RPG for the Wii with a unique battle system that probably needed a bit more tweaking.

Stella Glow was to be the project that marked Image Epoch's 10th Anniversary. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out too well for the company. Image Epoch's CEO Ryoei Mikage went missing around April and rumors of Image Epoch's poor state started to circulate. Image Epoch finally declared Bankruptcy in May and now the company is no more. Fortunately, Stella Glow was able to be completed either before the Bankruptcy or after through the efforts of Stella Glow's Publisher SEGA, and thanks to Atlus we in the west are going to see this game for the 3DS in another two weeks, but how is the game? Well let's check out the Demo.

Game Review: Grandia II Anniversary Edition

RPG; PC (Via Steam/GoG); Game Arts; 2015 (original release 2000)

And here we are, my first review for PC, and it is.... a game released for the Dreamcast over 15 years ago. Yeah. For those of you who don't know, Grandia is a series made by Game Arts (the same company behind the Lunar series) and is known for three things: Campy "We can do anything if we believe" stories, Excellent music composed by Noriyuki Iwadare, and the greatest battle system RPGs have ever seen, and Grandia II is held to be the best game in the series. But does this PC port hold up?

Anime Review: Assassination Classroom

Sorry for the lack of a post last week. Things where a little complicated. But I have some good news, I now have a new computer. See before I was using a piece of ancient crap that could only surf the web and it wasn't even really all that great at doing that. Now, my new computer not only is installed with Windows 10 (unlike my old computer which had XP, I know. Ancient) but it's a significant upgrade in every regard, and is now powerful enough to run modern games. So expect a few games on Steam to pop up every once in a while here. Anyway, this week I talk about a series about killing and education. It time to talk about Assassination Classroom.

Game Review: Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson

Beat 'em Up; 3DS; Tamsoft; 2015

Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn at the United Nations.... The world has gone insane. Nothing makes sense any more. You can just go on and on about Harassment and "Cyber Violence" without providing any proof, and you can be invited to talk before representatives of every nation to deal with these "problematic issues." Anyway, I'm not going to respond to that, I've already talked WAY too much about Anita this past month, so instead I'm going to talk about a game that Anita would HATE. I'm reviewing Senran Kagura Tits- I mean Senran Kagura 2: Deep Cleavage- I mean Crimson.... Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson.

CRES Thoughts On: "Women as Reward: DLC Mini-episode" or These Costumes are Sexist....... Again.

Women as Reward: Dumb Lying Cunt Edition.

Last week I took a break from ripping Anita Sarkeesian's poorly thought out arguments apart to review a video game (because that is half of what I do on this blog). But since Anita can't seem to keep her mouth shut, we where treated to another episode of Women as Reward, this time focusing on DLC. Now since this episode is rather short I'm going to try something different for my response. Instead of summarizing what Anita said and making my rebuttals, I'm going to use Anita's transcript to copy and paste her own words in which I will then take the piss out of them. Anita's words are going to be the ones in Italics. Without further ado, let's get this train wreck started.

Game Review: Persona Q: Shadows of the Labyrinth

First Person Dungeon Crawler RPG; 3DS; Atlus; 2014

Okay, first off, yes I know that Anita made another video over during the week. I haven't seen it yet because I want to maintain my sanity since last time. Also, I have a personal rule that I don't spend too long without reviewing something. This is a blog for Video Game and Anime reviews after all. And so I'm going to put her to the side for the moment and talk about Persona Q. A game where Persona 3 runs into Persona 4 and they both start pretending their Etrian Odyssey.

CRES's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's "Women as Reward" video (Cont.) or How Every Single Gameplay Mechanic is Designed to Objectify Women

Men are Entitled to see Samus without her Suit on. Your point is?

Previously, I covered the first half of Anita Sarkeesian's Women as Reward video where we learned that, according to Anita, it's sexist if women are wearing too little clothing in ending cinematics, it's sexist for women to show any kind of affection toward the playable characters, it's sexist if women are wearing too little clothing in hidden scenes that require player skill to view, it's sexist if women have any sort of Easter Egg associated with them within the game, and it's sexist if women are wearing too little clothing as alternate costumes. Oh and it is perfectly alright for any of these things to apply to men because if it happens to men it's not sexist because how Anita defines sexism allows for that little double standard. Anyway, it's now time to tackle the rest of Anita's video starting with "Women as Experience Points"

CRES's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's "Women As Reward" Video or Anything and There Can Be No Fun in Any Game Where a Woman is Involved EVER!

"Samus Aran isn't Wearing Enough Clothes. THAT'S SEXIST!"

Somehow, Anita Sarkeesian is STILL relevant. Yes, it's been a little over 3 months since her last video, AND OVER A YEAR since the last "Tropes VS Women in Video Games" video (Seriously, Women as Background Decoration Part 2 was uploaded Aug 24 of 2014). With her last two videos being technically a part of her "Positive Female Characters in Video Games" series (which where in reality just a gray block and a self insert fanfic) we've finally gotten back to the series that is now going on 3 YEARS over due with her new video "The Lady Sidekick"..... Oh wait... My mistake, "The Lady Sidekick" was SUPPOSE to be next if the ending of her video about her self insert fanfic character (AKA Jade) was going on. INSTEAD we have one of the videos I was actually looking forward to because I had NO IDEA how this was suppose to be different from the Damsel in Distress video. Yes, her new video is "Women as Reward," in which Anita firmly establishes that anything that happens to a lady is automatically sexist no matter what. No seriously, by the end of the video there is almost literally NOTHING that can happen to a woman that isn't sexist. Just you wait. Hop aboard the "NO FUN" train, as we learn that everything in games are designed to objectify women.

SPECIAL REPORT: Operation: FaceplateNA is a success (or at least a 95% success)

IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Today August 31st, at 2:30 PM PST, Nintendo of America Tweeted the Tweet that many many MANY fans have been waiting for since January. After several months and a few conventions and Nintendo Directs of disappointment, Nintendo of America has finally announced that the New Nintendo 3DS will FINALLY hit American shores.

It will be released on September 25th in a bundle along with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer along with two Animal Crossing "Cover Plates" and at least one Amiibo card. Now, there are only two differences between the New Nintendo 3DS and the New Nintendo 3DS XL which we got all the way back in February. First is obviously the size, The New Nintendo 3DS XL is 160mm x 93.5mm x 21.5mm (or in inches 6.3' x 3.7' x 0.8') and is 329 grams (or 11.6oz). The New Nintendo 3DS on the other hand is 142mm x 80.6mm x 21.6mm (or 5.6' x 3.2' x 0.8') and is 253 grams (or 8.9oz). As you can see, the New Nintendo 3DS weighs less and is significantly smaller, making it more ideal for those who find the XL to be a bit on the bulky side. However, what REALLY drives home the difference is that the New Nintendo 3DS has a front plate that can be removed and with the back plate can be replace by new "Cover Plates" as NoA dubbed them. There are over 60 different plates available in Japan including plates for Splatoon, Fire Emblem, and Xenoblade Chronicles.

While this is major news for many fans (myself included) there a lot we don't know at this point. Namely, will other Cover Plates be available soon and will other Bundles like the Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Bundle or will the system be available for stand alone purchase? Will it only be available in White or will the Black version come out as well? And finally, WHAT COLOR ARE THE BUTTONS!?

Until Next Time.

-CRES, Now THIS will make me happy!

DEMO-lition: Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoken

Video Game DEMO First Look

I did say that I would check out the demo to a Dragon Ball fighting game for the 3DS last week. Well here it is, the latest Dragon Ball game "Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoken." A word of warning though, I am not a Dragon Ball fan. The only episode of Dragon Ball Z I have ever seen started with Goku running along Snake Way and ended with Goku running along Snake Way, and figured that was all I needed to know about the series. Thus my only information about DBZ comes from Team Four Star's Dragon Ball Z Abridged. Hopefully, that is enough for me to get through this first look at the Extreme Butoken Demo.

DEMO-lition: Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX

Video Game Demo First Look

Hello everyone.You know, I really want to vent about my experience with a particular person in my life right about now, but I decided not to. Mainly because the first draft of this intro was me venting about this person and it ended up to be several lines long and I haven't even started talking about the new Demo I wanted to talk about. So no venting from me, I'm just going to have to keep that stress bottled up until it finally explodes in a torrent of rage. Bloody, violent rage. Anyway, this week I'm looking at another Demo, and I haven't done this since Conception II, which was a few years back. Geez. Well, this time there isn't a sweepstakes on the line where I can get a new Atlus game, so I guess I can settle on Hatsune Miku, and her new game Project Mirai DX.

Anime Review: Soul Eater NOT!

Hey there. Not much is happening other than Legend of Legacy is getting a Limited Edition hard cover artbook and soundtrack with it's first run, yet Stella Glow isn't despite SG being $50 and LoL being $40. Oh and Nintendo of Korea has announced that the regular size New Nintendo 3DS will grace their region in September while here in America we get NOTHING! DAMMIT NINTENDO OF AMERICA! You are REALLY making it hard to be a fan right now. Anyway, it's time for Soul Eater NOT!

CRES's Thoughts On: Rising Thunder or It Took People This Long to Realize That Complex Command Inputs Might Be Off Putting to Those Who Want to Get Into Fighting Games!?

And Winner of Most Generic Name Ever goes to:

Once again not much is going on, and I REALLY should like write these on Saturday evenings so that they are ready for Sunday morning. But anyway, very recently a game that is currently in development has caught my attention and that game is Rising Thunder. Yes yes, the name is perhaps the least informative and generic name you could have for a game. Seriously, with a name like Rising Thunder this game could be ANYTHING. And yes, the screenshot above is telling you everything we know about the plot to this game, a bunch of robots fighting each other. You'd think there would be more games that is just robots killing one another, but hey. However, what interested me in this game isn't the laughably unoriginal (yet surprisingly unused) name or the completely stock (and again surprising uncommon) concept of robots fighting each other, nor was it the fact that it is being developed by a team of  Pro Fighting Game players and the founders of the EVO fighting game tournament. No, it's the fact that some one other than Smash Bros. got the idea to make a deep fighting game WITHOUT Quarter Circles, Shoryukens, or 360 movement for special moves.

Anime Review: Emma: A Victorian Romance

I really need to stop putting these reviews off until the last minute. It isn't very productive. This time I have no excuse, I really didn't do anything beside hang around my apartment all day watching videos on Youtube. Anyway, this time I'm reviewing an anime that is perhaps the least anime anime I have every animed... Wait, that last part didn't make any sense. Anyway, This is Emma: A Victorian Romance.

Game Review: Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition

Hack'n'Slash Action; PS4, XboxONE, PC (Digital Only); Capcom; 2015

Anyone remember Devil May Cry 4? You know that DMC game that had a guy who was like Dante but wasn't Dante as the protagonist and was remembered as recycling levels and bosses over and over again. The one that everyone thought was "Okay" but wasn't the ground breaking, genre redefining game that Devil May Cry 3 was. Yeah, pretty much everyone's minds where changed the moment they saw DmC: Devil May Cry. Anyway, Devil May Cry (the REAL Devil May Cry) is back again with Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition. What's so special about it? That can be summed up in one word: Vergil. But is this new version worth replaying? Read on to find out.

Game Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker

Strategy RPG; Nintendo 3DS; Atlus; 2015

Well it's been a while since I had the opportunity to review something. Sorry for all the delays, but it's finally here, my review of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker, and Atlus really needs to keep some titles' length to a minimum. Seriously, this is almost as bad as Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, but not as bad as Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army. Anyway, this past weekend has been kind of hectic. I went to see Ant-Man on Saturday (which was your typical Marvel Studio movie, pretty much dead in the middle with the rest of the Marvel cinematic universe), but before that I had to take care of some financial issues. See, some one got a hold of my Debit card information and started using it to make fraudulent charges. Fortunately, it was caught in time and my card was frozen immediately, but it did mean I had to go to my bank and get a new card. And just when I had finally gotten my old card's number memorized. Anyway, I got a new card, and the few charges that weren't mine are being taken care of. With that out of the way it's time to get this review on the road.

Rest In Peace: Iwata-san

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has just pasted away. May his enthusiasm and love for the gaming industry continue to *Direct* Nintendo, carried on by the memory of those who knew and loved him.

CRES's Thoughts On: Red Ash or Inafune probably should have released his FIRST Kickstarted game before starting another.

Is it Red Ash, or Re Dash?

This is was just going to be a small update and then I'd write my review, but then I started writing and it just kept getting longer and longer so this is it for this week. Hopefully next week nothing big in the gaming industry happens so that I can actually get on with some reviews. Anyway, last week Keiji "I am Mega Man" Inafune had announced his new project that, once again, he is going to fund through Kickstarter. The game is "Red Ash" and in case you where wondering, yes it looks a lot like the Mega Man Legends franchise.

CRES's Thoughts On: Recent New Nintendo 3DS News or DAMMIT NINTENDO JUST RELEASE THE DAMN THING ALREADY!

Available Now (expect in America)

Okay, before I begin. I just beat Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker clearing both the original game's story as well as the new campaign, so expect that review sometime in the future. But because of that I am going to start playing another 3DS game, Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven and even before I start playing the game I already found two things I never thought I'd see. The first is that the game comes with an reverse-able "Inside" cover, which means when you open the game case up, you'll see the super-deformed models of the main characters inside the holes of the case so that they can cut down on the plastic. The second is something I thought I'd never see again: An ACTUAL physical Instruction Booklet complete with story and character introductions and illustrations. I thought we had done away with these in favor of digital instructions on the game cart. I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel nostalgic flipping through an Instruction Booklet with full colored artwork and screen shots from the game. It's just makes me feel giddy. Anyway, on to what really matters: some weird articles that floated up this week where Nintendo of America finally admits that the New Nintendo 3DS (the non-XL model that is) actually does exist. What does this mean for the release of the smaller customizable system? Lets find out.

Game Review: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

2D Platformer; Wii U; Nintendo/Retro Studios; 2014

Sorry once again for leaving you with nothing last week. I got lazy last Sunday and then came E3 and I was thinking of writing my thoughts about it, but then Nintendo didn't announce the New Nintendo 3DS and all of my interest in E3 just vanished, consuming my soul with an empty void of disappointment that Nintendo of America STILL doesn't want to give it's consumers one of the most requested products of the year. Seriously, it's been over 4 months since the New 3DS XL was released, and Nintendo of America STILL hasn't address the fact that there is a smaller version of the system available literally EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD! And Nintendo of America STILL hasn't responded to any of my e-mails about for over a month now. Anyway, I need to stop talking about this before I get way too pissed to for the review. I'm talking about Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze today. A game I got off of Club Nintendo for free.

CRES's Thoughts On: Monster Musume Anime

Sorry about my absence last week. It wasn't because I didn't have anything to talk about, but more like I just got incredibly lazy and wanted to just play the video games I got for my Birthday because the weekend is really the only time I have to play a decent amount of games. Anyway, it's now time to talk about something that I have been meaning to relay my thoughts on for a long time. The reason why I haven't talked about it at all was because 1) It didn't really fit the scope of this blog as it was a manga and not a video game or anime (well, not yet), and 2) Talking about this particular item may convey the impression that I am just some weird pervert that gets erections at moments that no normal human should. To address the former, the recent news I'm about to talk about gives a degree of precedence that fits well within the scope of this blog. As for the latter, I already gave Senran Kagura a glowing recommendation, so my reputation as a creepy pervert has probably already been established. Anyway, as I'm sure you can tell from the title, this is going to be about Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou (Translated: Everyday life with Monster Girls), but first a little backstory as I think it's very VERY interesting.

Game Review: Etrian Mystery Dungeon

Dungeon Crawler; 3DS; Atlus/Spike Chunsoft; 2015

Are you having a happy Mermorial Day Weekend? Well, I'm not. Well, kind-of... Okay, here is the deal, we had a wedding to go to on Saturday, and this was the first time in a LONG time that me and ALL of my brothers where together, so the idea was that at some point we would all be playing Smash Bros for god knows how long (the sentiment was to play it until the wee hours of the night). Unfortunately, the brother who came to visit was dead tired after a 5 hour drive on only 3 hours of sleep, and then we had to wake up and leave the apartment to head to the bride and groom's house at around 11 am, so that we can head on over to the church for the wedding at noon, and then be at the reception at 5 pm. We didn't arrive at the church until 12:30, The wedding started at 2 pm, and while most people where at the reception at 5 pm, the proceeding didn't start (nor was any of the food out) until 7. Ultimately, we only got a few matches in during the hour before our brother had to leave again, all because apparently everyone on the bride's side operated on what was known as "Asian" time, which means things will start at some point after 2 hours have passed since the "planned" time.

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy introduction that has nothing to do with the game I'm about to review. It's time for me to review another Etrian Odyssey game.... Oh wait, I'm sorry it's a Mystery Dungeon game that has an Etrian coat of paint. My mistake.

CRES's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's Positive Female Characters: Jade or Look at Me Look at Me I'm Fighting The Evil Corupt Patriarcy!

I'm not LOOKING for Derp faces from Anita, they just happen.

Wait a minute? Anita Sarkeesian has a new video up? But it hasn't been 3-6 months yet! Yes, apparently sometime last week Anita broke from her usual pace of posting a new video during every solstice, and released the second video in her "Positive Female Characters" series only a little over a month after her last video. And HEY this time it is copyrighted 2015! Anyway, this time she is talking about a character who ACTUALLY has a personality and is recognizable as female: Beyond Good and Evil's Jade. Now, before I begin I should make it clear that I actually have never played Beyond Good and Evil, I've only seen my brothers play it on our Gamecube. It just never clicked with me as it seemed like a poor man's Zelda just with a constant Partner, a camera gimmick, and lots of stealth sections (which isn't my strong suit). So I only know the game though second hand experience, which is probably more than Anita's.

AWESOME Announcement: Bloodstained, Koji "IGA" Igarashi's new "Vania" game

Special Announcement full of AWESOMENESS! Koji Igarashi, the creative force behind Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the rest of the "Metroidvania" games has finally emerged from the dark recesses of whatever castle he was hiding in to announce his new project. Inspired by Keiji Inafune's success at funding Mighty No. 9 (Inafune's successor to the Mega Man franchise), IGA has hit Kickstarter with his own game: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. A true successor to the Castlevania legacy. Though there isn't much concrete about the game yet outside of story outlines and concept art, it is clear what this game is: The first true Castlevania game since Order of Ecclesia. It's going too be the labyrinthine, 2D Action Adventure with RPG elements, "Explore-Kill-Loot" addictive joyride that we have come to love from the franchise (that is until Lords of Shadow destroyed all hope).

And if that isn't enough to convince you then listen to this: In addition to IGA at the helm, we have Michiru Yamane, composer for several of the Metroidvania games including Symphony of the Night, and Ippo Yamada, composer for several Mega Man titles including the Zero and ZX games as well as Gunvolt, are writing the music, and if Ippo Yamada's involvement didn't tip you off, the game is being developed for Xbox ONE and Playstation 4 (and for PC) by none other than the masters of 2D action: Inti Creates.

I know some are weary about games on Kickstarter, especially since Mighty No. 9 has been pushed back from it's goal due date of April all the way to September (if that game isn't completely awesome then there is no hope for the world), but Bloodstained just looks TOOO awesome not to fulfill all of the promises made. It's already WAY pass it's target goal of $500,000 and is cranking past $1.1 million as of writing this post. If Psycho Mantis told you that "You like Castlevania, don't you?" then you owe it to yourself and the fans all around the world to help this project. And hey, at $60 you get an special backers only Physical Copy of the game. And who says Digital is the way of the future?

Back this project at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night

Until Next Time.

-CRES, "Publishers of the world told me that gamers no longer care for this style of game, BUT I KNOW THEY ARE WRONG!" -Koji Igarashi.

Anime Review: Love Lab

It must be a miracle, because not only am I writing my new review when I'm suppose to write a review, but I've also seem to have finally figured out a system to allow my 3DS to charge fully regularly. Of course this could have all been made moot if Nintendo would JUST RELEASE THE NEW NINTENDO 3DS IN NORTH AMERICA!! But I digress. Anyway, it's time for a new anime review... because I haven't beaten any of the games I'm currently playing. DAMN YOU EMPLOYMENT FOR TAKING AWAY ALL MY FREE TIME!

Anime Review: Ray the Animation

I'm SO sorry about the delay, Saturdays and Sundays I just want to play video games and forget about the fact that I have to go to work on Monday, which means sometimes this blog just gets pushed to the backburner, and both yesterday and the day before me and my brothers where watching anime until 10 pm which made writing a review afterwards a little tricky to do given I'd like to go to bed at around 11. But that's enough excuses, what anime do I have lined up today.... Ray... DAMMIT!

Game Review: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan

Dungeon Crawler RPG; 3DS; Atlus; 2013

Well, I had an interesting experience yesterday. On Friday I got a note from the post office that says the package (as well as one of my brother's packages) was waiting for me at the post office because they "missed" us (In other words, they tried to deliver it when we weren't home). This was odd because usually they just leave it with the apartment manager, but no problem I just have to go to the post office. Unfortunately, the office it was "sitting" in was two bus rides away, and the post office is only open for 5 hours on Saturday. No big deal, I had something else I needed to do at the post office anyway, so I went there only to discover that the package WAS delivered to the manager office, the post officer just gave me the wrong note. So I went halfway across town to get a package that was sitting right outside my apartment. Yeah, that was a fun time. What was the package? Just some books I ordered from BnN. Anyway, after a long trek and an incredibly annoying final boss that just WOULD NOT DIE, I finally finished Etrian Odyssey IV. And thus, here is my review.

Game Review: Bayonetta 2

Hack'n'Slash Action; Wii U; Platinum Games/SEGA/Nintendo; 2014

In recent news, Nintendo still hasn't announce any information on the New Nintendo 3DS, my current 3DS charges like a grandfather with Alzheimer (it stutters, stops, and sometimes forgets what it's doing), and Anita Sarkeesian has made Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People, despite the fact that her current approval rating on that poll was only 20%. But hey, Time Magazine also had to apologize because "Feminism" won it's "Banned One Word for 2015" Poll a while back. Anyway, the universe looks bleak right now, so might as well have some fun with a ridiculously over the top action game. Cue Bayonetta 2.

Anime Review: Place to Place

Sorry for being late. My weekends are at a premium given that they are the only time I really have that much free time to do stuff like play video games. Which is what I did all weekend long. What was I playing? Well, you'll probably find out next week. Other than that, Nintendo is still holding out on us with the New Nintendo 3DS non-XL, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was released and we STILL don't have those faceplates, and I learned that The Rising of the Shield Hero novels and manga is going to be coming to America... In September... great. Anyway, time for a new Anime review and this time it's a series about arrows... or places... or maybe a girl that spontaneously sprouts cat ears every time she gets embarrassed. One of the those I'm sure. This time it's Place to Place.

CRES's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian's "Positive" Female Characters or How Just Being Called a Woman is Somehow Empowering Even When You Have Absolutely No Personality.

"I can't believe people still listen to me."

Okay, first of all, no I haven't watched Nintendo's latest Nintendo Direct yet. The problem is I already know they haven't announced the US release date of the New Nintendo 3DS (the Non-XL version), so information that I would otherwise be excreting happiness for like an actual trailer for Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem or more information about Fire Emblem 14 is otherwise tainted by the fact that I'm still having to rely on my old 3DS that currently has issues charging and STILL no replacement for it. Honestly, just a straight answer from Nintendo would help on whether or not the New 3DS is coming out or not. At this rate, I won't even pick up Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, a game I promised to Nintendo that I would buy again if they had released the New 3DS in America. Anyway, in addition to Nintendo announcing some great new games and then forgetting that it is alienating half of its handheld consumer base by neglecting an actual PORTABLE gaming system, Anita has once again graced the internet with her presence by uploading her obligatory video every 4-5 months. Seriously, she has 12 subjects to cover in her Tropes Vs Women in Video Games series and she only covered 3 of them... in two years. However, this time it's a new series called "Positive Female Characters In Video Games"... wait... Isn't that one of her 12 subjects in her Tropes Vs Women in Video Games series?

Anime Review: Yona of the Dawn

How has my life become waking up, remembering whether I have to go to work or not, slave away at work if the previous answer is yes, and repeatedly checking Nintendo's twitter feed seeing if they have announced the standard New 3DS for North America. Oh well, at least I still have anime. This week is Yona of the Dawn.

Game Review: Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars

Dungeon Crawler RPG/Dating Sim; 3DS/Vita (Reviewed 3DS); Spike Chunsoft; 2014

Sorry once again for no update last week, but right now I am DONE with classes, so that means a bit more free time to do stuff like writing these reviews. YAY! That and complaining to Nintendo of America about the lack of a standard size New 3DS in the states. Seriously, every OTHER region is getting it except for us, what gives, and my 3DS is having trouble charging, what am I going to do when it dies completely on me! Anyway, on to the review of this week, which is interestingly enough the game that I went over the Demo way back when I had absolutely no money. It's time to review Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars.

Anime Review: Super Gals!

I'm sorry, again. This is coming a little late because once again I needed to use my weekend to catch up with my school work, but this time I'm taking a moment this Monday evening to get a review out as soon as possible, so be grateful. Or not, seriously I have no power over you my humble (and probably only) reader. Anyway, it's been a while since I reviewed an anime and this time I come with an anime about girls, and fashion, and platform boots that double as boomerangs. This is Super Gals!

I'm Sorry

I know I haven't updated in a while, and no it's not because I've run dry on reviews. In fact I've got quite a few backed up. However, I'm having difficulty getting it started due to the fact that I have work on the weekdays that eats up my time and my weekends are eaten up by the class work I need to do. Then there is just me lazying around become it's my weekday and I want to enjoy it dammit! So, I'm sorry I'll try to do better in the future, hopefully when I don't have class to focus on.

PS: I didn't know a game called "I'm Sorry" existed until I tried to search for video games and the phrase "sorry." Apparently it is a satire of one of Japan's Prime Ministers, Kakuei Tanaka. The more bizarre part is that it was released in the US.

My Letter to Nintendo.

The Following is an e-mail I just sent to Nintendo of America expressing my thoughts on their decision to release only the New Nintendo 3DS XL and not the standard size.

Dear Nintendo,

I am writing this e-mail so that I may convey my thoughts on the New Nintendo 3DS in wake of it's announcement during your Nintendo Direct on January 14, 2015, and the subsequent release of the XL version yesterday on February 13, 2015.

While it is reassuring that North America has received this new system; I, like many others who have also voiced their opinion via letters, e-mail, twitter and other contact means, wish to express my disappointment that the standard size model of the New Nintendo 3DS has yet to be announced for this region.

I am a long time Nintendo fan, and I am especially devoted to Nintendo handhelds. I still have in my possession my original green colored Gameboy, as well as my yellow Gameboy Color, my indigo Gameboy Advance, my black DS lite, as well as my red 3DS standard size model. I personally feel that the standard size 3DS is the ideal size for a handheld system. It is large enough to have a clear detailed screen as well as comfortable buttons but remain small enough to fit into most pockets. Others have also found this to be the ideal size for them, either because of the increase portability the standard size has over the XL model or because their hands can not comfortably hold an XL model due to it's size.

In addition to the numerous hardware upgrades found in both the New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL such as an upgraded processor, more buttons including a C-Stick, stable face tracking 3D, and Amiibo support, the feature I was looking forward most about the New Nintendo 3DS is the swappable faceplates, a feature exclusive to the standard size New Nintendo 3DS.

In the past I have missed out on many Special Edition handhelds such as the Fire Emblem Awakening blue insignia 3DS or the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS XL because either I received my Nintendo handheld as a give and thus had no say in the type I was receiving, or because I already had a working model and there was no need to upgrade. Customizable faceplates, in my opinion, was an ideal solution as it allowed fans of various series to express themselves, and have a unique system for the series they love, without the need of buying a new system each time.

While the decision to release the New 3DS XL was made to please the larger market given the higher sales of XL models in the past, releasing only the XL model alienates fans who desired a smaller, customizable alternative when purchasing a New Nintendo 3DS. Rather than "expanding choices," this decision limits them to a single upgrade choice that some, like myself, are unwilling to make. At this point, I will not purchase a New Nintendo 3DS XL and will instead wait until the Standard Size New Nintendo 3DS when, hopefully not if, it is releases in North America.

I sincerely thank you for your time and hope my thoughts help in the consideration of the standard size New Nintendo 3DS's announcement and release.

Sincerely,

[CRES]

CRES's Thoughts On: Anita Sarkeesian: "Humanist" of the Year Or How Many Awards Are We Going To Waste On This Person!?

I can only post goofy pictures of her, I can't help it.

I wanted to review a game this week, but the game I'm currently playing is still not finished. CLOSE though, but in the mean time, it's time to waste some more time and energy talking about THAT thing. Today, Anita Sarkeesian has been dubbed Harvard's "Humanist of the Year" for the year of 2014, and as you might know about my thoughts on Anita's work, I am NOT happy.

Game Review: Gunman Clive 2

2D Action/Platformer; 3DS eShop; Hörberg Productions; 2015

When is the Mega Man and Ike Amiibo suppose to release again? Because apparently February 1 isn't it. I checked with a Target, a Best Buy, and two Gamestops and walked away with nothing. And it was all while walking in the rain. Anyway, now it's time for another video game review. And no, I am not watching the Superbowl. Just because a team with my same geographical location is playing in it, doesn't mean anything about me or the people who live in the same geographical location. Anyway, on with the review.

DEMO-Lition: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Early Access)

Nintendo and Capcom just released a bunch of early access demo codes for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to a bunch of different people. And I seem to be one of those people. I don't know why, I've never shown an interest in Monster Hunter, and the Monster Hunter 3 demo I felt was weak. But here I am with a code for an early demo of a game so I might as well bring back DEMO-lition, and take this little demo apart.

Before I begin with my regular update, here is some AWESOME Posters.

As any long time user of Nintendo's fan appreciation service Club Nintendo might already know, this service will be discontinued. Games released after Jan 20th will no longer have registration codes, Mar 31st is the last day to acquire coins for Nintendo rewards, and Jun 30th will be the last day to use said coins before they are deleted forever. This is kind of sad considering for the longest time I didn't have a disposable income to regularly purchase games, which made acquiring coins for some of the cool Nintendo rewards difficult (my eyes where set on the Mario Hanafuda cards), and now that I have money to throw at Nintendo, the service that I like on a conceptional level is going away. Fortunately, it seems that Nintendo is going to try to replace Club Nintendo with a better service that is tied to your Nintendo Network ID as an effort to consolidate all online services.

The good news, at least for me, is that I'm still going to get my Smash Bros Soundtrack and, the reason I'm doing this prelude before my regular update, MY SMASH BROS POSTERS JUST ARRIVED! AND THEY ARE BADASS! They are each 22x28 inches and feature the artwork of Villager, Rosalina, and Palutena's newcomer illustrations from the Smash Bros website. They are all very high quality (though some had a little damage from shipping) look awesome. Here are the pics.

Palutena (along with Pit, Link, and Dark Pit in the background) Sitting above my Computer

Villager (along with Mario, Link, Kirby, and Isabella) above my dresser (with my Project X Zone Poster)

Rosalina (along with Mario, Fox, and Wii Fit Trainer) sitting above my bed, next to my window

I know the pictures aren't great (3DS and all) but trust me they are all just badass. Although, I REALLY wish I could choose which posters I wanted. I like Palutena and Rosalina, but I would rather have Mega Man or Robin & Lucina posters over the Villager's. Anyway, next post is going to be on Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's early access demo (because I got a code).

PS: Did you know Fire Emblem is going to get a new Card game?

How Awesome is that!