Sanity’s Other Side: Hands-on with Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha

 Manga, Review  No Responses »
Feb 182012
 

I knew it! I friggin’ knew it! Fresh influx of manga for 99 cents a week (or 30 bucks a year) delivered straight to your entertainment tablet. Man, I must be psychic.

Howdy y’all, the Inverseman here to tell you about his experiences with the new Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, Viz Media’s newest attempt to break into a digital market with what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s ugly. With the increase of the internet’s prevalence and scanlation groups working at breakneck speeds, how is the “official source” going to keep up when print has become unattractive to most? The solution is to join the race. In a previous article, I mentioned that one of the best ways to stay competitive was to enter in the weekly digital distribution market, but of course it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. And since my parents are visiting, time to break out my family’s iPad.

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Manic Movie Magic: 84th Academy Awards Predictions Part Three!

 Analysis, Commentary, Movies  No Responses »
Feb 172012
 

The Oscars are drawing near, and now that the Grammy’s are finally over, we can all focus on the trickiest to pick topic of all: Best Director. It’s so hard to even take a stab at this one, mostly because you never know what the Academy liked that particular year.

Still, being the highly opinionated critic I am, I’m going to take a stab at it. After all, what’s the harm right? …Right guys? …Guys?

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SIYM Presents: Mass Effect 3 Demo

 Analysis, Preview, Video Games  No Responses »
Feb 172012
 

3 / 6 / 12

Wow, I am NOT a happy camper at the moment. I had an awesome “First Impressions” video all ready for you guys and then . . . BAM! I lost all my editing that I spent almost an hour getting right and (long story short) Apple failed me. Hard! Anyway, back to business . . .

This week, I had a chance to check out the Mass Effect 3 demo (available on all three platforms now!) and  trust me when I say that it does not disappoint. Right now, I’m going to go over my Top 3 and Bottom 3 impressions I had with the demo. First up, let’s talk Tops:

1) Moar Emotion: One of the all-time complaints I hear people say about the Mass Effect franchise is how Commander Shepard (primarily the male version) seems to have no personality whatsoever. Regrettably, the character is not the most colorful role in video gaming. Even Jennifer Hale (female Shepard) is guilty of the same thing. However, with Mass Effect 3, that all changes. Yeah, being an N7 Marine doesn’t exactly qualify somebody for broadway, but the enhancements done to the facial animation and increased persona in the scripting serve the game well.

2) Commandeering the Commander: Although not everyone is disappointed with the franchise’s playability, it must be said how much the controls have improved for Mass Effect 3. Most everyone is already familiar with Shepard’s newfound maneuvers (dodging, rolling, omni-blade) but the real treat is how fluid the gameplay feels. Despite the addition of new mechanics, Mass Effect 3′s combat works beautifully and it must be experienced first-hand to believe it. To top it all off, depending on your class, certain maneuvers will behave differently. For instance, the omni-blade for the soldier performs differently than in other classes. Check it out!

3) MULTI-tude of fun: I never thought I’d say this but, after a night of endlessly cooperative chaos, the multiplayer is for real! Initially, the inclusion of multiplayer functionality was a controversial move for the franchise. Not without reason. To have any kind of decent multiplayer system, a significant amount of focus must be shifted in its direction. Consequently, time and attention (9 times out of 10) falls away from the single-player which will no doubt produce a sloppy, unrefined, half-assed experience. Not so with Mass Effect 3. The single-player portion (although brief) gave me a glimpse of what is to come and I must say that I’m very impressed. To add even moar icing on the epic Shepard-cake, the multiplayer is awesome and all of you should try it. Expect a full review of both the single-player and multiplayer shortly after the launch of Mass Effect 3 on 3/6/12.

Warpath, we’re comin’ for ya!

Bottom 3:

1) “Frickin’ Framerate!”: Self-explanatory. While the multiplayer was fine, the single-player had numerous cases of framerate drop. The presentation was often inconsistent and would occasionally drop below the standard 30fps. Thus, the experience was borderline un-immersive and horridly detached. Of course, I have incredibly strong ties invested in this series so I’m aware that not everyone will think this is an issue. Although not game-breaking, I hope to see the framerate get smoothed out by launch.

2) The Bioware Face: You know those times when you’re walking around, minding your own business, and then something catches your eye. You wonder to yourself “Why is everyone looking at me funny?” Then you realize “Oh yeah, it’s Bioware. No wonder everyone looks like they’re deep in thought or . . . want to kill me.” Jokes aside, the facial animations of Bioware games have never been top-notch. Certainly improved in Mass Effect 3, but play a game like Uncharted 3 and tell me with a straight face that Commander Shepard is more expressive than Nathan Drake. Again, nit-picky, but worth mentioning.

3) MOAR! MOAR! MOAR!: If you can’t tell, I’m having a really hard time coming up with criticisms for the Mass Effect 3 demo. First of all, it’s not the complete game. Secondly, my first impressions are done from a fan-perspective so I’m more interested in discussing the good things about the experience instead of the bad. So, the final problem I have with the demo is this: IT’S NOT ENOUGH!!! 3/6/12!!! Get here ASAP!!!

-Fifth Fleet Out-

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Silverwolf’s Den: Superman, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Man of Steel

 Comics, Commentary  1 Response »
Feb 162012
 

This week on Silverwolf’s Den I’m taking a break from reviewing comics to talk about one of my all-time favorite superheroes and perhaps the most famous superhero of all time: Superman. Now, as I’m sure most of you know Superman is the most well-known superhero worldwide; even people who have never read a comic have at least a vague idea of his appearance and powers. The general sentiment towards Superman, however, is lukewarm; Superman is usually viewed as a boring character because he is “overpowered” and “too perfect.” So, today, I decided to use this space to talk about why Superman is one of the best superheroes ever from a purely narrative standpoint.

Superman has been a star since his premier in Action Comics #1 back in 1938. Since then, his general appearance, motives, backstory, etc. have been altered and revamped dozens of times by scores of different artists, writers, and even movie directors. Ultimately, however, Superman’s core persona has remained the same: he has essentially every superpower in existence and is dedicated to a strict moral code that involves saving the innocent and refraining from killing even the most heinous of foes.

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Review: Kamichu

 Anime, Review  1 Response »
Feb 152012
 

I feel like it's been a while since I've started with the title screen, but... Here we go~

This week I’ll be reviewing Kamichu!. It’s a slice of life series that aired from June to September of 2005, for a run of twelve episodes. Following this there were four more episodes on DVD. I’ll be covering the full sixteen episode series in this review. Now, Kamichu! is a title I really like, and I guess that’s kind of telling on my overall tastes in anime, since Kamichu! and Aria rank among my favorite anime (I’ll probably cover Aria next week). Before I get into the real meat of the show (.. what little there is, I suppose) there are some important facts to consider before watching a show like this.

First off, this is a slice of life show. By that I mean the prevailing genre here is slice of life. It’s not like some other shows I covered, like maybe Nichijou (literally means daily life) which is party slice of life but mostly gag comedy. Nor is it on the same level as something like Ano Natsu de Matteru or Papa no Iukoto wo Kikanasai! which have slice of life elements as a backdrop to the drama (Ano Natsu) or comedy (Papakiki). Kamichu! is more a slice of life in the most traditional sense, more similar to something like Natsume Yuujinchou (they share strong Japanese cultural themes). As such, Kamichu!, like Aria, is boring.

That doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable to watch, but if you’re expecting to be falling out of your seat at the humor, or swooning at the romance, or crying at the drama, or on the edge of your seat at the suspense, this is not the show for you. It’s a normal show about a normal girl (… kinda. We’ll get to that) who does things that a girl her age and in her position would do.  The setting may be a bit fantastical, but by and large it’s just her daily life. With that in mind, let’s get down to business. Continue reading »

LIFE Lessons: StarCraft 2 Patch 1.4.3 “Situation Report”

 Analysis, Video Games  No Responses »
Feb 142012
 

Hey guys, long time no see.  I’m finally back and ready to dish out some more “LIFE Lessons.”  So Blizzard recently came out with their “Situation Report” Patch 1.4.3, and what little goodies came with it Let’s take a look…if you haven’t seen it already.

1) MULEs now harvest the same amount of minerals on both high yield minerals and normal minerals.

Hmm, well basically they are free SCVs, right? But they mine faster…right? So yeah…GOOD JOB BLIZZARD! High yield mineral patches are no longer OP when playing against a Terran! YESSSSSSSS!

2) Snipe damage changed from 45 to 25 +25 Psionic

Hmm, what does Matt think about this? Well Matt can sum it up in two words: “FUCKING FINALLY.” It took Blizzard long enough to realize the Ghosts were clearly the best unit to use against TvP and TvZ match ups. Snipes literally turn all Zerg tier 3 units to a pile of blood and guts and sniping High Templar are quite frustrating as a Protoss player. FUCKING FINALLY.

3) Phoenix now has a range upgrade at the Fleet Beacon

Hmm…uhhh….errmm…4v4 Phoenix play now becomes MOAR fun? Yeah that’s about it. Other than that I’d have to actually see what it does in a 1v1 match up against a flock of Mutalisks. So we shall have a follow up post patch.

*To be honest, I’m neutral on this. Not sure how it will affect the game…honestly I think it will neutralize Mutalisk play versus Protoss but then again the Fleet Be[acon] is a long long ways plus the additional money for the upgrade…hmm we shall see.

4) APM / CPM changes

APM v CPM…finally Blizzard, bwwaaaa and I love to see how fast we can spam our keys (we judge how good you are on your APM, LOLOLOLOLOL). The EPM which stands for Effective Actions Per Minute will be the Blizzard way of tracking APM which only counts one keystroke as opposed to the twenty-bagillion times you spam the “e” key to make a probe. Well gents…and ladies…that’s all folks. Til next time.

-LIFE

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Mecha Monday: Full Metal Panic! Light Novels

 Light Novel, Review  No Responses »
Feb 132012
 

I think this might be my first light novel article, funnily enough.

Greetings Moar Powah, here’s a special edition of my series of articles, where I’ll cover, summarize, and give my thoughts on the Full Metal Panic light novels. Specifically, I’m going to be covering the novels that the anime seasons didn’t, those being novels 6 through 12. Note that there absolutely WILL be spoilers, so I would not advise reading this article if you want to remain completely spoiler-free. Keep in mind that it’s been a few years since I read some of these, so I may be wrong on some of the details.

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Guoventures #22: The Death of Jack Guo

 Anime, Art  No Responses »
Feb 122012
 

So, recently Jack Guo has gone missing. It’s like he’s dropped off the face of the planet, since almost never answers texts or Facebook replies. Judge and I have concluded that he’s probably dead somewhere in a ditch. Jokingly of course, I’m sure he’s just studying hard somewhere in a place we call Jersey. (so in other words, he’s dead)

Since we haven’t heard of how Jack Guo died, and since I just recently finished Seto no Hanayome (long overdue, yes), I figured that this week for Guoventures, it woul be fitting to let Jack Guo get eaten by Shark Fujishiro. Yes, really, Jack Guo’s figurative death really was just an after thought.

Can I eat him?

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Manic Movie Magic: 84th Academy Awards Predictions Part Two!

 Analysis, Movies  3 Responses »
Feb 102012
 

After the Best Picture Award, the coveted Best Actor/Actress/Supporting Actor/Supporting Actress and Best Director Award as the most controversial, pitting performance versus performance, either popular or obscure.  It’s hard to understand why some actors get picked, some get shunned, and why some just keep getting picked over and over and over again.

So this week on Manic Movie Magic, lets take a look at the whose-who in the best acting categories!

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