#Build Fighters is kind of its spiritual successor

[okami-zero]

So to accompany dinner, I rewatched the last three episodes of G Gundam, because none of my current series were "sticking", for lack of a better term. And this show, as absolutely over-the-top and shounen as it is (and as questionable as some of its name choices were), has probably one of the best giant space battles I have ever seen.

And a lot of that accolade owes to the fact that the number of other non-Gundam Fighter Gundam cameos is absolutely crazy.

One of the first ones, right off the bat, when it is shown how the Gundams are getting to space, we have a shot of the one and only granddaddy RX-78-2 hugging a rocket. There are a load of GMs sprinkled throughout, as one would expect. But we also have several shots of the RX-78 GP01 Zephyranthes, X Gundam and even Wing Gundam nearly a full year before it's show even aired! There's at least one shot with Victory Gundam (V Gundam) in the background, and rewatching today, I saw in one of the big dramatic pause shots a freaking GUNCANNON (It was drawn small, because it was far off, but red body, white head, giant grey backpack and all the shapes were correct, so Guncannon!). There is another mech in that shot that is very Not A Gundam™, likely from one of Sunrise or Tomino's other shows, but I don't have the knowledge to place it. There is also a Gundam in one of the end victory shots that has another Gundam I can't place, but the design pings something. Might be F91, but I am not sure.

Anyway, thought I'd share with any other Gundam fans who might enjoy this! (Was gonna say Gundam heads, but in G Gundam, there is a specific context that would make that not something to call someone! xD) That's it for now!

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 6: CASTIGATE THE ENEMIES OF THE GODHEAD

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we left off, we witnessed the mecha canon entering the new millennium. While they would hold out for a good portion of the decade, it is here in the 2010's we see the canon reach something of a dark age. A lot of duds will crop up in this decade, though there are also a lot of hits that arise in this era. What we will also begin to see starting in the 2010's is the advent of using CGI to animate giant robots. This stems from two major factors when it comes to animating giant robots:

Animating giant robots in 2D is hard, and thus using CGI helps to ease the load by reducing the amount of work required to animate the giant robot.

The anime industry is starting to churn through new talent due to the increase of anime being released per season now.

As I said at the end of the last post, a lot of mecha shows listed here are generally seen as duds, though a few others also stand out as some of the greats of this new era. And if you think I'm being mean to those series, I've left out two shows that are a part of this decade due to how bad they are (Gen:Lock and Ex-Arm). The shows that I say are duds in this post at least have fans who will go to bat for them when backed into a corner.

So let us partake in some of these works, shall we?

Drink deep, and descend.

Xenoblade/Xenoblade Chronicles (2011)

In 2011, Monolith Soft, now working as a Nintendo studio, would release the third part of the Xeno franchise: Xenoblade Chronicles. Easing up a little bit on the Gnosticism (but only just a little bit), Xenoblade would prove to be a slow-growing success. Finally, Takahashi and company have a series that is relatively free of the executive meddling the last two Xeno games had.

Xenoblade would receive multiple sequels over the years, including:

Xenoblade X (2015), a spiritual successor that focused more on moment-to-moment gameplay and featured giant robots as a major gameplay aspect.

Xenoblade 2 (2017) & Xenoblade 2: Torna, the Golden Country (2018), a sequel that acts as a standalone foil to the original.

Xenoblade 3 (2022) & Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed (2023), a third sequel that ties together Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade 2 while telling its own story.

Valvrave the Liberator (2012)

Valvrave the Liberator is a 2012 mecha series from Sunrise, and the first of our major duds in the 2010's. Valvrave is best known for being an insane ride from the word go, and I think this series really captures a lot of what mecha is going through in the 2010's.

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2012)

Even Gundam can have its bad days.

2012 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Started as a multimedia project in partnership with Level-5, Gundam AGE was supposed to be a 100-episode series that spans multiple generations of characters. Instead, the series was cut down to a 50-episode run.

AGE's legacy is not a good one, as it is often touted as being so bad that it almost killed Gundam. I think, especially as someone who used to think this, this line of thinking is kind of silly. Gundam at this point is damn near ubiquitous, so to say that a dud like AGE would kill it seems a bit extreme. Besides, the Unicorn OVA begins airing around this time as well, and another series would really bring Gundam back into prominence in about a year.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim is a live action sci-fi film about piloting giant robots in order to fight and kill kaiju. Made as an homage to the giant mecha anime of old, namely Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim would prove to be a great summer action flick that was made with a lot of love and care for both mecha and kaiju films.

The same, however, cannot be said for the sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising.

Gundam Build Fighters (2013)

Gundam Build Fighters, released in 2013, is equal parts loving homage to the Gundam franchise, sports anime parody, and shameless toy commercial. Gundam Build Fighters, despite being loosely a mecha series, is worth mentioning due to the fact that it would bring attention back to the Gundam franchise once more. This is worth noting after the general failure of Gundam AGE especially since a lot of series were trying to dethrone Gundam in order to become the next big thing.

Aldnoah.Zero (2014)

And boy, did that fail spectacularly.

Aldnoah.Zero also released in 2013. Billed as a series that would rival Gundam in terms of popularity, Aldnoah.Zero would start off strong. The problems with the series would arise in season 2, where, if I understand things correctly, things just kind of happen with little to no justification.

I do apologize to the fans of this series if what I have to say is harsh. I think a lot of that stems from the fact that I loathe series that are propped up as being an "X Killer," and I remember Aldnoah was originally advertised as specifically being a Gundam Killer. To me, that line of thinking is, at best, disingenuous and really prevents the series from standing on its own merits due to the comparison.

Gargantia on the Verduous Planet (2014)

Released in 2014, Gargantia on the Verduous Planet is a series where your standard military robot gets placed in a setting where, in comparison to everybody else, it essentially becomes a classic mecha. Gargantia gives us a pretty unique setting where the galactic-scale war has not really affected the cast outside of the main character.

Also this series has Gintoki Sakata Tomokazu Sugita as a giant robot. It's great.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G (2014)

Yoshiyuki Tomino would, once again, return to the directing chair for 2014's Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G. Created as a part of Gundam's 35th anniversary, Reconguista continues in the trend of post-Victory Tomino works generally having a kind of realistic optimism behind them. Reconguista is also known for being incredibly confusing in its initial TV run, though I am happy to report that the recent film version of Reconguista is, to my understanding, pretty easy to follow.

RWBY (2014, honorary mecha show 4...?)

(I mean... if we're using a broad definition like I do, then it counts. Penny is a major character in the series, but she's not in every volume. The series also has a lot of giant robots as well, though they're not as important to the plot as Penny is. Also, I'd rather talk about RWBY than gen:Lock, so....)

Created by Monty Oum and the now-defunct Roosterteeth, RWBY (pronounced Ruby like Ruby Rose... the character, not the actress) is a web animation series that wears its anime influence on its sleeve. Focusing primarily on flashy action with a fair bit of character dramas in its first seasons, RWBY proved to be a scrappy underdog that eventually would become one of Roosterteeth's primary draws until the company's closure earlier this year.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)

2015 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Set in the much grittier Post Disaster timeline, Iron-Blooded Orphans would, more importantly, be the first non-Build Gundam series to air in the US since 2008's Gundam 00.

Iron-Blooded Orphans is known for, outside of being a rather dark entry in the franchise, controversy. And I'm not just talking about the 2nd season. I mean, "Japanese parents were upset Mika shot a man point blank" upset (to be fair, it was on prime time, and Gundam is considered to be, weirdly enough, a show for younger audiences).

If you want to listen to someone else talk about Iron-Blooded Orphans, I'd highly recommend checking out Taez's video on Iron-Blooded Orphans.

86: Eighty-Six (2017)

Eighty Six, the most recent iteration of the "Not Like the Other Girl" series, begins publication in 2017. Written by Asato Asato, Eighty Six struck a chord with a lot of people due to its stark portrayal of racism, which became extra poignant when the anime adaptation aired in 2020 (in other words, Eighty Six would air the same year George Floyd was murdered).

Darling in the Franxx (2018)

2018 would see the biggest dud of the decade air with Studio Trigger's Darling in the Franxx. The show started off strong, but quickly soured on viewers once the second half rolled in. To really understand why it's arguably the biggest dud of the decade, I'd like to theorize a little bit:

I think, when it comes to the duds of this decade (Valvrave, Gundam AGE, Aldnoah, Franxx), the three non-Gundam series were riding off of a lot of hype. And when I say a lot of hype, I mean like post-Witcher 3 Cyberpunk 2077 levels hype (so when CD Projekt Red went all in on Cyberpunk, but before they went gold). Franxx in particular was hit hard by this, as Trigger at this point had been nothing but hits (pre-Gainax includes Diebuster, Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking; Trigger proper had Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, and Axe Cop, among other hits). So for Franxx in particular, the expectations were basically "This is going to be the second coming of Evangelion." And given that even Evangelion's Rebuild films can't live up to the expectations of Evangelion, I'd say that fans inadvertently set Franxx up for failure.

That's not to absolve Franxx or the other shows of criticism. Like I said, I haven't watched a lot of these shows, so I can only really speculate. It also helps that Trigger would recover pretty quickly in like a year with their next show.

Mazinger Z Infinity (2018)

The end of the 2010's wouldn't all be duds though. As a celebration of Go Nagai's 50th anniversary in the manga business, his biggest works all got adaptations to celebrate this special achievement. Cutie Honey got Cutie Honey Universe. Devilman got Devilman Crybaby. and Mazinger Z got Mazinger Z Infinity. Set up as a conclusion to the Mazinger saga, Mazinger Z Infinity would prove to be a great conclusion to this series.

SSSS.Gridman (2018)

Coming off of the failure of Darling in the Franxx, Studio Trigger would follow up with their animated adaptation of Gridman the Hyper Agent: SSSS.Gridman. Made as an homage to Gridman and all of its variations, including Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (hence the SSSS in SSSS.Gridman), SSSS.Gridman proved to be a return to form Studio Trigger. SSSS.Gridman's success would eventually lead to a sequel based off of the Dyna Dragon called SSSS.Dynazenon.

Lancer (2019)

(From Massif Press)

“̸̻̖̍̑I̷͔̦̒̽ ̷̩̇̅h̴̻͊͘á̴̙̹v̸͌̈ͅe̷̲͋ ̵͇̅̈n̸͙̹͆̀ë̸͉̎v̵̡̄͆ͅe̴͎̯͝ṟ̶́̄ ̶̙̒͑ͅb̸̻̋̋e̷̝̯͝é̸͕͔n̴̗̑̄ ̶̬̦͑͐h̵̲̒é̶͚́ŗ̴͎̅e̸̖̾ͅ:̶̯̩́̓ ̶̫̖̒͝I̴̯̪͑̍ ̴͚͂̽d̸͈͖̉͌ǫ̷͖͆ ̴͔̑͋n̵̂̆͜o̸̟͉̍t̸̗͇̓̎ ̴̜̠̄̑k̴̻̚͜n̸̰͙̓̊o̶̝̫͛̇ŵ̵̮̬ ̴͍̄w̴̧̢͋͊h̶̼̃̐ͅe̵̼̯͠r̵̹̿è̸͙̀ ̵͇̪̉͘h̷̺͋̇e̷͙͆̓r̴̛̟̒e̷͍͊ ̴͖͒i̷̛͓̾ͅs̵̒͜͝:̵̗̪̎ ̸̥̉Ȉ̵̬̠̓t̸͎͠ ̷͙͝ḧ̸́̚͜a̸̞̗͒s̷̜͈̒ ̵̻̋̐ǹ̵͓̲͘o̸͖̥͗̿ṯ̸̉̌ ̶̻̀̉h̸̙̆a̶̡͙̍p̵̮̭͆p̸͚̘͂̀ẹ̷̮̔̊n̴̳̂͠e̴̦͖͐͠d̶̥̻̿̆ ̶̖̮͋ŷ̸̻͚ȇ̵̩̈́t̵̼̎͘:̸̖̈ ̷̤̒O̵̻̱͑n̶̙͐͐c̶̮͉̉ě̶̫̬,̸̛̬ ̷̻͋̑I̵̙̓͌ ̵̧̮́͝w̴̧͚̽̕a̵̖͆s̷̒̿ͅ:̸̫̰̈ ̴̯̦̅̈́Ḯ̷̤ ̸̛̹̀h̴̤̳͗͑ȧ̸͍̦v̷͔̘͘̚ẽ̶̡ ̶̗̍n̵͇̞̉ę̶͙̏v̵͉̥̍ė̷̝͍͂ṙ̸̗͎ ̶̩͠b̴͈̿̏e̴̤̊̋ḛ̶̙̔n̸̡̔ ̶͚͠h̴͙̀͝é̶̳r̶̙̯͊e̵̢̫̕:̸̩̬͝ ̴̭̩̈́͗Ŷ̵͇͆ò̷͔͚u̶͈̒ ̷̻̌̚͜a̵̢͐̔r̴̰̝̕e̵̼͌̂ ̵̢̓ǎ̵̠͕l̷̮̉̀l̵̝̫̀͘ ̶̣̟̈I̶͍̍ ̶̣̊s̴̡̟͘e̷̼̦̿͝e̴͚̎:̴̦̟̃̇ ̶̬̱̕H̷̰̟̆̉ơ̸̰̐w̸̨͉͛ ̷͍̽̕c̴̡̋͂ͅa̶̡͂̐ṋ̵̫̈́ ̵͎̥͑͐y̷̭͉͛o̵̖͍̕ȗ̶̙͐ ̶̝̯͗b̷͎͍́̀ḙ̷̩̇ ̴͖̝̑ǎ̸̩̼l̸͙̞͌l̴̨̎ ̵̨̍I̵͓̊ ̴͇͒̀ͅs̵̗̽͒e̴̯̊é̶̥:̴̛̥͠ ̵̡̩̓̽W̸̝̦̏̈h̸͎̓̇ê̴̳r̶̻̊͜ȅ̶͓̹ ̸̖͊̕a̵̯͕͒͋m̵̆͜ ̸̙͒I̵̗̘̽:̵̼̳̉͑ ̷͖͒̈́W̵̬͒͒h̵͎͆ë̸̩́͜r̸̦̟͊͗ẻ̸̖ ̴͈͊d̵̩̕i̵̱̰͘d̵̳̗̕͝ ̴̛͖̳͒Ĩ̵̮ ̶̲̩̈́̋g̷̩̏͠o̸̱̓ͅ:̶̬̥͑ ̸̨̥̔͒Í̶̧̻͊ ̶̠̽h̵̩̘̋̓a̶͈͙̓v̸̝̊e̷̟͗̌ ̶͉̽͆͜n̵̮̭̉ḛ̷̜́v̴͓̥͛e̵͈̱̓̏r̵̪̅̌ ̶͉͌b̶̗̤̍e̶͔͘e̷͇̪̕ņ̷͝͠ ̵̥̄h̶̦̬̉̕ë̶̞́r̸̨͚̉̇ĕ̶ͅ…̵̤̘͛͝”̵̞̺͊

And to wrap up the 2010's, Massif Press would release Lancer. Set in a post-scarcity galaxy, Lancer gives enjoyers of pen and paper the chance of a lifetime: to become pilots of giant robots. None of this should be surprising though, as the game was designed by Abbadon, the guy who writes Kill 6 Billion Demons (you can tell because the IPS-N Tortuga and the IPS-N Raleigh look a lot like 10 Vigilant Gaze Purges the Horizon).

Conclusion

And that's a wrap for the 2010's. As we can see, this decade is a bit of a downer. At this point in time, it feels like mecha is dying. That's what an idiot like Gigguk will tell you. In hindsight, it's less dying and more in decline, and it's not surprising as to why.

Mecha, specifically the giant robots of old, are hard to animate, especially if you want a machine that's as intricate as say GaoGaiGar. But next time, we will finally be reaching the end of this journey. We will be diving into now, what's come out in the last four years, and what is set to potentially release in the future. Of particular note is the return of the Holy Trinity, with the 2020's in particular being a big year for Gundam.

[end-of-pizza]

WEIRD ANIME NIGHT

guys, I’m going to level with you. I am running out of weird anime’s I have watched. I want to do these guys every week I really do....and I have a stack of VHS tapes and DVD’s downstairs to dig through that MIGHT have some more gold in them, but it would be SUPER COOL of you if you would DM me some ideas or suggestions to look into in the coming weeks and months now I said I am RUNNING OUT, that doesnt mean I’m empty. Tonight I am going to go on a tangent, and talk about one anime you dudes have LIKELY seen already MOBILE FIGHTER G GUNDAM

You might say to yourself, hey Brian, that show isn’t THAT weird, gundam is a big big robot show, and that is just another cookie cutter big big robo show

BUT YOU ARE WRONG

DEAD WRONG

Mobile fighter g gundam was only the 9th gundam series ever made, and the series it follows Victory gundam is considered one of the darkest in gundams canon, where kill them all Tomino really showed that he earned that name, it wasn’t gifted to him. I mean the shows about a 12 year old who, in its final act fights a giant, moon sized ring full of psychics that try to reduce humanity to animal like stupidity so that they can rule the earth, and also like…..all of his friends die. All of them, most of them children. Victory gundam is dark as shit

G Gundam though? Naw, this show is like two clicks away from being a gundam skin over top of a king of braves show. I mean let me break it down like this. G gundam is about a buncha people, hired by their countries to represent them in a martial arts tournament , with giant robots that used to be used for war, but that war destroyed earth real bad, so instead they still destroy earth real bad with giant robots, but instead of war, its just a boxing match and they make it clear that this ish is bad for the earth like EVERY city is fucked, and whoever wins the tournament, their government gets to be dictators of the world and space for 4 years.

  and its played for laughs

I also want to mention for people who are passingly familiar with Gundam through things like wing or seed etc, and know that gundam has different time lines, THIS is the first alternate timeline, this is the first non UC timeline in the whole of gundam. Imagine if the last few shows were, a war drama about a 14 year old being drafted and getting ptsd, then a sequal where a child psychic also gets drafted then his parents die, then the girl he loves tries to kill him and dies, then a sequal to that where again, a ton of main characters die, then a sequal movie where two of the main characters of the entire show both die, then a show about a boy making a new friend, who turns out to be a soldier, and introducing them to his next door neighbor who turns out to be a soldier, then while trying to help his new friend, his neighbor murders him, ON CHRISTMAS, then he has to just go back to normal life because he kept all of this a secret to everyone.

AFTER THAT ALL WE GET THIS

I mean it took a show that for 20 years had been a dead ass serious war drama, and turned it into well......MMA with robots and dudes (and a few ladies) in latex cat suits using magic to destroy famous land marks

THE WIKI SAYS Unlike previous series in the Gundam franchise which are set in the "Universal Century" timeline, Mobile Fighter G Gundam takes place in an alternate "Future Century" universe.[1][2] Within this timeline, much of mankind has abandoned a ruined Earth to live in space colonies. The countries on Earth have corresponding colonies just outside the planet's atmosphere. Rather than fight wars for political and social dominance, the colonies agree to hold a "Gundam Fight" tournament every four years. Each country sends to Earth a representative piloting a highly-advanced, humanoid mobile fighter called a Gundam. The Gundams compete with one another in one-on-one battles, under a strict set of rules, until only one fighter remains; the nation represented by the winner earns the right to rule all of space for that period.[2] Each Gundam is controlled directly by the user within the cockpit using the "Mobile Trace System", a gesture recognition and feedback mechanism whereby the Gundam mimics the pilot's own body motion, combat skills, and weapon-wielding capabilities.[1]G Gundam opens at the start of the 13th Gundam Fight in Future Century year 60 and follows Neo Japan's Domon Kasshu, fighter of his nation's Shining Gundam and bearer of the coveted "King of Hearts" martial arts crest.[1] Aside from winning the tournament, Domon's mission is to track down his fugitive, older brother Kyoji, who allegedly stole the experimental Dark Gundam from Neo Japan's government, leaving their mother dead and their father (Dr. Raizo Kasshu) to be arrested and placed in a cryogenic state.[3]

Under orders from Major Ullube Ishikawa, Domon and his childhood friend and mechanic Rain Mikamura travel from country to country, challenging each one's Gundam while searching for clues to the whereabouts of Kyoji and the Dark Gundam.[3] Domon's initial matches with Neo America's Chibodee Crocket, Neo France's George DeSand, Neo China's Sai Sai Ci, and Neo Russia's Argo Gulskii end in draws, gaining mutual respect among the fighters.[1][2] As they encounter Gundam pilots who had come in contact with the Dark Gundam, Domon and Rain learn of its unique cellular properties to regenerate, multiply, and evolve by infecting organic matter and causing violent behavior in living things.[3] The duo then journey to Neo Tokyo, a city decimated by the Dark Gundam's army of mobile weapons. Domon reunites with his esteemed martial arts instructor Master Asia, who is also the champion of the last Gundam Fight, the former King of Hearts, and one-time leader of an elite group of Gundam fighters called the Shuffle Alliance. After Domon and Rain help the city's survivors defend their last outpost in Shinjuku, Master Asia reveals himself as a servant of the Dark Gundam, having also gained control over Chibodee, George, Sai Sai Ci, and Argo using Dark Gundam (DG) cells.[2][3] The four remaining members of the Shuffle Alliance intervene and vow to destroy their previous leader for his crimes. Ultimately, the Alliance members offer their lives in purging the DG cells from Domon's four comrades and bestow each of them with a Shuffle Alliance crest as their successors. Kyoji and the enormous Dark Gundam eventually appear from beneath the ground of Shinjuku, but shortly thereafter vanish alongside Master Asia. As the Shuffle Alliance trains in the Guiana Highlands for the Gundam Fight finals, Master Asia and the Dark Gundam reappear.[3] With the help of his friends and a new ally in Neo Germany's masked warrior Schwarz Bruder, Domon defeats the Dark Gundam. When the Shining Gundam becomes incapacitated during the battle, Domon desperately manages to activate a newly acquired God Gundam(AKA Burning Gundam outside Japan), escape Master Asia, and make his way to the finals set in Neo Hong Kong.[2][4]

The Gundam Fight finals are presided over by Wong Yunfat, Neo Hong Kong's prime minister and the current ruler of the space colonies and Earth. Wong chooses to have the qualifying nations battle in one-on-one and tag team preliminary matches to reach a battle royale on Lantau Island, where the tournament is to end with the winner facing the defending champion Master Asia.[2][4] Having gained possession of the Dark Gundam, Wong secretly plots to revive and control it as his trump card to inevitably maintain his own power over space. Domon and his companions make their way to the battle royale while several truths concerning the Dark Gundam are unveiled. Rain's father, Dr. Mikamura, eventually explains that the Dark Gundam (originally called the Ultimate Gundam) was constructed by Dr. Kasshu to rejuvenate the dying Earth. Jealous of his genius colleague, Dr. Mikamura had Neo Japan's officials attempt to confiscate Kasshu's creation. To prevent the military from using his father's invention for its own agenda, Kyoji fled with and crash landed the Gundam on Earth, where its computer malfunctioned, triggering its malevolent activity. Ullube subsequently had Dr. Kasshu arrested, framed Kyoji as a criminal, and used Domon and Rain as pawns in recovering the Gundam.[4] In a separate confession, Master Asia discloses to Domon that, having been distressed by the utter destruction wrought by the Gundam Fights, he planned to use the Dark Gundam to wipe out humanity and allow Earth to heal naturally.[2] The battle on Lantau Island culminates with Domon fatally besting Master Asia in a final confrontation, while Kyoji and Schwarz sacrifice themselves so that Domon can attack the Dark Gundam's cockpit and disable it once again.[4] Though the schemes of both Wong and Master Asia are foiled, Ullube quietly claims the Dark Gundam and transports it to Neo Japan's space colony for his own purpose. Having been corrupted by DG cells with ambitions of supreme power, Ullube kidnaps Rain and places her into the Dark Gundam's core to act as its energy source. The hulking monstrosity then merges with the colony and begins absorbing Earth itself.[2] As the entire world's Gundams unite to assault the Dark Gundam from the outside, the Shuffle Alliance breaks inside the colony and destroys Ullube. Finally, Domon professes his love for Rain and releases her from the core. Invoking the power of the King of Hearts, the couple vanquishes the Dark Gundam once and for all

I just rewatched it like a month ago, its real good, def go watch it

if you are the kind of person who was maybe put off by OG gundams TONE or wing gundams edgy-ness, give g gundam a watch its honestly a good anime, its about as shonen as a shonen can legally get. Also its spiritual successor, the Build series is really good too, really liked Build Fighters Try A LOT, and I guess like.....it might be canon to this reality? its weird. Gundams weird when it comes to canonisity, its sort of all canon kinda.

∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀

Also the model kits for this show, and you knew I was going to bring up Gunpla at some point, well they come in two qualities

 AWESOME and brand new

 or shit and 20 years old

So if you collect these things like I do…..get both kinds of their kits

They’re good.

 Have a good one

~Hoover

[theliterarywolf]

So, Let’s Talk ‘Love Death and Robots’ (Episodes 1-9)

Netflix's newest foray into the world of adult-oriented animation Love Death and Robots is one more nail in the coffin of the notion that any adult cartoon has to suck off the teat of Family Guy or South Park.

The spiritual successor to the 80s sci-fi animation anthology Heavy Metal (in more ways than one, since LDaR was originally supposed to be a Heavy Metal reboot but lack of funding and copyright hell got in the way), Love Death and Robots gives us 18 different short stories brought to the screen in the medium of animation that range in all emotions from shock, horror, disgust, sympathy, hope, and, yes, even sadness.

Just like I did with Season 4 of Black Mirror, I am going to give my personal thoughts on each segment for those who want to know what they're getting into. However, since each of the stories in Love Death and Robots only range between 8 and 17 minutes, I will not go into spoilers.

Also, to do things a bit differently, I will also add in the ratings of 'Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?', to reveal if the sci-fi elements in a story were prominent or if it was more fantasy-oriented, and 'Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?' to reveal, well, just that.

Tl:Dr – I personally found Love Death and Robots to be a very-much welcome breath of fresh air to both the fields of adult animation and anthology shows. I forget what medium/site posted it but there's the sentiment of Love Death and Robots being what Black Mirror has been striving to be for its past two seasons.

And, yes, that comment is pretty damn appropriate. Love Death and Robots elegantly combines the darkness and unease of the technological unknown of the scientific condition with looks at the human condition as well as snarky dark humor. If you can stand blood, gore, and the occasional female-presenting nipple, you should definitely give it a watch.

And now, for the actual thoughts on each story individually. Remember, no spoilers.

Episode 1 - Sonnie's Edge

Be still, my Teratophile heart. Love Death and Robots' first entry hits the ground running, slashing, and biting with a strong female character and the dismal underground world that she’s successfully made her bitch. The first half of this short grabs you and doesn't let go until the second half starts and, admittedly, slows things down. Breathtaking for sure, Sonnie's Edge isn't my personal favorite of the anthology, but I can definitely see where a good chunk of the money went for LDaR.

… I also see this story getting the same treatment by tumblr that this website did to the San Junipiero episode of Black Mirror.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Bio-Mechanical Engineering of minor-kaiju type monsters. Also, the mental link software used for fighters to connect with said creations.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes to a TV series of Sonnie's Edge. Unlike some of the other stories in LDaR, the nuances and universe set up by the brief glance we got would work wonders if worked into a 12 episode show.

Episode 2 – Three Robots

In the biggest full-frontal flip of tone, Three Robots yanks us out of the grimy Cyberpunk future of Episode 1, to a comedic look at a post-apocalyptic one with our titular three robots taking a sight-seeing tour through a long-decimated city. Discussions are had about human nature from a neutral, but still comical, outside point of view and that's all I will say because, going any further will bring in spoilers.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Three of them, in fact, each representing a different aspect of robotics: one sleek and cold-looking, one humanoid with a neutral face, and the human-friendly models.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Honestly... No. The story, as well as its ending serve their purpose best at the length and scope it has in its run-time.

Episode 3 – The Witness

'Yeah, but –'

No.

'If you just –'

No.

'It really is one of the best on--'

NAH, G, THIS AIN'T IT!

There needs to be a phrase: 'Cool Universe; Shit Story, Brah' to slap onto pieces of media that have a great aesthetic and a great universe on display... But just an awful story.

Because The Witness fits that phrase to a tee. If anything, the only aspect that The Witness has going for it is the stark color scheme against the dismal urban landscape and the sex.

Lots. And. Lots of boob-shots and bush-shots in this one, folks.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Did it? I don't even know what kind of technology was displayed in this episode. Apartment-based leather sex-clubs?

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

This would probably have been much better if it had an hour or so to build up the characters and the twist rather than flashing everything at a breakneck pace and forcing us to sit through a drag of a story.

Episode 4 – Suits 

(No gif for this one; tumblr, you guys are slacking)

Best. In. Fucking. Show.

This one is definitely one of my top two favorites for the entire series. Everything is there: character, universe, writing, it's all great. Especially since, considering that it follows the 'Last Stand' trope and it would have been extremely easy for the writers to go 100% grim and miserable.

No, that... * sigh * that comes later.

You like farmers? You like mechas? You like farmers in mechas fighting aliens? You will now!

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Yes, several of them!

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

If we ever got to a point where Pixar made films for adult audiences, a feature-length look at the universe of Suits would be the vein they would need to hit.

Just maybe with a less noticeable frame-rate 'style'.

I'd also like to add this: a lot of people these days seem to have the issue with sci-fi and fantasy-oriented media because they feel as though they only cater to kids/teens (either the characters will be 'young adults fighting “teh systemzz” or high school bullshit). That and the worlds depicted don't draw anyone in due to how... unrelatable they are.

The fact that the characters in Suits are your typical hard-working, middle-aged farmers just trying to live their lives... while still having to fight carnivorous aliens in mecha-suits re-purposed from farming equipment really makes the short seem that much more human.

Episode 5 – Sucker of Souls

(No gif, again...)

Oh boy! The Castlevania Cinematic Universe looks great!

Seriously, this was the first moment during my viewing of LDaR were I was left wondering 'I thought... this was a sci-fi anthology..?'

That being said, though, I'm always a sucker for unique hand-drawn animation and the abrasiveness of the characters flow nicely together. Even though you can pretty much tell, at the five minute mark, that things may not end up too well, it's a fun ride in the same vein as the Brendan Fraser Mummy films.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Well, you see, the thing is, I – No.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

It probably could be a good Adult Swim animated series (in the same vein as The Venture Bros). But, other than that, it stands fine on its own.

Episode 6 – When the Yogurt Took Over

(Gif not from the show but still appropriate)

This... Seems to be the dividing point for a lot of people in regards to LDaR. You have a lot of people saying 'Oh, this one was dumb; it didn't make sense' or 'the animation was too cute to be so gruesome'.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, a lot of the people complaining that it was dumb or didn't make sense probably didn't grow up with the same dark comedy/gallows humor that many of us did/have sought out. Things like Little Shop of Horrors, Dr. Strangelove, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, Dead Like Me, Metalocalypse, Black Dynamite (the animated series), and others that I can't find right now because Google keeps trying to recommend me to Family Guy of all things when I type in my searches.

The story here is short, poignant, and pretty close to home despite the title giving you what you're getting on the tin.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Not really a robot... But the scientists in the story were working with genetic engineering. So, there you go.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Mm... No. This is another 'watch it as is and get the best effect' story.

One more thing, though: The Narrator of this story is none other than Maurice LaMarche.

Mother-fucking BRAIN from Pinky and the Brain!

Episode 7 – Beyond the Aquila Rift

It is... so hard to do Cosmic Horror correctly in recent times. The notion of creating tales that show just how small we are in the grand-scheme of the sleeping nightmare behemoths who keep the universe running in the space between their frantic thoughts... Is overwhelming to a lot of people. So a lot of first-time attempts at it ultimately fail.

This story, Beyond the Aquila Rift, is one of my favorite entries to LDaR. Right up there with Suits.

And I will leave it at that.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Space-travel, hibernation gel/tubes, space-stations.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

And even that is a hard maybe because while you could build up the characters and their relationships a bit more, the resolution of this story works fine either way.

Episode 8 – Good Hunting

Is... Issat – Is that GOOD Steampunk in front of me? Oh Lord, it's been years! More hand-drawn animation for this one but the way it melds not only technology, magic, imperialism, and friendship but still incorporates the message that technology and progress can be used for great good and great evil... It depends on the morality of those wielding/pushing for it... Is really a high point in both writing and execution.

The animation, especially whenever the technological aspect comes in, really shines.

… You know, in hindsight, that last line could be seen in bad taste.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The whole set-up is British Imperialist forces bringing Steampunk and subjugation to China. So, yeah, a lot of copper and a lot of steam in here.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I know I've been shoving everything into 'could shine as a film on its own' category, but Good Hunting really is the type of story I would love to see expanded out and directed by someone like the late Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent, Paprika, Millennium Actress).

Episode 9 – The Dump

(Honestly, I’m not even sad that I can’t find a gif for this one)

This one... Ah... This one.

I ... Hm.

Y-you want to see old, dangly redneck penis? Y-you see old, dangly redneck penis for a good few seconds in this one.

But, yeah, this one is definitely... a story. Your typical 'stuffy white-guy pencil-pusher comes to scare old, grungy countryman off of his land/old, grungy countryman decides to tell stuffy white-guy pencil-pusher the story of why he's on said land...

And to go any further would be spoilers.

It's not bad, it's just... Interesting.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Well, it depends. Do you see pollution as more an aspect of sci-fi or an aspect of socioeconomic discussion?

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I don't think anyone would want to see more of this story in either form, truth be told. It exists fine on its own.

And that's Part 1 of my little write-up on Love Death and Robots. This got a little long so I'll be posting Part 2 tomorrow and linking it HERE when I do! Seriously, if you can you should definitely watch the series and support some good adult animation so Netflix will push for more stuff like LDaR, Bojack Horseman, Aggretsuko, and The Kirlian Frequency... And less stuff like that damn 'Brickleberry But They're COOOPS This Time~!!'

[laurarolla]

Spiritual Successor: How Build Divers misses the most important parts of Fighters AND VR “Isekai” at the same time

So we’re about 10 episodes into the newest Gundam series, Gundam Build Divers, the third Build series (not counting the Gunpla Builders OVA) and a bit of a departure from the previous series.  Directed by Shinya Watada, director of Fighters Try with experience across much of Gundam recently, and written by Noboru Kimura.  Kimura has little experience with Gundam or mecha in general (mostly contributing to AGE), but he does have experience in a wide variety of works from sports anime to harem and isekai series to varying degrees, including the divisive Accel World (which I do like despite it’s flaws).  On paper, these two seem like a solid choice to follow up on Build Fighters Try, directed by Watada and written by Yousuke Kuroda of Gundam 00 and My Hero Academia fame.

Unfortunately, that isn’t how things played out at all.  The Prologue to GBD, released a few months before the series, is very much in the style of the various Fighters anime that had come before, and honestly feels like it could be the finale to a Fighters series we never got to see.  However, from the first episode of the main series run, it’s clear just how far away from that series we really are.  In fact, until episode 6, there are no real mentions of anything close to the more physical model fighting from the previous series, placing Divers in its own continuity until further notice.  Thus, not a sequel but a spiritual successor.  Going into the minutia of how fundimental things are different, like being in a VR game, creating a hub from a mix of Gundam Breaker and Phantasy Star for all the players, mission selection, video game stuff... all irrelevant to the Fighters comparison.  Instead, we need to look at character and the sense of stakes.  Or, moreover, the serious lack thereof.

Riku and Yuki both like Gundam, so there’s the minor point of having no newcomer in episode 1 to serve as the justification for explaining stuff to any new audience.  Since Divers is clearly trying to stand on it’s own, this is a bit of an error.  The bigger problem is in terms of motivation.  Riku is on a quest of self-improvement, to become strong like the champion.  His limitation is a basic lack of experience.  That’s a far cry from Fumina’s inability to be supportive while still possessing her own strength, or Iori’s mental blocks preventing creativity in design or focus in battle.  Yuki is basically a partner with not any real motivation, Momo is playing to have fun with her friends, and Koichi is working his way through finding love of Gunpla and Gundam after having lost it when his former hobby group fell apart.  Of all these characters, Koichi is the one with the most interesting motive, and it’s basically solved by the episode after he joins the team.

Built into these motivations are the characters’ personal stakes, but this is where the series crosses between Fighters and VR Isekai, failing both completely.  In Fighters, the main struggle shifted from the duo of Sei and Reiji getting better and proving their strength and growth, to actual antagonistic characters fighting them and hurting people significantly.  There are stories of corporate manipulation, brainwashing, de facto slavery, and even the existence of criminal mercenaries who specialize in crimes with toy plastic robots.  That last one is a bit ridiculous, but hey, where there’s money to be made, right?  Try is more of a standard sports anime, a team of underdogs rising up through the building of their skills and their friendship.  Each character goes through a personal arc, and the antagonists are more personal foes or even just the player’s own emotional limitations (see the Fumina point above).  It’s a different kind of show in some ways, but the focus on character growth and realistic stakes works, even if both stories pull a fast one by way of absurd final battle to save the world maybe because magic rocks.  Diver’s main thread is regarding the Break Decal, a physical chip attached to a model kit as it is scanned that overpowers the unit activating it while causing massive system instablity AND wiping out the central data records of cheating to cover its tracks.  Also it self destructs in the real world after being used.  Huh.

So, in VR Isekai stories, much of the gravity of the narrative comes from the idea of questioning the divide between reality and virtual reality.  I mentioned .hack in the prelude post to this, and the character of Sara does appear to be a low-quality version of Aura from that franchise, but I’m gonna give the show the benefit of the doubt on her.  My issue is in regards to the lack of any serious gravity to the Break Decals.  Basically, someone is encouraging the use of cheat devices to mess with the game and break it, going so far as to hire mercenaries (at least that seems to be what’s happening with the Throne trio), and so far, it doesn’t seem like the series is gonna really pull the trigger on real world consequences.  As much as SAO is ragged on, and as much as I would love to see that series in OVA form from the perspective of the outside world dealing with a mass crisis of decentralized terroristic violence through VR headset, there were stakes in SAO for the real world characters and their lives.  It may have been poorly communicated, but there were lives destroyed by that event, moreso than we could really have ever seen on screen.  In .hack, the world exists in the aftermath of a computer virus that resulted in deaths and hacking is a capital crime, casting a greater weight on the incidents of people going comatose while playing a video game.  In GBD, there is neither precedent for concern, nor real world weight to what is happening.  The biggest issue I can see at this point is that it’s a bit late to start hinting at real world consequences now.  We’re 10 episodes into a 25 episode series (based on the recent seasons of Gundam), and it feels almost like the Break Decal stuff is coming to a head without feeling like there are any real stakes in the story.  It’s basically all virtual, no real, which really fails on the VR Isekai front.

So, yeah, the Divers are boring and there are no stakes to their story.  Thus, by extension, the action has no weight and is a bunch of pretty lights and explosions, sound and fury signifying nothing.  On the plus side, the mechanical design is nice, with seeing the AGE suits decoupled from that horrendous series being a real highlight to me personally.  Chalk up another mecha design win for  Takayuki Yanase.  Additionally, the varied character designs do sell the MMO feel of the show, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t really love Rommel’s design as a Zeon cosplaying ferret with a seeming love of Votoms.  Magee, on the other hand... well, I’ve been here long enough but let me point out that Magee is the first example of the “Okama” archetype/stereotype in Gundam history.  And considering that it’s a pretty awful stereotype, I’d have really preferred they not do that.

I guess one could say that I should give the rest of the show a chance, but I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can tell how good a series will be, in most cases, by the first episode, and the rest of the show isn’t exactly challenging my expectations from that.

[aion-rsa]

Best PC Games to Play in 2021

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

We’re entering a golden age for PC gaming. The next generation of graphics cards are capable of pumping out 4K graphics and high FPS on almost any big name release, and real-time raytracing is taking graphics to new heights that weren’t possible just a couple years ago.

Add in Sony bringing more PlayStation ports to the PC and nearly every Xbox exclusive making its way to PCs as well, and a high-end gaming computer looks to be the definitive way to play almost anything over the next few years.

The following is a list of the most anticipated games coming to home computers this year. While release dates are always flexible, these are only titles that have already been released or officially confirmed for 2021.

Back 4 Blood

June 22 | Turtle Rock Studios

Despite persistent rumors of a third Left 4 Dead game entering development, it’s been more than a decade since Valve has released a new entry in the beloved co-op zombie series. Enter Turtle Rock Studios, the studio behind the original Left 4 Dead game, with a spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood.

By all accounts, Back 4 Blood plays a lot like Left 4 Dead. There are safe rooms, tons of melee weapons, an AI director who constantly changes things up, and zombies. Lots and lots of zombies. But there will also be perk cards that add interesting perks and buffs to the experience, making each playthrough unique. If Back 4 Blood can capture the spirit of the original Left 4 Dead, it should be fantastic.

Chivalry 2

June 8 | Torn Banner Studios

Chivalry was once considered one of the PC’s premier multiplayer titles. Could the sequel follow in its footsteps? We’ll find out pretty soon when Chivalry 2 launches exclusively on the Epic Games Store. According to Torn Banner Studios, the sequel aims to deliver combat that’s deep enough to keep players interested for awhile, yet easy for newcomers to pick up for the first time. 

The latest gameplay videos show off lots of brutal medieval melee combat, with battlefields absolutely drenched in blood after a few minutes of 64 players hacking away at each other. This should be on your must-buy list in June!

Deathloop

May 21 | Arkane Studios

The best way to describe Deathloop is Hitman meets Groundhog Day. You play as Colt, an assassin stuck on a mysterious island, who must take out eight targets before midnight. If you die or fail to eliminate all targets, the day resets, and you’ll have to start all over again. And all the while you’re also being hunted by Julianna Blake, a rival assassin who doesn’t want you breaking the time loop. She can be controlled by either the AI or another player.

Arkane has a great track record when it comes to unique first-person games like Prey and the Dishonored series. If Deathloop’s heady concept can hold up, it could be another home run for the developer. 

Diablo 2: Resurrected

TBA | Vicarious Visions

While Diablo III’s reputation has improved substantially since its controversial 2012 launch, there’s still a vocal group of gamers who prefer the second game in Blizzard’s genre-defining action RPG series. Knowing how much this game means to a lot of people, Vicarious Visions has said it’s not out to reinvent the wheel for Resurrected. The updated 3D graphics will display in 4K, but you can switch back to the original graphics at any point with the press of a button.

And while there will be some quality of life improvements like a shared item stash and automatic gold pickup, don’t expect any revolutionary changes that will spoil the original experience. This should be exactly what we need to tide us over until Diablo IV hits.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination

March 30 | Rebellion Developments

It’s taken 17 years to get a sequel to the criminally underrated Evil Genius, but it’s finally here. If you never had the pleasure of playing the original, imagine being a James Bond villain and managing your own secret lair to build a weapon of mass destruction and eventually take over the world. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

World Domination promises to be a bigger and better sequel. You’ll be able to pick from four different evil geniuses at the start of the game and one of three islands. Each minion in your lair now has their own personality and traits, so you’ll have to use them more strategically than ever to prevent the Forces of Justice from foiling your evil plans.

Far Cry 6

TBA | Ubisoft

Far Cry 6 was originally supposed to be out by now, but development has slowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s still expected to be out in 2021, though. According to Ubisoft, the theme of the game is revolution against an oppressive government, with substantial research going into how and why revolutions are fought to better develop the game’s setting and story.

Ubisoft certainly picked the right actor to lead an oppressive government, with Breaking Bad and Mandalorian villain Giancarlo Esposito portraying the nefarious “El Presidente” who we’ll be looking to topple later this year. 

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

TBA | Square Enix

After one of the worst MMORPG launches ever, it’s a miracle that Final Fantasy XIV is still around a decade later. Not only did Square Enix turn things around, this game is now regarded as one of the very best in the genre.

Endwalker, the game’s fourth major expansion pack will conclude the story of the warring gods Hydaelyn and Zodiark, which has been running since the game’s 2013 relaunch. This won’t be the end of the MMO, though. Square still says it has several years worth of stories to tell.

Along with the obligatory new zones and quests, Square has promised two new classes. The first one shown so far, the sage, is a healer who battles with floating swords. 

Guilty Gear Strive 

April 9 | Arc System Works

The Guilty Gear series has never quite received the same attention as fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, but the franchise has quietly earned a reputation as a technically sound alternative for the competitive fighting game community.

The footage of Guilty Gear Strive released so far looks stunning. Arc has perfected the 3D polygonal character on a 2D plane, and the gameplay promises to be more accessible than ever, with the addition of a new dash button and a “wall-stick hit-state” which allows characters knocked into walls to slide down and continue fighting back.

Halo Infinite

TBA | 343 Industries

Halo may be Microsoft’s flagship franchise, but it’s always had a complicated relationship with the PC, with entries only being ported years after their initial release on Xbox (if at all). Halo Infinite will be the first mainline entry in the series to show up on both console and PC at launch, and it’s currently expected some time in the fall.

Halo Infinite’s public unveiling last year didn’t quite go as planned, with footage receiving a rather frosty reception from most fans. There are a lot of rumors of development troubles online, but Microsoft has a good track record of pulling its Halo games together in time for release, so hopefully we’ll end up with another classic game in the series later this year.

Hitman 3

January 20 | IO Interactive

Hitman 3 makes murder fun. Yes, there’s a lot of murder in video games, but true to its namesake, Hitman is more about the setup than the execution. No other franchise has perfected the thrill of expertly sneaking into an area, tracking down a target, and setting up an unfortunate “accident” to get away unscathed. Or just go in guns blazing like a maniac if that’s your kind of thing.

With Hitman 3, you can even import levels from the previous two games to get the full “World of Assassination” experience, but expect further updates throughout the year, including ray tracing. 

Humankind

April 22 | Amplitude Studios

As popular as the Civilization series has become over the last three decades, it’s surprising that few developers have been up to the challenge of developing a competitor to Sid Meier’s classic creation. Humankind could be up to the task, though. You’ll lead your civilization across six different eras of human history, selecting one of 10 different civilizations in each era. You can handle relations with other societies diplomatically, but if that goes south, combat is handled as a tactical RPG.

Developer Amplitude Studios has been dipping its toes into the 4X genre over the last decade with the well-received Endless Space and Endless Legend, and now the team are looking to apply everything they’ve learned from those games into Humankind.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

May 14 | BioWare

Gamers have been clamoring for a re-release of the Mass Effect trilogy for years, and the Legendary Edition looks to exceed expectations. All three games will support 4K resolution, higher frame rates, and new graphical effects. The original Mass Effect in particular has seen a number of improvements akin to a partial remake, with improved combat, re-tooled enemy AI, and a faster Mako vehicle for traversing the Milky Way’s many planets.

While the Legendary Edition will include almost all of the DLC from the original trilogy (including some rather awesome add-ons like Lair of the Shadow Broker and Omega), BioWare has also announced a few omissions. Mass Effect 3’s lauded multiplayer mode isn’t going to make the cut, and Pinnacle Station, a much-maligned arena style add-on for the first game won’t be included either due to the loss of its source code.

New World

August 31 | Amazon Games

Amazon has had its sights set on the gaming world for quite some time, quietly pumping money into a number of projects, and New World could be its breakthrough hit. In this MMORPG set on an unnamed land in the Atlantic Ocean in the 1600s, you’ll wield bows, hammers, hatchets, magical staffs, musket rifles, spears, and swords against a variety of fantastical creatures. There will also be plenty of opportunities to gather resources, craft and build settlements. Best of all, there’s no monthly fee to play.

Launching a new IP is always difficult, and MMOs are a particularly difficult genre to break into, but if any company has the resources to succeed, it’s Amazon. 

Resident Evil Village

May 7 | Capcom

There was already a ton of hype for the eighth main installment in the Resident Evil franchise following its initial reveal last year, but the introduction of antagonist Lady Dimitrescu aka “Tall Vampire Lady” has put the hype train in overdrive. We still don’t know a lot about the story, but we do expect there will be plenty of run-ins with the 9-foot tall lady and her vampiric daughters.

Village’s first demo gave us our first glimpse of stunning European manor rendered in 4K with ray tracing. The RE Engine was already a looker on last-gen hardware, but Village should be even more stunning when running on a newer graphics card. 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

TBA | GSC Game World

We still know remarkably little about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, a game that’s scheduled to release by the end of the year. In December, GSC Game World released an in-engine teaser trailer that looked impressive, with a first-person view of someone running down a hallway in a dilapidated building around Chernobyl.

If the previous games in the series are any indication, we should be in for some truly terrifying encounters and harrowing firefights with twisted irradiated mutants. Here’s hoping we get more info soon.

Total War: Warhammer III

TBA | Creative Assembly

The trailer for the final entry in Creative Assembly’s Total War: Warhammer trilogy looks very cool, with humans mounted on horses and polar bears facing down chaos demons on a frozen battlefield.

The campaign is said to be twice the size of the one in Total War: Warhammer II, and those who own the DLC for all three games will have access to a combined map that will combine patches from maps from all three games for an absolutely massive strategy experience. 

Valheim

February 2 | Iron Gate AB

Valheim came out of nowhere to become one of the big success stories of 2021, selling more than a million copies less than three weeks after its early access release. If you aren’t caught up on the latest Steam phenomenon, think of it as Minecraft mixed with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. You and up to nine other friends are dropped off in the middle of a Viking afterlife to survive, craft, and battle mythical creatures.

Iron Gate AB has been vague about what exactly to expect from future updates, but the studio has teased future customization options for homes and ships, and eventually even a new biome to explore. 

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

TBA | Fatshark

There have been dozens of Warhammer video games over the years, but few have found the success and crossover appeal of Fatshark’s Vermintide games. It turns out that mowing down waves of enemies with three of your friends is just plain fun, no matter the setting.

Darktide features the same Left 4 Dead-inspired gameplay, but moves the battle to the futuristic Warhammer 40,000 setting, incorporating more gunplay along the way. If you liked the Vermintide games, this is pretty much a must-have. 

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin

TBA | KillPixel

First-person shooters have come a long way in the last couple of decades, but some times you just want to run and gun in a dark fantasy setting as quickly as possible. And remarkably few modern games provide that experience. Enter Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, a spiritual successor to Quake, Doom, and Hexen, built on the 25-year-old Quake Engine.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Wrath has been in Early Access since November 2019, and what’s been released so far is very promising, looking and sounding like a lost PC shooter from the late ‘90s. The full game should be out later this year. 

The post Best PC Games to Play in 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[robbiefarlow-sidequestfitne-blog]

New Post has been published on Side Quest Fitness

New Post has been published on http://sidequestfitness.com/kick-ass-games-that-should-have-been-remastered/

Kick Ass Games That Should Have Been Remastered on Xbox One and PS4

11 Kick Ass Games That Should Have Been Remastered on Xbox One and PS4

This article had started with some long winded intro about how fucking disappointed I’ve been with the current console cycle.

But honestly, that’s not why you clicked on this link.

You’re here to read about a list of kick ass games that Sony and Microsoft should have remastered or remade on their four-year-old systems. Because at first, that’s all the Xbox One and PS4 were good for, remastering games that were barely out of diapers.

And besides the obvious reasons for why that pisses me off—chiefly, that game companies already siphoned enormous sums of money out of me for games like Grand Theft Auto 5, Skyrim, The Last of Us, Gears of War, and Uncharted to name a few—now you expect me to get excited to play the same (great) games again but with “updated” graphics?

Look, I loved Skyrim. I loved Uncharted and Grand Theft Auto 5. But if I buy a new system, I expect new games, not a bunch of games I played just a couple years ago. That’s not how nostalgia works.

Instead of trying to get gamers dick hard about games that were the best games of 2011 or 2009, you—Sony and Microsoft (even Nintendo)— failed to remaster games that would’ve excited old school gamers (drowning them under a tsunami of nostalgia) and made them want to buy your new-fangled consoles.

Damn it. I said this wasn’t going to be a long intro and here I am 260 some words deep and not to the point. Fine.

Here are the 11 kick ass games Sony and Microsoft should have remastered.

1. Road Rash

Technically, a spiritual successor to Road Rash called Road Redemption has been in development since 2013.

After a Kickstarter campaign, the game was supposed to be released in the summer of 2014. It was not. And as of now, it is still TBA for 2017.

I’m not a developer, and I don’t understand all the tech that goes into making a game happen. So I’m just mouthing off as a fan and gamer.

But what the fuck is taking so long?

We’ve seen four different Call of Duty’s in four years—each one selling less than its predecessors year after year—and remakes of games that were already HD. So why am I not able to drive a motorcycle and bash people in the face with a sledgehammer?

The gameplay footage of Road Redemption below is enough to take me from six to midnight. So, um. Yea, gaming industry. You’re failing. This should have been done years ago.

2. Mutant League Football

This is hands down the greatest—and most fun—football game ever made. So why has this game not been remade in over 25 years?

NFL Blitz was an amazing game, there’s no doubt about that. But MLF allowed you to play in space with aliens, skeletons, robots, and trolls. And to make the game even more awesome, each stadium had its own special hazards that could kill members of your team or the opponents.

And each team had crazy ass audibles that you could call which were far dirtier than deflating a few footballs to beat the Colts. Including the option to bribe the refs, where they’d call a “fake” penalty on your opponent, like a 5-yard penalty for crying.

Here’s what made Mutant League Football the best game ever: you could win the game by killing the opposing team’s players. Yes, you didn’t even need to outscore the other team. You just needed to tackle more of them into landmines, fire pits, off the edge of the field and into space, or call your team’s special audible that killed the QB in one hit.

Below is some video of a pre-alpha build for Mutant Football League—supposedly—due out on PC in 2017 and 2018 for Xbox One and PS4.

25 years after the first game, is far too long to wait. This should have been done ten years ago.

3. Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Back in the day, Lucasarts created some of the best video games on Earth: Secrets of Monkey Island, all the Star Wars games, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

Zombie games are one of my favorite genres. Left 4 Dead was amazing. Dead Rising was a lot of fun. But neither of them compare to the ridiculousness of Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

My cousins and I couldn’t stop playing this game. We may have played it more than Mario Kart and Zelda combined. And though you can download the original on Nintendo’s Virtual Console, I still have no idea why this hasn’t been remade?

Oh, right. I know why.

Because Disney shut down the video game development side of Lucasarts. And I doubt The Mouse will want to release any game that involves zombie, werewolf, and vampire murder. Goddamn it Mickey.

4. Battletoads

I don’t have kids. But if I did, I wouldn’t send them to time out for punishment. I’d sit them down in front of Battletoads, with implicit instructions that the only way to get out of timeout is to beat the game.

They’d either stay in timeout forever, or they’d apologize and beg for the torture of this game to stop.

A remastered Battletoads would be huge. And yes, I know Rare released it on their compilation, Rare Replay, for the Xbox One. But the game only took up half the screen; plus, that border is obnoxious. And though the original is fun, in a sadistic kind of way, I’d rather have a remastered Battletoads to play than another broken ass Gears of War.

5. Conkers Bad Fur Day

Since I’m already on the Rare bandwagon, we can’t forget about Conker. This is still, hands down, the most expensive N64 game you can buy on Ebay. Not kidding, I’ve seen this game sell for damn near $200 before.

And yes, Microsoft and Rare did remake the original 64 game in 2005 for the original Xbox, but it deserves to be re-released in HD—with none of the original humor censored.

So I guess this would be a remake of a remake? But who cares. Conkers Bad Fur Day is the most ridiculous game ever made. Not only for its adult humor or smart ass wise cracks that Conker makes to the player as he breaks the fourth wall, but the multiplayer was, next to Goldeneye, the best on the 64.

It deserves to have a modern remake for the Xbox One.

6. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter

I don’t need to say much more here. This is one is pretty much a no-brainer. But it won’t happen. And if it did, EA would probably muck it up. So maybe it’s best left as a fond, but distant memory.

  7. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

There were a ton of amazing games that disappeared into the background on the Gamecube. But Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem was a literal mind fuck.

You can read what the story is all about here. But what made this game such a mind fuck is that the game employed what it called, the “sanity meter.” And as you roamed through the game—the hub of the game being your character’s family mansion—if your sanity meter began to get low, the game would do really crazy shit; it was designed to represent a reflection of the main character’s grip on reality.

The lower the meter dipped, the more health you’d lose.

At the same time, you might notice that all of a sudden the camera angle changed. Or that you’d suddenly hear cries, whispers, or unsettling sounds emanating from the speakers.

The game even broke the fourth wall and would give you a “blue screen of death,” making you think the game/system had malfunctioned. It had not. But it was designed to pull you in and mess with your own sense of reality.

Here’re a few more of the crazy things that could randomly happen in this game:

Your character would enter a new room and be walking on the ceiling instead of the floor

Walls and ceilings would bleed

The game would lower its volume and then put a “fake indicator” on your screen, making you think “something” was controlling your TV.

The appearance of large numbers of monsters that weren’t really there and would disappear when attacked

Statues heads would turn and follow your character.

This game was genius. Terrifying. But genius. And a remake by Nintendo, specifically on The Switch, could grant them a ton of opportunities for even crazier mind fucking moments.

8. Earthworm Jim

Do I even need to go any further here? No. I don’t.

Give us Earthworm Jim. The end.

9. Superman 64

Wait, what? How in the hell could I include (arguably) the worst game ever made? Well, for one, it deserves to be remade. Hear me out, though.

Until Rocksteady came along with Arkham Asylum, Batman games kind of sucked. So who’s to say that someone—cough, Rockysteady, cough—couldn’t make a good Superman game?

Plus there are a ton of Easter Eggs in Arkham Knight that allude to the fact that Rocksteady’s next game might include The Man of Steel.

  10. Deer Avenger

I didn’t get a computer until 1999, so I didn’t get to play a lot of PC games. But Deer Avenger was one of a handful of PC games I got to play at my friend Julian’s in the late 90s.

The premise is simple: you assume the role of a deer named Bambo who hunts humans in the same way you’d hunt deer in Deer Hunter. But with a whole hell of a lot more jokes about rednecks.

Five games were made in the series. It was nothing Earth shattering gameplay wise. But it was a whole hell of a lot of fun and one I’d love to see updated, especially, in today’s world.

11. Dr. Mario

Nintendo, why in the name of all things holy have you not remade Dr. Mario?

You probably expected something epic at the end and not Dr. Mario, didn’t you? Well, this is my list after all and I fucking loved some Dr. Mario.

Actually, a remake of Dr. Mario would be a great successor to Mario Run as a mobile game. So, um, Nintendo get on that.

If you had it your way, what games would you want to see remastered or updated for this console generation? Let me know in the comments below.