#arcade kings review

[dispatchdcu]

Arcade Kings #5 Review

Arcade Kings #5 Review #ArcadeKings #IMAGE #imagecomics #comics #comicbooks #news #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #Amazon

Writing & Art: Dylan Burnett Letterer: Andworld Design Colorists: Walter Baiamonte, Sara Antonellini, Simona Ivrato, and Sharon Marino Cover Art: Walter Baiamonte & Dylan Burnett Publisher: Skybound Price: $ 7.99 Release Date: 15 November, 2023 Introduction: Ken arrives to fight his villainous father who is now stronger than ever before. The entire world witnesses the epic battle between father…

[urbaneturtle]

Comics Beat Review: Trade Rating: Non-stop street fighter action In ARCADE KINGS VOL. 1

A review of the first volume of the Image/Skybound series Arcade Kings by Dylan Burnett. Read it on The Beat.

[tmarshconnors]

From Tekken 1 to Tekken 8

As many of you probably know by now, I am an avid gamer. Since childhood, I have immersed myself in the world of video games, with one franchise holding a special place in my heart: Tekken. Having played every instalment from the original 1994 release to the latest Tekken 8 in 2024, I feel compelled to share my journey through this legendary series and how the newest release brings back the nostalgia of arcade days while showcasing the series' evolution over three decades.

Tekken (1994)

My love affair with Tekken began in 1996, when the first game hit the arcades in 1994 I was only one years old. The groundbreaking 3D graphics and the unique roster of characters instantly captivated me. I have many vivid memories on my PS1 playing the game. Each fighter had a distinct style, from Kazuya Mishima's powerful moves to Yoshimitsu's enigmatic techniques. This game set the stage for what would become a cornerstone of the fighting game genre.

Tekken 2 (1995)

Tekken 2 arrived just a year later, refining the mechanics and expanding the character roster. The introduction of characters like Lei Wulong and Jun Kazama added depth to the gameplay. The improved graphics and more fluid animations made it clear that Tekken was here to stay.

Tekken 3 (1997)

Tekken 3 was a monumental leap forward. The game introduced faster gameplay, sidestepping, and a plethora of new characters, including Jin Kazama, who would become a central figure in the series. Tekken 3 was not just a game; it was a phenomenon, especially on the PlayStation. The console version's Tekken Force mode added an extra layer of fun, making this instalment a fan favourite. It here on this Tekken my favourite character came into being and before you ask "Who is it?" I shall tell you It was and still remains to this day. King.

Tekken Tag Tournament (1999)

The spin-off Tekken Tag Tournament was a delightful addition, allowing players to form teams of two fighters. This new dynamic added strategic depth and provided endless fun, especially in multiplayer battles. The game’s polished graphics and smooth gameplay on the PS2 showcased the potential of the new generation of consoles. I almost broke my PS2 once by pulling the controller so hard out of the console while playing. (Thank God for wireless controllers nowadays eh?)

Tekken 4 (2001)

Tekken 4 brought significant changes, with a focus on more realistic environments and the introduction of walls and terrain effects. While it received mixed reviews, it was a bold step in the series’ evolution. The game’s story mode provided deeper insights into the Mishima family saga, which continued to be a driving force behind the series’ lore.

Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (2004-2005)

Tekken 5 was a return to form, blending the best elements of its predecessors with stunning visuals and a robust character roster. The game’s mechanics were refined to near perfection, making it a competitive staple. Dark Resurrection, an update to Tekken 5, added even more characters and balance tweaks, solidifying its place in the hearts of fans.

Tekken 6 and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion (2007-2008)

Tekken 6 took the franchise to new heights with its extensive character customization and the introduction of the Bound system, which allowed for extended combos. Bloodline Rebellion, an update, further polished the experience, adding new characters and stages. The game’s release on the PS3 and Xbox 360 meant that high-definition Tekken was now a reality.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011)

A sequel to the beloved tag team entry, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 expanded the roster to include nearly every character from the series' history. The game’s refined tag mechanics and gorgeous visuals made it a hit among fans. The sheer variety of characters and team combinations ensured endless replayability.

Tekken Revolution (2013)

Tekken Revolution was a free-to-play experiment that introduced new players to the series while offering veterans a fresh challenge. Simplified mechanics and a smaller roster made it more accessible, though it lacked the depth of mainline entries. Nevertheless, it was an interesting chapter in the Tekken saga.

Tekken 7 (2015)

Tekken 7 marked a new era with its transition to the Unreal Engine, delivering breathtaking visuals and dynamic stages. The game’s story mode concluded the Mishima saga, providing closure to the long-running family feud. New mechanics like Rage Arts and Rage Drives added strategic layers to the combat. Tekken 7 was a fitting celebration of the series' legacy.

Tekken 8 (2024)

And now, we arrive at Tekken 8. This latest installment is a testament to how far the series has come since its inception. Tekken 8 feels like a love letter to fans, combining the nostalgic elements of the original games with cutting-edge technology. The graphics are more realistic than ever, and the gameplay is both familiar and innovative. The new mechanics and refined combat system make each match feel fresh and exciting.

Playing Tekken 8 takes me back to the days of crowded arcades and the early PlayStation era, yet it also showcases the incredible advancements in gaming over the past 30 years. The game's ability to evoke such nostalgia while pushing the boundaries of the genre is a remarkable achievement. From the simple yet addictive gameplay of the first Tekken to the complex and visually stunning battles of Tekken 8, this series has been a constant source of joy and excitement for me.

As I look back on my journey through the Tekken series, I am filled with a sense of pride and nostalgia. Tekken has not only shaped my gaming experience but also influenced the fighting game genre as a whole. Tekken 8 stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of this iconic franchise, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for the King of Iron Fist Tournament.

Though in saying this. I did read somewhere that the next Tekken might be the last. Don't get me wrong I could be wrong. I so hope I am wrong as its been with me pretty much my whole gaming life.

[b3crew]

REVIEW | "Antstream Arcade" | B3 - Boston Bastard Brigade

Antstream Arcade offers a large amount of classics for those wanting to get their retro fix, with its massive roster growing bigger every month. Read KBD's review to see why he's excited to replay some of these old-school titles!

[txttletale]

hey what DO you watch on youtube? seems like you'd have some neat recommendations :3

i really loathe the like super-highly edited sound effect post-mrbeast slop most of youtube is now so i mostly like stuff that's like... calm and sedate. stuff i've been watching lately in no particular order:

northernlion vods and clips. he's an OG. i especially like his react court series, i must have watched all of them like five times.

speaking of OGs i've been watching zero puncutation (now fully ramblomatic) for like ten years and if anything it's only gotten better. best game review content on the internet. been really enjoying his more recent, slightly longer and more thoughtful 'extra punctuation/semi-ramblomatic' series too.

any austin's skyrim unemployment rate videos. instant classics to me, it's just a guy going around in skyrim trying to figure out the unemployment rate in every town. it's a very dry kind of humour, he plays it admirably straight, and it's weirdly calming.

kitten arcader's foot the bill videos. in a kind of similar vein, he watches the saw movies and then produces an itemized bill for everything jigsaw needed to buy to make his traps. it's kind of like... if cinemasins was fundamentally curious instead of fundamentally incurious, it scratches a similar sort of nitpicky detail-oriented quantifying itch but without inimical to the concept of art.

shuffle up and play. it's a magic the gathering play series that has enough editing that the gamestate is actually legible but not enough editing (or at least, not enough obtrusive in-your-face editing) that its annoying. i also like that they reguilarly play non-edh formats like cube and pauper.

spice8rack. i'm pretty picky about video essays but spice8rack has very obviously actually read books and has interesting things to say about the topics it discusses (mostly magic: the gathering). sometimes it has a kind of grating Theater Kid Energy but the fact that it actually meaningfully structures essays and analysis to earn the silly long runtimes is a rare delight from a video essayist.

jenny nicholson is a long-time favourite and another permanent fixture in my rotation. she's just extremely, remarkably funny which makes her the only 'basically just summarizing a thing' youtuber i think is worth the time of day.

i watch some sketch comedy, mainly wizards with guns and aunty donna, who both consistently put out really funny stuff that's kind of ITYSL-adjacent in its barefaced absurdism and contenmpt for concepts like "stopping a joke at the logical punchline". i also really like alasdair beckett-king and binging the old clickhole backlog for short-form comedy on youtube.

wolfeyvgc is right on the edge of the level of editing i find tolerable but as a long-time fan of multiple esports he Has It, he's absolutelyt fantastic at t elling the narrative of a tournament, explaining plays clearly, and generally making competitive pokemon esports thrilling and interesting ti someone (me) who#s never played it and doesn't care about pkoemon that much

i religously watch every elliespectacular/dathings YTP, the absolute best in the game right now, top tier snetence mixing and really good at actually setting up and paying off jokes in a way it feels like a lot of ytp doesn't. verytallbart is also pretty good.

trapperdapper is a channel i recently binged, it's a really fucking funny parody of minecraft challenge content that veers slowly from obvious angles of parody into pure absurdism with tons of blink-and-you'll miss it subtle visual gags.

too much future is a great youtube series where the two guys from just king things/homestuck made this world play through every fallout game and analyze them in that context. extremely funny and also just top-tier very sharp analysis. really good

another one of the rare good video essayists is jan misali. they're really funny and will go into topics that kind of seem narrow or strange to begin with in such depth and make them so interesting that it's consistently astonishing.

oh and finally sarah z makes pretty good videos. 'the narcissist scare' is an absolutely brilliant deconstruction of one of the most annoying pop-psych phenomena of the last couple years. and remarkably well script supervised i think did anyone else watch it and think 'wow the script supervisor on this must have been, a mind geniuse'

ok i think that's all i've been watching lately. hope you like whcihever of these recs you check out :)

[aaajaxolotl]

Feast Your Eyes: Fandom Cookbook Recipe Review #3

Pizza, Pizza, Where’s My Pizza?! - The Official Five Nights At Freddy’s Cookbook

Tonight's menu: sourced from the Official Five Nights at Freddy’s Cookbook

Main Dish: Funtime Foxy’s 3-Cheese Veggie Surprise, pg 18

Side Dish: Garlicky Pizza Twirls with Spicy Dip, pg 20

BONUS REVIEW 1: Pizzaplex Master Dough, pg 13

BONUS REVIEW 2: Easyplex Pizza Sauce, pg 14

Full review under the cut!

Aurum Leuci’s Log:

[Begin recording.] Hello? Hello, hello? Is this thing on? Okay. That was a close one. Your machine is totally broken, man. This time I ended up in a mall… arcade… thing. With an actual kitchen. I unfortunately didn’t get the opportunity to try and fix the portal generator, because there are GIANT SCARY ROBOTS that for some reason want pizza. I MADE pizza. I don’t know how they’re eating it. But they sure are.

Look, I know you’re getting these transmissions, it wouldn’t let me record more if you weren’t, but I’m not getting anything back from you. I need instructions, or a plan, or something. ANYTHING to make sure I’m not jumping aimlessly across spacetime until I inevitably get eaten by something or other. Please. I want to bring my findings home… At least this pizza is pretty good for a weird robot-infested mall. Aurum Leuci out. [End log.]

Please see this post for my full review scale!

Main Dish: Funtime Foxy’s 3-Cheese Veggie Surprise

RATING:

Difficulty: 5/5

Ingredients: 5/5

Immersion: 3/5

Time: 5/5

End Result: 5/5

TOTAL RATING: 23/25

This pizza… was incredible. Aside from the sauce (see the bonus reviews for that), it was easy, it was delicious, and it gets bonus points for being somewhat easy to make plant based. For full disclosure, I didn’t use the Taleggio cheese (and also forgot to add parsley, but who cares about parsley?) and substituted in Miyoko’s plant-based Mozzarella spread instead— so ours was kind of a two-cheese veggie surprise (parmesan and mozz) but it was incredible. I would never have thought to put zucchini on a pizza, but it definitely impressed me. The only reason this pizza loses points is that I don’t think Fazbear Entertainment would serve something this high-quality!

Side Dish: Garlicky Pizza Twirls with Spicy Dip

RATING:

Difficulty: 5/5

Ingredients: 5/5

Immersion: 5/5

Time: 5/5

End Result: 4/5

TOTAL RATING: 24/25

I’ve been looking forward to tackling this recipe since I got this book as a gift. And it DELIVERED! Like the main dish, I also forgot the parsley on this one (silly me, completely forgetting the existence of parsley) but I really don’t think it would have added anything. These twirls, complete with fresh ingredients and a homemade spicy sauce (using the easyplex sauce as a base) absolutely feel like a delicious arcade snack. My only complaint (and this may have been something that I did wrong) is that I don’t think this recipe really makes 10 pizza twirls. The two on either end of the dough log came out completely devoid of cheese or sauce— still delicious, but not a pizza twirl. Just a bread twirl.

BONUS REVIEWS: Pizzaplex Master Dough, Easyplex Pizza Sauce

Pizzaplex Master Dough:

RATING:

Difficulty: 3/5

Ingredients: 5/5

Immersion: 3/5

Time: 5/5

End Result: 5/5

TOTAL RATING: 21/25

This recipe, despite not getting a perfect score, came out pretty great. I don’t have any real notes on it, just that I don’t think Fazbear Entertainment would make their dough fresh in-house, and also that yeast is really hard to work with. If you’re ever using yeast for anything, just… please look up instructions on the internet. Your cookbook cannot help you. (Same with proofing your yeast. Look it up. King Arthur Flour has a really good walkthrough.) In terms of at-home cooking, though, this recipe was relatively simple, and really, really delicious. And it makes enough for 4 pizzas (or 3 pizzas and a delicious batch of pizza twirls.)

Easyplex Pizza Sauce:

RATING:

Difficulty: 1/5

Ingredients: 5/5

Immersion: 1/5

Time: 2/5

End Result: 5/5

TOTAL RATING: 14/25

OH MY GODS, this sauce. Okay. Okay, so. It’s really good, it tasted great and was versatile (I used it in the pizza twirls, the main pizza, and the sauce for the pizza twirls) but, like… The only step is “mash canned tomatoes through a sieve with a spoon and mix in the tomato paste and spices! See how simple!” and IT IS NOT SIMPLE. YOU WILL MASH THE TOMATOES FOR AN HOUR. Your hands will hurt. You will regret your life choices. Your sieve will take as long to clean as the tomatoes took to mash. You could have just bought and seasoned pre-mashed tomato sauce. It was right next to the can of tomatoes you bought. Freddy Fazbear Entertainment is not making their restaurant staff MASH TOMATOES.

The sauce was good, but once I run out of the other half of this batch of it (probably this weekend, since I’m making another pizza) I’m just going to buy canned tomato sauce and season it the same way. I’m not that much of a gourmet.

Tune in on Friday (6/14/24) for another fandom cookbook review!

[naussensei]

“Suguru…”

A voice called— soft and warm, like a spring breeze, wrapping him in gentle warmth.

“Suguru…”

The voice called again.

It was Satoru’s voice, pulling him out from his slumber. He could recognize that voice anywhere.

Suguru’s body slowly reminded him of where he was, bringing him back to his senses.

With a deep breath, he began to move. He felt the grass between his fingers and straightened his back against the tree. It was slightly sore from sleeping against its trunk for who knew how long. There was a nice, warm breeze blowing on his face. Suguru indulged in it, allowing himself to linger there a little longer, listening to the leaves rustle overhead. He had always liked spring days like this, dry and sunny, with no summer showers or humid heat to dampen his skin or his mood.

His head lolled to one side, the sun kissing his cheek gently. His bangs fell over his eyes, and he could almost swear he felt Satoru brush them away from his face.

After a while, he felt Satoru’s finger poke his cheek. He was sure of this now. Satoru always did it.

“Oi, Suguru,” he called again, the insistent tone in which he did being both annoying and endearing in an odd way. The way Satoru always pronounced every syllable in his name so emphatically was amusing. Surely, there was no harm in pretending to be asleep a little longer just to listen to it.

“Su-gu-ru…” Satoru poked again, one, two, three times. Suguru could feel his breathing on his face. “Suguruuuuuu… How much longer are you gonna sleep?”

Suguru smiled and opened his eyes. Satoru’s face was right in front of his, judgmental blue eyes glaring at him through dark round shades.

“What time is it?” Suguru rubbed his eyes, looked around, and saw the school’s backyard. They must have dozed off while studying again. Final exams were just around the corner, and with them, the last days of school.

“Time to go.” Satoru straightened up, folding his arms over his chest impatiently. He was all geared up and ready to go, backpack and all. “I told Shoko and Utahime we would meet them at the arcade at 6. It is now 5.50.”

“Oh?” Suguru yawned, stretching his arms over his head, his eyes tearing a little. “Since when did Gojo Satoru worry about being on time? You always make me wait. How come they get special treatment? Should I be jealous?”

“Dumbass,” Satoru scoffed and shook his head, but he was grinning. He offered his hand to help Suguru up.

Suguru stared at it for a moment, thoughtfully, reviewing the recent memories of his childhood in his mind. He tried to recall the last time someone had offered their hand to him like that and realized he could not, because he had not, and the absurd simplicity of it made him squirm. He stared at Satoru’s hand, hesitant, and as he did, he could not help but think that, if there was anyone in this world who could ever understand, it had to be him. It could only be him.

“Alright,” he said as he took Satoru’s hand to stand up. “But don’t come crying to me when I beat you in King of Fighters again.”

“Again?! That last one didn’t count! Shoko was distracting me!” He turned his back to Suguru, shoved his hands into his pockets, and slouched as he started walking.

Suguru chuckled, then followed behind. “You’re such a sore loser,” he said in a soft voice, then gently pulled Satoru’s uniform from the back to make him slow down. He did, and they walked side by side.

“Tell you what,” Satoru suggested after a while, hooking an arm around Suguru’s neck roughly, nearly strangling him. “How about this? Loser pays for the burgers after.”

Suguru fumbled; their hips bumped into each other, and he had to wobble a bit not to fall. Normally, he would have been bothered by this, by the closeness, the invasion of his personal space, but today he was not. Today, he could not stop himself from smiling.

He wrapped an arm around Satoru’s waist and swayed with him before they kept walking.

“Fine, but I’m warning you. I’ll order the most expensive combo.”

“In that case,” Satoru sneered. “How about this… If I beat you, you show one of your curses.”

“No.”

“Oh please! Don’t be like that.”

“No, Satoru, you know curses are strictly for missions. They’re not pets. They’re dangerous, and they can scare civilians that can sense them and—”

“But you’re the one who controls them.” Satoru said calmly. “You wouldn't let anything happen to anyone. Besides, they’re not scary; they’re cool. You have one of the coolest cursed techniques that ever existed, and yet you want to hide it from the world. You should be more proud of it.”

Suguru let out a gasp in disbelief. Out of all the words he’d imagined to describe his technique, “cool” had never even crossed his mind. Neither had he ever imagined it was something to take pride in. His throat tightened all of a sudden, and his grip loosened on Satoru’s waist, suddenly weak. His steps slowed down.

Satoru seemed to realize this because he turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

“Suguru?”

Satoru sighed; a faint smile was all he could manage as a response, his throat too dry. He began to walk again before his eyes began to tear. He was not going to explain to Satoru the impact his words had just had on him. He wouldn’t understand.

“So, is that a yes?” Satoru walked faster to catch up.

“Not today,” Suguru said with a soft smile but did not slow down his pace.

They continued to walk side by side for another block, the silence between them a comforting one, the rhythm of their footsteps merging into an already familiar sound. After another moment, Satoru spoke again.

“Can we at least ride on your dragon then?”

“No…”

[bestfictionaldinosaur]

Brackets Are Here! (Repost)

I made a pretty significant oversight in my last version of this post; I had to make a few more cuts to the lineup, but it should be good to go now! The final (hopefully for real this time) list can be found here!

If you submitted a candidate please verify that the image and name that I used are correct and suitable!!!! (Ctrl+F is your friend!)

If you find a mistake please let me know, and I will either explain or correct it. Additionally, you are welcome to suggest a replacement image of OFFICIAL art!

I will leave it open for a week or so for everyone to review, after which voting will begin and everything will be locked in! So verify that everything looks good with your candidates, reblog if you haven't yet, and get ready to vote!

Oh, and blacklist "saurnament promotion" if you don't want to see repeated reblogs from me!

Text version of bracket lineup under the cut (it's a lot!):

----------------

Ornithischian Bracket (Round 1)

Ulti [One Piece] Styraco [Dinosaucers]

Pepperoni [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Tri-Tip [Skylanders]

Horrorsteed Iguanadon [Dinosaur Arcade] Sabersaurus [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Bix [Dinotopia] Bastiodon [Pokemon]

Spike [Extreme Dinosaurs] Parry [Parry and Carney]

Heavy Tank [Final Fantasy] Territorial Hammerskull [Magic the Gathering]

Rampardos [Pokemon] Gwangi [Valley of Gwangi]

Corythosaurus [Paleo Pines] Iguanador [Flight Rising]

Parasaurmon [Digimon] Tricky the Triceratops [Donkey Kong]

Pachy Zord [Power Rangers] Gulp [Spyro the Dragon]

Zog [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Scrut [Banjo-Kazooie]

Tricky [Star Fox] Slug [Transformers]

Scrit [Banjo-Kazooie] Tootsie the Triceratops [Duck Tales]

Boulder [Transformers] Hypsilophodon [The Dinosaur's Diary]

Tricero [Dinosaucers] Dimitri [The Legend of Zelda]

Aladar [Dinosaur (2000)] Parasaurzord [Power Rangers]

Green Torch [DC] Reese [Dinosaurs for Hire]

Craig [Dinosaur Office] Tortoceratops [Dragon Quest]

Trixie [Toy Story] Monochromon [Digimon]

Ducky [Land Before Time] Lambeo [Fossil Fighters]

Lady Margaret [Jurassic Park] Paris [Dinosaur King]

Woog [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story] Aggron [Pokemon]

Nizbel [Chrono Trigger] Reptil [Marvel]

Armadon [Primal Rage] Chomp [Dinosaur King]

Styracavus [Flight Rising] Riff [Barney]

Triceratops [Dinotopia] Renzor [Super Mario]

Lucky [Paleo Pines] Guiledart [Transformers]

Bakhita [Jurassic Park] Ouranosaurus [Paleo Pines]

Gatling Gun Dino [Spyro the Dragon] BJ [Barney]

Old Buck [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria] Trizaur [Bakugan]

Drip [Tyrannosaurus Drip] Eema [Dinosaur (2000)]

Patchi [Walking With Dinosaurs] Zalmoxes [Prehistoric Planet]

Trixie [Night at the Museum] Scrat [Banjo-Kazooie]

Theo the Triceratops [Prehistoric Park] Psittacosaurus [Paleo Pines]

Babycerasaurus [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Quackpot [Dinosaucers]

Armored Kincaller [Magic the Gathering] Ardun [Xenoblade]

King Dodongo [The Legend of Zelda] Scrotty [Banjo-Kazooie]

Maisuke [Doraemon] Jurrac Iguanon [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Nasaur [Fossil Fighters] Triceratops Dinozord [Power Rangers]

Rodger Blair [Dino Squad] Dweeb [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story]

Triceratops [Dinosaur Arcade] Rhenoplos [Monster Hunter]

Salada [Fossil Fighters] Kestodon [Monster Hunter]

"Triceratops" [Simba the King Lion] Baby Bop [Barney]

Wonderdon [DC] Cera [Land Before Time]

Pervatasaurus Leeri [The Onion] Treyzer [Bakugan]

Professor Steg [Fortunately, the Milk] Aptonoth [Monster Hunter]

Wuerhosaurus [Paleo Pines] Stego Cyber [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Url [Dinosaur (2000)] Darkyloseid [DC]

Ankylo Hammer Zord [Power Rangers] Snowflake Stegosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Umasou [You Are Umasou] Bellowing Aegisaur [Magic the Gathering]

Scelidosaurus [Paleo Pines] Ankylomon [Digimon]

Stegmutt [Darkwing Duck] Stego [Dinosaucers]

Dromosaur [Magic the Gathering] Stegosaurus [Fantasia]

Stego Spike Zord [Power Rangers] Hard Rock [Extreme Dinosaurs]

Anguirus [Toho/Monsterverse] Bargasaurus [Banjo-Kazooie]

Lowjaw Minmi [Flight Rising] Ankylo [Dinosaucers]

Chase [Transformers] Bumpy [Jurassic Park]

Saberback [Transformers] Tank [Dinosaur King]

Stegz [Extreme Dinosaurs] Spike [Land Before Time]

Lorenzo [Dinosaurs for Hire] Dorothy the Dinosaur [The Wiggles]

Apceros [Monster Hunter] Slobber Tooth [Skylanders]

Stogg [My Singing Monster] Stegomon [Digimon]

Snarl [Transformers] Dazzle [Dazzle the Dinosaur]

Erwin Caruso [Dino Squad] Black Stego [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

----------------

Saurischian Bracket (Round 1)

Jurrac Guiaba [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Stegosaurus [asdfmovie]

Jurrac Brachis [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Mechazaurus [Mega Man]

Borun-tosaurus [Kirby] Chomposaur [Earthbound]

Meganium [Pokemon] Denver [Denver, the Last Dinosaur]

Titanus [Power Rangers] Alpha [Dinosaur Planet]

Heatwave [Transformers] Molly [The Amazing World of Gumball]

Chomby [Neopets] Infected Argentinosaurus [Primal]

Kommo-o [Pokemon] Littlefoot [Land Before Time]

Magmasaur [Magic the Gathering] UltimateBrachiomon [Digimon]

Sauropod Brachion [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Diplodocus [Walking With Dinosaurs]

Larinoth [Monster Hunter] Beylene [Dinosaur (2000)]

Queen [One Piece] Todd [Dinosaur Office]

Bob [Dinosaur Bob] Arlo [The Good Dinosaur]

Dino [The Flintstones] Bronto Thunder [Dinosaucers]

Gertie the Dinosaur [Gertie the Dinosaur] Aurorus [Pokemon]

Dippy [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Ultimate Humungousaur [Ben 10]

Yobby [Tumblr User @iguanamouth's Dream] Tropius [Pokemon]

Dippy [Banjo-Kazooie] Brachiosaur [Final Fantasy]

Humungousaur [Ben 10] Frigi [Fossil Fighters]

Supersaur [DC] The Dinosaur [Danny and the Dinosaur]

Millesaur [Xenoblade] Sludge [Transformers]

Firecracker [Jurassic Park] Slog [Transformers]

Dink [Dink the Little Dinosaur] Brachio [Dinosaucers]

Wetnosaur [Earthbound] Isisaurus [Prehistoric Planet]

Jurrac Gallim [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Scorn [Transformers]

Duna [Fossil Fighters] Jokerzard [DC]

Yoshi Kid [Super Mario] Zuum [Monster Rancher]

Jurrac Spinos [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Flashraptor [DC]

Fiona Flagstaff [Dino Squad] Etali, Primal Conqueror [Magic the Gathering]

Blue [Jurassic Park] Rudy [Ice Age]

Doug Jones [The Velocipastor] Avinychus [Dinosaur Simulator]

Souleating Oviraptor [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Anchovy [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

Compsognathus [Paleo Pines] Mr. Conductor [Dinosaur Train]

Page One [One Piece] Cyber Gallimimus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Jurrac Stauriko [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Birdetta [Super Mario]

Indoraptor [Jurassic Park] Amped Raptor [Magic the Gathering]

Aquanyx [DC] Spino Zord [Power Rangers]

Yoshi [Super Mario] Ozzy and Strut [Land Before Time]

Voodoo Microraptor [Dinosaur Arcade] Raptor Red [Raptor Red]

Utahraptor [Quantz Comics] Spinosaurus [Jurassic Park]

Dr. Dinosaur [Atomic Robo] Gunfighter Dino [Spyro the Dragon]

Spinoraptor [Jurassic Park] Mutant Niptor [Neopets]

Dromiceiomimus [Quantz Comics] Tzitzi-Ya-Ku [Monster Hunter]

Chaos Therizinosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade] Diego Brando [JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure]

Sunrise Troodo [Flight Rising] Mononykus [Prehistoric Planet]

Old Lace [Marvel] Mr. Robustus [Reverse Jurassic Park]

Great Wroggi [Monster Hunter] Talon [Primal Rage]

Dinobot [Transformers] Smoking Utahraptor [Walking With Dinosaurs]

Spinomon [Digimon] White Tip [Dinosaur Planet]

The Raptor [Toronto Raptors] Kyraptor [Coromon]

Spino [Fossil Fighters] Jellysaur [Cookie Run]

The Big One / Clever Girl [Jurassic Park] Pantalaza [Magic the Gathering]

Skateboarding Coelophysis [Walking With Dinosaurs] Hook [Bakugan]

Helovolk [Nexomon] Riptor [Killer Instinct]

Tree Creeper [Primeval] Menou [Naruto]

Mr. Pilkington [The Critic] TNT Dino [Spyro the Dragon]

Great Izuchi [Monster Hunter] Night Feeder [Primal]

Jurrac Giganoto [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Alex [Tekken]

Chaos, Limbo, and Grim [Jurassic Park] Jurrac Herra [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Emperor Hugo Khan [Dinotopia] Princess Dei [Dinosaucers]

Deinocheirus [Prehistoric Planet] Rhedosaurus [The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]

Therizinosaurus [Paleo Pines] Burnsaurus [Princess Connect Re:Dive!]

Spiny [Dinosaur King] Seikret [Monster Hunter]

Pod [Dinosaur Planet] Black Veloci [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

----------------

T-Rex and Friends Bracket (Round 1)

Ultimate Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Geno Breaker [Zoids]

Anjanath [Monster Hunter] Dino-Rang [Skylanders]

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Lava Lizard [Spyro the Dragon]

Burn Dinorex [Mega Man] Giganta [DC]

Tyranno Infinity [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Toro [Jurassic Park]

Carney [Parry and Carney] SkullGreymon [Digimon]

Tyrannosaurus Dinozord [Power Rangers] Chote [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

D-Rex [Kirby] Tyrantrum [Pokemon]

Dino [Monster Rancher] Devil Dinosaur [Marvel]

Traumador the Tyrannosaur [The Tyrannosaur Chronicles] Hank [Prehistoric Planet]

Indominus Rex [Jurassic Park] T-Rex [Google Dino Run]

Tyrannomon [Digimon] Rockstar [Inazuma Eleven]

Tyranniqueen [Persona] Heart [You Are Umasou]

T-Rox [My Singing Monster] Roberta/Rexy [Jurassic Park]

Buddy [Dinosaur Train] Doodle Beast Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Mechagodzilla [Toho/Monsterverse] Scorpius Rex [Jurassic Park]

Dino Agito [Beyblade] Atrocitaurus [DC]

Archie [Dinosaurs for Hire] T-Rex [Astrobot]

Bonehead [Dinosaucers] Fang [Primal]

Tyrano [Chrono Cross] Tyrranax [Magic the Gathering]

Greymon [Digimon] Jurrac Titano [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Broken Jaw [Dinosaur Revolution] Matilda the T-Rex [Prehistoric Park]

Taurox [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria] Chomper [Land Before Time]

Little Das [Dinosaur Planet] Afsan [The Quintaglio Ascension]

Ace [Dinosaur King] Reptar [Rugrats]

MetalGreymon (Virus) [Digimon] Rex [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story]

Magnificent Digalus [Xenoblade] RustTyrannomon [Digimon]

Trypticon [Transformers] Megavore [Dinosaur Simulator]

T-Rex in F-14 [Calvin and Hobbes] Rex [Toy Story]

Rosie [Neopets] Colossal Dreadmaw [Magic the Gathering]

Igno [Fossil Fighters] Tyrannosaur [Final Fantasy]

Mr. Patch [Banjo-Kazooie] Freezy Rex [Kirby]

Chopper [Skylanders] T-Rex [Tomb Raider]

T-Rex [Doraemon] Carnozord [Power Rangers]

Grimlock [Transformers] Diablo [Primal Rage]

Tyregg [Nexomon] Vastatosaurus rex [King Kong]

Tina Rex [The Amazing World of Gumball] Black Tyrrano [Chrono Trigger]

Goodsie [Dinosaurchestra] Ferocisaurus [Dragonball]

Speckles [Speckles the Tarbosaurus] Rolf Maxwell [Dino Squad]

Allo [Dinosaucers] FrostBaron Tyrannosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Gorosaurus [Toho/Monsterverse] Iris [Overlord]

Rankar Dragon [Xenogears] Agumon [Digimon]

El Dinosaurio Anacleto [31 Minutos] Godzilla [Toho/Monsterverse]

Skeleton Rex [Castlevania] T-Bone [Extreme Dinosaurs]

Cyclops [Dino Crisis] Deviljho [Monster Hunter]

Bat Walker [DC] Guilmon [Digimon]

Vampire T-Rex [With Animation You Can!] Speega [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

T-Rex [Super Mario] Barney [Barney]

Rexy [Night at the Museum] General Scales [Star Fox]

X Drake [One Piece] Sharptooth [Land Before Time]

Torakor [Neopets] Baby [Dinosaurs]

Carnotaurs [Dinosaur (2000)] Momma Dino [Ice Age]

T-Rex [Quantz Comics] Trox [Bakugan]

Albino Terror [Dinosaur Simulator] Gergoth [Castlevania]

Galem Darkhand [Neopets] Odo [Live A Live]

Tyrannomon X [Digimon] T-Rex [Fantasia]

Bio Rex [F-Zero] Gon [Gon]

Tiny [Meet the Robinsons] T-Rex [Xiaolin Showdown]

Theodore Rex [Theodore Rex] Baby T [Crash Bandicoot]

Hauzer [Red Earth] Stumpy [Dinosaur Revolution]

Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria [Ben 10] Cosmic Allosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Terry [Dinosaur King] Taurox's Carnotaurus [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria]

Quincy (Dream) [Foxtrot] Quantasaurus Rex [Power Rangers]

Mecha Drago [Earthbound] Tinkerbelle [Dinosaur Revolution]

[kawie87]

Block tales AU

Aka Cruel King picks up (4) Autistic teens while trying to redeem himself after fighting them.

Headcannons

More under cut

Basically, a whole bunch of what ifs due to a joke that happened during a playthrough.

Cruel King does NOT die!!! Yippee! (kinda like a pacifist route) - Instead, he feels bad about trying to kill three teens after getting beat up by said teens and decides to join them in their quest to find Builderman and get the rest of the SFOTH swords. - He has ice on the right side of his face and covering his left arm due to a side effect of the sword. (Based on awesome fanart of him)

The voices are still there but y'know autistic yapping prevents him from really focusing on them. - Learns quite a bit about their interests and gives them gifts sometimes based on what he thinks they would like.

They go back to Roadtown after he decides to come along and get given the Pizza by Assistant Jim. - The second they get to Bizville that shit got DEMOLISHED.

The teens get the I-spy card at the arcade and sound a bit crazy whenever it goes off due to Bux being nearby. - Que CK having a very concerned look on his face when all his children start looking for Bux randomly.

Has a bit of beef with Shedletsky due to him sending three TEENS to get the Ice Dagger. - Que CK death staring at a very injured and bandaged up Shedletsky.

One of them gets really injured in a battle and CK sorta goes ‘Oh shit these are actually my kids now’. - It was kawie, cause if I can't be happy she can’t be happy. - Also the first time they called him ‘dad’ in front of him. - It started as a joke. - He’s their dad now, he can't escape.

Demo two happens and the people of Turitopulis and Bizville are confused on why the KING OF BLACKROCK is with three teens. - Will grab those fuckers by the back of the shirt to stop them from doing stupid things. - Pets them because it's funny and it probably feels nice. - Will pick them up when Minimized because he can't do so himself. - Looks like he's holding a bunch of hamsters basically.

Trained them like when you talk to the Guru to go to Nirvana.

Vinny drove the jeep, and hit Bigfoot in the process. - He hopped in the front seat and no one really said anything. - Everyone sorta just stares at him in shock though when Bigfoot gets hit.

Bigfoot fight happens and CK beats the shit out of him due to all the wack ass teens getting minimized due to the attacks. - All of them proceed to try and escape so they’re all kinda grasped like that one rat photo.

Griefer fight happens and everyone is ganging up on another autistic teen. - He stabs himself with the Venomshank and the Bubonic Plant fight happens.

After the Griefer fight, they obtain the Venomshank AND he gets cured. (YIPPEE) - He still has some leaves/vines leftover on him as a side effect though. - (Fourth autistic teen obtained) - (Ik he's 21 but he's an older teen in this au) - Vinny and kawie unofficially diagnosed Griefer. (Peer reviewed)

All five of them go back to Shedletsky for demo 3 and get the ticket for the train - CK is still standoffish with him due to, you know, sending children off to fight people. - Griefer is a bit shocked because he actually thought Red + Blue killed him. - Sorta awkward because the man he tried to kill is RIGHT THERE.

Train takeover happens and one of the enemies has glue and uses it. - All of them basically going ��Daddddd he put it all over me, kill him.’

Cruel King gets a bit upset at Noobador for calling the four teens ‘punks’ - CK helps beat the shit out of Purple and Green basically. - Two children and their uncle obtained. - CK glares at Noobador a bit until he says sorry

During the exchange before you go into the graveyard and get Red + Blue’s calling card the two children recognize Griefer finally. - Awkward ass talk between them.

When in the dining hall of Telamon’s manor the guards + Banished Knight from Blackrock are sorta begging for him to come back. - Vinny, kawie and Daren just look at him weird because Banished Knight FOUGHT them.

Slasher fight happens and they're deadass just calling CK dad the entire time. - One of them gets hit and they say they need to tell a ‘trusted adult’ - Cruel King is RIGHT THERE when they say it.

The entirety of the Dream world sequence happens without CK and Griefer because they went with Terry and Jerry to get the Ghost Chef. - They summon a sort of ‘spirit’ for CK to help them in the fights, it acts like him but is not ACTUALLY him.

After Hatred’s fight when they wake back up all the teens (minus Griefer) get lectured on doing exactly what they were told not to do.

The Heros

From left to right: Daren, Vinny, kawie

[solradguy]

Dengeki PlayStation F2, April Special Issue, Volume 19 ( April 10, 1996)

Archive.org upload w/webview .PDF and .ZIP of the full resolution scans: archive.org/details/dengeki-play-station-f2-vol19

I bought this magazine for the Guilty Gear beta article (which I hope to translate soon), but it's absolutely loaded with interesting early fighting game reviews/previews as well as a decent Final Fantasy 7 preview article.

Translation of the table of contents with the English title in brackets (where applicable):

[LEFT COLUMN] Dengeki [electric shock/attack] PlayStation April Special Issue F2 SPECIAL REPORT - A volley of big titles! ● Exclusive screenshots of the hottest new wave of fighting games! GUILTY GEAR….8 ● The latest information on the PS version of the latest popular Neo-Geo title!

[SNK Special] The King of Fighters '95….13 Samurai Spirits: Zankoro Musouken [Samurai Shodown III]….14 Real Bout Garou Densetsu [Real Bout Fatal Fury]….15

● Super latest information on very big titles that we can't wait until December FFVII [Final Fantasy 7]….148 ● The latest RPG from the tag team of SCE and MediaVision Wild Arms….154 ● Simulation romance in which a vampire protagonist plays an active role in high school life BLOODY BRIDE ~Imadoki no Vampire~ [Today's Vampire: Bloody Bride]….158

Kiokusoshi [(computer) storage element] F2 Strategy and data of fighting games post-release Street Fighter Zero….74 Toushinden 2 [Battle Arena Toshinden 2]….84 Suikoden….90 Goukouji Clan 2….94 Fire Pro Wrestling: Iron Slam ‘96….98 Don't Lose! Magic Kendo 2 [Kendo Rage 2]….100 Sora Ninku….102 Champion Wrestler: Jikkyou Live….103 …and more―

[RIGHT COLUMN] Unrivaled Lightning Combat! The hottest hand-picked PlayStation fighters of today.

Tekken 2 Tekken 2 for PS is here, with numerous special modes and amazing high quality CG movies, far surpassing the arcade version! Really useful in-depth strategy, Part 1….18

● The PS version of "Tekken 2" has finally been released with a reputation as the best bishoujo fighting game! Advanced V.G. [Variable Geo]….34 ● The latest information on this title that all PS users have been waiting for! Vampire [Darkstalkers]….46 ● Easy controls and a variety of action! A very promising title in the bishoujo fighting genre!! Asuka 120% Special….56 Galaxy Fight….62 Mobile Suit Gundam Ver.2.0….66 Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Super S. [Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS: All Members!! Championship Contest]….68

Arcade Special: The arcade wave is sweeping over the PS… ● Report on the entertainment system trade show, which will occupy the entire game scene in the future. AOU Show Reported '96….116 ● A preview of the latest installment in the classic and very popular series. Street Fighter ZERO 2….122 ● The latest arcade fighter on the System 11 board. As expected, a PS port for… Soul Edge….124

[BROWN LOWER BOX] New software schedule….6 [Manga] Tekken 2: Hajimete Monogatari [The First Legend/Story]….106 [Patient Corner] F's Servants….110 Readers' Survey….114 Dengeki Soft Station….127 Software Maker Question Box F2….144 Dengeki News Station….146 Dengeki PS extra issue preview….160 Next issue preview + Game Index….161

[willtheweaver]

Alpha-write

Thanks for the tag @the-golden-comet

A- At last, land on the horizon.

B- Building after building looked abandoned, as if no one had lived in them for years. All except for the last one. It was gaudily painted, and loud noises emanated from every crack.

C- Crabs…why? It did not seem fitting for the favorite Lieutenant of the Demon King to command an army of crabs.

D- “Dude, how long are you going to stand there?”

“Until either I get the high score, or the arcade owner kicks me out.”

E- Every head turned in the direction of the door. The hall fell silent. Jaws slacked, and some people even gasped at what they were seeing.

F- Flanders was hell. Every hour the din of the big guns could be heard, every shot that landed stirred up the mud and wire that lay for miles in between the trenches.

G- “Griefers? AGAIN??”

“It was your idea to try 2B2T!”

H- “How did you manage to graduate the Academy at the top of your class?”

“I cheated.”

I- “If I hear you recite Ozymandias one more time, I’m turning this car around”

J- “Jam? Where I come from, it would be jelly!”

“You Americans have always done things backwards!”

K- “Keep this between us, will you? No one needs to know what happened to the iguana.”

L- Laying between the house and safety was nearly three hundred yards of open field. There was no way she could run across it without attracting attention.

M- Messy would have been an understatement. The room looked like a bomb had gone off in it before a hurricane scattered and smashed everything that hadn’t already been destroyed.

N- No one left the room all day, or all night. The doors remained closed, and no amount of pleading or threatening would get the guards to open them. It was early afternoon the next day when it was announced that the council had reached a decision.

O- “Out of all the possible last words, you choose ‘I think I left the A/C on’?!”

P- Pools of water looked inviting, but they knew not to touch them. Plumes of steam and colorful extremophile bacteria were signs of water that was near boiling. The guide also told them that the water was highly acidic.

Q- Queens, Kings, Dukes, Ministers, and Presidents; all the world’s leaders were gathered inside.

R- “Really? An Anime about flower arranging?”

“Hey, it got good reviews, and it’s been renewed for five more seasons.”

S- Ship. Three masts, square-rigged with a gaff on the mizzen. Deep hold, crew probably about 200 or so, both sailors and officers. Armament of thirty four guns, equal to a Royal Navy frigate.

T- “Two over, carry the three, then shift back to letters, A becomes K, move every other line, and… seriously? This is such an important message and they didn’t bother to change the code?!”

U- “Underneath this bridge here is a troll.”

“It’s concrete, man.”

“You try and find something interesting in Seattle!”

V- Vendettas were nothing to laugh about. Everyone fell dead silent.

W- With all the noise going off, no one had noticed that the mimic had vanished.

X- “Xylophone? Seriously?”

“Would you rather me play kazoo?”

Y- Yet for all their bravery, the knights lacked wisdom. Had they a lick of sense, they wouldn’t have charged headlong at the masses ranks of halberds and crossbows.

Z- Zulu. Alpha. Kilo. Sierra. Lima. Echo. Echo—“Alright! Quit messing around with the flags, or you’ll get worse than double graveyard shift!”

Tagging @the-ellia-west @aintgonnatakethis @fortunatetragedy @eccaiia @paeliae-occasionally

@darkandstormydolls @words-after-midnight @tamiveldura @winterandwords @oh-no-another-idea and open tag

[dispatchdcu]

Arcade Kings #2 Review

Arcade Kings #2 Review #ArcadeKings #IMAGE #imagecomics #comics #comicbooks #news #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #Amazon

Story & Art: Dylan Burnett Colors: Walter Baiamonte & Sara Antonellini Color Assist: Simona Iurato & Sharon Marino Letters: Andworld Design Covers: Dylan Burnett & Walter Baiamonte; Superlog; Jordan Gibson; Dylan Burnett Publisher: Image Comics Price: 3.99 Release Date: June 21, 2023 If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on…

[randomisedgaming]

Promotional artwork for the 2009 title from SNK Playmore for PlayStation 2 & Arcade:

The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match

Art by Hiroaki Hashimoto

You can see our playthrough video here: https://youtu.be/B9nYt4kRfZE

Follow Randomised Gaming on Tumblr, for video game, art, reviews, features, videos and more. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitch & Twitter for even more gaming & video content! Buy us a tea on Ko-fi

[calamitys-child]

any queer bars/clubs you'd recommend in edinburgh? we've not been able to find anything satisfactory unfortunately

Depends on the vibes you're after!

Specifically queer venues:

Planet: never been except after pride one time like 6 years ago, so unable to really review personally, but my pals have given me middling to low reviews of the vibes tbh. The queer rugby team often host events there though

CC Blooms: a club, usually fun tunes but can have a slightly "cishets on stags/hens" crowd occasionally. Would recommend going for their drag shows though, they're always super fun

The Street: good food good drink, also host regular drag shows and club nights and I've loved all the ones I've been to

The Regent: a regular ass pub that is just pretty much exclusively for queer people who want to do a crossword and start weird arguments about board games

Other drag shows/queer events spaces:

Kandy Store at Frankensteins: all seated but Is downstairs so ymmv access wise, usually not super busy which is a tragedy because it fucking rules. They also host a yearly competition for new and upcoming drag artists which is always so special

Queer as Punk at Wee Red Bar or Leith Depot: cool as fuck group that puts on punk gigs and drag shows and spoken word nights and short film screenings, it's never the same twice so I recommend following them on Instagram to see the specific shows they do

Leith Arches: events space that hosts a variety of shows including a regular drag king night and other clubs or performances

Dog House: very fun bar hosting drag bingo or other performances. A little out of the way for me but every time ive been it's been fun!

Paradise Palms: foremost a smashing veggie food and drink place, but also regularly has queer performance nights

I know there's also regular drag shows at Subway, Three Sisters, and Casablanca in grassmarket, but I have not personally been

Fun places that are queer friendly but not explicitly doing events or anything, or aren't bars but worth knowing:

Kafe Kweer: queer-owned cafe that hosts craft fairs and galleries and suchlike

Lighthouse Books: radical leftist bookshop and love of my life

Banshee Labyrinth: spooky pub with cinema room and weekly karaoke

Mortal Kocktail: weird little alt bar full of old arcade machines

Argonaut Books: independent bookshop and community space with book group meetings including im pretty sure a queer themed book club

There's definitely more that I've missed, the queer scene in Edinburgh is so wonderful and vibrant and there's space for everybody if you know where to look!!

[acquired-stardust]

Gaming Spotlight #11: Digimon Rumble Arena (2001)

Hello this is Larsa here with another spotlight feature on a game you may have missed from the Playstation era. Stand up to the fight!

Before we get to our featured title let's review some history shall we? Super Smash Bros 64 came out in the year 1999 developed by HAL Laboratory, INC. This revolutionary game was inspired by the dream match concept of SNK Corporation's own popular "King of Fighters" series where a bunch of a existing characters are thrown together to duke it out. Many in the industry took notice as the success of the new Nintendo crossover fighting game which created many fans of a whole new genre, platform fighting games.

"Digimon Rumble Arena" or "Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution" as it is known as in Japan would become one of the first early platform fighting games following in the giant shadow of "Super Smash Bros 64" to stand out as a game worth playing. Right away a fighting game based on one of the most popular anime series of the late 90s and early 00s just seems like a perfect pairing. By the time this game was released Digimon had firmly became a massively popular series already having a theatrical movie release worldwide and currently airing its very popular third season titled "Digimon Tamers". Right away the opening would blow the minds of any young Digimon fans at the time because it was essentially a Digimon dream match title starring the Digimon and tamers of the first three seasons slugging it out for digital supremacy.

Is Guilmon really stronger than Agumon? How about Gatomon versus Renamon? Or how about a mega level battle of Beelzemon versus Omnimon? These were and still are important questions worth asking for any Digimon fan. And these sorts of playground questions are why this game was created.

The gameplay features two opposing Digimon battling it out on one of the several different stages in a 2D plane. These stages are typically filled with unique stage hazards and ring out zones with randomly spawning items in the form cards which have a myriad of effects on the battle. These cards mirror the "Digi-Modify" or "Card Slash!" mechanics from the Digimon Tamers series . The roster is filled with Digimon supported by their appropriate tamers from the show with the same familiar voices for each character featuring over 20 playable Digimon. Unlike "Super Smash Bros" this game features a more traditional health bar system and draining your opponent's life bar to zero means victory. Each Digimon has two special moves and a myriad of normal attack strings you would expect in a fighting game. Right away in a way one would expect from this beloved franchise, Rookie level Digimon are capable of transforming into a stronger even more capable form in the middle of battle through Digivolution. Digivolving improves your stats and gives you a completely new different move-set than before meaning you as a player are often switching dynamically between different gameplay experiences. There are few things that feel better than securing a comeback victory with your favorite mascot Digimon because of a well timed Digivolution. Oh and wiping the floor with your opponent using Wargreymon's mighty signature technique, Terra Force.

The main modes of the game are arcade mode and versus modes. In the Arcade Mode you take your selected Digimon through an arcade style ladder of bouts plus a few mini-games along the way with the goal of unlocking more characters. That is until you reach the new big bad of the game at the top of the ladder. Reapermon (Also known originally as Gokumon or ゴクモン) is a very difficult opponent to overcome and even now he still manages to give me trouble. I and along with anybody else who has ever played this game know of the horrors of his most powerful technique "Burning Cyclone". He is a cheap old school style boss who will test your skill at the game as one would expect from an older fighting game eating your quarters though in this case you thankfully probably own the game and you have as long as necessary to defeat him. Thankfully if you are struggling you can use some in-game cheat codes to fast unlock some Mega level Digimon along with other goodies to help even the odds. As far as versus modes go you can battle a friend locally or even play the mini-games against them. I spent many sessions having tons of fun fighting friends in this game. For an early platform fighting game the controls and mechanics are quite responsive which makes for amusing competitive bouts.

The graphics and soundtrack of the game of the game are very impressive for the platform. The Japanese version of the game features many arrangements of songs from the anime series. However the game does have one big problem: the framerate slowdown is a persistent problem throughout the experience with this game. Unfortunately they are the game's immediate faults but the game has so much excellent fanservice content and a surprisingly responsive solid fighting game underneath that it is easy to forgive the shortcoming. This game is still pretty awesome and loaded with nostalgia for me having grown up with Digimon. This title gets my recommendation for any fans of Digimon to experience especially the Japanese version of the soundtrack if you are ever in need of a quick nostalgia-fueled adrenaline rush.

A gem hidden among the stones, Digimon Rumble Arena is unquestionably stardust.

– Larsa

[chocolate-apple7]

Spoilers for YR3 episodes 1-5!

Ok so I got to the buffer in s3. As I predicted, I really love this season so far (and totally called that angsty music room scene being in episode 5). I'll probably give a full review after the 6th episode comes out on Monday but here are a few things for now:

2 side things I really wanted to see going into this season was Micke and finding out what was going on with Stella and Fredrika. Loved the dad storyline and so happy we got to see more of him (even though it was concluded at the end that he really was just a horrible person). That being said, what is going on with Stella and Fredrika?? I can't be the only one to notice the romantic tension there right?? Like come on Young Royals! Please I am really hoping the 6th episode gives some conclusion on that storyline! I'm kind of sick of these shows sidelining the sapphic characters and I hope they don't do that with these two.

Really hope that Felice and Sara get resolved! I loved their friendship in the first two seasons. I know that Felice was hurt, but Sara seems like she is actually really sorry and wants to at least be friendly with Felice again. I don't think things will go back to how they were but I really hope they can at least make peace with each other.

Simon is fading. You can tell he is just slowly losing himself and its heartbreaking. I really hope that he and Wilhelm have an open and honest talk in episode 6 and he can be more himself again. It breaks my heart that he's not enjoying singing as much, keeps getting attacked, and had to delete his social media profiles. I really do love him and Wilhelm together but they desperately need to communicate and be more themselves in the last episode without all of the added pressure

Ok, I loved Wilhelm's outburst at his parents and then the scene directly after with Simon. I said a few episodes ago that Young Royals will building up to an explosion. Well here was that explosion. And we will get to see the aftermath in its entirety next episode! I don't blame Wilhelm for being angry and I'm glad he got it all out when he did. Can't wait to see what happens next with that.

The whole Erik thing has been so interesting and horrible to learn this season. I have been waiting to learn more about Erik since season 1 and I feel like season 2 just glossed over him. Learning that he was a pretty horrible person and was potentially homophobic is devestating but it also gives him so much more character. It further proves that he was not perfect and this is something that the Queen and the Duke really need to wrap their heads around.

Last thought for now: I actually have no idea how this season will end. Like I'm torn on whether or not Wilhelm will abdicate. He seems like he wants to, but he also doesn't want August to be king. I also think that Wilhelm would actually be a great king if he could just have more of a say and more control. In the past I could always predict how the season was going to end at this point but I can not tell you for this season. It's so exciting and also very scary. I am 99.99% confident Wilmon will be endgame though. The writers would not do us dirty like that. It will either be implied that they will get back together in the future or we will very clearly see it in the next episode. I also don't really think that last scene in episode 5 was a breakup. It was more of an invitation to talk?? I have to remind myself that they were in the palace in the same room (on Wilhelm's birthday for that matter) and that would be a really weird place and time for Simon to just dump him. (Also side note but "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence was the perfect music choice for that scene and so fitting for them as a couple)

I have so many more thoughts about this show but I will likely do a fuller review when that last episode is out. These are just a few things going into the last episode that I wanted to highlight. I love this show so much and can not believe it is almost over. I am so thankful that we will see the conclusion that was always meant to happen and I'll see you all on the other side!

Happy to have any discussions about episodes 1-5 in the comments!