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elusive-lamb · 6 years ago

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Was Adam nerfed?

There have been ‘concerns’ about consistency and I’m bored so I went on an adventure.. tldr: minor V5 to V6 inconsistencies but the answer is no. No he wasn’t

BLACK TRAILER

First combat appearance. He and Blake beat up a bunch of shitty robots and look cool while doing it. Neither of them are challenged at all in this fight -- the robots are so shitty that one of them dies to a gunshot, which is practically unheard of in RWBY. Only things to note are how versatile he is with using the hilt of his sword to attack and that he repeatedly sheaths and unsheaths the sword as part of his fighting style.

Big boi droid shows up. It hits both Blake and Adam and neither of them are able to inflict any significant damage. Blake suggests that they “get out of there,” indicating that they should retreat. The laser knocks them out of that train compartment and Adam has Blake distract it to he can absorb an entire laser blast with his sword. Unleashing this energy, he’s able to slice the droid in half.

Throughout the trailer, Adam and Blake seem equally competent. Only Adam’s semblance gives him the advantage of being able to destroy the droid -- without this, a retreat would have been necessary.

Adam’s strengths as a combatant: speed, versatility with his sword, SEMBLANCE

Weaknesses: not explored in this fight, but it’s worth noting that their plan was never challenged and he remained in control throughout. Even with the droid, they only took a couple hits before the laser revealed an easy way to beat it.

Next up! BEACON

Once again, Adam is completely in control during this “fight.” He catches Blake off guard and verbally abuses/intimidates her. Blake barely fights back because she’s so emotionally unstable and freaked out. Not to mention tired and out of aura from fighting all night. Yang reacts emotionally and lunges at Adam with no knowledge of who he is or his semblance.

We only see Adam absorb a couple gunshots from Blake but as others have noted, he almost definitely absorbed power earlier in the fight as this showdown occurs late. Also, he is never challenged during the entirety of the Battle of Beacon, so most likely never released any of that energy until Yang’s arm came along to take it.

Strengths: not really explored.. This “fight” is not really a fight so much as a confrontation. Adam spends more time talking at Blake than fighting. But again, the semblance comes back as his most powerful tool. Consistent so far.

Weaknesses: not explored. Still fully in control. However, his emotional instability when it comes to Blake is starting to become apparent.

Next up! HAVEN

Again, not really a fight. But it is the first time we see Adam in a situation that isn’t going according to plan. He reacts emotionally and stupidly, throwing a fit and falling for Blake’s semblance in a spectacular fashion to set up a major concussion.

I can see how people could say this outcome was stupid, and I’ll admit that the amount of damage he takes from Blake whacking him seems kind of extra (did he not have his aura up??). But again, this is The First Time we’ve seen him attempt to fight in a situation where things go awry. Saying his reaction was out of character is pretty impossible given the amount we know at this point about his character. And especially given the amount we know at this point about his character in unfavorable situations (essentially zero).

We get a very short (like, 5 seconds) of him fighting Sun and Blake before he escapes. Worth noting that he gets zero hits in and takes a whack from Sun’s staff. So he’s not great in a 2-v-1 unless he has other advantages (one person incapacitated; fully charged semblance; etc.)

Strengths: not explored

Weaknesses: gets stupid when angered and not in control. Low durability (on ground for a while after Blake gets him)

Interlude! ADAM TRAILER

Fighting-wise, basically confirms what we saw in the Black trailer. He fights some villagers, shitty robots, and rather poorly trained soldiers and looks cool doing it. Showcases the same strengths as the Black trailer -- honestly remarkable consistent given how much changed animation-wise in the show between the two releases. Again (running theme) he is fully in control, never challenged, never gets angered or upset by anything.

Strengths: speed, versatility with sword. Consistent with Black trailer

Weaknesses: not explored

Next up! THE BIG ONE

First part is Adam v Blake. He still exhibits the same speed and versatility as previous fights. He swings a bit more wildly and misses more often, but that’s because he’s now driven by anger and Blake is 100x better at dodging than the canon fodder he got to fight previously. He’s still stronger and faster than Blake and beats her. Consistent so far!

Second part is Adam v Yang. They’re pretty evenly matched, with may seem like he got nerfed until you remember he just got run over by a motorcycle. If anything, he seems buffed from Haven... nary a scratch on him from a bike to the face. And he gets a few decent hits in!

Final part is Adam v Blake and Yang. He starts out struggling, similar to the brief fight with Sun and Blake but taking even more hits. But he’s able to break Blake’s aura in spite of that, showing how strong he is [Note: this is consistent across multiple fights -- he is physically stronger than Blake and always manages to throw her off when their swords clash]. With Yang alone, he gets her on her heels. She gains some focus from seeing Blake is okay, but still doesn’t land any hits until the end when she grabs his sword.

This is the FULL FORCE of Yang’s semblance and depletes the last of her aura. This is Yang “Destroyed an Atlesian Paladin in One Punch” Xiao Long. *insert that’s a lotta damage meme.* Adam runs out of aura but is fine otherwise, which is honestly staggering. And we know how it ends from there.

Strengths: speed, versatility with sword. STILL CONSISTENT. Not as on display because he isn’t fighting shitty horde enemies. Doesn’t get as many hits because Blake and Yang know how to dodge and block. Also, this is the only fight he has EVER been in that wasn’t either a super short confrontation (Beacon and Haven, barely count as fights) or against enemies that were literally made for him to look good (Black and Adam trailers).

Another strength is high durability. Not really consistent with the confrontation in V5 -- unless he didn’t have aura up or he decided to stay on the ground for an extra couple seconds just to be dramatic (totally possible).

Weaknesses: get’s stupid when angry. Motorcycles hitting him in the face.

Tangent: BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS SEMBLANCE IT GOT NERFED

Not really. He just uses it stupidly because of his anger. Remember he absorbed a full laser beam from the droid in the Black trailer before slicing it. At Beacon, he had a day’s worth of absorbed energy and also used his sword to cut off Yang’s arm. In the Adam trailer, he kills a super weak villager with unknown amounts of absorbed energy (but not a real impressive feat regardless). In this fight, however, he unleashes energy at least 4 times -- once to break Gambol Shroud and three (3) times to send an unfocused blast of energy (no sword) at Yang. This is just his “stupid when angry” weakness in another form. He doesn’t use his semblance well because he keeps losing his cool with Yang and attacking with it wildly. It’s still extremely powerful though, even unfocused and not fully charged it inflicts significant damage to her hella tough Atlas-grade prosthetic.

Another tangent that should probably be a separate post: BUT THEY WASTED HIS CHARACTER TO BE A PLOT DEVICE

...Nooot really. Observe Adam throughout all the scenes he gets. It’s not a lot of time, but they actually do develop his character. It just isn’t a positive character development. At the start of the Adam trailer, there’s maybe a tiny bit of hope that he could be redeemed if someone steers him off of the death and destruction path. Unfortunately, Sienna becomes a not-so-great role model for him and he starts a creepy and abusive relationship with Blake. In all of his later appearances, he is consistently shown to care about two things: having ownership of Blake and having power in the White Fang. After Blake leaves, you can see him unravel and become obsessed with her. By Haven, he’s succeeded in taking over the White Fang. Blake is his last piece of unfinished business. But the obsession leads to him losing everything, which is exactly why it’s the only thing driving him in V6.

It’s not like he doesn’t care at all about the White Fang and his twisted version of the Faunus revolution. It’s that he’s burned all those bridges and has no way of accomplishing his old goals. The only thing left for him to fixate on is Blake, and it’s the culmination of a downward spiral that we’ve seen since V3, with build up starting in the Black trailer. He never says that Blake is the only thing that hurt him, just that she hurt him in a *different* way. And at this point, this is the only vengeance he’s in a position to go after. Hence the stalking across a continent, constant anger, and lashing out at Yang. By all means be disappointed if Adam’s arc wasn’t what you wanted. But he is much more than a “wasted character” turned into a plot device. His negative character development is a frighteningly close to real life case of how obsession and spite can destroy people.

#for more: read wuthering heights #adam taurus #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #rwby analysis #rwby6 #rwby6 spoilers #rwby spoilers

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chicagoindiecritics · 5 years ago

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New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Movies and the 9/11 effect

(Image: pathtoparadise.com)

EIGHTH EDITION: UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2019– In an update to my annual editorial (after the original post on the 10th anniversary in 2011), I’ve got new movie inclusions in several sections, including the most recent section of faded and relaxed sensitivity in films. I plan to make this an annual post and study for at least until the 20th anniversary in 2021. (All poster images are courtesy of IMPAwards.com)

Never forget. There’s no doubt that every American over the age of 25 won’t soon forget where they were 18 years ago at 8:46AM on September 11, 2001. The world and our American lifestyle changed forever that day in more ways that we can measure. I know movies and cinema are trivial pieces of entertainment compared to the more important things in life, but movies have always been two-hour vacations and therapy sessions from life, even in the face of immense tragedy. Sometimes, we need movies to inspire us and help us remember the good in things, while still being entertained. In seventeen years, they too have changed.

I’m here for an editorial research piece on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day. Enjoy!

MOVIES THAT WERE OPENING THAT FRIDAY EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO

Call this a time capsule, but these were the notable movies that opened Friday, September 7, 2001 and Friday, September 14, 2001, the two Fridays surrounding 9/11. Such a different time, huh? Needless to say, few people were in the mood for a movie in those first weeks and the fall 2001 box office took quite a hit until the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone showed up in November 2001, followed by Ocean’s Eleven and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that December.

The Musketeer (September 7th)

Soul Survivors (September 7th)

Rock Star (September 7th)

Hardball (September 14th)

The Glass House (September 14th)

All were box office bombs at the time. The Musketeer garnered a good bit of overseas earnings and Hardball got some of the best reviews of Keanu Reeves’s post-Matrix career and grew to be a DVD hit. Still, talk about bad timing.

EXAMPLES OF 2001-2002 MOVIES CHANGED BECAUSE OF 9/11

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Spider-Man— Many of you may remember seeing this teaser for the big comic book blockbuster before it was pulled post-9/11. (New remastered video in 2019)

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Donnie Darko— Suggested by Feelin’ Film Facebook Discussion Group contributor Josh Powers. Released months before 9/11, few remember how much this film was somewhat buried and forced to become an underground cult favorite due to a pivotal moment involving a horrific plane crash.

Lilo and Stitch— See a side-by-side video clip of differences in Imgur. The trivia notes behind it are explained on IMDb.

Collateral Damage— The Arnold Schwarzenegger terrorism movie had its release date bumped and terrorist overtones mellowed down. (trailer)

City by the Sea— The production on this Robert DeNiro/James Franco thriller was moved from New York to Los Angeles in July 2001, dodging the terrorism attacks that would have threatened their home Tribeca studios. (trailer)

Sidewalks of New York–– Edward Burns intermingled love story movie was bumped to November and had to have its posters changed. See right here on the left for an example. (trailer)

Men in Black II— The original scripted ending of the movie was scripted to have the World Trade Center towers open up to release a barrage of UFOs. (trailer)

Serendipity and Zoolander— Both movies had shots of the WTC digitally removed from the skylines of their finished films before they hit theaters that fall.

The Time Machine— Had its December 2001 release bumped to March because of a potentially sensitive scene of meteor shower over New York (which it cut). (trailer)

Big Trouble— It too had its nuclear bomb-centered plot cause a release delay well into 2002. The delay didn’t help this already awful movie. (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT 9/11 ITSELF

September 11 (2002)– International directors from around the world, including Ken Loach, Mira Nair, and future Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, made a two-hour anthology of short films showing creative expressions of other cultures and their reactions to the tragedy.

United 93 (2006)– Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass took an unknown cast and directed a harrowing real-time account of the flight that fought back. Hard to watch, but undeniably powerful without exploiting the tragedy. (trailer)

World Trade Center (2006)– Conspiracy specialist Oliver Stone turns off the urge to dig into his usual musings and delivers an incredibly humble, respectful, and understated (words that hardly ever describe an Oliver Stone movie) true story of the last two men (Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena) rescued alive at Ground Zero. Worth every moment to see and a great tribute to the first responders and their families. (trailer)

9/11 (2017)– I think we all knew a day would come where some hack film was going to come around and exploit the tragedy that is the 2001 terrorist attacks. That award goes to Charlie Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, and director Martin Guigui’s straight-to-VOD trash heap. Sheen, a noted conspiracy theorist on 9/11, took it upon himself to make a glamour project stepping on history. Do not waste your time with this film.

MOVIES WITH PROMINENT 9/11 CONNECTIONS

The Guys (2002)– One of the first reactionary films to 9/11 came from Focus Features in 2002 and starred Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver. Based on Anne Nelson’s heartfelt play, LaPaglia plays a fire captain who lost eight men on 9/11 and Weaver plays the editor who helps him write eulogies for the fallen. The film is only available on disc from Amazon. (trailer)

WTC View (2005)– Gallows humor bubbles to the surface in this off-kilter indie romance from Brian Sloan about a SoHo man who placed an ad to find a new roommate and September 10th and now lives through a more difficult and trying landscape. (trailer)

Reign Over Me (2007)– In a rare dramatic turn, Adam Sandler plays a fictional wayward man who lost his wife and daughters on 9/11 and tailspins through life fiver years later when an old college friend (Don Cheadle) tries to help keep him from being committed to a psychiatric care. (trailer)

Remember Me (2010)– Billed as a coming-of-age film starring Twilight star Robert Pattinson, it features a fictitious family affected by the tragedy, including the fall of the WTC. Most critics found the 9/11 connections exploitative and offensive. (trailer)

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)– Speaking of exploitative, the Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock Oscar nominee from this past year definitely rubbed more than a few audiences the wrong way in using 9/11 as a backdrop to a fictional family tragedy. Critics (including this one) clamored that if you’re going to bring 9/11 to the big screen, use a real story. (trailer) (my full review)

September Morning (2017)– Independent writer/director Ryan Frost crafted a small drama about five college freshman staying up all night after 9/11 weighing the impact it will have on their present and future. The film won a youth jury award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT THE WAR ON TERROR

In the decade since September 11, 2011, our largest response as a nation to the terrorism of that day has been a pair of wars overseas in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. The “war on terror” has quickly grown into a ripe orchard for possible movie storylines.

Home of the Brave (2006)–Rocky producer Irwin Winkler earns the credit for the first mainstream Hollywood movie depicting the Iraqi War and the initial soldiers returning home to re-acclimate to society. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jessica Biel. (trailer)

The Hurt Locker (2008)– Of course, the best-of-the-best is the 2009 Best Picture winner from Kathryn Bigelow starring Jeremy Renner as a driven, yet dark Iraqi bomb specialist. Its quality needs no introduction. (trailer)

Grace is Gone (2007)– In the Audience Award winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, typical gender roles are reversed when John Cusack plays a homefront father (in my opinion, the best he’s ever acted) who has to find the best way to tell his two daughters that their soldier mother was killed in Iraq. This movie is “guy-cry” level brilliant. (trailer)

Rendition (2007)– Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep get together for a movie calling out the wrongs of detainment, interrogation, and torture. (trailer)

The Kingdom (2007)– Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman investigate a bombing and throw down in the streets of Riyadh. (trailer)

Lions for Lambs (2007)– Robert Redford delivers a three point-of-view discourse on U.S. war affairs before home and abroad with the help of Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. (trailer)

In the Valley of Elah (2007)– Crash director Paul Haggis leads Tommy Lee Jones (in an amazing Oscar-nominated performance) and Susan Sarandon as parents investigating with a local detective (Charlize Theron) the disappearance of their AWOL son returning home from Iraq. (trailer)

Body of Lies (2008)– Ridley Scott’s fictional take on the CIA’s involvement in preventing Jordanian terrorism starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. (trailer)

Stop-Loss (2008)– Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play three young Texas schoolmates who are finally home from overseas but are forced back via the stop-loss clause. (trailer)

The Messenger (2009)– Woody Harrelson was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a U.S. Army Casualty Notification Team officer mentoring recent veteran (Ben Foster) on the uniquely difficult job of informing families the bad news. (trailer)

Taking Chance (2009)– Along the same bringing-bad-news-home lines is this gem of a HBO film starring Kevin Bacon (like Cusack earlier, in arguably his best performance as an actor) as a desk officer who never saw combat but takes on the duty of escorting a young fallen soldier’s body back to his old hometown. Even though this wasn’t in theaters, it is outstanding and worth your time on DVD. (trailer)

Brothers (2009)– Jake Gyllenhaal takes care of his older brother’s wife (Natalie Portman) while he (Tobey Maguire) is declared MIA in Afghanistan, from director Jim Sheridan. (trailer)

Dear John and The Lucky One (2010 and 2012)– These two adaptations of Nicholas Sparks romance novels briefly touches on the War on Terror through Channing Tatum and Zac Efron’s lead characters’ return home to romance. (trailer and trailer)

Green Zone (2010)–Director Paul Greengrass followed United 93 with his Bourne series star Matt Damon in this taut and marginally-dramatized account of the early unsuccessful searches and the possible cover-up of Baghdad’s supposed stores of weapons of mass destruction. (trailer)

Restrepo (2010)– The highly acclaimed National Geographic documentary film follows a one-year look at the real men of the platoon embattled in the deadliest fortified valley of Afghanistan. (trailer)

Act of Valor (2012)– Disney pumped up the military with this fictional anti-terrorism film using active duty Navy SEALs. Coming out after the death of Osama bin Laden, this was a welcome and well-promoted hero picture and recruitment reel. (trailer)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)– The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow made a film about the SEAL Team 6 men and their story of taking down Osama bin Laden. The film was my #1 movie on my “10 Best” list for 2012. (trailer) (my full review)

Lone Survivor (2013)– Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) directed an outstanding and patriotic film based on the Afghanistan saga of Marcus Luttrell starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, and Emile Hirsch that echoes another true-life story from the ongoing War on Terror. Very good movie! (trailer) (my full review)

A Most Wanted Man (2014)– Spy novelist John LeCarre’s multi-layered 2008 novel about the world of inter-agency espionage happening in Hamburg, Germany, the same city where the 9/11 conspirators hatched their plans, is an excellent and different post-9/11 film with an international flair and flavor. It will also be remembered as one of the last performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was phenomenal in the film. (trailer) (my full review)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)– This modern reboot or update of the famed Tom Clancy character, now played by Chris Pine, roots his pre-spy origins in the aftermath of 9/11 and the War on Terror that followed. (trailer)

American Sniper (2014)– Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture nominee war drama about the real-life story of the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (played by Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper) went on to become the highest grossing film of 2014 (north of $350 million). Kyle’s journey from the heartland to the front lines was spurred by a sense of duty and patriotism that started from the attacks of 9/11. This is, by far, the most high profile movie to date to feature the War on Terror directly correlating 9/11. (trailer) (my full review)

Good Kill (2015)– On the smaller side, but just as solid with warfare and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is this under-seen film which had a limited theatrical release during the summer of 2015. Andrew Niccol (Lord of War, Gattaca, The Truman Show) shifted his focus to the War on Terror by showcasing a Las Vegas base of drone pilots dealing with the ramification of their actions and the war being waged on their screens and with their joystick controls. (trailer) (my full review)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)– Director Michael Bay’s slanted look at the September 11, 2012 embassy attacks that have become a political firebrand since certainly qualifies to make this list. (trailer) (my full review)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)– Tina Fey shed her comedic image for a heavyish war drama loosely based the true story of Afghanistan/Pakistan television journalist Kim Barker. (trailer)

Snowden (2016)– Renowned politicized filmmaker Oliver Stone brought his brush of dramatic license to the story of whistleblowing former spy Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The paranoia of the post-9/11 digital age was the mission field for Snowden and many other young men and women who sought the security and counterterrorism industries. (trailer) (full review)

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)– A company of soldiers who lost their commanding officer in Iraq are making a victory tour of press dates and public appearances when the reflections of the title character (newcomer Joe Alwyn) fill the day. Ang Lee’s film felt ten years too late and was not well received. (trailer) (my full review)

Thank You For Your Service (2015) and Thank You For Your Service (2017)– This popular conversation sentence was the title of two different works. In 2015, Tom Donahue’s documentary opened eyes to the shoddy mental health governance for modern veterans and made waves that changed actual policies. The 2017 feature film borrows inspiration from David Finkel’s 2013 nonfiction bestseller dealing with the PTSD topic of returning Iraqi tour soldiers adjusting to civilian life. Miles Teller is the headliner and is joined by Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole, and Amy Schumer. (trailer) (trailer)

Megan Leavey (2017)– 2017 was a busy year for War on Terror-connected films with five new entries. Taglined “based on the true story about a Marine’s best friend,” Megan Leavey stars Kate Mara as the soldier leader of a bomb-searching pooch on deployment in Iraq. Touching film! (trailer)

The Wall (2017)– Nocturnal Animals Golden Globe nominee Aaron Taylor-Johnson and emerging WWE movie star John Cena play two soldiers pinned down by an Iraqi sniper in a single-setting thriller from action specialist Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow). (trailer)

War Machine (2017)– Enough time has passed now in 2017 where the War on Terror has reached a point of being a target of satire. Animal Kingdom and The Rover director David Michod puts a witty spin on things creating a fictionalized account of U.S. General Stanley McChrystal with Brad Pitt in the lead. Netflix is the exclusive carrier of this one. (trailer)

Last Flag Flying (2017)– The last and best of the 2017 bunch is Richard Linklater’s dramedy about three old Vietnam veterans (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne) who come together when one of their sons is killed in Iraq and coming home for burial. The excellent acting trio and Linklater’s writing (adapted from Darryl Ponicsan’s novel, a spiritual sequel to his The Last Detail) deliver touching brevity and sharp commentary on the echoes of war across generations. (trailer) (my full review)

A Private War (2018)— Documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman made his feature film debut with a biopic on British photojournalist Marie Colvin, who made her stops through the hellfire of Iraq and Afghanistan in her storied career. Rosamund Pike was snubbed for an Oscar nomination that year. (trailer) (my full review)

Vice (2018)— Speaking of biopics, writer/director Adam McKay brought his machete for satire to the life of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The film dove deep into the manipulated machinations from Cheney that engineered the War on Terror during the Bush administration. While not as good as The Big Short, Vice did earn eight Oscar nominations (winning one for makeup), including Best Picture and Best Actor for Christian Bale in the leading role. (trailer) (my full review)

Official Secrets (2019)— When invading Iraq was on the table to push the war to the ground, the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Tony Blair were lockstep next to the U.S. on seeking United Nations approval. The true story of whistleblower Katharine Gun unearthed secrets that led to questioning the war’s legality before it even began. This is a nice step-up for Keira Knightley. (trailer) (my full review)

The Report (2019)— Not yet widely released in 2019 after huge buzz at the Sundance Film Festival, frequent Steven Soderbergh screenwriting collaborator Scott Z. Burns made his directorial debut with this searing docudrama of the use of torture by American agencies during the War on Terror. Check out the film’s trailer:

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MOVIES ABOUT THE CHANGES IN AMERICAN LIFE (BOTH SERIOUS AND NOT-SO-SERIOUS)

25th Hour (2002)– New Yorker Spike Lee was quick to not shy away from the post-9/11 pulse of New York City following Edward Norton’s character’s last night of debauchery and unfinished business before going to prison. Filled with scathing social commentary and visual reminders of 9/11 and Ground Zero, its amazing opening credits sequence alone set the tone as only Spike can. (trailer)

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Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)– Documentary maverick Michael Moore’s slam at the handling of 9/11 and the war on terror became one of the most successful box office documentaries of all-time. (trailer)

Sorry, Haters (2005)– Robin Wright played a professional woman who receives conversation and unexpected interaction with an Arab New York cab driver in this IFC production. (foreign trailer)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)– By contrast, in a small snippet and computer graphic on melting glaciers in this Oscar-winning documentary, Al Gore lets us know that half of Greenland or Antarctica’s melted ice would put New York, including Ground Zero, underwater within the next 50 years. (trailer)

The Terminal (2004)– Airports are now covered in bureaucratic red tape. Heaven forbids, you’re not from America. (trailer)

Anger Management (2003)– Showed us that you can get kicked off a plane now for just about anything. (trailer)

Soul Plane (2004)– Then again, come on, guys. Air travel can still be cool, even with the new security rules. (trailer)

Snakes on a Plane (2006)– OK, maybe not so much… (trailer)

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)– You’ve got to hate racial profiling as much as you equally love a good parody. (trailer)

Iron Man (2008)– Marvel’s steely hero had his Vietnam origin story conveniently and modernly flopped for an Afghanistan-connected one. (trailer)

Bridesmaids (2011)– Now, that’s how an Air Marshall gets down! (trailer)

Source Code (2011)– Our fear of catastrophes on planes can easily be translated to trains as well. (trailer) (my full review)

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)– For a serious look at the warped view of Muslim citizens post-9/11, take a look at Mira Nair’s dramatic thriller about a young Pakistani man (newcomer Riz Ahmed) who is successful on Wall Street but viewed differently through profiling after 9/11. (trailer)

The Fifth Estate (2013)– The film story of the WikiLeaks of Julian Assange carry a loose connection to the changed post-9/11 landscape of security and more. (trailer)

Boyhood (2014)– Richard Linklater’s huge biographical opus was filmed over the course of 12 years with the same cast growing up and aging to tell their family story. The film starts in 2002, where the incidents of 2001 are fresh on the minds of the characters and discussed openly during the first year sequence of the journey. Later on, political mentions of Bush, Obama, and the War on Terror make it into a reflective conversation as well. (trailer) (my full review)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018)– A key moment in the extraordinary Fred Rogers documentary chronicled when a retired Rogers was brought back for a special televised message to young viewers about reacting to the 9/11 tragedy that played on-screen for so many viewers. It’s a touching historical moment. (trailer) (my full review)

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MEMORABLE PAST IMAGES OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN MOVIES

Sometimes, all it takes is the camera making a fleeting, yet memorable, glance at those beautiful and now-gone skyscrapers to immediately remind us of a different time. The WTC towers have been shown in innumerable establishing shots. We’ll highlight some great ones. Beginning with the closing credits to New Yorker Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film Gangs of New York, here’s a great montage of cinematic views of the WTC from various pre-2001 movies.

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Superman (1978)– Even a passing fly-by over “Metropolis” feels different.

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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)– Tell me this clip didn’t just go from cute to eerie to sad. Wonderful then, but different now.

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Godspell (1973)— Submitted by friend-of-the-page and larger-fan-of-musicals-than-me Josh Powers, enjoy this dance number from the summery musical filmed and completed before the skyscraper’s ribbon-cutting.

King Kong (1976)– While it may not match the iconic 1933 image of the original ape towering on top of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center plays a big role in the 1976 remake starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. (trailer)

Independence Day (1996), Deep Impact (1998), Armageddon (1998), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004)– These all constitute the prominent disaster movies that leave New York (and, in three cases, the WTC) in destructive shambles.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Godzilla (1998), Cloverfield (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), and Watchmen (2009). Kind of not so entertaining for few seconds anymore, huh? See for yourself. Here’s a montage of NYC movie destruction:

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MOVIES THAT FEEL DIFFERENT IN THE POST-9/11 WORLD

I don’t know about you but a lot of movies just don’t resonate or feel the same as they did before September 11th. We’ve changed and the perception has changed. For some movies, their message and impact is only made stronger (in good ways and bad) since 9/11. In other cases, what was entertaining then doesn’t feel so right anymore.

Airplane! (1980)– Farce or not (and still funny to this day), we could never get away with anything that happens on an airplane from that movie now. (trailer)

Passenger 57 (1992)–Let alone this movie… (trailer)

Executive Decision (1996)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Turbulence (1997)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Pushing Tin (1999)– …and probably this movie too… (trailer)

True Lies (1994)– Slammed even then for its depiction of Arab terrorists, it likely has picked up a little more egg on its face. Adding to its burial, the movie hasn’t been released on any physical media format since 1999, which includes zero Blu-ray editions in its history (factoid from Josh Powers). Do you think 20th Century Fox wants that movie to go away or what? (trailer)

The Siege (1998)– This frightening martial law thriller with Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis makes True Lies look like G.I. Joe starring Ken from the Barbie dolls toy line. Scary and eerily prophetic in its over-the-top terrorism and bombing scenarios. (trailer)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)– Though fictional with Pittsburgh standing in as Gotham City, the New York imagery and parallels occurring during its terrorist takeover led by Tom Hardy’s Bane have eerie 9/11-inspired ramifications. (trailer) (my full review)

Syriana (2005)– George Clooney won an Oscar, but the touchy subjects of torture, terrorism, and the oil industry evoke a little dose of fear. (trailer)

Munich (2005)– The Black September assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Mossad’s reaction was probably the last time before 9/11 that terrorism made worldwide live media headlines. (trailer)

Arlington Road (1999)– While this resonates more as a comparison to Oklahoma City-style domestic terrorism, the Jeff Bridges/Tim Robbins underappreciated thriller is no less scary now than then. (trailer)

Fight Club (1999)– Watching Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt/Edward Norton) destroy New York’s credit district is another example of domestic terrorism and destruction that rings a little louder post-9/11.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)– Many people found the Super Bowl bomb plot far too soon to see those images just a year removed from 9/11. (trailer)

V for Vendetta (2006)– Urban terrorism in London via a Guy Fawkes fan resonates a little different for a public scare on our side of the Atlantic. (trailer)

Courage Under Fire (1995)– Our first trip to Iraq foreshadows a lot of the equal futility, bravery, and loss experienced in our second trip… (trailer)

Jarhead (2005)– …especially when told from the true account of a disillusioned soldier who was there. (trailer)

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)– The same foreshadowing can be made out of our 1980’s Cold War involvement on the side of Afghanistan versus the Soviet Union as outlined by a gem of a Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman film. To think that we could have stuck around and cleaned the place up before they became our enemy. (trailer)

Rambo III (1988)– Speaking of an American fighting on the anti-communism side of the Afghans! (trailer)

Air Force One (1997)– Not that George W. Bush or Barack Obama ever channeled Harrison Ford here, but don’t you now root a little harder for a take charge President… (trailer)

The Patriot (2000)– … or a flag-carrying American hero from 230+ years ago… (trailer)

Pearl Harbor (2001)– …or the last great American tragedy that galvanized a nation and sent us to war. (trailer)

MOVIES SINCE 2001 THAT RENEW THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

These examples (as well as the aforementioned World Trade Center) will get your patriotic heartstrings going and boost your down spirit.

The Last Castle (2001)– Opening just over a month after the tragedy, the military and flag-waving patriotism of Robert Redford’s underrated drama undeniably stirs you. (trailer)

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)– Leave it to Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson (of all people) to win macho patriotic points for loosely re-enacting the famous pilot Scott O’Grady Bosnian prisoner escape story. (trailer)

Black Hawk Down (2001)– Released during the 2001-2002 awards season, Ridley Scott’s powerful depiction of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu showed the uncompromising courage of U.S. Army Ranger and Delta Force soldiers at a time when our current soldiers were likely preparing for going overseas to similar urban warfare. (trailer)

We Were Soldiers (2002)– Mel Gibson may be embroiled in unpopular headlines now, but his 2002 action-drama from his Braveheart writer about America’s first official military action in Vietnam is as powerful and it is impressive. Like Black Hawk Down, it added to the heroic mystique of the American soldier, even if it was set in the past. If you don’t cry watching those wives deliver those first casualty letters, there’s something wrong with you. (trailer)

Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004)– New York’s #1 resident superhero always fights for a way for the citizen of the city to stand up together. I suppose you can throw in the pair from the reboot (The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2) for some of the same reasons. (trailer)

Gangs of New York (2002)– Martin Scorsese is a quintessential New Yorker and his mid-1800’s history piece (while definitely violent) was a love letter to the city’s great history. (trailer)

Elf (2003)– Will Ferrell put the Big Apple back in the Christmas cheer. (trailer)

Ladder 49 (2004)– Though it wasn’t set in New York, you can’t help but think of the 343 NYFD men and women that lost their lives on September 11th and ardent first-responders when you watch Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as macho Baltimore firemen. (trailer)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)– America loves a good underdog story and Clint Eastwood gave the public a heck of a good one that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. (trailer)

Miracle (2004)– What better way to boost American spirit than to relive our greatest Olympic triumph. (trailer)

National Treasure (2004)– How about a history lesson to make you feel good about our great country? Why not? (trailer)

Hitch (2005)– Will Smith brought popular romance back to the City That Never Sleeps. (trailer) He would capture hearts for a different reason the next year with The Pursuit of Happyness. (trailer)

We Are Marshall (2006)– Another real-life airplane tragedy sets the stage for an amazing story of athletic and community rebirth. One of the most underrated football movies out there. (trailer)

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)– Why not give NY’s best bad-ass cop a chance to save the nation’s capital? (trailer)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)– Last but not least, you can’t get more patriotic and underdog than this skinny guy from Brooklyn transformed into a red-white-and-blue super soldier. He followed it up this past summer saving New York in The Avengers. (trailer and trailer) (full review and my full review)

American Sniper (2014)– The tremendous reception Clint Eastwood’s film had to become the highest grossing movie of the year made Chris Kyle a household name and heavily amplified a previously dormant red-blooded (and “red state-d”) surge of patriotism and soldier appreciation. (trailer) (my full review)

Sully (2016)– Both the incredible true story of Flight 1549 from 2009 and Clint Eastwood’s respectful retelling featuring Tom Hanks as Capt. Chelsea “Sully” Sullenberger remind audiences of the strength of New York City. There’s a great line in the movie where someone is trying to thank Sullenberger and says that it’s been a long time since the city has had good news about anything like the “Miracle on the Hudson,” especially about a plane. (trailer) (my full review)

Patriots Day (2016) and Stronger (2018)– The way the city of Boston rallied from another terrorist attack on American soil during its marathon has key inspirational value. It’s too bad the film was the Mark Wahlberg show rather than a well-rounded ensemble approach. (trailer) (my full Patriots Day review) (trailer) (my full Stronger review)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018)– Much like the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield web-slinger movies that came before, Tom Holland’s take on Peter Parker is a born-and-raised New York kid that supports and protects his neighborhood and city from dangers foreign and domestic. His protection, joined by fellow New Yorker Doctor Strange, expands with the united effort with The Avengers when Thanos shows up in Avengers: Infinity War. One part down on that with one to go in the summer of 2019. (trailer) (my full Spider-Man: Homecoming review) (trailer) (my Avengers: Infinity War review)

Only the Brave (2017)– Just as with Ladder 49 thirteen years before it, you can’t beat the sympathy generated by the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of firefighters. Forest fires aren’t terrorists, but the feels are all there. (trailer)

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)– Four years after American Sniper, Clint Eastwood dipped his filmmaking brush in the hero worship paint again to tell another true story. The wrinkle of this one is that Eastwood called upon the actual heroes that thwarted the 2015 Thayls train attack to star in their own movie recreation. Results were mixed, but the Eastwood prestige is there. (trailer) (my full review)

THE UP-AND-DOWN PULSE OF CONTINUED SENSITIVITY AND/OR CENSORSHIP TO 9/11 SIMILARITIES

For 2014 and going forward, this is a new section I’m adding to this study. Now that enough time has passed since 2001, I’m beginning to notice that movies are starting to go back to some of the images and themes of violence, destruction, and terrorism that were hands off for so many years after 9/11. Like all history, even 9/11 will fade. What we were offended by after the horrific incidents have returned, in some cases, to be more tolerated and even acceptable and celebrated again. Sure enough, there are plenty who vividly remember 2001’s events and images and are quick to point out when something is in possible poor taste. That shaky barometer has led to some allusions and reminders to 9/11 and some flat-out censorship changes and corrections. Some get flak and slaps on the wrist while some don’t. Here are some examples in recent years.

Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down (2013)– Both competing White House takeover films from 2013, one from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and one from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) had a bit of split audience reaction to their violent and terrorist content. Some rooted and cheered as if it was the 80’s again and America is always going to win. Others were not so keen or ready to see the White House become a target and battleground, even if it was just a movie. Between the two, Olympus Has Fallen, the R-rated and more severe one of the two, was the bigger hit. In a way, no one batted an eye. (trailer and trailer) (my full Olympus Has Fallen review)

Man of Steel (2013)– Despite being one of the most all-American heroes around, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel gave Superman a very serious tone that, in a way, can’t be included on the category before this one of movies that renew the American spirit. Also, many people were not very pleased with the immense city-wide destruction scenes of Metropolis during the film’s climax. Even though Chicago was the filming location of a fictitious comic book city, there were staunch critics who had a problem with huge office buildings and skyscrapers in very 9/11-esque rubble. Its 2016 sequel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice mildly addressed that a city can’t be destroyed without consequences, even on Superman’s watch in a colorful comic book setting. (my full review)

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)– Much like Man of Steel, the third Michael Bay Transformers movie features a great deal of city-wide destruction (again, in Chicago) that rubbed a few people the wrong way. (trailer) (my full review)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)– Throw in the terrorist label for the villain and his bombings and the big San Francisco starship wreck during this film’s ending action that was clearly a larger scale to a passenger jet taking out buildings. (trailer) (my full review)

Godzilla (2014)– Add the King of the Monsters to the list of more city destruction that raised an eyebrow for some. (trailer) (my full review)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)– Outside of this string of modern and accepted examples of urban attacks and destruction, is the minor amount of hot water the makers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got it for a promotional poster that had an exploding skyscraper that cut too close to 9/11 similarities. The study pulled the poster and had to apologize. Censorship and sensitivity won that argument and mistake. (trailer)

The Walk (2015)– A very big test to peoples’ memories of the World Trade Center will be coming in the Fall of 2015 with Robert Zemeckis’s film The Walk, the true story of the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s quest to tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 (previously featured in the Academy Award nominated 2008 documentary Man on Wire). Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film will prominently display, thanks to Zemeckis’s stunning use of CGI, a tremendous amount of imagery of the two lost skyscrapers. Even though it’s a period piece to a non-turbulent time, no film since 2001 has attempted to show this much of those building. Public reaction was mixed and the film was not a box office hit. (trailer) (full review)

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)– I guess it’s OK for patriotic mass city destruction again. London gets it worse than New York, though. (trailer) (full review)

Ghostbusters (2016)– Well, New York was safe for at least a month anyway between Independence Day: Resurgence‘s release and the new reboot (which conveniently made sure its city destruction in Times Square and other places be easy to erase). Not far behind was the fictional Suicide Squad and its over-the-city halo of supposed death. (trailer) (my full review)

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Rampage (2018)– Larger in size than the old World Trade Centers used to be, Chicago’s Willis Tower, the former Sears Tower and tallest building in the world, was the targeted collapsed skyscraper spectacle of choice in the Brad Payton/Dwayne Johnson live-action video game adaptation. Monsters aren’t terrorists, but the imagery hits close as the Willis Tower was one of many skyscrapers across the country evacuated on 9/11 out of fear of becoming another target. See the collapse clip above. (my full review)

I hope everyone enjoyed this little (OK, large) retrospective about the impact of 9/11 in movies for the last 18 years and counting. Take some time this coming weekend to appreciate the freedoms we have the people fighting to keep them for us. Support your troops and first responders and, again, NEVER FORGET!

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knightofbalance-13 · 6 years ago

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Dudeblade Doesn’t Know Yang Xiao Long

https://rwdestuffs.tumblr.com/post/177851454657/throughout-volumes-1-to-3-yang-has-had-a-problem

For someone who says they’re a Yang fan, you sure do miss a lot of info about her.

Firstly: Anon, seriously. Punctuation. Did you skip that class or something? Did punctuation kill a family member or something?- Why do you hate punctuation so much? You only used it once, and it was a single period. At this point, I’m just imagining you going up to the literal embodiment of punctuation and going “Hello my name is annonymus you killed my father prepare to die”

Dudeblade, Asks have limited character counts. Has it not occurred to you that in order to say all this they need to cut the punctuation? Same reason why I cut punctuation on Twitter: it just piles up. The lack of punctuation doesn’t even make them incoherent because I can understand them perfectly well (more on THAT later...). This is just you trying to dismiss someone based on petty reasoning...Which doesn’t really work when we both know you praise Sokumotanaka despite having similar issues with punctuation AND spelling.

However don’t think my anger is limited to YOU only. I’m pissed at that anon as well? Why? Because aside from one argument that was wrong, every single argument they just made is actually their own. I know this because those are, word for word, MY arguments. From my rebuttal to your “Yang done dirty” post. Hey Anon, how about you make your own arguments or at least reword mine so you don’t wholesale rip me off.

Second, no. Yang has not had a problem of overly relying on her semblance, or ‘emblane’ as you put it, she always used it strategically. I watched the Yellow trailer again just to look for when she abused it, and it was only in the final stretch of the fight, when she was going 1v1 with Junior. But I also looked back, and saw that you were right. She was firing at the Nevermore from the ground, but when it came in close, she adapted. She jumped into it’s beak, and started firing into it.

A. the full part is ‘hers emblance” which shows he just put a space in the wrong area. You even left out the “c’ just to mock someone who disagrees with you.

B. Yeah wanna know WHY she used her Semblance? because she got angry. Remember this, it will BITE Dudeblade in the ass later.

C. Also, You should ALSO know that Yang was using kicks in the Yellow Trailer as well, Remember THIS as well.

And D. Yes because leaping into the jaws of a giant bird is such a smart idea. Not like if the bird’s jaw strength was slightly better should have gotten EATEN. Congrats Yang, you gave your sister Survivor’s Guilt.

Repeatedly.

So, my bad. She didn’t strategically do that

Huh. Wonder if he would have admitted that if he knew the Anon was just parroting what I said.

every other time, I was right. Take the fight against Mercury. She wasn’t abusing her semblance then.

And oh, hey! A shot of Yang, dodging Mercury’s attack, and not deliberately taking a hit to fuel her semblance. It’s almost as if Yang never had a problem abusing her semblance in the first place!- Shocker!

Thing is:

https://youtu.be/moxtu3AuA4s?t=14m8s

Here’s the fight.

Yang begins with a punch. A punch. Against a kick based fighter. She didn’t back away to make sure she wouldn’t get hit, she tried attacking despite the fact it was more likely Mercury would hit her before she could.

She goes onto try and fire bullets at Mercury which I’ll admit was a smart move considering close range was not a good idea with Mercury. He closes the distance and jump kicks her, she blocks then tries to attack which gets her kicked in the jaw.

She then rushes back at the guy who just showed to be able to maneuver around her in close range and proceeds to try and pummel him, which ends as you expect with Mercury deflecting all of her attacks. She then STILL tries to attack him where she misses and has to block (which would logically still cost her Aura).

They then go onto trade blows where Yang dodges twice and blocks once. Mercury falls back and Yang uses her long range attack for the last time to drive him back, he falls off the arena but blasts his way back up.

Mercury proceeds to go on the offensive where Yang dodges/deflects two attacks, blocks about six and gets hit in the stomach once HARD, where he follows up with a Dust attack. He then proceeds to circle around, blasting away without seeming trying to hit Yang while the dust rounds circle in the air obviously. Yang does NOTHING for most of this (mind you, she STILL has a long range attack) and just tries to get in close after two bullets fire in her direction. She doesn’t think to use her lunging attack we’ve seen her use against Junior and Adam despite the fact that if she did Mercury would have fired off less bullets and instead tries to fight him close quarters AGAIN, getting slammed into the ground and the Dust rounds all hit her in a dogpile fashion.

We all know the rest.

Thing is, Yang gets hit and blocks attacks more than dodging and deflecting them while constantly rushing in at Mercury who she should KNOW by now has the advantage as her best showings were from when she was using her long range attacks. She in fact only fired off about eight shots at long range. And yet she focuses more on getting into Mercury’s melee range than staying out of it despite him kicking her ass or nullifying her attacks each time she does. And then there was Mercury’s final attack which she does NOTHING to stop despite the obvious Dust rounds flying in the air.

The only conclusion we can gather is that Yang did this because she relied on her Semblance for one last push instead of treating as a last resort because THAT is the only logic that works here.

And really?- She just stood around and let Junior’s men come to her?

Didn’t seem that way to me. One of my favorite parts was when she rushed the DJ, and beat him down. Which completely contradicts your claim that she waited for them to come to her by about……… 100%.

Ironic given that this is the only original argument that anon made. However, take a look at the footage again. Look how many times she blocks attacks from Junior’s men instead of simply moving backward or ducking. Again, Aura is still be used to protect her gauntlets from damage so it’s still feeding her Semblance. And looking at the footage as a whole, she doesn’t do much actual dodging aside from big movements made to go after opponents (like her big leap towards the crowd of goons or the rocket jump at the twins) and instead focuses on blocking and just getting hit.

She’s still prioritizing her Semblance over survival.

Oh and considering one of your arguments towards Yang’s flaws is that she doesn’t use kicks, good job showing that she does in fact use kicks in her fighting style (for fuck’s sake, she finishes off the blue twin with a kick!).

Another favorite part of mine is when she was seen blocking Melanie Malechite’s attacks when she was confronted by the twins. Which contradicts any claim that she deliberately takes hits in the Yellow Trailer by……… another 100%.

Actually that just shows you don’t know how Aura works, where it is shown to protect clothing. AKA her gauntlets? Blocking still feeds into her Semblance. The only evasive maneuvers that do not are dodging and deflecting AKA the two she uses the LEAST of.

Details like that are deliberately ignored to fuel a criticism of Yang that isn’t there to begin with.

... Dudeblade, if I went through my blog to showcase the number of times you ignored details to fuel a criticism that wasn’t there to begin with, I’d make a LEGENDARILY long post. But I don’t need to since I can just point to the video YOU provided and showcase that you are giving a criticism that isn’t ther eto begin with.

Your hypocrisy negates your smugness.

Go join that Yang Haters group on deviantart. I’ll even give you a hint and tell you that I just gave the group’s name first two words to you. Go join that haven of people who despise Yang if you’re going to victim blame so much.

Gee Dudeblade, why don’t you follow him? They also ignore facts about RWBY and bullshit all over it.

Hell:

You have similar tastes in hate art.

Yang’s fighting style has only changed in the sense that she now incorporates kicks into her attacks, something that would be a valid criticism.

Nope, not true. The Yellow Trailer contradicts you.

But wanna know what the ACTUAL difference is?

Yang doesn’t let her opponent’s get an attack as often and she’s more willing to just sweep them off their feet or attack their legs to put them down rather than just pummeling them. AKA she’s trying to end the fight faster instead of dragging it out.

But it wasn’t a criticism given. Instead, Tai calls the manifestation of Yang’s soul a temper tantrum, and decides that despite him being her teacher, this subject never came up.

Because as your own evidence shows, Yang DOES use kicks. She’s been using kicks since the Yellow Trailer.

Despite the fact that the only time that Yang ever abused her semblance was when she and the rest of her team were fighting Roman in the mech. That is literally the only time we see Yang abusing her semblance in the show.

Aside from Junior...

And Neo...

And Neon and Flynt...

And Mercury...

And Adam...

And the fact that Taiyang gave more than one criticism like her anger needs to be controlled and she needs to think while she fights which we see in the volume 5 Episode 4 fight where, upon being shot at, she takes a moment to survey the area and prioritize the shooter...

Every other time, she was never seen abusing it. She used it to power through Flynt’s attack in the doubles round, and……… That’s about it.

Despite the fact that she should have been fighting with Weiss the entire time and was getting her ass handed to her by Neon.

There wasn’t any other time in the tournament that she could have abused it as far as we were shown, so Tai’s comments are a case of them telling us the information, rather than showing us the information.

Neon, Mercury, Neo, Junior, Adam. All examples of fights were she would have benefitted from dodging, deflecting and long range attacks rather than blocking and just getting hit. That is the showing.. You just, in your own words, “deliberately ignored details to fuel a criticism that isn’t there to begin with.”

I mean, Tai was her teacher. If this comment never came up, then this wouldn’t be Yang’s fault for not knowing this, it would be Tai’s fault for not teaching it to her. There are no such things as bad students, only bad teachers.

Bull fucking shit. As a former student, I can safely say that is bullshit.

I use to go to school with a bunch of idiots who, despite being a grade above me, was in the same class as me and thought their time was better spent trying to piss me off than actually paying attention. Hell, I thought I spent my time better dicking around than studying or remembering my homework. There are bad students Dudeblade, I’ve met them and I WAS one.

Neo’s fighting style is literally Yang’s antithesis. It’s there to use her opponent’s power against her, and Mercury never used Yang’s anger against her. It was Emerald. Yeah, Yang has an anger problem, but that is what would give her agency. Not Tai being a crap teacher and never teaching Yang to not be so over-reliant on her semblance. Yang was in a tight corridor. You really expect someone to try shooting explosive shots in a closed space?- What world do you live in, where you do that?

The one where Yang tries that exact same thing in the show. Oops.

Also, she could have, I dunno, SWITCH OPPONENTS WITH SOMEONE ELSE?! The doors were not locked as we see in the Volume when the White Fang Lieutennant opened the door and flung Weiss through it. Hell, that same opponent would have made a better match for Yang so if she just tried to go get help from her friends, she could have switched opponents with Weis sand they both could have won.

And once more: Passing Yang’s flaws off to Taiyang does nothing but rob Yang of her agency. Because nothing is ever her fault thus she faces no challenges and thus she can never truly control her own path.No no, everyone else must take responsibility for Yang’s actions and change Yang’s life for her.

And retreat?- Why would she retreat?- If she had retreated, then you would be bitching about how she chickened out like a coward.

Hell no. I don’t call Ruby a coward for trying to run away from Roman in the same damn episode: that was a logical tactical retreat. Yang was being a stubborn dumbass. This coming from a stubborn dumbass.

Or maybe you’d rather she not do her job, and run away?- Who do you think she is?- Batman?- She’s not going to run away like a little bitch!

No, I expect her to fucking THINK her actions through because each time she gets into a fight she gambles not only her life but the lives of everyone around her WHICH SHE KNOWS FROM EXPIERENCE (Summer Rose.)

Was she reckless in that fight?- yes. Was it a result of her semblance?- no.

Was it the result of not only her focusing on her Semblance too much in her fighting style but also her own anger which is known to trigger her Semblance? - YES

In fact, once Yang figured out the fighting style she was up against, she changed tactics. She just changed too late, and got KOd by Neo, and bailed out by her deadbeat mother.

Yeah, changed from “Attack” to “Attack Attack Attack”

Yang’s problem had been predictability, a lack of kicks, and anger. It was NEVER abusing her semblance.

The first of which is due to an overreliance on her Semblance, the second never existed and the third is a PART of her Semblance issue.

Also-That means that everything Taiyang said to Yang in V4 E9 was right since you JUST listed off the things he mentioned minus the non exsistant kicking one.

Congrats Dudeblade, you’ve shot yourself.

And seriously anon. Learn punctuation. It’ll help people take you seriously.

A. You used dashes above wrong.

And B. Hypocrisy makes people take you less seriously even worse.

#dudeblade

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turntothree · 8 years ago

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Ry& Reaction: “Share the Joy”

To start things off, I think the on-stage performances were pretty good.

Going in I wasn’t sure if opting out the whimsical silliness and backstage skits of standard Nintendo Directs in favour of a lavish Apple-esque event was a good idea, but Kimishima and company pulled it off.

image source - Nintendo

The lighting was good, the music was catchy and the idea of using finger snaps as stage transitions was a clever way to stay on message with Switch’s gimmick. The presenters were great too, with everyone selling their pitches with clarity and confidence.

... And yes, a little bit of Nintendo’s trademark quirkiness seeped in, too.

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: Switch General Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi really impressed me and proved to be the most charismatic salesman in the bunch. Perhaps he could be groomed as the late, great Satoru Iwata’s replacement.

image source - Nintendo

But the skits and props and lasers are all just showmanship razzmatazz and while folks appreciate those things as lead-in material, what really sells people on gaming products are the video packages. Because there’s nothing quite like a sharply edited trailer to get you hyped for a new game or piece of hardware.

The Switch itself received two hype videos. The first providing an overview on the console as a whole, while the second focused specifically on the Joy-Con controllers.

image source - Nintendo

Video one started out as a nice little recap of how the TV Mode, Handheld Mode, and Table-Top Mode functions work and really hammered down the benefits of taking your game anywhere. As the package rolled on however, Nintendo started to answer some FAQ’s regarding certain elements of the Switch’s hardware like for example: What’s the battery life of the Switch tablet? Will the tablet have a touch-based interface? How many Switches can be linked together?

Answer 1 - As the previous rumours suggested, roughly three to six hours. Nintendo says this is fully depending on the game in play. So something like say Breath of the Wild can run up to three hours, while smaller scale stuff like low-res indies or Virtual Console classics are likely in six-hour territory.

image source - Nintendo

Hot take – It’s kind of hard to say this revelation is disappointing but it still is. It’s running games at 720p and 60fps, so this is pretty reasonable. On the other hand, three hours isn’t much play time for a handheld device. So if you plan on traveling with this thing, bring a book, too.

Answer 2 – Yes. It’s a 6.2’ inch multi-touch pad, similar to the tech used for the Wii U and the Dual Screen handheld lines.

image source - Nintendo

Hot Take – It’s a good design choice, as that interface worked beautifully for those systems and opened up a lot of game design possibilities. I fully expect this new screen to work the same magic for Switch.

Answer 3 – Up to eight Switch tablets can be linked together for local multiplayer.

image source - Nintendo

Hot Take - So ... that’d be 8-16 players depending on the game? That’s going to come in handy for competitive tournaments ... or a big old house party!

Editor’s Note: It was also pointed out online multiplayer can be accessed in all three Switch Modes ... kind of weird that that got mentioned. Most people would think it was given but good news all the same.

Switch video #2 provided a demo of the Joy-Con’s motion sensing technology, because Wii aren’t going to see Ninty let go of that old chestnut any time soon.

image source - Nintendo

Although, perhaps a Wiimote/nunchuck comparison isn’t totally fair. Oh, Joy-Con R&L serve the same purpose but according to Koizumi’s demonstration, these nifty little inventions are more sophisticated and precise than their predecessors. Apparently they allow actions like say swinging Link’s Master Sword or one of Little Mac’s trademark Star Punches to be performed with pin-point accuracy.

Part of what makes this proposed accuracy possible is an IR camera built into the right Joy-Con that can measure the shape, motion, and distance of any object in front of it.

That’s not to say Joy-Con R is the only of its kind to innovate because both the right and left controllers have built-in “HD Rumble”, the Rumble Pack’s next-gen cousin. What this new tech does is add a greater sense of weight and sound to the rumble, making it so the player can really feel the impact of the aforementioned punches and sword clangs.

Editor’s Note: His examples were Rock, Paper, Scissors ... Glass of Water. Mine are better.

Also, the left one has a Share button and the right one has an NFC scanner for Amiibo figures. Oh, and wrist straps are included in box to ensure no wayward Joy-Cons breakthrough the televisions that bind them.

Editor’s Note: Don’t you dare laugh at that last part. The threat is real.

image source - Nintendo

Thoughts on video #2:

So, on top of being two-thirds of the Switch Grip (TV Mode controller), two-thirds of the Switch Handheld, as well as P1 and P2 controllers (Tablet Mode), the Joy-Cons are also Wiimote/nunchuck 2.0 HD? Quite the little technical marvels, wouldn’t you say?

Now, I haven’t been one to consistently sing the praises of motion controls, not that I don’t think stuff like Wii Sports, Wii Fit or Just Dance can be fun ... in fact, I’ve had plenty of fun with those games.

image source - Nintendo

That said, the precision of Wii Motion (even with Plus) wasn’t always up to snuff and Nintendo would often insert those slightly finicky mechanics into more traditional (or classic style) games and let’s just say (to put it gently) the results varied.

image source - Nintendo

Still, motion control technology has a lot of potential and overall I’m glad Nintendo experimented with it. If what Koizumi said is true, we would be looking at the most immersive gameplay set-up around ... that doesn’t involve a VR headset. I don’t know if I fully buy that but I’d be willing to give his bold “new world of entertainment” a fair shake ... just as long as it doesn’t force me out of my comfort zone.

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: At the very least it could prove to provide plenty of fun. I mean, who doesn’t like to move around and get a little silly with friends, right?

My one suggestion would be to build games specifically around those mechanics, as opposed to cramming said mechanics into everything. Considering this setup doesn’t work in Handheld Mode, I don’t think that’s much cause for concern.

The Share button ... OK; Nintendo’s more than a couple years late to the social networking party, which is sad cause it could have lead the charge back in 2012 ... but it didn’t. Although, there’s something to be said about better being late than never and this function will be very useful for fans to share their experiences ... just a shame the video portion will be a few months late.

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: A logical step two would be to sign a partnership deal with Twitch TV. Step three would be to stop putting an ad revenue cap on Youtube uploads. If you want creative folks to make and share videos based on your IPs, you got to build that bridge.

image source - Nintendo

The Amiibo scanner is a no brainer and building it into the Joy-Cons only makes sense since it allows figures to be usable in all three Switch forms.

Oh, and (again) the wrist straps are great because they prevent property damage.

Ooooo! Now we can get to the best part of this little blog, The Game Trailer Lightning Round!

image source - Nintendo

The screen (whether it be TV or tablet) is almost a non-factor in 1-2-Switch, a weird (oh so very weird) mini-game collection/Joy-Con motion sensor showcase.

Whether it’s engaging in a quick draw showdown, a copy cat dance-off, cow milking ... or fictitious sandwich eating, 1-2-Switch is all about gaining the upper hand on your opponent through awareness of audio cues and slight changes in HD Rumble.

Pro-Tip: Keeping a watchful eye on your opponent and their physical tells is also a keen strategy.

I honestly didn’t know what to make of 1-2-Switch. Between the goofy gestures and one-on-one contact, this one has the potential to be a game night regular. But the clips in the trailer were a bit too strange to get a good read on whether or not I’d personally enjoy it overall. (I say overall because I was sold on that Quick Draw game from the moment it shot up)

Release Date – March 3, 2017

Editor’s Note: This would make for a perfect pack-in title.

image source - Nintendo

Next up is Arms: a figurative (and literal) one-two punch of physicality and traditional gameplay.

Likely inspired by the Nintendo Ultra Hand, Arms is a 3D fighting game that’s a little bit Wii Sports Boxing and a little bit Team Fortress 2.

Players can pick from a variety of colourful heroes, each with their own unique abilities and power-ups ... with the added twist that their arms are spring-loaded extendo-gloves.

Basically the goal of the game is too grab, throw and punch your opponent from half-way across the arena until you can deliver a super move and knock ‘em out; as you bob, weave, jump and dodge. And it’s all done through a combination of wrist-flicks, timed button presses and actual punching.

I had no idea whether or not the game would work as intended but it was so incredibly silly that it tickled punched me in all the right places.

Release Date – Spring 2017

image source - Nintendo

Swimming in from Inkopolis was Splatoon 2! (A proper sequel ... good swerve)

Good to know the kids and squids are back to squirt up some more trouble in an all-new set of turf wars filled with new characters, weapons, maps and even a few new mechanics like a dodge roll and rocket blast.

The original was one of the few games on Wii U to bring millions of players together through online play, so it’s little to wonder why The Big N decided to let the squids (and kids) Switch it up for a whole new round of Splat Fests.

Yup, happy to see Nintendo continue its efforts to support fresh IP ... and even happier to know Splat Fest (along with a variety of free DLC) is making a comeback, too.

Release Date – Summer 2017

image source - Nintendo

Then suddenly, after years of build-up, we finally caught a good glimpse of [insert drum roll] Super Mario Odyssey!

Oh man, oh man! I think it’s safe to say many of us have waited years for a new 3D open-world game to take the red-clad plumber far beyond the samey terrains of The Mushroom Kingdom and when it finally came, I (for one) wasn’t disappointed.

Mario jumping and swooshing around the busy city streets of New York Donk City like Spider-Man; exploring the deepest darkest forests of parts unknown; cooking up trouble in a crystallized food world; and riding the frickin’ sphinx from Super Mario Land(?), were awesome sights to behold!

Wait a second ... he can break dance? OK, I’m giving it six, no, seven stars!

image sources - Nintendo and Capcom Fighters

... Also the new hat throw and hat jump mechanics are pretty neat.

This trailer blew me away then knocked my socks off! It’s a beautiful looking game that boasts the Switch’s HD vigour in full effect and a great mix of cool new stuff and the classic stuff that made us all fans in the first place.

So yeah, good first impression. Can’t wait to see more during E3.

Release Date – Holiday Season 2017

Following that wonderful display was an onslaught of upcoming RPGs:

image sources - Monolith Software, Koei Tecmo, Square Enix, Nintendo, Atlus and Bethesda

Xenoblade 2 – A proper sequel to the cult classic brought stateside by popular demand.

Dragon Quest Heroes 1&2 – After further confirmation of Dragon Quest X and XI Switch ports, it was revealed Square Enix’s classic series’ recent crossovers with Koei Tecmo’s popular hack-and-slash Dynasty Warriors franchise would also “make the Switch”.

Fire Emblem Warriors – Speaking of Dynasty Warriors, following its recent success crossing over with Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, the two dev teams are hoping to make lightning strike twice but this time with Fire Emblem characters. No footage was shown aside from a shield, a hand, and a sword.

Shin Megami Tensei 25th Anniversary HD Project – A new entry in Atlus’ (oc)cult classic franchise “makes the Switch” with many of its fan favourite monsters in line. It’s probably the fifth game in its mainline ... probably.

Project Octopath Traveler – 2D pixels and 3D backdrops collide in this little beauty from Square Enix.

Skyrim – At long last, Bethesda has joined forces with Nintendo and together they will bring at least one of the best western made RPGs to the Switch, and that game is the legendary Skyrim! Not only that, but the game looks great (maybe not the best it’s ever looked but still great) and having it on a handheld is sure to make many Elder Scrolls fans shout H-Ur-Rah!

RPGs have always had a prosperous home on Nintendo consoles (excluding the N64) and it’s nice to see such a great and varied selection settle on Switch. It’s just unfortunate (for this blog at least) that aside from the ports, we really don’t know that much about any of them other than they’ll all be out this year.

youtube

video source - Nintendo on Youtube

Later on in the evening, fans watching at home were treated to the typical end of show sizzle reel, featuring a rundown of every game shown up to that point, as well as a few many that were left out ... many being 22 in this case.

And here they are ... *Ahem*:

I am Setsuna

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Rayman Legends

Snipperclips

Mario Kart

Steep

Sonic 2017

Has Been Heroes

Skylanders: Imaginators

Minecraft

Minecraft: Story Mode

LEGO City Undercover

Redout

Farming Simulator

Disgaea 5

Just Dance 2017

Puyo Puyo Tetris

Super Bomberman

Nobunaga’s Ambition

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

Rime

NBA 2K18

Editor’s Note: *GASP! PANT! PANT! GASP!* I think that’s all of them.

More on this list later but first ... the grand finale.

After much teasing and commercial plugging, Nintendo’s biggest wigs closed out the show with a final bow and fade to black, very classy.

PSYCHE!

... Yeah, that stuff happened but to serve as a lead in for one last trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!

image source - Nintendo

Wow, what a trailer! It had everything: drama, tragedy and of course some sweet gameplay action, all without giving too much away. It was the perfect piece of mass media marketing.

And that March 3, 2017 launch date reveal? Truly a “legendary” stinger to close such an historic night.

Some loose notes from the show:

image source - Nintendo

An EA rep appeared on stage to announce a new kind of FIFA game is coming to Switch this fall. Probably the best possible sports game get for the system given FIFA’s world-wide reach.

image source - Nintendo

Suda 51 made the scene with the announcement of a brand-new game starring No More Heroes loser-in-chief leading man Travis Touchdown. Apparently, it takes inspiration from pro-wrestling and that’s all he could share ... so maybe it’s No More Heroes 3 or maybe it isn’t. Also, it’s only in the early development stages, so it’s not coming out anytime soon unfortunately.

Editor’s Note: No More Heroes 1 & 2 were hallmark titles on the original Wii, making Nintendo (and publisher Ubisoft) a lot of money, while also transforming Suda from a weird niche auteur into an indie dev superstar. Welcome home, Suda-San.

And at the start of the show, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima addressed the crowd and viewers at home with five fascinating factoids.

First & Second: A fair share of Nintendo’s online services will revolve around a mobile app and when I say fair share, I should really say most, since the app supported features include match making, lobbies and voice chat. Sadly, the app won’t be ready in time for Switch’s launch but basic online play and the eShop will be up and running from Day One.

image source - Nintendo

Speaking of Switch’s online play, Nintendo will take the Xbox Gold and PlayStation Plus route with some sort of pay-to-use structure ... the details of which weren’t ironed out during the show.

Hot takes – I’m of two minds on this whole app business. Match making and voice chats through an app is an interesting concept and with DeNA (a mobile company) behind it, it could be taken in several creative directions. That and it kind of makes sense since Switch is two-thirds a mobile console.

On the other hand, users’ best keep a watchful eye on their phone bill ... or stay put in a wi-fi zone.

image source - 20th Century Fox (made with Frinkiac)

Editor’s Note: Fingers crossed this isn’t a data muncher.

image source - 20th Century Fox (made with Frinkiac)

*Sigh* I guess it had to happen eventually and I understand the logic of charging for online play (servers and whatnot). Still ... maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. Free online play was a nice competitive edge Nintendo had over the competition (and not having to pay an extra $60-80 a year was a nice treat for customers) and now it’s gone. Let’s just hope the price is reasonable and it has some perks aside from basic services.

Editor’s Note: Also, credit where it’s due, Nintendo will grant users free access for the first few months, as DeNA works out the kinks. Props to The Big N for doing something it (in all honesty) didn’t have to do.

Third: Starting with Switch, Region Locking is donzo on Nintendo!

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: He put it more eloquently but I wanted to rhyme and it’s my blog, so there!

Hot take – This is good news for developers who make niche games that don’t typically get localized for foreign markets. It’s good news for international fans who can ship and play said games without having to also ship region specific hardware (or resort to piracy). And it’s also good PR for Nintendo, so it’s good news for everyone. Nice play, Big N.

image source - Nintendo

Fourth & Fifth: Mark the date, Nintendo fans. Planet Earth will “Make the Switch” on March 3, 2017! Two weeks prior to the date that had been tossed around by the press ... and it will be priced at $299.99 in North America.

Hot takes – March 3 is a pretty good launch date. Just before spring break season and it’s also when some lucky folks have a bit of extra cash on hand. So a nice portion of Nintendo’s base is bound have some time and money spend on Switch.

That North American price point seemed so bold to me. In fact, I couldn’t believe it when I heard it and had to rewind the video feed twice. But Kimishima said clear as day the words, “$299.99” and “North America”, as in a universal price point across the continent? It seemed so.

To put that into perspective for my fellow Canucks, Switches sold in Canada would be roughly $75 (USD) cheaper when the (usually terrible for us) exchange rate is taken into account. “Truly a gutsy and most appreciated move”, I thought. “Nintendo must really want to win the Canadian market share.”

Editor’s Note: I was so young, so naive. Like a little koopaling.

If I were to give a brief overview of the show, I’d say it wasn’t without a select few weaker moments but the showmanship was good and between the potential in the hardware’s gimmick and some sweet looking games, I closed out of the window feeling mighty enthusiastic about the Switch.

...

Editor’s Note: I realize this is a tad late (on account of multiple re-writes ... each longer and more thesis-y than the last) and for that I’m sorry. To make amends, here are some reactions to Switch stuff that popped up in the aftermath.

In the mere minutes that followed the Switch presentation, Nintendo and a handful of third-party partners continued to dish on the multifaceted dream machine and it wasn’t all good news.

For starters, it turns out Kimishima forgot to put a USD label next to that price tag. ... I should have known it was too good to be true.

So what’s the true Canadian price? $400 CAD...

And with that, my optimism took a good bonk to the head.

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: Total time spent in denial – 75 Minutes

Dang dude, it’s almost as if Nintendo doesn’t want to compete here in The Great White North.

I get Nintendo of Japan doesn’t want to lose money on the exchange rate and I’m sure Nintendo of America would rather not see its customers travel north of the border for bargain Switches, but really? $400 for a Switch is craz ... ludacr ... less than ideal.

An Xbox One or standard PS4 in Canada can run between $380 & $350 depending on where you shop and the particular bundle. Sony and Microsoft have chosen to take a slight hit on the exchange but in turn, they’ve also kept their consoles within an enticing price range. This is important because a lame loony means consumers have fewer of those loonies to spend on luxuries.

image source - PlayStation Blog

image source - EB Games

Also notice how I said “bundles”. Yeah, PlayStations and Xbox One S’ come with games and not just any games but major blockbusters like Uncharted 4 and Gears of War 4; or Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Yes, customers pay more in CAD than their friends down south would pay in USD but they can still feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth. Switch has no such pack-in. Not even 1-2-Switch, which might as well be classified as a tech demo.

Editor’s Note: Nintendo said a pack-in game won’t be included in order to keep the price at $300 USD.

Then there’s the memory issue. Ordinary PS4′s and standard Xbone S’ have 500GB of storage built in. What does Switch got? A 32GB Micro SD card. ... Breath of the Wild on its own is a 13GB download.

Editor’s Note: Additional Micro SDs of up to 256GBs can be swapped in but could be another pricey purchase, especially if you choose one with Nintendo branding.

Not to mention the other two options also have superior hardware and some slightly spiffier graphics.

And it’s not just the console that’s steeply priced. Get a load of this:

image source - EB Games

Yikes. $90 bucks for the least gimmicked controller? $100 bucks for an extra pair of Joy-Cons? Yes, there’s fancy tech installed into the JC’s and yes, name-brand controllers are pricey across the board but at least the other players on said board have affordable third-party alternatives in stock.

Editor’s Note: To Nintendo’s credit, it did commission HORI to make a cheaper ($39.99 CAD) wired controller ... but it can’t be used for travel play, which is Switch’s main selling point.

Well, at least game prices synch up with the competition ... even if $65 for 1-2-Switch, $70 for Bomberman and $55 for The Binding of Isaac is a bit much.

Oh and speaking of games, a few more Switch titles have been announced since the presentation.

image sources - SEGA, Nicalis, Arc System Works and Bandai Namco

Sonic Mania (YES!), BlazBlue (YES!), The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (YES!), the next Tales game (neat), and New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers (woo?) were all announced just minutes after the keynote.

Another game related revelation of the (late) evening was that the new Mario Kart game is in fact a port of Mario Kart 8, as previously rumoured.

image source - Nintendo

Mario Kart 8: Deluxe features 10 new characters (including Dry Bones, King Boo and the Inklings from Splatoon), a second item slot (as well as some new to MK8 items such as the Super Leaf) and (by popular demand) a return to the classic Battle Mode. Just a shame the Inkoplois park is the only new track.

MK8D will be a good pick-up for those who didn’t pick-up a Wii U (which is A LOT of people) and perhaps OG MK8 players will pick it up, too because of the new content.

In the month since ...

image source - Yacht Club Games, Nicalis, Tomorrow Corporation and Warner Bros.

Yacht Club Games confirmed the Treasure Trove edition of Shovel Knight will dig into the Switch. Indie publishers Nicalis and Tomorrow Corporation have confirmed choice selections from their libraries. Warner Bros. will continue to build its relationship with Nintendo through a Switch version of LEGO Worlds.

Ah yeah, and Nintendo hosted a Fire Emblem themed Direct on January 18 in which a proper (but yet to be named) Fire Emblem title was announced for a 2018 release on Switch.

image source - Nintendo

We also got to see Chrom slash a bunch of dudes in a slightly extended Fire Emblem Warriors trailer.

image sources - Nintendo and Koei Tecmo

Wait ... I almost forgot. When Game Spot’s Chris Pererira caught up with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Amie at the January 13 hands-on event at Nintendo World in NYC, Pererira attempted to inquire about two particularly popular (and currently MIA) franchises. I don’t think I need to you tell what those franchises were ... (they were Metroid and Mother) *Cough*. Anyway, Reggie cut him off guard and asked the question himself, at which he promptly answered in a rather interesting manner.

image source - Nintendo

"Oh, so earlier today I got asked about Mother 3; maybe you can ask me about Metroid. Look, again, I am proud as an executive with Nintendo to say that we look at all of the boards and all of the comments and we really have a good understanding of what our consumers want. And believe me, we take that to heart as we work to create content.

"So I have nothing to announce--here. But we are aware that there are some key IP that consumers just can't wait for the next true installment in that franchise's legacy. Suffice it to say, we're aware of it, and talk to me in a year and let's look back and see what's happened." - Reggie Fils-Amie to Game Spot (January 13, 2017)

As Pererira noted in his article, these comments do not guarantee either a new and proper entry in the Metroid franchise or the long-awaited (and official) English language release of Mother 3. However, they do offer up a nice little bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, those deeply wanted announcements are incoming ... maybe at E3? ... Maybe?

image source - @Nintendeal on Twitter

Aside from all that, Nintendeal made this nifty little (albeit incomplete) 2017 release schedule, with the added promise that between Nintendo and its third-party partners, 100 games are currently in development for Switch.

That’s all well and good but ... is it really enough?

image source - 20th Century Fox (made with Frinkiac)

Editor’s Note: *Sigh* I’m starting to come off as an entitled snot, aren’t I?

Look, 100 games is a great release target for a console’s first year, I’m not debating that. And I certainly wouldn’t imply it’s a weak collection from what we’ve seen thus far.

Between the point-and-click adventures, world-builders, platformers, racers, puzzlers, party games, fighting games and the wealth of RPGs, Switch will have plenty of good stuff to offer all ages and tastes.

However, most of what’s listed is ports of games released several months or years ago on PS4 and Xbox One. Now that I think of it, there’s also an alarming lack of star power outside of Nintendo’s development bubble.

image sources - Blizzard, Ubisoft, EA, Rockstar Games, Bethesda, Square Enix, Capcom, NetherRealm Studios, BioWare and Nintendo

Sure, Switch has most of the world’s leading development and publishing houses pledging support but where are those studios’ heaviest hitters? Have Overwatch and For Honor enlisted? Will Injustice 2 and MvC Infinite bring the fight to Switch? Red Dead 2 and GTA are MIA? Did Final Fantasy XV & Kingdom Hearts 3 not belong in that RPG package? I could go on with a longer list of missing major third-party titles that have or will make fat stacks on and for other platforms, but I’ll leave it at that. ... Oh, and I don’t recall seeing a Switch logo in the recent Avengers teaser.

Editor’s Note: And aren’t there sports other than Basketball and Soccer?

Perhaps these games will be revealed down the line during E3 or even in one of the few Directs Nintendo is bound to host between now and then. Or maybe they won’t arrive at all.

image source - EA

Respawn’s Mohammad Alavi recently scoffed at the idea of Titanfall 2 landing on Switch, stating the console’s hardware was “under-powered”. There are also rumours Switch’s crack at the FIFA franchise will be based on past PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

Editor’s Note: Yikes.

Basically, despite its Maxwell chip suggesting it could handle producing games visually on par with basic PS4 and Xbone titles, there might be some U-esque hardware flaw that prevents ports of let’s call them “busier” games from being viable options.

Editor’s Note: Potentially devastating, if true.

Although, another likely explanation could be these studios are playing the waiting game to see if Nintendo moves enough Switches to make the effort of porting that stuff worthwhile. As much flack as some of Nintendo’s hardcore fans tend to give them for Wii U’s “failure”, these companies got burned, too; losing good money on their few investments.

image source - Bioware, Ubisoft and Warner Bros.

Long story short, Switch’s initial line-up is fairly solid with some good (and great) stuff from third-parties and Nintendo itself. However, the third-party portion has some major absences for one reason or ... multiple others.

I wouldn’t normally wish to speculate off the cuff but (granting Switch is successful), I think these publishers will port over as many of their hallmark games as they can (IE as many of them that are compatible with Switch’s hardware). I suppose any gaps could be filled with original content they would’ve made for the 3DS. (This is likely the fate of Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch series, for example)

image source - Level-5

PS: One more thing that’s setting off some red flags is the fact only a handful of games has a release date set in stone. I hope we don’t see any dry spells like with the Wii U’s early days ... and middle days ... and later days.

Boy, this sure is getting long in the tooth (again) but before I end this, I want to make sure I cover the growth of Nintendo’s online services.

In the moments following Switch’s grand showing, Nintendo released this adorable little gem on Youtube:

youtube

video source - Nintendo on Youtube

To summarize, Big Bow protects Little Bow from the more intimidating aspects of online play, as well as shielding him from inappropriate content, all while tapping contently through a simple mobile app. This app also gave the senior koopa the power to control junior’s playtime and to set a play schedule, all while learning everything there is to know about his son’s favourite games.

I’m all for anything that gives parent’s the power to monitor what their kids are playing and add any restrictions they deem suitable for their child. I also think Nintendo should be commended for encouraging parents to learn more about their child’s interests and to play with them. I like that a lot.

Having it all controlled through an app is a great idea, too. After all, mom & dad can’t be home 24/7, so having an ace up their sleeve for some extra piece of mind is a lovely courtesy.

Editor’s Note: I hope mom & dad have good coverage.

image source - 20th Century Fox (made with Frinkiac)

Another key online selling point Nintendo immediately put forward was its counterpoint to PS Plus Rewards and Games With Gold.

Subscribers to Nintendo’s online service will get one free NES or SNES classic each month. OK, that doesn’t quite measure up to the competition considering they hand out multiple free and current (or currentish) games each month, but a free game is a free game.

Wait, let me just read this fine print before moving on...

image source - Nintendo

It expires after a month? You mean to tell me Nintendo can’t afford to give away decades-old roms no bigger than a couple songs on iTunes? Not to mention the library of NES and SNES games is so massive; The Big N couldn’t possibly come close to giving them all away anyway. Come on, man.

Needless to say, that news irked me a bit when I first read it. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the member discounts continuing on into the Switch’s life-span or thought online play for SNES games wasn’t so darn cool.

You know what else is cool? A region free online store!

image source - Koei Tecmo

On January 19 it was uncovered that much like Switch discs, digital copies have also been unshackled! But ... there’s a bit of catch. That catch being region specific sections of the eShop, as well as region specific games, can only be accessed with user IDs tagged to those regions. Luckily, up to eight user profiles can be attached to a Switch console and those profiles can be tied to any region of the user’s choosing. So, say if a primarily English speaking player wants to buy and play a Japanese game but doesn’t want to go through the expensive process of importing a physical copy, all they have to do is create and log into a Japanese profile on their Switch. Easy peasy, Wario queasy.

Getting back to the NYC show, Youtube personality ProJared caught up with Reggie for a rather Switched up interview.

image source - ProJared on Youtube

At one point in the discussion, Jared inquired about the possibility of Virtual Console purchases becoming cross-platform tie-ins. Reggie offered this promising reply:

“We’ve heard this comment. We’ve heard it many times. Obviously the first step for us was getting a unified Nintendo account that goes back and ties back not only existing systems but will tie back to the Nintendo Switch and mobile gaming. The details of exactly how the Virtual Console will work, we’re holding back a little bit, so we can share the full concept at a later date but we heard the comment and we’re working on it.” - Reggie Fils-Amie to ProJared (January 13, 2017)

Not much to say here other than it’s about time. You buy a game once, you shouldn’t have to buy it again or pay a fee just to transfer it over to another system. Good to see Nintendo has finally come to understand this.

I also can’t forget February 1, when Japanese financial paper Nikkei uncovered Nintendo’s plan to charge between 2,000 and 3,000 yen per year for the online service. (This translates to $17 and $26 USD ... or roughly $22 and $34 CAD).

image source - Nintendo

Needless to say, that’s great! If Nintendo has to charge for online play, at least it’s reasonably priced ... more so than PlayStation Network and Xbox Live which charge (at least) twice as much.

Suddenly the whole “month-long free VC game rental” thing doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

Editor’s Note: Switch Online sure has some nice positives ... *Sigh* I’m going to miss Miiverse. I know, it’s getting scrapped because Nintendo can’t provide enough moderation to make it a family friendly environment but still :( .

image source - Pure Nintendo (via Miiverse.net)

Editor’s Note [part deux]: Nah, I don’t want to end the discussion like that. Hmm ... oh, those bothersome Friend Codes are gone! I don’t care to remember all those extra numbers.

image source - 20th Century Fox (made with Frinkiac)

Update - Scratch that, they’re back. Groooooooooooan!

Hold it! ... Is there anything else about Switch I should note before reaching the conclusion? Well, I saw the Switch ad that played during the Super Bowl.

image source - Nintendo

It was alright. More or less the same sort of ad used to reveal Switch last October; folks out enjoying their games anywhere and everywhere to the tune of a snappy song about beating to the tune of your own drum, expect this time the entire family got into it, as opposed to just the hip millennials. The message of the ad is simple: Switch can be enjoyed anywhere and everywhere by anyone and everyone.

Editor’s Note: Wait a second ... “First Thing” – TV Mode; “Second Thing” – Tabletop Mode; “Last Thing” – Handheld Mode. Oh my, that’s some clever use of song lyrics.

I guess I could also make a brief mention of the Treehouse livestream. While it didn’t reveal any additional games, it did shine a nice spotlight on the games that made their debut the night before ... also Zelda.

image source - Nintendo

All of the Treehouse segments have been archived to Youtube but I’d like to list off my favourites:

Arms – I didn’t expect this game to look so cool in motion but it did. The button presses, wrist-flicks and RL punches flowed into each other perfectly. Not to mention the game itself seems like a nice light-hearted bit of fun.

Super Bomberman R – I don’t know what’s more shocking, the fact Konami brought Bomberman back, or that his return didn’t blow up in a pachinko machine.

Snipperclips – An adorable paper craft puzzler that took me by surprise.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers – A new spin(kick) on a timeless classic.

Super Mario Odyssey – Nothing new here but I loved Miyamoto’s history lesson concerning Super Mario’s 64 and Sunshine and the influence their design had over this grand new adventure.

1,2-Switch – The Treehouse gang had some fun messing around with a few mini-games and it was fun to watch. That said, I’m still not sure if I’m entirely sold on it just yet. Still, I’d love to try out a few samples.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – I really enjoyed the quick look at the improvements made to the horseback riding mechanics and the new stable system. The real-time weather was quite something as well.

Moment of truth time is finally here; the moment to render that verdict I P-Winged my way out of last time. And now that there’s virtually no escape, boy, I have to make a call.

OK...I have to give Nintendo credit, the Switch’s introduction into the public eye has been a rousing success these past few months...for the most part.

The hardware and marquee games both left a major impression, and (unlike Wii U) Switch’s ad campaign has been firmly on point. Based on the tens of millions of Youtube views alone, there’s a level of excitement for this thing that hasn’t been felt for a Nintendo product in a good-long time. I’m talking Wii and NES level excitement. Its appeal has reached far beyond gamers and hardcore Nintendo fans; the Switch is now part of the wider pop culture consciousness. The mainstream market is very much interested in “making the Switch”.

image source - Nintendo

Editor’s Note: Pre-orders have sold out world-wide and some shops have even had to cancel pre-orders because their pre-order stock couldn’t meet the pre-order demand and that is after Nintendo increased production to get more Switches on shelves...this is going to be a hot item. (*sigh* Oh Nintendo, Why do you under stock things?)

Will this mainstream appeal last? That’s a whole other story.

Sure, it’s currently selling out like crazy and folks are desperately clamouring to get one but a lot of fads started out that way and died down eventually and there are a few ways Switch could meet that same fate.

Like say, if the third-parties ultimately choose to abandon porting their big blockbusters to Switch, much like they did with the Wii U. Or if Nintendo were to disband its current united front and build another handheld to succeed the 3DS, giving big publishers that want to work with Nintendo (and even Nintendo’s own teams) another option, which was another thing that hurt Wii U.

There’s also the matter of Nintendo’s hardware and accessory pricing.

Editor’s Note: “Oh look at this big baby crying about those Canadian price points, again.” First: it’s my blog and I’ll cry if I want to. Second: yes, the prices are too darn high! Third: those US prices aren’t exactly bargains either. The US controller prices are gouges, too and Americans can buy those same PS4 and Xbox One bundles I mentioned earlier for the USD price of a Switch! Is the portability gimmick enough to cover the lack of a pack-in game, lack of decent hardware storage or lack of guaranteed full-fledged third-party support?!

*Cough* The Big N might also shoot its own Big old Foot and under stock Switch to the point customers just give up and choose to spend their money on other things. ... I’m looking directly at you, NES Classic Edition!

Or maybe, Switch is destined to fade away into fad zone obscurity. Like the SEGA CD/32X; the PlayStation Vita; and (to name it again) Nintendo’s own Wii U. It’d be unfortunate and it could happen for any number of reasons but to put it simply, sometimes things just don’t work out.

image credit - SEGA, Sony and Nintendo

I certainly see Koizumi’s angle of a bold “new world of entertainment” and its potential is bright but the more I think about, the clearer I can see a few possibilities for failure.

In the end, the only advice I could give to anyone who is curious about “Switching over” but isn’t entirely sure about it, would be to wait it out a bit...although in all honesty, they probably don’t have a choice but to wait at this point anyway.

How long of a wait am I talking here? I’d say Christmas (because there will likely be at least one good bundle and a much wider array of games to choose from) or next year (because a slight price drop is probably going to happen in year two). Not to mention waiting it out for 8-12 months would give you plenty of time to get a read on Switch’s future and determine whether or not it’s a good long-term investment.

Editor’s Note: If you’re desire to “Switch sides” relies on “Breathing in the Wild”, the latest incarnation of Zelda is also saveable on Wii U...yeah, it’s essentially U’s last rites.

Whelp, that does it. I hope you enjoyed this exceedingly long look at the Nintendo Switch’s pre-release hype and I thank you so very much for sticking with me.

Also, if I still have your attention, and if you do dig my work, feel to share, like, comment, re-blog, or whatever. ... A follow would be great as well, since it’s a lovely indicator that people are reading. *Cough* Ah...bye for now!

Don’t touch that dial...

Research sources – Nintendo, Game Informer, GameXplain, IGN, Game Spot, Game Rant, Siliconera, IGN(again), Game Spot (again), ProJared, the BBC , Digital Trends, Game Rant (again), The Verge, Forbes and VG247

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operationrainfall · 5 years ago

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CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS is one of those games that people love to hate. And I’m not saying everybody is wrong that’s reviewed it so far, nor am I saying I necessarily know better. What I am saying is that whenever I see something which the aggregate tells me is irrevocably horrible, I tend to want to disprove the consensus. Or at least offer an alternate viewpoint. After all, I’ve actually been excited for CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS since I saw the surprising trailer unveiled way back at E3 2019. I may have been the only journalist woohooing and raising my fist in appreciation, and for a simple reason – I’m a fan of the CONTRA series. Yes, it’s generally hard as nails and beyond brutal, but it’s one of those series I grew up playing. Sure it’s not very intellectually stimulating or terribly deep, but sometimes you just need an excuse to blow away alien scum. So seeing as how I finally started playing my preorder copy of the game, let’s see if it scratched that violent itch.

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First things first, I will concede that ROGUE CORPS is a messy title. Not just visually, but in terms of the precision of how the game and its systems work. I’m not saying that to be cruel, but sadly it’s just a fact. Having said that, I still found myself enjoying the basic loop of the gameplay. Picking a character, going through missions, beating bosses, getting rewarded with items, then using said items to upgrade my character. Now if you’re an old fan of the series, most of that probably stood out to you. Usually you don’t have progressive upgrades in CONTRA games, you just fight from level to level. And while I respect developer Toylogic for being ambitious and taking chances with the title, I couldn’t help but come to a conclusion as I played – ROGUE CORPS isn’t truly a CONTRA game. Again, not a slight, just a fact. In a way, ROGUE CORPS is a mishmash of various games wearing a CONTRA suit. In many ways, it reminded me of a mix of Gauntlet, Smash TV and DOOM. Which in a way isn’t that surprising after I researched other projects developed by Toylogic. One that particularly stood out was Kid Icarus: Uprising. That’s another great example of using the window dressing of the series, but totally reinventing how it sounds and plays. And much like Kid Icarus: Uprising, ROGUE CORPS fires many shots that miss the mark, as well as some that hit dead center.

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The game starts with a surprisingly epic introduction, illustrated in a comic book style. It tries to encapsulate the entire history of the CONTRA games, showing how the aliens invaded and were beaten back. Or so we thought. Turns out, they left a present deep in the Earth’s core, and it suddenly erupts into a living nightmare called Damned City. This twisted location is so dangerous that most humans go mad just stepping foot there, and that serves as the excuse for our eclectic team of heroes, the titular ROGUE CORPS (or I guess technically Jaegers, according to the intro). Whatever their name, this fearsome foursome is the strangest band of heroes found in any CONTRA game. There’s team leader Kaiser, who looks like the cybernetic caveman ancestor of Bill Rizer. Then there’s Ms. Harakiri, who somehow got fused with an alien parasite that she stabs to gain temporary power boosts. Then there’s Gentleman, a hideous insectoid alien that is apparently on the side of the angels. And then there’s my favorite, Hungry Beast (HB for short), a giant mecha panda with a scientist’s brain in his noggin. Though you’d be hard pressed to call the heroes from other CONTRA games normal, this bunch makes them look boring by comparison. Oh and there’s one more character named Lily, she’s your pilot as well as the narrator of the story.

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Now, as I said earlier, the basic gameplay is fine, with some provisos. It plays like a twin-stick shooter in a quasi 3D environment. I’m used to CONTRA being a 2D platformer, so this was a bit of a learning curve, but thankfully my recent addiction to the twin-stick genre helped my immersion. As you run around blasting hordes of foes, you have a couple things that help. One are the special skills unique to each character, which can be activated at any time, and then have to cool down before using again. Kaiser’s skill adds spreadshot bullets to his attacks, Harakiri gets stronger, Gentleman throws black holes that scoop up small foes and HB lays down several turrets which both shoot foes and deflect bullets. I like that amount of diversity, and it goes a long way to making the game feel fresh. Each character plays a little differently, dictated both by their size and movement speed as well as their primary and secondary weapons. I much preferred Kaiser and HB, since their machine guns pushed back foes, while Gentleman and Harakiri fired a laser that cut through enemies, but didn’t repel them.

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I also appreciate how whenever you use a missile attack to clear the screen, the animation changes depending on your character. Kaiser rides the missile like in Dr. Strangelove, for example. Then there’s also Finishing Moves, which can only be used against nigh unkillable gold enemies. To stop them, you have to shoot and dodge attacks to dizzy them, then get close and press A to watch the blood flow. These are spectacularly violent sequences, and I only have two issues with them. First, enemies don’t stop moving just cause you’re murdering one of their buddies, and crowd up close and personal. This means you have to immediately dodge away once the sequence is over. The other problem is sometimes the animation doesn’t play properly, and instead you just see your character pose slightly before the attack activates.

More Rogue Action on Page 2 ->

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Besides all that flashiness, you’re much more maneuverable in ROGUE CORPS. Not only can you run around and jump, you can also dodge foes, avoiding damage. The dodge can also be used aggressively to knock foes off balance and dizzy them, as I said earlier. My problem with this mechanic is that once you’ve dizzied a foe, you can pick them up, but there’s usually no reason to. If there’s a handy meat grinder around, toss an enemy in, but it’s not satisfying or effective to toss foes into each other or against walls. There are also sequences called Shooting Galleries, where the camera pans to quasi FPS and you aim your sight with the right stick. While these have the benefit of more clearly displaying the action, they also are cumbersome and frustrating. And they don’t just occur when you’re facing stationary turrets and foes, but in boss fights as well. In fact, the first massive boss fight against an angry metal skeleton, which is teased at the end of the demo, is fought in Shooting Gallery mode. I struggled and struggled with him, doing minimal damage, until I realized I could move forward while in that mode, and once up close and personal, I started to do massive damage. Problem is, it’s not intuitive that you’d be able to move forwards and backwards in a mode that normally forces you to a horizontal plane.

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When boss fights don’t involve that mode, I tended to enjoy them more. Sure they are time consuming and more than a bit grindy, often involving waves of lesser foes distracting you as the boss rampages around, but they still were a fun challenge overall. And while it’s true they do overuse the first boss a lot, since he shows up later as a recurring mini boss and even in a upgraded form, there’s some very distinct boss designs here. I loved the giant metal skeleton’s design, as well as the fiery chariot boss. Hell, even the recurring boss is a neat design, looking like some bloated Toxic Revenger. My biggest issue isn’t that the game is ugly, but that the camera angles and magnification often made it hard to make out the visual niceties. Compounding that issue is that the most common grunt in the game, a sort of red fleshy skeleton, is completely generic looking. Which is frustrating, since some of the others are great, like the flying baby heads, the giant mouths that burst from concrete and even the roller skating buzz saw bastards. It’s also frustrating because in general, the CONTRA series is known for fantastic enemy design, be they robotic terrors or organic nightmares.

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I liked the idea of weapon and character customization in theory, but in practice it proved more than a little confusing. This is in part because even the game’s internal guides don’t do a great job of explaining what’s required. An example is that whenever you work on an upgrade, it requires not just items to dictate the properties, but curiously also requires a sufficient number of them. This is compounded by referring to these items as B.A.D. (an acronym I don’t recall the game explaining). It’s very confusing, and I still can’t say I fully understand the system several hours in. However, it’s still fun to experiment, and I strongly recommend you use this system. Not only can it make your guns more powerful, it can add new effects such as an increased critical chance or inflicting status ailments. Best of all is you can make it so your weapons fire longer without overheating, and I strongly suggest you invest in that feature. Other than customizing your weapons, you can also put your character in the surgery room and upgrade their body parts. This is pretty similar to weapon customization, other than offering different doctors. Each one has different potential chances to either improve or tweak your stats, and most of them cost cold hard cash. For that reason alone, I mostly stuck with the one doctor that was free, but feel it’s probably best to bite the bullet and risk using one of the others.

Sadly there are some typos in the game as well.

Now, I’ve been trying to help showcase the positive aspects of ROGUE CORPS, but I need to spend some time with the messy bits. While I can look past muddy visual effects and grindy mechanics, I can’t ignore the following. One particularly offensive problem is the pause menu. Quite simply, pausing the game doesn’t stop the action. I noticed the enemies kept moving afterwards, and I am pretty sure I’ve taken damage as a result. I understand the missions have time limits, and maybe the developers want to encourage you to watch the clock, but in my mind, pausing means everything has stopped. Taking cheap shots when I’m taking a break is problematic in the extreme. Another problem deals with the aforementioned camera angles. Often these will not properly display everything happening, and more than once an enemy was hidden by the camera angle. I only noticed cause their health bar was visible. I also was annoyed that often the various planes of the battlefield would trap foes in odd places. Considering the game usually gates you in areas until you beat all the enemies, this wasn’t helpful. It was also difficult that sometimes the controls were less precise than I would like. Often I would aim with the right stick and the moment I let go, the gun orientation would shift. And while I did enjoy the boss fights in the game, I almost wish the mega boss fights were structured differently. I would have preferred if ROGUE CORPS took a page from Mechstermination Force, which ironically is based loosely on the earlier CONTRA games. Having large foes that I took down in distinct phases, whittling away their armor and causing new threats to surface, would have been much better than the Shooting Gallery approach. Yes, it shows the bosses better than the standard camera angle, but I just wish the combat was consistently the twin-stick format.

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In the end, I still enjoyed CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS. Yes, it’s a hot mess, and many things aren’t properly explained for my tastes, but the core mechanics are fun and work pretty well. Which makes it more of a shame this title was so poorly received. I admire Konami and Toylogic for taking a chance on something different here, even if it didn’t work out perfectly. As a fan of the CONTRA series, I still don’t feel ROGUE CORPS was a traditional experience, but also think it has something to offer fans. Now that playing it has put me in the proper frame of mind, I think I’ll finally start playing my copy of CONTRA Anniversary Collection.

Too funny not to use.

OPINION: ROGUE CORPS is Fun, Despite its Quirks CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS is one of those games that people love to hate. And I'm not saying everybody is wrong that's reviewed it so far, nor am I saying I necessarily know better.

#Contra #Konami #opinion #oprainfall #Rogue Corps #Toylogic

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netunleashed-blog · 6 years ago

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Characters, Release Date, And What We Know (So Far)

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=22496 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Characters, Release Date, And What We Know (So Far) - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=22496 Following a tantalizingly brief teaser trailer back in March, Nintendo formally unveiled its next Super Smash Bros. game at E3 2018. The new installment in the beloved fighting series arrives on Nintendo Switch later this year, and while there are still undoubtedly many details we don't yet know about it, Nintendo revealed a ton of information about the game during its June presentation, giving us a good idea of what to expect.To catch you up on everything Nintendo has revealed about the game so far, we've compiled everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate below, from the game's release date and new characters to the many changes being made to its gameplay. We'll continue to update this list as new details emerge, so be sure to check back for the latest information on Nintendo's highly anticipated mascot fighter.Is It a Port or a New Game?Prior to its official reveal at E3, there was much speculation over whether Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be a new installment in the series or an expanded port of the Wii U entry, in the vein of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Nintendo cleared up any misconceptions during a Q&A session at this year's expo, confirming that Ultimate is indeed a brand-new title built for Nintendo Switch.How Many New Characters Are There?Nintendo has revealed three new fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Inkling, Ridley, and Daisy. The first two are brand-new additions to the series, and both boast their own unique movesets and play styles that draw from their respective franchises. Inkling can splatter opponents with ink and use a variety of weapons from Splatoon, such as Splat Bombs and the Splat Roller, while Ridley can spew fire and spear other combatants with his tail.Unlike the other two newcomers, Daisy isn't an entirely new addition to the roster, but rather an Echo Fighter--a clone of an existing character, in the vein of Lucina and Dark Pit. Her moveset and play style are based on Princess Peach, although she boasts some different characteristics to set her apart. Beyond those three fighters, Nintendo hasn't revealed if any other new characters will appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, although it seems likely that a few surprises still remain in store for fans.Which Characters Are Coming Back?Everyone! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the largest roster in the series to date with 66 confirmed fighters (and presumably a couple of surprises still to be revealed). Every playable character who has ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game will return in Ultimate, including all of the DLC fighters released for the Wii U and 3DS installments--such as Bayonetta, Corrin, and Mewtwo--as well as third-party characters like Sonic, Cloud, and Street Fighter's Ryu.The roster even encompasses characters who have previously only appeared in a single Super Smash Bros. game, including Pichu and Young Link (whose sole appearances were in 2001's Melee), and Wolf and Snake from 2008's Brawl. Longtime Metal Gear Solid voice actor David Hayter revealed he is reprising his role as the latter in Ultimate, and Snake's signature stage, Shadow Moses Island, has also been confirmed to return.It's unclear just how many of these characters will be available from the outset; Nintendo teases that the starting roster could be as small as that of the first Super Smash Bros. for N64--eight characters--but an exact count has not been confirmed. However, the company says the conditions for unlocking characters have been streamlined this time around, and new fighters will be doled out frequently, giving players the feeling that they're constantly making progress.How Many Stages Are There?Nintendo hasn't revealed the full list of stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate yet, but the company says a "massive list" of them will return in the game. Among the many that have been confirmed thus far are Spirit Train and Tortimer Island from Super Smash Bros. for 3DS; Princess Peach's Castle and Great Bay from Melee; New Pork City and Frigate Orpheon from Brawl; and Mario Galaxy from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. At least two new stages will be introduced in the game as well: Great Plateau Tower (based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild), and Splatoon's Moray Towers. Every stage in the game will also have a Battlefield and Omega form.What Else Is Different?Aside from all of the new characters, stages, and items, Nintendo is making a ton of mechanical and balance changes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Game director Masahiro Sakurai says the amount of tweaks in the game could number in the "tens of thousands," and they range from subtle visual upgrades--like Wii Fit Trainer's refined face--to reworked movesets and other dramatic overhauls.One of the most notable changes is the pace of the game. Combat in Ultimate feels speedier than in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, resulting in quicker and more intense matches. Moreover, Nintendo has introduced some new techniques, such as directional air dodges, and simplified other ones, like short hop attacks, improving the game's accessibility while also allowing for more skillful play. In keeping with this emphasis on speedier matches, players will dish out more damage in one-on-one battles, while those who excessively dodge will now be penalized with slowed dodge movement and a smaller window of invulnerability.Most Final Smashes have also undergone some dramatic changes in Ultimate. Some existing specials, like Pikachu's Volt Tackle and Sonic's Super Sonic transformation, are now uncontrollable, lightning-fast attacks, while other characters have received new Final Smashes entirely. This time, Link fires a devastating Ancient Arrow, while Pit barrels through opponents in the Lightning Chariot. Nintendo says that nearly every Final Smash has been reworked in Ultimate to be more immediate, allowing players to get back into the fray more quickly.Likewise, many returning characters have received significant overhauls in Ultimate, both in terms of their appearance and their movesets. Ganondorf, for instance, is modeled after his classic look in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he now uses his sword for his smash attacks. Princess Zelda's new model is based on her appearance in A Link Between Worlds, and Link dons his Champion's Tunic from Breath of the Wild. Shulk can now choose Monado Arts directly rather than having to cycle through them, while Palutena's special attacks have been streamlined.Can I Use GameCube Controllers?Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will support several different controller options, including the Switch Pro controller, a single Joy-Con, and many Smash fans' preferred gamepad, the GameCube controller. As was the case with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the latter will be compatible with the console via a separate adapter. This peripheral plugs into the Switch dock and works with both standard wired GameCube controllers and the wireless WaveBird.Those who already own the Wii U GameCube controller adapter will be able to use it with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch. Nintendo will also release a new controller adapter later this year, along with a new line of Smash-branded wired GameCube controllers. Both are already available for pre-order from various retailers such as Amazon and GameStop; the adapter retails for $20, while the GameCube controllers run for $30 each.Will It Work with Amiibo?Nintendo confirmed Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be compatible with the existing range of Smash Bros. Amiibo, and data saved to those figures will carry over to the new game. The company has also announced it will produce several new Smash Bros. Amiibo. During E3 2018, Nintendo showcased figures of Ridley and Inkling, two of the new fighters making their debut in Ultimate. The third new fighter announced for the game thus far, Daisy, will likewise receive an Amiibo, although it wasn't on display at E3.In addition to the new figures, Nintendo announced it will also produce Amiibo for returning characters. The company has specifically confirmed Wolf, Ice Climbers, and Pichu will receive Amiibo, although that will presumably apply to other returning fighters, such as Young Link and Snake, as well. The Ridley, Inkling, and Wolf figures will launch alongside Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this December and retail for $16 each. Reprints of many previous Smash Bros. Amiibo will also be available later this year for $13.Will I Need to Pay to Play Online?While online play on Nintendo Switch has been free up until now, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (and other online-enabled games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee) will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription once the premium service rolls out this September. Subscriptions will be available for one month (US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6), three months (US $8 / £7 / AU $12), and 12 months (US $20 / £18 / AU $30). Nintendo will also offer a Family Plan, which allows up to eight accounts to share one membership for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55 a year.Will There Be DLC?Nintendo hasn't given any indication as to whether or not it will release additional content for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, the most recent installments in the series received an extensive amount of DLC following their release, from new stages and characters to a wide assortment of Mii Fighter costumes, and it seems likely that Ultimate will get a similar level of post-launch support, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.When's the Release Date?Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch later this year, on December 7. Source link

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