#splinter's was based off the date of the debut episode

[s0fti3w1tch]

My Rise Birthday Headcanons (that apply to most of my ROTTMNT fanwork).

Some are based off headcanons from previous TMNT iterations. Some are based off episode release dates. Some are just: Yeah let's do that.

Raph - December 1st, 2003

Raph again - may be June 30, 2003 if need be

Donnie & Leo - October 28, 2004

Donnie & Leo again - August 15, 2004 if the story calls for it

Mikey - November 6, 2005

April - May 7, 2002

Casey Senior - April 1, 2002

Casey Junior - April 2, 2030

Splinter - September 17, 1962

[maxdark158]

Making my own rottmnt timeline (that includes lost episodes) and i think I'm going to start making vent posts instead of finding new friends to harass with my problems until they're exhausted/hj

So far I've put the episodes in a tenuous order. Because they aired out of order (evidence: hypno part deux happens at the same time as repo mantis but airs well after repo mantis AND the appearance of the turtle tank, also the first episode to show hueso is the fast and furriest, NOT the episode they meet him) I've had to basically just. Use context clues to the best of my ability and a lot of pain, suffering, and some tears. Now I'm going to try and make a timeline based on. Ya know. Time. As much as I can anyway with the like 4 dates the series provides

Below the cut is copy pasted woes I've sent to a friend

(These messages are sent to a friend over 24 hours of agony)

Fml btw

I'm trying to figure out a timeline for rottmnt

It is n ot easy

Also... I think I'm going to make my life even more hellish and include the lost episodes

I do actually have a pretty great source for those luckily!

https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Archer.Warrior/The_Lost_ROTTMNT_Episodes

There's a number of episodes that have nothing besides their episode name, some of which one of the creators said could be fake episide names. It's mentioned in this post

https://www.tumblr.com/yujateaandpi/704460357578670080/our-happygirl500-fan-so-ive-been-digging?source=share

these are all the episodes that have NO released stuff besides the episode name. not a description, not any concepts, nothing. some of them i do think are real (april showers and mayhem flowers) but some of them. no idea tbh

the post discusses 2 that person thinks are real based on context clues but yeah idk how many of these ill include in my timeline given i have NOTHING to go off of 😭

April showers mayhem flowers I think is to address mayhem leaving

Maybe splash hogs is something to do with the shell hogs or meat sweats?

In the og battle nexus NY, big mama and shredder were supposed to fall down to the hidden city, her hotel completely crashing down through NY. Maybe spiders web widens was supposed to be them helping big mama, or trying to, something referenced in the aired version of the episode when splinter tried to help her?

Friend: I think that could be likely. Read something awhile a back stating that, season 2 was gonna be more focused on big mama as the villain n so on and that.. would've really fit

Yepp. Cause the funny thing is that battle nexus NY was supposed to happen MID SEASON

And after that, they're basically trying to find her and the shredder cause they both booked it, racing against the foot to do so

Also something I realized since I'm obsessing over rottmnt atm:

It's Mrs. Cuddles

Who the FUCK is she married to??

-later-

I can feel my brain deteriorating

So fast and the furriest, newsworthy, and mascot melee, HAVE to occur before Bug Busters in the timeline. That also means hypno part deux and repo HAVE to occur before then, as well as donnie's gifts and newsworthy. Mascot Melee is the latest to occur in that bunch, because it's the only one post turtle tank debut. The rest are either the debut episode or don't have any turtle tank

So far so good, right?

Thing is timeline wise I'm trying to also follow along mystic power trends, so raphs episodes struggling with mystic powers/not yet doing a full body mode has to also be before bug busters. War and pizza, minotaur maze, and maybe longest fight? If I remember right?

Well longest fight does have to be earlier in the timeline because raph says "the freaky flame guys are back stealing jewelry", kind of implying this is the second time they've seen the foot, so it's def earlier/mid season

Friend: I admire you for how dedicated you are to this- doing what Nick refused to do.

That does sound right!

(Thank you dude that helped a lot)

Not to mention they underestimate the flame guys enough to keep watching skateboarding, cause they got a decently good victory against them the first time

Minotaur maze ALSO has to be pre turtle tank, because that's the episode they discover the mutant pizza place, which they visit when trying to find the turtle tankI think the gumbus happened while donnie was building the turtle tank. It's an introduction episode, so its earlier in the series, but there's 0 donnie (or raph, but raph could also be doing his own thing or helping get materials for don)I do think there should be some episodes between repo and turtle tank, because that was NOT a quick build, but there's only like 3 episodes without donnie and 2 of them have to happen a bit later

You got served has to happen after portal jacked, because portal jacked is when leo went from "annoying ass gremlin" to "begrudgingly my nephew". Why would hueso call for Leo's help pre portal jacked with how he was acting during the start of portal jacked? I think portal jacked is after the fast and the furriest, and cause Leo's been going there a lot he sees hueso as an adult he can get help from even tho hueso is annoyed af by him

And portal jacked should also happen earlier cause leo still doesn't understand how to get to the hidden city on his own, but if it happened after splinter began getting involved again not only would he be able to ask for the doohickey again, he'd probably *go to his dad for help in the first place*

So portal jacked is definitely BEFORE shadows of evil, despite what air dates tell you

Leo's portal powers are also more improved than the start, he's able to make large portals and usually succeeds at making them, but he gets the location wrong. Its probably just before or after late fee, where he also makes a large portal, but seems unsure if it'll work. Probably similar timing to mutant menace too, cause he makes a large portal but doesn't control where it'll go very well

So portal jacked is earlier making you got served later so it can't happen before bug busters

Nothing but truffle is the other no donnie episode, it has to happen AFTER Mrs cuddles though because she's in the episode. It also happens after repo, which does mean it *could* be while donnie is building the tank, but it's kind of implied meat sweats has seen mikey more than once or twice.

Idk, tbh I have a lot of trouble placing nothing but truffle

so far this is the timeline im most sure on. the highlighted episodes I have concrete evidence for their placement. i've inferenced the other two tbh but they make sense

as you can see, i havent even gotten to bug busters yet. it's so confusing rip

i think purple jacket has to be pre turtle tank because if the dragons could steal donnie's leathal weapon filled tank and use it, why would they NOT?? but they only stole his battle shells and tech bo, so i presume the tank wasn't finished yet so they didn't bother stealing it

shell in a cell just has to happen earlier to allow ghost bear to continue being a nuicence, i put it where it makes sense i think? may move it an episode or two higher or lower, but it's definitely within this list somewhere

I just thought this placement made sense cause the raph/leo fight in minotaur maze wasn't really resolved, so that tension could carry over to shell in a cell in which they make up and fight together

Smart lair I think is post bullhop, and bullhop is ABSOLUTELY post pizza pit

Things get more muddled after bug busters

The only things that have to happen a certain way is Pizza Pit -> Bullhop -> Smart Lair -> Mind Meld. There can be episodes between them, but they have to be in that order

-later-

Oh my god

Oh my god

Cloak and swaggart might be WAY EARLIER in the timeline than i ever expected what

There's a potential cameo of the Sandro Brothers pre mutation in it???

I'm losing my mind this would move every sunita episode up by a LOT

Cause this is the last sunita episode!!! But it has to happen pre evil league of mutants??

Oh my god

Now are they wearing cloaking brooches or name tags?

Probably name tags

Cause of the shape. Brooches are. Well. Brooches. Very semicircle. These are flat

But also this fucks with the timeline so badly?? Cause now shelldon has to be moved up, but also splinter is taking them on a training mission?? He didn't begin seriously training them until AFTER shadows of evil!

Fuck it. They're cloaking brooches. They panicked cause "I recognize that pig dude"

-later-

Should mystic library be before or after shadows of evil?

It's definitely later, cause raph uses full form mystic powers and increased size, his mystic powers are very adept. But how late?

Friend: Aftwr

Thank you

-later-

Tbh the biggest wrench in everything is Snow Day

Because Snow Day clearly takes place in *winter*

But there is NO WINTER IN ANY OTHER EPISODE

So it is just. An outlier

-later-

(NO SHAME ON THE PERSON WHO MADE THE INCORRECT TIMELINE BTW, THIS SHIT IS H ARD, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND MISTAKES)

If you read through all that thank you, you're lovely

[wits-writing]

Ultraman Z Ep. 15: “A Warrior’s Duty” (TV Review)

(Original Air Date: October 3, 2020, Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi, Writer: Kota Fukihara)

In the aftermath of Bullton’s destruction in the previous episode, a hole in space has opened and taken the form of the living void known as Greeza. Riku Asakura, aka Ultraman Geed, returns after detecting the threat and teams up with Ultraman Z to deal with the apocalyptic threat. When Geed realizes the threat is too much even for their combined power, he hands over the Geed Medal to Zett before letting himself get absorbed into Greeza to delay the monster’s destruction.

It’s left up to Haruki and Zett to figure out how they can obtain the power necessary to defeat Greeza and save Geed before it’s too late.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

“A Warrior’s Duty” in part feels like a two-parter plot in a one-part package. The first third of the episode especially has the feeling as Geed’s return, Greeza’s initial attack, and the struggle during the first fight that leads to Geed’s potential self-sacrifice feel like the beats of what could be the first part of two. The pace relaxes a bit from that point on, while still reflecting the urgency of the situation. I’m not assigning intent to any of this, as if there was a script for a two-parter that got paired down. But imagining a version of this episode where the events of the first third take a little longer and we cut right to the end credits as Haruki screams out at Geed jumping into Greeza’s void is easy to picture.

The breathless pacing makes this episode manages to stay engaging without feeling like it leaves the audience behind. Helped by the teleplay from Ultraman Z’s late head writer, Kota Fukihara, and presentation from the main series director, Kiyotaka Taguchi. In visuals especially this episode impresses with how it establishes the threat Greeza poses to the world. Its first attack is done with super imposed effects shots as opposed to the usual model work. While that might leave a less tactical sense to the destruction, it also provides an advantage in widening the scale that can be shown of Greeza’s destructive rampage. Best shown off when the monster, while fused with Geed, letting out one of the Ultraman’s “Wrecking Burst” beam attacks against the city. My personal favorite visual flourish of the episode comes from a creative edit during Delta Rise Claw’s initial volley of attacks against Greeza. It goes from a green screened rush attack that takes the fight from one side of the city to the other and seamlessly cuts into Zett pushing Greeza through a building onto the model city set for the rest of the fight.

A lot of cause and effect within the episode’s writing comes from how Juggler reacts to Greeza. We see him use his Dark Z-Riser for the first time since he made it back in episode five. He uses the Monster Medals he took from Celebro back in episode eight to become Tri/Five-King when he sees even Zett and Geed’s combined power won’t stop the terrifying creature. After their defeat and overhearing Haruki and Zett talk about how the power of Belial’s darkness could counteract Greeza’s power, he appears to Haruki in monster form to lead him to Celebro’s hiding place so they can steal the Belial Medal he made earlier in the series. Haruki ends up a more reactive player in comparison, the scene where Juggler gives him directions to drive to Celebro’s hideout working as a metaphor for that aspect of this episode. I do like the touch that Haruki gets the two new Ultra Medals he needs with the help of his mentor figures in his roles as both Ultraman and STORAGE pilot, even if he doesn’t know it in the latter case.

Celebro’s part in the episode speaks to his relatively minor role in the series overall at this point. After a brief shootout sequence when Haruki and Juggler burst into his ramshackle base of operation, he hands over the Belial Medal without much fuss. He doesn’t appear bothered by Greeza showing up as a result of him using Bullton last time, but also didn’t seem to be planning on it (which puts down my theory about it being part of a long term plan.) Celebro also laughs in Jugglers face when he dismisses the experiments with the Monster Medals on Earth as a “game.” While we don’t get much from Celebro this time, there’s more personality on display with him than before between this episode and last. His appearance also serving as the first time he and Haruki have met, though Haruki is mainly left with questions about how Juggler knew about the Belial Medal.

Once the necessary Ultra Medals are gathered, the episode gets into the Delta Rise Claw’s dynamic debut. Before they can attain the new form, Haruki and Zett use their combined effort to insert the Belial Medal into the Z-Riser when it almost rejects the dark power. Which is a nice moment of their relationship feeling more like an active partnership than it has through most of the series. The Ultra Medals for Zero, Geed, and Belial upgrading themselves because of the rivalries between their respective Ultras makes an effective explanation for why this form’s power goes beyond the others we’ve seen. The visuals of the new form’s first full appearance, once Ultraman Z rescues Geed from Greeza’s void, callback to the debut of one the senior Ultra’s forms, Geed Magnificent (which first appeared in a Geed episode directed by Taguchi.) Delta Rise Claw is the brightest looking out of Zett’s forms, contrasting well against the nighttime setting of the fight. The gold and lighter shade of blue standing out most in its color scheme. It’s bright enough that the influence of Belial on its power seems completely absent…

At first.

Throughout the episode, Geed and Zett talk about needing a “needle” to sew shut the hole in space Greeza represents. Part of the reason for Geed’s sacrifice play early in the episode being that the necessary object will have to come from within Greeza’s void. While he’s trapped within that darkness, the Belial Factors within Geed react with Greeza energy and the “needle” is created in the form of the Beliarok, a sword with Belial’s face on the hilt. Since the start of the New Generation set of Ultraman series, each ultimate form usually comes with a unique weapon to augment that form’s abilities (and sell another toy) and the Beliarok serves as that for Delta Rise Claw. It’s also easily the most ridiculous of any of those weapons in the best way because it has a mind of its own. From the second Haruki and Zett pull it out from Greeza’s void, it talks back to them and refuses to fight until they’ve given it a reason (“I’ll slice what I want whenever I want.”) Once Haruki asks politely for the Beliarok to help them shut Greeza’s void, the final phase of the fight against Greeza begins. The action set to the show’s previous ending theme, “Connect the Truth”, as they land the finishing blow.

The episode ends on a touching farewell between Haruki and Geed, who’s going back to traverse the multiverse for whatever Devil Splinters are still out there. The senior Ultraman giving Haruki his Ultra Medals since his original Geed Riser has been repaired. I mentioned it in passing earlier, but this farewell especially highlights “A Warrior’s Duty” as Haruki and Zett’s greatest demonstration of their partnership and fortitude yet. It’s an episode almost too jam-packed for its own good, while still being a truckload of fun.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

[brendancorris]

The Rise of the TMNT First Thoughts

Being that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has always been, what I consider, my biggest fandom, I feel it’s only natural I leave my two cents on what we know so far of their upcoming 4th animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and what everybody’s been saying about it recently.

So the official designs were finally release, and of course, everybody’s mad, freaking out, and acting as if all hope for humanity is gone. I’ll be honest, the character designs are not immediately appealing to me, but something needs to be clarified first...

The most common complaint I see is “the art style sucks”. Now, it’s fair to say that the style doesn’t appeal to you personally, but discrediting these obviously talented artists and their extremely expressive and lively style is just a lie and/or lack of any real knowledge of artistic skill. Is it an appropriate style for the TMNT? That’s up to you to decide for yourself, but saying it is bad artwork is just ignorant. 

Now, just to make things clear, I myself am not super into these designs, and feel the style isn’t the best representation of what TMNT is, but I’ll never say it’s bad, and will continue to stay optimistic. Let’s not forget that most of us, myself included, were hating on the 2012 series hardcore after its initial debut. While I still don’t find the art style choice or designs to be the most appealing in the 2012 series, there’s no denying it is an amazing series - arguably the best writing the franchise has ever had. While it isn’t MY Turtles, which will always be the 87 Turtles, it’s a damn good version, and one I’m proud to see younger generations grow up with.

But when we heard April and Casey were teens, saw the Turtle designs, saw how huge Splinter was, we all wrote off the 2012 series with having never see it. Once we saw it, then we had to eat our words. Let’s not walk into the same trap over and over again. In this day and age everybody’s so quick to give a severe black and white, night and day opinion on something before even knowing much about it. You’d think we’d get sick of constantly having to apologizing for judging something based on a picture reveal when it comes out. Not saying this in particular will turn out to be great. It might suck. But we can’t possibly know that yet, so let’s stay optimistic and at least happy that our favorite franchises are being kept alive and given consistent love through the generations. The age of the self-entitled, crabby, whiny man-baby/woman-baby nerds has to end. 

As for those concerned about the story changes, I get your concern. But, again, it isn’t the first time the team was completely re-worked. April and Casey Jones as teenage kids was already a crazy enough change in the 2012 series, but then take into account April was also part mutant which gave her psychic powers, and she discovered a gem she wore around her neck that brought out evil in her and strengthened her powers to be Thanos-level is a REALLY huge departure from the prior iterations, and a seemingly stupid as hell direction on paper. Hell, Irma was a teenager revealed to be a robot body for a Krang spy. They REALLY took their liberties in the 2012 series. Even one of the most popular additions, Don’s crush on April, was completely new for that series. 

My inner TMNT-fanchild does get a bit ticked when he hears that now Raph will be the leader and Leo will be cool and narcissistic, but we gotta remember what this is. Not only a new retelling for a new generation, but a retelling of a franchise that has been retold and severely altered dozens of times. No two Turtles stories add up. Also, this is being targeted strongly at little kids. Raph has always been the most marketable Turtle, the most iconic and widely referenced/recognized, and most popular among children, so making him the leader isn’t too shocking too me. Hell, even Partners in Kryme didn’t know Raph was’t the leader back in 1990 in the official film.

One thing I’ve heard a lot of hate for is the fact that April O’Neil is African American in the new series. It’s a difficult topic to touch upon, but I feel there’s good and bad points to it. The good is obviously getting more diverse representation in lovable, iconic roles in media, especially those for younger audiences. The bad, however, is like Stan Lee once said in regards to race-bending characters. Getting diversity in media is wonderful, but changing a pre-existing, well-established and celebrated character’s ethnicity simply to meet the quota is sort of a cheap shot. April, in all animated forms, has been a red-headed Irish girl I(hence the last name). It’s just as iconic to her as the fact that Leonardo wears blue and wields katana. Ethnicity, while a touchy subject, is a part of somebody. If they want diversity, they should add new characters of diverse backgrounds, or at least change lesser supporting roles, or at least that’s how I feel. Again, it’s a touchy subject, so I can totally understand somebody disagreeing, and that’s fine to do so.

Ultimately I feel everybody just needs to cool their jets on this. We see this happen SO often with franchises these days. The internet has sadly contributed towards heightening the selfishness of fandoms, and exaggerated opinions on everything. Every fan likes to think that their version is the definitive version, and that they are superior for liking the version they do. Everybody’s free to like what they like, and even if something you don’t care for comes out, it doesn’t take your version away from you. Each TMNT series ran for years. Whichever version you prefer, there is more than enough to watch to feed your hunger. 

So how do I feel? Hard to say. I never regularly watched episodes of any TMNT animated series outside of the 87 series, but I always give each show many viewings before judging it. While this is surely not my TMNT, nor do I predict it become a fandom of mine, I’m still hyped for it, staying optimistic, and impressed by the artwork, for the most part. This art style looks like it could really make way for some great action scenes. There are some changes I’m not sold on, like some of the altered weapons and personalities, but, again, there’s 30 years worth of TMNT content with the old weapons and personalities, and I’m still giving this show the benefit of the doubt before really seeing it. I’m actually really curious to see the villain designs. Shredder could look awesome in this style. And if they bring in Bebop and Rocksteady I’ll be pretty darrn happy. At the very least, this series is once again making me excited to see which of my childhood characters will return. Mondo Gecko? Rat King? Wyrm? Mona Lisa? Slash? The Neutrinos? I’d love to see how this unique re-imagining could put a new spin on  old favorites, and breathe new life into my favorite cast of mutants since 1987.

Here’s staying positive, and let’s not make the pre-release Sonic Boom mistake twice. That cartoon turned out to be comedy GOLD (and actually my favorite Sonic cartoon to date).

And PLEASE, let’s remember there are far greater wrongs being done in the world than cartoon characters being redesigned.

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

Ubisoft's E3 2019 conference just wrapped up, and we finally got a good look at what the company has cooking in the oven. Some things we already knew, like Roller Champions and Watch Dogs Legion--both of which leaked ahead of E3--but there were a few surprises as well, such as Gods & Monsters. In case you missed the event, we've collected all of the trailers from Ubisoft's presentation in one convenient place.

Ubisoft showcased a bevy of trailers and reveals, including a Story Creator mode for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, a new For Honor event, an impassioned Ghost Recon Breakpoint speech delivered by actor Jon Bernthal (Baby Driver, The Wolf of Wall Street), and more. Also, check out the biggest announcements and all the games revealed during Ubisoft's E3 presser.

Ubisoft E3 2019 Trailers

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Story Creator Mode

As if Assassin's Creed Odyssey couldn't get any bigger, Ubisoft Quebec has unveiled a Story Creator mode for the open-world action-RPG. You can now create your own quest line, with whatever conditions and objectives suit your fancy, all in a nifty little node-based interface. Along with the Story Creator mode, which is available now for free to all who own the game, a Discovery Mode will be added sometime this fall.

Watch Dogs Legion

All NPCs are playable in Watch Dogs Legion, and we finally got an idea of what Ubisoft means by that. You can play as a hacker, a banker, a fighter, a grandma--anyone and everyone in Ubisoft's London setting. The game will launch on March 6, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Jon Bernthal may have had a good boy on Ubisoft's E3 stage, but he doesn't seem to be a good boy in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. In the above trailer, Cole D. Walker (portrayed by Bernthal) sees the former Ghost give an impassioned speech to his Wolves--and they seem very mean. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 4, with a closed beta set to start on September 5. The game will also come to Google Stadia.

Tom Clancy's Elite Squad

Tom Clancy is quite busy this year. Ubisoft unveiled Tom Clancy's Elite Squad, a mash-up tactics mobile game that sees various Tom Clancy protagonists converge in a unique art style. Pre-registration is available now, and doing so unlocks a Ghost Recon Breakpoint tool. Sam Fisher is also in the game for fans of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

For Honor: Shadows of The Hitokiri

A new event is headed to the sword-fighting game For Honor. Shadows of the Hitokiri will introduce a new mode called Soul Rush, and will bring spectral customizations and otherworldly map ambiance to the game. The event, which began on June 10, is set to conclude on June 27.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine

There's yet another Rainbow Six game on the way--Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine. Lead game designer Jade Adam Granger described the game as a three-player, co-op PvE experience. It's scheduled to release sometime next year for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Episode 3

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 has had its Year One Roadmap outline, which includes an episode that takes Agents back to New York. The above trailer highlights the game's third episode, Coney Island: Homecoming--set to drop in early 2020--placing Agents back in the outbreak's birthplace. The third-person shooter will host a free trial from June 13-16.

Roller Champions

Ubisoft showed two trailers for Roller Champions, but the one above gives a better sense of the frantic, off-the-wall action that's to come in the extreme sport's title. It's set to release early 2020 on PC, but a playable demo is available on Uplay for Windows PC from now until June 14 at 6 AM PT.

Gods & Monsters

Though the trailer is short, Gods & Monsters looks absolutely gorgeous. Ubisoft Quebec, developers of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, are taking on a new, fantasy action-RPG project. Gods & Monsters launches on February 25, 2020 for Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Just Dance 2020

It wouldn't be an Ubisoft E3 press conference without choreography. Just Dance 2020 was revealed onstage with a plethora of dancers in and out of sync. Just Dance 2020 will arrive on Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One--and yes, the Wii--this November.

Uplay+ Subscription

Ubisoft is venturing into the subscription-service game with Uplay Plus. For $15 a month, you'll get unlimited access to hundreds of games and their DLCs, as well as plenty of Ubisoft classic games like Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia. You'll also get access to new releases as they happen, including Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Gods & Monsters. Uplay Plus is set to debut this September.

There's still plenty of E3 2019 left, so check the full schedule for the rest of the presentations to come. And head back here for all the latest announcements and news updates.

E3 2019 Conference Schedule

Monday, June 10, 4:30 PM PT -- Kinda Funny Showcase

Monday, June 10, 6 PM PT -- Square Enix Press Conference

Tuesday, June 11, 9 AM PT -- Nintendo Direct Showcase

More E3 news:

New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed

Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD

Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin's new game

Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced

Final Fantasy VII Remake announced

from GameSpot - All Content http://bit.ly/2KfRb4X

[wits-writing]

Ultraman Z Ep. 6: “The Man Returns!” (TV Review)

(Original Air Date: July 25, 2020, Director: Koichi Sakamoto, Writer: Sotaro Hayashi)

This week on Ultraman Z, a training routine between Windom and Sevenger is interrupted when the mechanical monster Gillvalis, previously seen in Ultraman Geed: The Movie, crashes to Earth. However, the genocidal AI isn’t the only thing crashing down as its immediately confronted by the dynamic return of Ultraman Geed.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Tatsuomi Hamada’s return as Riku Asakura, aka Ultraman Geed, for this series was a key factor in my decision to write these episode reviews for Ultraman Z. The self-titled series where Geed made his debut is my personal favorite among the “New Generation” era of the Ultra Series. Riku’s character was central to that show’s appeal in his upbeat, determined demeanor and love of superheroes. That storyline dealt with the discovery of his origins as the son of the evil Ultraman Belial, how he reacted to that, and how he grew into a hero with the help of his friends, including Zett’s “master” Ultraman Zero, who had his own on-going conflict with Belial. Riku’s role here is a natural extension of that arc. Seeing him presented as the more seasoned hero compared to the rookie Zett is a fun way of showing how far he’s come.

Riku’s brought some other stuff from his show back with him, including his show’s opening theme “Geed no Akashi” and the insert song “Fusion Rise” during his fight scenes. It was a blast of adrenaline to hear these tunes again as they kicked in during the action. Also returning from Ultraman Geed is that show’s main director, Koichi Sakamoto, and his style of faster paced action. For those unaware, Sakamoto got his start in tokusatsu related projects as a longtime director and stunt coordinator on Power Rangers, but when the Disney era of that franchise came to an end he started to work on various Japanese tokusatsu productions, including several Ultraman shows and movies. The action here reflects the style mention before, especially with the use of pyrotechnics in the last fight against Gillvalis. That action also gives Geed the chance to show off what he can do in his new form, Geed Galaxy Rising, which uses a Z-Riser to combine Geed’s power with those of Ginga, X, and Orb, the three “New Generation” Ultramen that preceded him. It looks like an armored version of Geed’s base form with access to a new variety of energy attacks that get quickly demonstrated as soon as he makes the scene.

Most of this episode is built around establishing how Riku will fit into the bigger picture of Ultraman Z’s overarching storyline. Once we see him for the first time in human form, after his dynamic entrance and fight against Gillvalis, Juggler approached him to confirm whether he’s here about the Devil Splinters. Riku confirms this and that a Devil Splinter was responsible for the Gillvalis’ resurrection. The conversation further establishes Ultraman Z’s place in the overall canon of the Ultra Series, namely in how Riku is surprised that Juggler’s on this Earth, reminding the audience that Ultraman continuity operates within a multiverse. Confusing Riku even more than Juggler’s presence is the fact he’s managed to get into a position of authority at STORAGE, with Juggler taking delight in teasing him over the confusion. They do confer with each other over the danger the Devil Splinter infected monsters represent to existence, especially if they’re resurrecting beings a powerful as Gillvalis.

The origin of the Devil Splinters is made explicit for the first time this episode, likely because of how it connects to Riku. The Splinters are fragments left of Ultraman Belial after his various rampages across the universe. Since they have that connection to his father, Riku takes it as personal responsibility to track them down and rid the universe of their influence and getting rid of the last remainder of Belial. On the other side of the conflict, we see Kaburagi in his pocket dimension attempting to use Devil Splinters to manufacture a Belial Medal for his own purposes. We also get to see that he’s still out there doing his job of taking care of monster remains after STORAGE’s operations to gather more material for his work. This look into how both sides are approaching the existence of the Devil Splinters makes this episode have some of the greatest plot furtherance we’ve seen so far in Ultraman Z.

With all the material related to Riku’s return and discussion of the Devil Splinters, Haruki and STORAGE are left with a relatively minor role in their own show this week. Which isn’t to say they’re unimportant to it in the slightest, since they still show off their characters in the support roles they have. We do get a sense that Juggler, even in his deception, cares about the team’s safety as he orders immediate retreat during their training exercise once he realizes Gillvalis is heading right for them. Yuka has a small story this week of trying to win prize money to increase their organization’s funding by solving a near-impossible math equation called the “Millennium Prize Problem.” The payoff of that coming in during Zett and Geed’s fight against Gillvalis at the end, where she figures out the problem’s complexity could preoccupy the AI’s processes long enough for the two Ultras to finish it off. The delivery method for the problem into its system being a punch from Windom being a wonderfully goofy moment.

Haruki himself is mostly an exposition receiver this time, as Zett gleefully fills him in on Geed’s past at the Ultraman that defeated Belial once and for all. He also refers to Geed as a former “disciple of Ultraman Zero”, an idea that Riku attempts to correct him on before the fight against Gillvalis takes priority. The two meeting and fighting alongside each other is a strong example of how Ultraman Z pulls on the legacy of series past to build something new with its story. As Haruki and Riku wrap up the episode telling each other about their side of the story, Riku asks about Zero’s whereabouts since he last heard about Zett being assigned to Zero. With this being our first reminder of Zett’s idol since the first episode, we cut to him still caught in the fourth dimensional warp he was sucked into. After which we cut to Kaburagi observing Riku, targeting the son of Belial for the next step in his plan.

The return of Geed and the high energy action from director Koichi Sakamoto keep the momentum of the series going after last week’s big reveal and display how thing will be going forward in the future. Ultraman Z hitting its stride in consistently entertaining fashion.

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