#the only good suit was para-dx's fighter form

[kuipernebula]

pyonkotchi

  nestofthought  So what other...

im blocking you for saying ex aid suits were bad

that’s fair

[gameridernews]

Ex-Aid review: Spinoffs (Part 2)

More spinoff talk! This time we only talk about a couple small things. The list:

Hyper Battle DVD: Kamen Rider Lazer

Hyper Battle DVD: Kamen Rider Para-DX

The list is a little different than originally intended. I was going to be talking about Kamen Sentai Gorider, then the Snipe spinoff, but both of those seem like they're gonna be lengthy reviews worthy of their own posts.

First off is the Lazer spinoff included in Televi-kun magazine, which I saw when it came out, so I happily revisited it for this review. This one takes place prior to events of Kamen Rider Chronicle, since that gets an indirect foreshadowing. 

A video found on Kiriya's laptop features him explaining that he's left behind the data for a game called Bakusou Treasure, which offers an amazing treasure to whoever can beat it, which they play via the VR headset from the Virtual Operations spinoff. Nice callback. 

Hiro decides he's up to the task, and meets with a Level 1 Lazer in the game. Once he encounters the Motoise Bugster, however, he gets a Game Over after defeating it in one fell swoop. This is when Emu takes the lead, knowing that all good RPGs involve information gathering. Despite it failing, he flees and uses a mirroring Energy Item to turn into an Ex-Aid with a Bugster head, tricking the Motoise into telling him where the treasure is.

Beyond the large door is the treasure, which Ex-Aid has an option of opening. Upon doing so, he's hit by a surprise attack on the other side from Genm, getting a Game Over. When he retries, this time he chooses NOT to open the door and instead ask Lazer what this is really about. They both disengage their transformations to have a face-to-face talk.

As it turns out, this is apparently a prototype to "the ultimate game" (Kamen Rider Chronicle), and Kiriya decided to enter the game to see if Kuroto hid the data for the Proto Gashats here, which I suppose makes sense considering what Chronicle is - though I find it a little ironic Kuroto would make a prototype based around anything with Bakusou in the title. The Genm in this game is more of a security measure, meaning Kiriya's role here has been to... I guess wait for someone like Emu to get past him so that the secret to Bakusou Treasure could be unearthed.

Together, Ex-Aid and Lazer take on Genm, who gets them a hard time since he uses the Proto Shakariki Sports Gashat to use its armor prior to Lazer Turbo's premiere in the show. Once Ex-Aid gets a chance, he opens the treasure chest to find the Proto Gashats, then picks out the Proto Bakusou Bike Gashat to use against Genm.

With his Bugster powers, he turns it into a special version of the Gashat with Mighty riding the titular bike, allowing him to transform into Bike Action Gamer - Lazer's humanoid form torso and Level 1 weapons, with an Ex-Aid helmet that has yellow coloring and pink eyes. As someone who likes doing fan works that play with how the gadgets could be used, I thought it was awesome to see a main form Gashat used in the secondary slot. Since this gives him Level 0, he's able to match Genm in battle, beating the game.

... and then Lazer takes that Proto Gashat along with all the others, thanking Ex-Aid for letting him get the treasure. Leaving the game, Emu remarks that he felt like he was talking to the actual Kiriya rather than a program, which is certainly impossible. Except, as we see post-credits, there's an eerie foreshadowing to Kiriya's return in the show as Lazer Turbo.

So this was a lot of fun. Hyper Battle DVDs are all about being a low stakes ride with a comedic spin, but with Ghost and Ex-Aid it seems like they've got the bonus of also providing some lore - it's definitely recommended if you want more of Ex-Aid's lovely take on video games.

Next we have the Kamen Rider Para-DX spinoff, another Televi-kun production that popped un unexpectedly after the show had ended. Which of coursem eans it’s post-finale. 

While Emu, Parad and Poppy are hanging out and gaming, Kuroto (via tablet) tells them he's made a new fun game, convincing them he's a nice and trustworthy game developer now. Emu and Parad accept this challenge, and are transported into a game called Nazotoki Labyrinth - clear the three riddles in the palace to free a captured Poppy.

The two have an exploration montage, then both take on a riddle that involve number puns, which I felt pretty good about solving. Then they meet the Hatesate Bugster from the Ghost/Ex-Aid crossover, which is a bit of an odd reuse but it's fitting of a puzzle game. As they get ready to fight, a Gashat is formed from their rad bond (accurate): Knock Out Fighter 2. They also find out the last riddle while fighting the monster, which is a cute number pun again and it explains why Ex-Aid and Para-DX are Level 39 in these forms.

Once the game is cleared, Emu and Parad find an anticlimactic ending where Poppy is nowhere to be found, but they leave the game and return to her in the real world. However, when they compliment Kuroto... he seems to have left his tablet, absent from the chair in his little prison. Ominous~ 

So, just to get the overall review out of the way... not much of a Para-DX focus, is it? They talk a bit about how Parad finds it ironic he's begun working with CR after being an enemy, but beyond that it's more of a duo focus, with him and Ex-Aid. Come to think of it, Lazer's is like that too, isn't it? Okay, it tracks. It just doesn’t seem like the Parad stuff was really adding much since the show already gave him some better development as a villain turned hero. 

It's here I need to talk about the most noteworthy part of this spinoff, which is the lackluster forms: Double Fighter Gamer is a cool idea, but it falls flat when it amounts to a barely altered Ghost Gamer suit with Pac Action Gamer armor (minus the pauldrons) painted in clashing orange and pink colors, while Para-DX is just an unaltered Fighter Gamer suit in a Gamer Driver. You can be the guy who complains about Toei daring to have a budget limit, but these kind of part reuses happens because of how much time and money goes into making these suit parts, and more likely because Toei has moved on to focus on the next series. It just so happens this was a poor reuse of parts.

The ingredients are all there, and to prove that, let me make it better: The point of the forms is to do something in the style of Double Action Gamer. Since the primary slot uses the orange half (much like how Mighty Brothers XX uses the green half), remove the pink from Ex-Aid and fully focus on making orange his main color. This means you add pink to Para-DX, which is fitting since Fighter Gamer has a very Ex-Aid style helmet, aaand if you wanna mix it up further then recolor Robot Action Gamer's chest/pauldrons to be pink chest armor in place of Para-DX's contextual chest design. I fixed it. Bam.

Or should I say, bang~?

See you Next game. 

[jaysonblaze]

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid episode 30 review.

You know what I’m going to say, everyone who’s followed my reviews knows what I’m gonna say. THE GAME MASTER IS BACK! ALL HAIL THE NEW GOD USURPER OF DEA.....oh wait he just got sucked into the bugviser2 never mind. Anyway on to the actual review Pallad is every bit of the great fighter he thinks he is and his plan basically amounts to fight Emu and save the Bugster or maybe not. He really just seems more interested in fighting Emu and the rest is just background noise to him. Poppy really got a chance to shine this episode with her basically repaying Emu by saving him right back although her method to do it might backfire horribly since Dan the zombie man loves to betray people like its what gets him up in the morning. He gets out of bed and betrays someone to start his day.  We are entering the 30′s now so the story is gonna get even bleaker before we get the final Ex-Aid upgrade thats gonna save the day. Also Cronos is gonna show up and things will go bad since it seems he is on nobodies side (gee that sounds familiar)

Hiiro did his thing this episode and got to prove his metal by beating a bugster off screen but it still counts and next episode I know he is gonna start getting a focus thanks to the hope that his girlfriend can be brought back to life.

Taiga also didnt do much except fight with Nico and help her get more bugster trophies which is good to see them bonding. I heard a theory he cant remember Emu’s name thats why he only seems to call him Ex-Aid and I totally believe that theory because holy shit he never does say his name.

Nico did some stuff and kicked some ass then yet again tried to fight fucking Pallad. DONT FIGHT THE LEVEL 99 guy who has a love of fighting and beating weaker people! I really want her to live through this series I really do

Emu has reached that junction where he realises that since Pallad influenced M (I still dont buy they were 100% the same guy I think M existed before Palled too) he is no longer the master of games and even at the same level Pallad is just way more skilled and ruthless which means he needs to find the resolve to get the next level (Or if theories about his final form preform the TBFP tried and true method of cheating to victory). I love Emu isnt completely eclipsing the other characters as well everyone is getting a fair amount of development.

Pallad is still a fucking dick. I said above but yeah I feel like he is just using the whole wanting to save the bugsters to further his fights with Emu and really couldn't give a toss about them (He executed one for getting in the way before) and he wanted to slaughter Poppy for her betrayal though even that might of been a gambit to get Emu to fight.

Poppy is a gift to the kamen rider universe and anyone who says otherwise is wrong! She is so pure in her attempts to save Emu that she may have damned herself in the process. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all and her wanting to save Emu unleashed an even worse villain than Pallad. At least he has him under control for now...

Kuroto Dan is back baby as a bugster as well and of course his first fucking words are about him being the game master and being immortal, never change Kuroto never change. Interesting note Genm Level 0 managed to not only hit Para-DX but inflict some damage so maybe not as weak as we think? I love that his actor is back to ham it up and my god that suit he was wearing is a thing of tacky beauty!

Overall this episode was pretty fucking strong and set up lots of nice little things that will be important later. Everyone is getting screen time and nobody is being made to look pathetic or a second though which is super refreshing.

If you think I’m wrong, want me to expand on anything or just feel like talking about Ex-Aid feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll reply when I can. I’ve got worked now but I intend to keep this up but when i write this up will be choppy.

Next episode we have more Pallad brooding, Can Saki be revived asks Hiiro, Emu teams up with Kuroto and of course more game master shenanigans and being a dick about him coming back to life.

See you next game!