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All-in-one Review thread

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OverlordIX:
I recently reviewed the Seraphim Gundam from the 2nd season of Gundam 00 on my blog

http://silentstronghold.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/1144-hg-seraphim-gundam-review-2/

RoninatorMarx:
Here goes something.

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Anime: Tears to Tiara

Illustration: Not bad. I kinda like it, and it's an improvement over the previous incarnations of this title. (9/10)

Voice Acting: Definitely one of the best voice-casted anime I've seen. (10/10)

Plot and Story: How do I do this? The story was OK. It was epic, but my problem here is this: The story started too slow, and ended too fast. Let's face it. 26 episodes seemed too short. Whenever the heroes needed a key item, for example the Words of Power used by Riannon in the final episode, they showed how and who can use it on when it's already needed. Oh, and I've so predicted that Talieshin didn't actually die back at that avalanche. So yeah, could use some more fillers. Last note: Mechanical Golems with AI? When did that happen then? XD (6/10)

Music: It was great. Loved the songs used in this anime. Pretty much brings up the essence of the medieval times. (8/10)

Overall: (33/40) Not bad for an anime. The weakness of this anime lies within the plot, and the number of episodes it has.

My opinions: Probably, players of the game incarnations would like this anme more than those who never known its story line before. It's something I wouldn't recommend, but also something I wouldn't show.

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Game: Megaman X6

Graphics: Can't go wrong with the sprites of X4-X6. Nice of them to rework on Zero (love the Katana) and giving the saber to X. Though whether Commander Yanmark is a boy or girl, I can't see that in them. (8/10)

Gameplay: Definitely a run for my money. X6 has to be the hardest MMX game I've played (especially on my first time, it was on Hard mode). Without the right equipment and skill, you'll end up dying and retrying all the time just so you can save those reploids in which, majority of them have no value to you whatsoever. (7/10)

Music: Not a big fan of rock but seeing as it's the first time they've used in on an MMX game, they did a good job with it. Also, it's nice that X and Zero has separate victory themes (but not good for my hard drive!! XD). (8/10)

Story and Plot: Not gonna go in-depth, but it's sorta predictable. We all would know that Sigma had something to do with it, etc, etc, etc. Ending depends on the ranks of the Hunters, and who you finished the game with, which is a plus on their end. (7/10)

Overall: (30/40) Definitely something all fans of the franchise should play, and it only needs getting used to to get around the hard parts of the game.

Lushe:
Quick reviews of some animes/games I've recently watched/played:

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: (1993)

Story: 8.5/10
The story may seem very simple in the beginning, but it becomes incredibly dark in the end, especially when literally 90% of all the characters die. The ending is also very bitter, and clearly shows the true, destructive nature of war. However, I felt like some of the character deaths weren't given enough emotional impact, while some were just overly dramatic. Nonetheless, this Gundam show has a great (yet bitter and depressing) storyline.

Animation: 9.0/10
For it's time, the animations are actually quite amazing. Especially in the final episodes, where the fight scenes (such as the battle between the V2 Assault Buster Gundam and the Rig Contio) become very smooth and well-coreographed.

Art: 9.0/10
I'd say the art style for this show really fits the storyline. And since this anime is about a group of regular people trying to survive the horrors of Zanscare's religious war, it's great that the characters don't look like pretty boys and girls, but instead have realistic, war-ravaged looks. That means that you won't find some fabulously-dressed pretty boys in this show. Instead, all you'll find are regular-looking men with rugged and worn clothing.

Music: 9/10
I absolutely love the music in Victory Gundam. It sounds very dark, and fits this dark anime very well. I especially love the battle theme that plays when Uso fights against major Zanscare mobile suits such as the Zanneck and Gengaozo.

Overall (not an average): 9/10



Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (2009)

Story: 4/10
Let's just say that you don't play this game for the story. Sure, there are some funny jokes here and there, but the actual storyline is just unbearably cliche and cheesy.

Gameplay: 10/10
Now this is the reason why you play this game. I won't go into details about the gameplay (since there will be way too many things to explain), but let's just say that this game can last you hundreds of hours. >_>

Music: 10/10
The music is great. It sounds very netherworld-ish, but it's amazing. I love it.

Graphics: 6/10
Yeah, it uses sprites in a 3D background, but neither the sprites nor the 3D backgrounds look exceptional. Both look pretty average.

Overall (not an average): 9/10


Idolm@ster Dearly Stars (2009)

Story: (no rating)
I really can't comment on this one, because I can't read Japanese, and I barely understand what the characters are saying. I can try to make out what they're saying though, and there are plenty of interesting communications in this game (and some are quite hilarious too, like the hot springs event).

Gameplay: 8/10
Well, the gameplay on this one is a mixed bag. First of all, I'm gonna say right now that Idolm@ster SP's gameplay is better, because you actually a lot of freedom and choices in your production career. In here, your idol career is very linear. There's only one or two auditions in every rank, and before you can join them, you have to do the required, story-based communications first. And once you win those one or two auditions in a rank, you immediately rank up (so no need to worry about how many fans the auditions give you). The auditions are also MUCH worse, since they're purely luck-based, unlike in the previous Idolm@ster games, where your idol's stats and your quick thinking will win you the audition. Plus, there are much less songs in Dearly Stars compared to the older Idolm@ster games, and that's a big letdown.

However, there are some redeeming factors. For example, you can now customize your idol's coreography AND the camera angles during a performance. Of course, you'll need to unlock "coreography panels" first before you can edit your idol's coreography (and these are obtained from lessons), but if you have a lot of panels, then you can really have a blast making your own dances. Also, customizing the camera angles during the performance is also incredible, and allows you to make your idol's dance look a lot better. Plus, in Stage Mode, you can also play a Live-For-You style minigame on all of your idol's songs, and you can also customize the minigame to make it easier or harder. Oh, and you can also create custom shirts for you idols, and that is also a great feature.

So, overall:

Game mechanics:
SP >>> DS

Idol Customization:
DS >>> SP

Despite being a mixed bag, Idolm@ster DS has been really fun for me (though SP is still superior), so I'll give DS an 8 for gameplay.


Music: 10/10
4 brand-new songs and 6 returning songs. All the songs sound great. Perfect 10 on this one.

Graphics: 9/10
Pretty good for the DS


Overall: 8/10

OverlordIX:
Finished reviewing the 1/144 HG Hiling Care's Garazzo from the 2nd season of Gundam 00 on my blog.

http://silentstronghold.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/1144-hg-hiling-cares-garazzo-review/

Cien Laguoire:
Here's a quickie from me.

Kamen Rider Agito
Story/Characters:
The story mainly focuses on three characters, all who are Kamen Riders. First is Soichi Tsugami, an amnesiac that was found washed ashore on a beach. Soichi adopts his name from the name addressed to on an empty envelope that was found with him. He is somehow able to transform into Agito, a being that is constantly evolving. Then there's Makoto Hikawa, a police officer who became a hero after a particular incident. Because of this, in order to prevent anyone from inquiring about the incident, his superiors chose Hikawa to become part of the Squad of Anti Unidentified Lifeforms (SAUL) and become the user of the G3 System, a robot suit meant to fight unknown lifeforms. Last is Ryo Ashihara, a former star swimmer at Jyohoku University. Ryo was involved in an accident, which nearly ended his swimming career. After he healed, he started swimming again, but soon started to mutate, which ultimately lead him to transform into Gills, a feral Kamen Rider. Ryo eventually leaves his former life behind, and pursues the cause of his father's suicide.
The antagonists are a race called the Unknown, as referred to by the police to differentiate them from the "Unidentified Life Forms" from the previous Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Kuuga, which were defeated two years ago in the story. The Unknown are responsible for "impossible murders" happening to people around Tokyo, all of which have a certain connection. It is up to Agito, G3, and Gills to destroy these monsters to protect Tokyo, however the police are also concerned about whether Agito is an ally or an enemy.
As the story goes on, we are introduced to more characters, including crucial ones; Mana Kazaya, who, along with her uncle and his son, let Souichi live with them, and eventually is revealed to have her own special powers, and the people who were involved in the incident Makoto Hikawa rescued them from, who eventually become targets by the Unknown.
The story starts out a bit unusually, as witnessed in the first episode, Soichi can transform into Agito, but are left with no reason why he can do so, and even worse, we do not actually see him transform; he just sort of appears while G3 and an Unknown are fighting. However, as the series goes on, more is revealed, and though some plot points are fairly obvious, others are very well hidden and unseen, which, until late in the show, is revealed. The fates of the three Kamen Riders and other characters intersect at many points during the story, which, along with the mysteries surrounding Agito, Gills, the Unknown, and the incident, is a great hook that will keep you watching. It starts out a little bumpy, but it's quite a ride up to the 51st episode conclusion. I also thought the reference to the events in Kuuga was rather clever, though it was only brought up once early in the show, and never mentioned afterward. It's a pseudo-sequel, so watching Kamen Rider Kuuga isn't required.

Music:
The opening theme of the show from episode 2-35 is "Kamen Rider AGITO", sung by Shinichi Ishihara. From episodes 36-50, a remix of the song, the ~24.7 Version~, was used, also sung by Ishihara. Both are very catchy, especially the original version, which is somehow stuck in my head. In the fandub I watched, the ending themes/credits were cut out, but I believe most of the songs used are actually played during certain segments of the show. In almost all of the episodes, the song "BELIEVE YOURSELF" by Naoto Fuuga is used during fights, and I actually found it a little tiresome to hear the same song almost every time a fight breaks out. Another song also becomes a battle theme, "DEEP BREATH" by RIDER CHIPS featuring ROLLY later in the show. Overall, though, the music is pretty good, from the silly theme whenever a comedic moment occurs, to the ominous orchestra when the main villain appears.

Action/The Riders:
The fights in Agito are pretty good. Both Agito and Gills both make visual changes when they are about to pull off their strongest attacks, like Agito's Rider Kick, which is pretty nifty. Agito can also change forms when the situation calls for it, and some have similarities to some of Kuuga's other forms. For example, Agito's Storm Form is similar to Kuuga's Dragon form, where both can use staff-like weapons, are more agile, and wear blue armor. Agito and Gills are also biological Riders, not mechanical like many of the other Kamen Riders in the franchise, though Gills appears much more organic than Agito, including a mouthpiece that opens when Gills screams, which I thought was pretty damn cool. Though I haven't seen the other Kamen Rider shows, I do believe that Hikawa and the G3 System are unique in which that Hikawa does not transform into the suit, but rather has to put the entire suit on himself. It proves that G3 is very much mechanical, and a great compliment to the more organic Agito and Gills, and can also prove the ingenuity and strength that humans can achieve... though initially G3 was absolute rubbish in fighting ability. This show is actually the first in the franchise to have more than one Kamen Rider, as well, and this formula would go on to bring in villains who are Kamen Riders in later series.

Overall, Kamen Rider Agito is a very good watch, and not a bad starting point if you want to start watching a Kamen Rider series, specifically a Heisei era one. It starts out a bit disjointed, but it gets much better as the show goes on.

[4/5]
TL;DR
+Story that will hook you in.
+Interesting characters and Riders.
+Very good music that matches the scenes and overall feeling of the show.
-Starts out a little bit disjointed.
-Could have used more variety in fighting music.

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