 | I wonder what show type I'm going to talk about? |
Thought I wouldn't have much to talk about this time outside the usual Gundam stuff, but a certain game proved me otherwise.
-GAMES-
Ocean Drive Challenge: Way back in March of this year, during one of its last weeks, I someone managed to play and crank out reviews for LocoCycle, Mega Man 10, Witch & Hero II, and Ocean Drive Challenge. I don't even know how in retrospect... Since I don't like having my reviews so close to one another, I spread them out over the following few weeks. Ocean Drive Challenge was supposed to be at the end of April, but I hesitated, instead going ahead with the Wolfenstein games. Then I was going to submit it at the end of May, but I hesitated again. Afterwards, I just sat on it for the next few months.
I'm content with the review in its finished form, but for some reason I couldn't convince myself to let it go at first. Maybe it was because I was hooked in a little too hard with the visual tribute that it felt like a disappointment that the game played the way it did. I dunno. Thinking back, it does now feel silly that I held off on submitting it for so long.
Charge 'N Blast: If you look at my last few Dreamcast reviews, it does seem like I intentionally go for games ranging from super average to amazingly disappointing on the system. However, I do genuinely "try" to seek good games... and by that I mean pick games that sound interesting and hope for the best. I've been eyeing Charge 'N Blast for some time, and as stated at the beginning of the review, I just wanted to try a game without a stupid gimmick, which is hard considering there's so many Dreamcast games with idiotic gimmicks. So, of course, I unknowingly pick a Dreamcast game with the most asinine gimmick ever. This one was painful to play, and I hope that was conveyed clearly in the review.
Resident Evil 4 (PS4): I've never played Resident Evil 4. I've seen other people play bits of it on videos, but I never experienced the game itself. At first, it was because it kept appearing on systems I didn't have at the time - GameCube - PlayStation 2 - Wii. I had an original Xbox and then an Xbox 360 during those generations. By the time it was available as an Xbox 360 download, I had a "meh" attitude towards the game; I was focused on other games at the time, plus I was tired of hearing people say it's one of the greatest games ever without actually explaining WHY. So when I found out a physical release was making its way to the PS4, I figured I would clear up some free time and finally give it a go.
This game is pretty awesome. It's action-y compared to the early Resident Evils (I've only ever played and completed RE1 and... Operation Raccoon City prior to this), but it doesn't go TOO far into the action realm. The game still respects the core of the franchise, up to that point, with a somewhat rigid control scheme (the default control scheme for the PS4 version is awful, though; change in the options if you get this version), the dread of being cornered, and ammo consumption. I've constantly read, throughout the years, people saying the attache case is a game in itself, and you truly won't understand this until you're a good ways into the game and have to juggle around items. I spent countless times on my first playthrough struggling to fit everything in...
I was also shocked at how long this game is. I thought I was going to finish RE4 in less than a week's time, so I played it somewhat casually and slow for the first few nights. But I started getting serious when I got past the 10 hour mark and realized the end was nowhere in sight. I think I was still in the castle at this point. It never got tiring, and I guess that's what happens when you spend a considerably LONG time developing a game, scrapping it over and over in the process for a more refined design. Had a good time with RE4. In fact, I beat it a second time on Professional mode just for the hell of it. Though, I sorta cheated and used Ashley's armor suit. A good chunk of my death count was because of her...
As a side note, I also found it interesting reading some reactions to the reception of the PS4 version. I peeked in on some discussion boards, and I was actually surprised to see a number of people trashing the game, simply for "not aging well" with its supposedly old-fashioned play style in today's gaming world. Some people were genuinely upset that this version didn't include a modern third-person control setup as an option. These weren't newcomers, either; these people claimed to have played the game extensively back when it came out. As someone who played it for the very first time this year, I found this discussion fascinating. I struggled a tiny bit at first with the controls (though, this was mostly due to the default PS4 control setup), but after a while, it felt second-nature. And having now completed the game twice in one month, I can't imagine RE4 having any other play style. It was built for this game to intentionally make things tense and difficult, and modifying it for easier movement and aiming would not only make the game terrifyingly easy, but it would just destroy the nature of the game. It's fine the way it is.
I also bought the PS4 version of RE5, but I haven't touched it, yet. I will, but I've heard... "things" about its gameplay. Makes me a little nervous jumping from RE4 to RE5.
-SHOWS-
Well, one show.
V Gundam: I went with the same format used with ZZ and X, commenting on the episodes as I watch them, and once again, I warn of spoilers. I try my best to avoid any major spoilers, but there are some places where I couldn't help it, for the sake of going a little in-depth on certain subjects. So, be warned.
(After watching episodes 1 - 4): Okay... this is a brilliant example of how not to do something out of chronological order. The episode literally starts in the middle of a heated battle, between two people I haven't been introduced to yet. During the first five minutes, I kept thinking, "Okay, they're gonna do a flashback." But the episode kept going, and several characters kept popping up that weren't even properly introduced, within a narrative that felt like it was three chapters into a novel. I seriously paused the episode at one point and looked up an episode synopsis online, just to confirm if I was actually watching the first episode, and not some kind of Blu-ray manufactured error.
The flashback sequences occurred starting with episode two through four, leading up to the events of the first episode.... I just don't understand why it was done this way, until I watched more of the first four episodes, where something stuck out to me: the actual Gundam mobile suit rarely made an appearance, reduced to "cameo" appearances. It does make me wonder: was this method done intentionally late in production when someone realized the Gundam was barely in its namesake show? Did they fear backlash from viewers? It's... I didn't have an issue with the actual episodes, just the way they showed the episodes really jarred me.
(episodes 5 - 10): Now with the awkwardness of the beginning episodes behind, I was actually able to fully concentrate on the story. After three shows and a couple theatrical films under his belt, it's nice that Tomino was still trying different methods of combat and locations in a Gundam show. As stated above, if you actually watched the first four episodes in chronological order, the actual Gundam barely made appearances in battle, so we had to watch Uso, the young protagonist, fumble around in a completely different mobile suit. The transformation sequences got some play in combat, too, with pilots using them as ways to escape or manipulate them into ramming other mobile suits. Using the beam rifle on a moving truck in the thick of forests was a pretty neat idea, as well.
Though, if there's one thing that constantly irritated me with these batch of episodes, it's the constant back and forth "drama" of either Uso or Shakti leaving the rebellion group, only to rejoin them by the end of the episode. I mean, it's fine doing that once or twice from a writer/director's pov, but it becomes ridiculous when done several times in a row, especially when the others are in danger because of your absence. At least Uso finally got punched in the face for doing so, but someone needs to cuss out Shahkti for doing it, while constantly carrying an orphaned baby on her back. It's been grating, but not enough of an issue to bog down the episodes. Well, most of them, at least. And I'll just say this for now about the Shrike Team: look at all those red shirts.
(episodes 11 - 14): Jeez, I was joking about Shrike Team being a bunch of red shirts... I didn't think they would get killed off, one by one, with each subsequent battle. By the third time, it actually turned into a parody of sorts, since I played a game of bingo in my head leading up to the character's death. Character that previously had zero screen time now has considerable screen presence in the episode? Check. Character that had no characterization suddenly has a personality? Check. Character recklessly charges into battle alone? Check. Character dies in a dramatic fashion? Check. Uso is traumatized over the incident? Bingo!
Oh yeah, Katejina also irritates the ever-loving out of me. I know she's clearly written to be that way, but still. She's one of those people that constantly criticizes every single tidbit of other people's actions or words while actually being of no help or value herself. And what is Uso's obsession with her??? Seriously.
I should mention I'm not really frustrated with all these things I'm picking apart from the show. Nuisances, at best. I've actually been pretty entertained, so far. Maybe it's because I've experienced Gundam shows with weaker structures or more irritating characters, so everyone just comes off pretty normal in V Gundam. So far...
(episodes 15 - 18): Obligatory "This wouldn't be a Gundam show without space segments" comment. An odd set of episodes now that I think back on it, since they're basically the crew just getting into space in one piece, back to back. But it was pretty entertaining seeing more of this show's world open up even more. I'm also impressed by the continual, versatile use of the V Gundam's docking procedures as battle tactics. And in typical Gundam fashion, more kids are dumped into the story. I mean, if you've watched Tomino's previous Gundam shows and are still irritated by the presence of kids, then I think you might want to watch something else by this point.
Though, the one thing that is sticking out to me the most, at this point in the show, is the constantly odd presence of Shahkti. At the start of the show, I thought she was gonna be Uso's level-headed, moral compass, but then she quickly became a damsel in distress on several occasions, for no reason. She also kept trying to leave the group, only to join with them episode's end. Then she kept moaning about how Uso keeps killing people and how his personality changed, which was understandable at first. However, even after Uso and several other characters in the show explained to her, in the most basic way possible, that he's doing this because he wants to protect people and not let more people die, she keeps going on with it. Finally, when Uso went to space and she decided to head back to her hometown, in a blink of an eye she decides to sneak into a ship to join up with Uso again. There's no solid, genuine explanation for this sudden shift... it just happens. So far, I think she's the worst written character in the show. The baby on her back makes more sense than her!
(episodes 19 - 22): Of course, an episode after my Shahkti mini-rant, the show gives her a legitimate reason for being a major player... Still doesn't justify the lame excuse they gave for having her sneak into space after not wanting anything to do with space. Besides that, the entire satellite battle was a pretty entertaining spectacle. Even with Uso fumbling about and certain other characters have their own internal conflicts during the whole conflict, I thought the entire ordeal was cleverly planned out and animated. Good stuff.
I've yet to mention it till now, but I do get a kick out of BESPA's (the army opposing Uso's group) refusal to knowledge the Victory Gundam as an actual Gundam throughout the show, only referring to it as a civilian-produced "fake Gundam" or a "Gundam replica".
(episodes 23 - 26): I know it's for the sake of making any form of progress, but it's still hilarious how many times different factions of the Reinforce Junior ship crew (Uso's group) were able to sneak into or attack the homeland of Zanscare Empire on Side 2. One crew! The apex of this ridiculousness occurs when Uso was successful at kidnapping Zanscare's Queen, begrudgingly, in the midst of a docking bay full of BESPA soldiers! Whatever, it was entertaining. Of course, Katejina shows up in a mobile suit, spewing her typical nonsense.
These are the final set of episodes watched on the first Blu-ray collection, and I wish I would have watched them at a slower pace. But I couldn't help myself... and now I have to wait possibly a few weeks for the next collection. The show began on a very ROUGH note, but it quickly grew on me once I got out of its bizarre starting funk. I'm only saying this for the first half of the show: I think as a whole, I like this cast of characters, on both sides of the war; for the most part, their reactions, emotions, and even stupid decisions make sense, in stark comparison to something like... and I can't help bring it up again... Zeta Gundam, where half the things the characters do are pure nonsense. However, this is a Tomino Gundam show, so I wouldn't be surprise if the second half of V Gundam takes a different route.
In the meantime, I got the Blu-ray release of Gundam Reconguista In G (what a name) in the mail a few days ago. A recent Gundam show by Tomino (original air date was 2014 - 2015), I also heard it has a very polarizing reaction among the Gundam community. Some seem to enjoy it for what it is, some seem to be confused by its message, while others seem to understand its message and dislike it. I don't know what I'm getting myself into, but I'm sure to give my thoughts on it. I haven't watched it yet, because I figured I should finish my run on V Gundam first before jumping into a new story.
Later.
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joseph_valencia - September 23, 2016 (01:51 AM) I've heard that the order of the first four episodes was mandated by the executives, so that the V Gundam would be shown sooner to help drive model kit sales. This was one of many production issues that Tomino encountered throughout the show, which is part of the reason that he hates it. Reconguista is very much a love it or hate it show, with me personally falling on the love it side. It's a weird show to classify. In so many ways, it is both a conventional and very unconventional Gundam show, and it is unapologetically "Tomino". Regardless of where you fall on the debate, you're at least in for some of the best eye candy to ever grace a Gundam show. The production design and animation is top notch. BTW, there's a Space Pope and a cockpit toilet. On a non-Gundam note, I agree about RE4. Love 'em or hate 'em, the tank controls are part of what make the game what it is. |
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dementedhut - September 23, 2016 (09:19 PM) Well, if that's true, then I guess I couldn't blame him for having a disdain for the show; you're given an opportunity to create something your way, but then constant outside meddling is screwing with your vision. Shame to hear that. Cockpit toilet.... |
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