kryptidgames

Top 10 Anime Fights

Posted on July 2, 2015 by kryptidgames

Sorry for the delay in posting. I’ve been…lazy.

I wasn’t sure what to write about, but having re-watched the Makoto Shishio-Kenshin Himura fight in Rurouni Kenshin, I quickly gained an idea. So let’s countdown the top 10 anime fights!

(I have not seen EVERY anime, so if you know of one that is better, leave a comment below)

10. Shiroe and Silver Sword Guild vs. Luseat (Log Horizon)

Log Horizon isn’t known for its fights, but this one actually stands its ground among traditional shounen fights. Shiroe, Naotsogu, and the Silver Sword Guild find themselves overwhelmed when three raid bosses attack them at once. Normally, that isn’t enough to make a fight stand out. However, the fact that you see Shiroe doubt himself and then figure out a winning strategy makes it a memorable fight.

9. Gon Freecss vs. Neferpitou (Hunter x Hunter)

Not all good fights need to have a back-and-forth showdown between two evenly-matched opponents. Sometimes, one character overpowering the other can be just as impressive. A lot of people will say that Meruem vs. Netero is a better fight than this one, but seeing Gon’s transformation and the subsequent smackdown is what I remember most about HxH.

8. Sanosuke Sagara vs. Anji the Monk (Rurouni Kenshin)

The battle of the futae no kiwami is one of endurance. There are about 15 different points in this fight where you think, “OK, Sanosuke just died.” But, that’s kinda the thing about Sanosuke: he doesn’t die. The ideologies thrown around in this fight are intriguing and the back-and-forth nature of this fight makes it easily fit in this list.

7. Goku vs. Frieza (DBZ)

This is THE quintessential anime fight–just like Dragonball Z is the quintessential anime. There are so many fights in anime that you watch and you can just say, “Yep, that’s the DBZ formula.” This formula is good, too: Main character enters fight and shows good ability versus OP bad guy, bad guy powers up making MC useless, something that causes despair happens, MC gets “friendship buff” and overcomes enemy. It’s simple; it’s brilliant; it’s anime.

6. Gintoki Sakata vs. Bonsai (Gintama)

The Shinsengumi Crisis Arc in Gintama is utterly perfect. Whenever Gintoki and Yorozuya teams up with the Shinsengumi, you know you are either going to get complete silliness or badass fights. This arc follows the latter option. Bonsai of the Kiheitai gets involved in a move to overtake the Shinsengumi so that Takasugi can make his move on the Bakufu. Gintoki shows exactly why Gintama arcs are truly amazing by overcoming the binding attacks of Bonsai and using them against him.

5. Shikamaru Nara vs. Hidan (Naruto: Shipuuden)

When you think about the most recent fights in Naruto, it’s hard to remember that there were some fights that were won with strategy, rather than the friendship power-ups. This was one of those fights. Shikamaru outsmarted Hidan by understanding his strengths and weaknesses. After Shikamaru beats Hidan, the viewer is left with a sense of awe that no other fight in the series can duplicate. You might be able to say that the Zabuza fight is equal to this in the amount of awe that it induces, but no fight in the series can equal this one in overall greatness.

4. Joseph Joestar vs. Wamuu (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency)

Reader, here’s what you’ll say next: “Don’t dishonor our fight, JoJo.”

After watching Battle Tendency, most of the battles in Stardust Crusaders seem a little lackluster. There is something about Joseph’s style of fighting with Hamon that’s just so interesting. Plus, you can’t forget about his ultimate attack: running away!

For JoJo the trickster to be fighting Wamuu, who values his honor above everything else, it creates an amazing juxtaposition. In the end, though, both fighters have earned each other’s respect.

3. Yamamoto Takeshi vs. Genkishi (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

The Future Arc of Katekyo Hitman Reborn is one of the absolute best long arcs of any shounen series. It forces the characters to grow up, which makes it extremely interesting because the only drawback to this series is the childish nature of it (granted, Lambo is always childish, but Tsuna makes some very adult decisions).

If Yamamoto’s fight with Squalo is his coming-of-age fight, then his fight with Genkishi (Phantom Knight) is his adulthood fight. He becomes a real man when fighting Genkishi.

It’s a two-part fight. In the first part, Tsuna has to save Yamamoto because he is outmatched, but, during the choice battle, the two meet again and Yamamoto shows off his new weapons and dominates.

2. Gintoki Sakata vs. Nizo the Butcher (Gintama)

Based on the fight alone, this may not even deserve on this list. But, when put into context, it becomes that much more amazing.

The Benizakura Arc is the first serious arc of Gintama. Before that, you have to think the show will basically be only silly comedy. After this arc, though, all you want are serious arcs.

Gintoki had already beaten Nizo once in a fight, so you thought that Gintoki would wipe him when he pops up in this arc. However, his sword, Benizakura, powers him up into something way more powerful and he almost kills Gintoki.

1. Makoto Shishio vs. Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin)

When Kenshin and Sano enter the Inferno Room to fight Makoto Shishio, you already know it’s going to be epis. And why would it be? Kenshin’s fight with Sojiro was epic, his fight with Aoshi was epic, Sano’s fight with Anji was epic. Heck, even destroying the battleship was epic.

If you have not seen this fight, go watch it.

Maybe a bit of why I love this fight so much is because I watched it when I was younger, but even when I re-watch it today, it holds up. Shishio is a truly frightening individual and the fight makes you hang on to every move.

And the scene after the fight with Shishio in hell is priceless.

What’s Grinding Gilbert Grape?

Posted on May 28, 2015 by kryptidgames

I love RPGs, I really do. So, please keep that in mind when I say:

GRINDING IS THE WORST!

I played Runescape in junior high and high school, so you can consider me an expert when I say that.

If you have played Runescape, then you will understand my dad’s description of it: “Oh, you’re playing the walking game.” I always just used to say this sentence to describe it: “You search the chest. You find nothing of interest.”

The entire premise of Runescape is to grind for everything you do: grind to get ore, grind to get levels, grind to get fish. And, that is perfectly acceptable because it’s a free browser game (is it still free?).

However, a game model built around grinding has no place in a game that I just paid $60+ for. Destiny, I’m looking at you.

Destiny’s grinding system is especially criminal because the grinding not only gives you weapons and armor, but that is then tied into your overall level.

If I were a Destiny game developer, I would have taken a page out of Neverwinter’s book. In Neverwinter, it tells you what kind of piece you can get for various dungeons. This means that if you need a weapon, you know what dungeon to grind. However, if you’re looking for a Gjallahorn in Destiny, you can grind anything and have a small chance of getting it. I think it would be a welcome change to have a specific strike or raid that drops legendary rocket launchers and it would have an improved chance of dropping it. You could do this for all kinds of pieces. I guess the problem with this is that people would abandon certain strikes and raids once they get the piece they need, but they can always break down those pieces for the parts, so it wouldn’t happen all the time like you might think.

Of course, I am looking forward to Elder Scrolls Online’s release for the Xbox One. I will be picking it up and playing it. I’m sure there’s plenty of grinding on it, too. I just hope it’s worth it.

I understand the need for grinding in MMO-type games: it separates the veterans from the newer players, but it can also wear out your veterans.

Grinding for an X% chance to get a weapon is just tedious because you have no control over it. You’re at the mercy of the video game gods.

I guess I’m hoping that ESO’s crafting system will allow me to make good enough gear to not have to grind as much.

So, in conclusion:

Good grinding:

Bad grinding:

First Impressions of AirMech Arena on XBone

Posted on May 13, 2015 by kryptidgames

AirMech Arena is currently free for the Xbox One and I like free achievements, so I have been playing it lately.

The first thing you will notice about this game is that the tutorial is WAY too long. I almost quit playing it because the tutorial was sapping all potential enjoyment I could have had out of the game. But, in the end, I’m happy that I stuck with the game because it is fun.

That’s kinda the thing about AirMech Arena: it’s fun, but there’s always a qualifier.

It feels like the way an RTS SHOULD feel on a console. With a controller, it is difficult to guide troops the way you would like in an RTS, so being able to control a ship, dropping troops and turrets where you want them and then switching into combat mode just makes sense. Of course, I still find it difficult to get mobile troops to go the way I would like, but that’s a minor complaint. In order to remedy this, I usually end up littering the playing field in turrets so that I still have enough firepower and I can concentrate it in the areas I would like.

You can either play online or against the computer in survival or skirmish modes. The most fun you will have here is survival mode, where the game turns into a tower defense-type game where you have to fend of hordes of enemies coming in from various angles. I’m, by no means, an expert in this game and I end up getting crushed sometime around wave 7, but it definitely is fun.

Skirmish ends up being a war of attrition between you and the computer. I have a pretty basic strategy for this: slowly kill neutrals and take over their bases while not creating units so I can get my AirMech level higher, then turret up those bases and then move embankments of turrets on to enemy bases, rinse and repeat until game over. It’s effective and simple.

After you’ve had your fill of playing against bots, you soon become enticed by the online options. This is where the game has true potential and SHOULD be immensely fun. (The thought of playing an RTS online always makes me think of playing Empire Earth online when I was a young’un.)

I will admit that I have not played AGAINST another player online, but this was my experience in online co-op: LAAAAAAAGGGGG.

Sure, my friend and I had an excellent strategy. I basically tank the opposing AirMechs while he gets the outskirt bases. It’s brilliant and effective. It should have been super fun, but the lag was too intense to enjoy it. Granted, it did get slightly better toward the end of the game (with more polygons on the screen somehow), but it was mostly frustrating.

If this is what it’s like every time I try to play it, it won’t last very long on my hard drive, but if it gets better, I definitely see this game being a keeper.

Overall, I give it a Meh+ (numbering systems are so outdated)

What kind of gamer are you?

Posted on May 7, 2015 by kryptidgames

I like to complain. If you’ve read my stuff on here, you already know that. All I do is bitch and moan and moan and bitch. But! Today, I’m not going to complain.

(For those who thought this would be my DBZ post, hold on because that’s taking longer than I thought.)

This one isn’t about games, it’s about the gaming community, which is what truly makes games great.

Yeah, it’s fun to play games, but it’s so much more fun when you have a group you enjoy playing with. Fortunately, I have a good group I play with in the peeps from Kryptid. They all make even the most boring games better.

But, everybody who plays games fits into a stereotype, so let’s explore those!

First up is the wannabe MLG-360-No Scope-Headshot Douchenozzle

This gamer usually ranges from ages 7-14 and has had sex with your mom multiple times (what a whore!).

We all know (or try to forget) somebody like this. They play primarily first person shooters and always lone wolf it in multiplayer and then complain about the lack of teamwork because people don’t follow him around and watch out for him.

They maybe had a quadruple kill once so they think they own the battlefield.

This gamer doesn’t usually stay with the same group of people very long because their marginal amounts of skills do not make up for the mom jokes and overall annoyances.

Don’t be this gamer.

Next up is the Game Breaker

This gamer makes it his or her sole duty to find glitches and exploits. This gamer can be extremely annoying to play with at times because while you are trying to accomplish something, he or she will be off doing something by him or herself trying to find a glitch.

This does take skill, but this kind of gamer can be extremely useful to any gaming party. One of my comrades is a game breaker and we were duplicating diamonds within just a couple hours of Minecraft dropping on the XBox One.

Of course, the Jokester

The Jokester is usually a good gamer, but his or her best trait is their personality as it helps bring people together and makes everybody in the party have a good time.

This is an integral member of most parties and is crucial in order to keep people together.

Next, we have Pewdiepie v2.NO

This gamer likes to think everybody wants to hear them narrate every little thing that happens. That is USUALLY not the case. I don’t need to know what you just pulled out of a chest, unless it’s awesome. I don’t need to know everything you do.

But, this is most likely me, so I guess I’m a bit of a hypocrite. 😉

You have the I-don’t-really-care-about-you-guys-but-I-hate-playing-with-randoms…guy

Of course, you will have at least one person who really doesn’t give a shit about the rest of the people he or she plays games with, but he or she plays with you because you’re a better option than randoms. These people are important to have in your group because they’re usually solid players, but you can’t rely on them to help with anything in the long run like building a clan or guild up.

The “Let’s talk about politics and religion!” person

“Sweet kill, bro. You know what else is sweet? Jesus! Let me tell you about Jesus for 50 minutes. Oh and did you hear about this new law?”

These are just a few, but I think you can already place people you game with into these categories. Let me know if I missed any in the comments section below.

-Ben

Anime=Great / Video Games=Great / Anime Video Games=ummmmm

Posted on April 14, 2015 by kryptidgames

I love anime. In fact, here’s my top 20 list of anime:

Yes, yes, I’m well aware:

OK, did we get the trolling out of the way?

Let’s get to the point at hand, we anime-loving gamers face a serious problem: anime games are chronically mediocre as a whole. (For the sake of me hating the term, I will not be using “otaku” in this.)

I tend to play every anime game that I can find that I have the system for (I’m an Xbox gamer, so I do miss on some Playstation games, but I can always borrow from a friend). Here are the games I’ve played in the past year or so: Dragonball Xenoverse, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion, Pokemon Black 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, the remakes of Budokai 1 and 3 on 360 and a crappy One Piece mobile game (I’m counting it!).

So, here is the overall review if I put these all into a pot and stir them up: meh.

Pokemon games are classic, but is everybody ready to admit that we keep buying the same game over and over in search of that nostalgic feeling we get from thinking about Pokemon Red and Blue?

Xenoverse is good, don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed making my own Namekian named MADAO (Gintama reference I hope you get) and pitting him against Frieza and Cell and stuff. It’s still not the Dragonball Z game of my dreams (that will be my next post), but I did have fun with it.

But, look at that list of games. They’re all incredibly similar. There are Dynasty Warriors-style games and fighting games…and a freemium mobile game.

The fun with a Shounen anime is not only the fights, but it’s seeing the progression of the characters. We all remember seeing Goku go Super Saiyan the first time, the first time Naruto hits Kabuto with a Rasengan or when Ichigo goes Bankai against Byakuya. For you people who despise the “Big 3” anime, you may be able to relate to Sanosuke using Futae no Kiwami against Anji the Monk in Rurouni Kenshin.

You don’t get these moments in anime games. Sure, you can go Super Saiyan in DBZ games, but it’s anti-climactic and it’s just another skill. Sure, you can use Final Getsuga Tenshou in Bleach: Soul Resureccion, but it’s not a god-like move (it’s strong, but it doesn’t wipe everybody out like it should).

So, here’s my point: these games need to give you the thrill of being a Shounen main character. You should be able to experience learning a new skill in the way it is represented in anime. I think the best way to do this is to create an RPG in the universe, but having the player be a created character in that universe. But, I will go into more depth about that in my next post.

But, while I sit here complaining about this, I know that I am buying a ps3 just so I can play J-Stars Victory VS because I want to fire an X Burner with Tsunayoshi Sawada and use Gintoki Sakata’s lack of a special move (Bandai Namco gave up on making Gintama games, according to the anime).

-Ben

Are consoles becoming more PC?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by kryptidgames

I have been playing Neverwinter a lot lately on my XBone. It’s a good game and about as much fun as you can have with a free game (Sorry Cryptic Studios, I’m not making any in-game purchases). Sure, it has some glitch issues when I try to connect with my friends, but $60 games like Destiny and the Halo Master Chief Collection all had that, so I’m not really complaining.

This made me think, though: Why are there so many PC games on my XBox?

Besides Neverwinter, I of course play a lot of Minecraft. But, there’s also The Escapists and Elder Scrolls Online comes out June 9 for the consoles. Oh, and Smite was in Alpha testing on the XBox just a couple weeks ago.

Of course, this isn’t a new phenomenon, as Minecraft has been on consoles forever. But, it does seem like PC game developers are seeing consoles as another way to make money. It certainly seems like a no-brainer. They already have content that people love, so why not share it with more people and make more money? Of course, things aren’t that cut-and-dry. There are things PCs can do that no console can do, yadda, yadda, yadda, PC master race, etc. But, the idea is pretty smart.

(People may hate me for saying this) People enjoy playing games on their consoles more than on a PC, as a whole. Sitting in your living room with your TV, in your comfy chair or bed and playing a game is a staple in today’s households.

I don’t know what this all means in the long run. Maybe more PC games will come to consoles. Maybe we will see more cross-platform online gaming. Maybe I will stop making these presumptions. But, I think we can all agree that it’s pretty cool for us console gamers who wish we also had a good gaming PC.

And if you thought the title of this meant that consoles are becoming politically correct, thank you. Mission accomplished.

-Ben

Your Favorite Game has Probably been Ruined by Now

Posted on March 27, 2015 by kryptidgames

There’s a common phrase in memes that says: “You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.” Here are a few examples for you:

Of course, you’re probably by now getting your jimmies rustled because I should have said it originated from The Dark Knight (let me say that Heath Ledger’s Joker is overrated; I will bask in your hatred).

Anyway, this phrase has been proven immensely true with recent video game releases.

Do you remember playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare? Everybody who reads this will respond with: HECK YEAH, THAT KICKED BUTT AND IT REQUIRES CAPS TO EXPRESS THIS!

What about Halo 3? CAPS LOCK AGAIN!

This can go on for quite some time with titles everybody loves.

And then we do the inverse with Call of Duty: Ghosts or Advanced Warfare and we can certainly do it with the Halo Master Chief Collection. You can throw Assassins Creed: Unity in here too, if you so please.

So, what is happening in our video gaming world? Why are some of our favorite franchises becoming less favorable?

It’s saturation, plain and simple. We have become a gaming community that is completely driven by names and brands. At this point, Activision could create “Call of Duty: Watching a Cow Moo” and it would be the No. 1 selling game of all-time. We are all extremely brand loyal, and that’s not a good thing.

Gaming companies are not loyal to you–just your dollars. So, why are we loyal to them?

Of course, it’s hard to not follow the herd. The prevalence of online gaming has made it so that if we want to play with other people, which we do because playing with yourself is just not as fun (oooohhh, he just made a masturbation joke teehee), we have to buy the latest and “greatest” big name game. For example, I did NOT want Evolve. I played the Beta of it and told myself, “do not buy this game, it’s a waste of money.” Guess what I did? I BOUGHT EVOLVE! Yep…my friends had it and I wanted to play with my friends.

By spending our money on these games, we are making it so we don’t have money to spend on truly good and innovative games. So, I ask this: what’s the benefit for a gaming company to spend many years making a well-crafted, original game?

So, if you remember the good ol’ days of your favorite games all being great, keep in mind that they are probably terrible in their current iteration.

Except Nintendo. Nintendo is still making fun games and we don’t buy them. (I don’t get it either.)

-Ben

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