Game Review: Resident Evil 6

My apologies for not posting for quite some time. That's because my laptop almost literally broke into half, and not to mention my Internet is currently slower than snail because the monthly quota is long exceeded. In the meantime I was having a blast playing the game I anticipated the most - Resident Evil 6. I'm a big fan of Resident Evil and I've got lots to say about this game, but I'm just gonna say whatever that pops up in my mind right now. Anyway, I'll try my best to review on this game.

Title: Resident Evil 6

Year: 2012

What is it about: Yet another viral outbreak, bioterrorism now goes global with the United States, Europe and China suffered from the pandemic of C-virus. Chinese virus? Ehehehehe.

Genre: Says here survival horror, but it's more to action.

My review: Resident Evil took a big turn from Resident Evil 3 to 4, changing almost every aspect of the game, particularly the gameplay. Then there's another big reinvention from Resident Evil 5 to 6. There are many stuffs added to this game and the characters are now much more flexible. Resident Evil 6 is divided into 3 main campaigns, that is Leon's, Chris', and Jake's campaign together with their respective partners. Finally, the moment that all Resident Evil fans have been waiting for: Leon and Chris in the same game! Don't know who Jake is? Get ready to be surprised. I can tell you, it's a big irony. Aside from that, there's also the unlockable Ada's campaign. Good news is that each character's campaign is unique although they crosses path occasionally. Bad news is, the campaigns are not long. Each one can be completed within a day or two.

As compared to the previous Resident Evil series, I think the most major addition to this game is that the characters are now able to aim and shoot or reloads while moving. You can also perform a variety of actions such as dodging and rolling, and that is important. Previously there are nothing much you can do when you see an axe flying your way. Then you can perform melee attacks whenever you want without the need to daze your enemies, but it's limited to your energy bar. Now, there's absolutely no need for the knife. There are also lots of other stuffs too, and suffice to say, this game is really exciting and at the same time, challenging.

In Resident Evil 6, you'll see lots and lots of explosion. Sometimes, more so than is necessary. In Leon's campaign, you'll enter China in an explosive manner. In Chris' campaign you'll see China blow up and choppers crashing everywhere. In this game, not only you'll have to take down zombies, but also machines, aircrafts, artilleries, et cetera. You'll also get to play car chase and dogfights. Like I said, this game is hardly survival horror but there's lots of actions in it. It's not bad though because it's pretty fun.

But at times, Capcom tries to make this game too 'fun' by putting in too many of those running-away-from-dangers-and-explosion scenes and loads of QTE's in this game. Yes, Resident Evil 6 has more QTE's than any other Resident Evil series (any other game, in fact), and that can make this game pretty annoying. In case you don't know what QTE's are, it stands for Quick Time Event where you have to something in a split-second and failing which you will either die or suffer a major damage. Sometimes I don't even know what I am supposed to do, and I died like more than 10 times just to find out. There are no clues or instructions whatsoever to guide you. You'll have to experiment. At that, I highly recommend you to begin playing in amateur mode to get used to all those QTE's because in amateur mode, they are automatically performed for you. Don't think that amateur mode is too easy though, because it's not. Other than that, there are also many unnecessary sequences such as car chase and dogfight. There was one time where Chris was trying to stop a rocket by shooting it from a jet plane, but regardless you'll end up failing to do so for the sake of the plot. Sometimes I do feel insulted by that.

This game is really fun, but the major downside of Resident Evil 6 is that it doesn't fair much in terms of realism. Resident Evil 6 is completely unrealistic. If it were to take place in real life, all the characters in the game would most probably be dead. Also, in Resident Evil 6, all characters die except for the main characters. They cheated death a lot of times, and there's absolutely nothing that can kill them so long as you don't lose all your HP. Not even a crashing bus or aeroplane can kill them. On the other hand, minor characters die regardless of how much you try to save them. Also in this game, you'll get to see the laws of physics being defied countless times. Then again, this is Resident Evil. Science is never applied here at all.

The one fact I hated the most in this game, and is perhaps also the most unrealistic, is the inventory and shortcut system. Each character, including the lightweight super spy Ada Wong, will carry with themselves more than more than 5 weapons, and they are not small. I really wonder where they keep their rifles, shotguns, machine guns and other weapons with them and how they are still able to run around effortlessly. Those weapons are arranged in a horizontal line, and if you want to switch weapons, you have to browse through them. In the process, you'll see the characters switching weapons like they are doing some funny dance, or spinning a pair of nunchaku. Then again, you'll need all the weapons you can get in this game. Sometimes, you get your weapons in funny ways. For example, Chris got his shotgun from his flashback and Jake got his out of nowhere. I didn't even realize he has it the whole time.

There's a separated inventory space for you to keep herbs, grenades, ammo, and other stuffs, but you don't get a safe to keep those items in excess. In other words, you have to throw away stuffs once your inventory is full, and the inventory is not big. This makes your ammo reserve limited. But don't worry because in this game, you'll get to replenish your ammo quickly. Even if you run out of them, you can just spam your melee attacks. Then again, you'll almost never lose ammunition because you'll find them everywhere, unless you're going through a boss battle.

Lastly, I think they should also give the storyline a little fixing. Like I mentioned earlier, characters in this game are expendable. Too many people died. Also, Leon is the only one which gets to fight actual zombies and is the closest to the survival horror genre. Jake gets to fight a few of them. Chris only gets to go against J'avo, an intelligent species of 'zombies' which can over-mutate and are armed with weapons such as machine guns and rocket launchers. They can even deploy choppers and tanks, Call of Duty style. Some of them actually resemble aliens. Speaking of over-mutation, the C-virus can apparently turn a human into other oversized creatures such as spiders, moths, grasshoppers, horse, fly and even a dinosaur! Apparently, the virus can even turn someone into a robot or give them electrical powers! Then gain, we have to bear in mind that we are playing a video game that is completely unrealistic, but it's for challenge's sake. One thing I do have to commend in this game, is that the bosses will not die easily and beating them can be quite a challenge. Sometimes, it's quite a pain especially when you are running out of ammo. However, challenging as they may be, more often than not they are just annoying.

In conclusion, some might like this game and some might not. For me, I find this game pretty cool and exciting if not for all those over-excessive and annoying QTE's, the inventory system, and the anti-reality storylines. It's not too bad but not very good either. At least they care to bring back our dearly missed zombies. Too bad Chris Redfield don't get to fight them, which is a bit sad since Chris haven't been fighting them since Resident Evil 3. I think Chris miss the zombies a lot, but I'm sure the zombies doesn't. Anyway,  to everyone who is going to play this game, welcome to China!

My rating (out of 10) : 6

Anime review: Kobato

I've just finished watching Kobato. Oh, the feels! Anyway... Here's my review on the Clamp anime, Kobato.

Title: Kobato

Year: 2009 / 2010

What is it about: A girl spirit trying to fulfill her wish by collecting literally jar of hearts.

My review: I'd say Clamp really loves the characters they designed and tries to put them in all of their anime. Kobato turns out to be one-third Chobits and another one-third Tsubasa Chronicle. In fact, it will come to a certain point where you don't know what exactly are you watching, until Kobato's perkiness reminds you that it's Kobato you are watching.

Usually these kind of anime will have episodes with its own storyline. I expected each episode will tell of the same thing as to how Kobato heals all the wounded heart in a particular situation, and there are no suspense at the ending that makes you want to watch the next episode. However, I was wrong in this. The story centers on one major plot instead of mini subplots. Though many characters are involved in this 25-episode series, the anime doesn't fail to make each character reappear throughout the anime and this is really commendable. For example, you would have thought that this particular character will only appear in episode 1, but he or she did make a comeback in later episodes.

The storyline is indeed a very beautiful and meaningful one, so much it is truly a formidable tearjerker. It begins with a happy kind of storyline which I really thought it will stay that way throughout the anime, but then it slowly gets more and more emotional. This is really a perfect blend of comedy and drama. However, it's not a melodramatic love story which might be a good thing, but there are some elements of love displayed especially near the end. Otherwise, it focuses more on Kobato's relationship with pre-school kids and other people around her. It's also more of a story about sacrifice rather than the typical romance.

Now let me briefly describe Kobato herself. Kobato is one of those perfect girls who only exists in anime. She is incredibly modest. She only has a handbag with her when she came to Earth (Maybe it's just her being an airhead), and lives in a park until her employer decides to rent for her an apartment. She volunteers as a helper in a food stall as an apology for her clumsy accident, and later volunteers in a nursery. She is also incredibly humble. This can be noticed in her speeches. She uses the most polite version of the Japanese language when having a conversation with just about anyone. That's really not an easy thing to do. Kobato is also very kind and gentle and always selflessly puts others before her. She sincerely helps those in need although that is actually her contract in order to fulfill her wish. Sometimes she risks not accomplishing her mission in the process of helping others. She also treats everybody in a friendly way whether they are good or bad. Although she is very friendly albeit very clumsy, she is also protective of those important to her especially members of the nursery where she is employed. Anyway, I think Wikipedia has a better description of her.

One thing that really pisses me off is that the main guy character is completely oblivious to Kobato's affection towards him and keeps bullying Kobato throughout the series. Also, he just won't stop sulking, and has been doing that for most of his life. I'll accept it if he sulks a little and then comforted by Kobato, but he did that throughout the entire series. He treats everyone like the whole world owed him a living, just because he has an unpleasant past. He insisted to be left alone all the time but Kobato, being an idiot who is just too kind, persistently helps him, worries about him and keeps him company. Instead of being thankful, Fujimoto only bullies her more and more only to realize Kobato's significance to him when he is about to lose her. Still, he eventually gets the girl. Damn, I hate that guy! Kobato would have been a much better anime had they reinvent Fujimoto's character.

All that aside, this is indeed a very interesting anime to watch. Definitely one of my favorites  However, this anime doesn't really fair much in terms of realism. There are some point in this anime that, in my opinion, won't happen in the real world. And also, Kobato is just too clumsy to have no one realize she's not human or at least is no longer human. Another problem with this anime is that all the character will wear the same outfit almost throughout the entire series. Even Kobato only changes her attire like once every season (as in spring, summer, autumn and winter). Well, this is an anime after all, and it really is not a big deal so I won't complain much. The outfits looked good anyway. In the end, just watching Kobato herself gave me a sense of warmth, and I managed to finish the entire anime in 2 days.

My rating (out of 10): 9

Anime review: Gokicha!! Cockroach Girls

Title: Gokicha!! Cockroach Girls

Year: 2011 / 2012 (I think it's still ongoing)

What is it about: A cockroach trying to befriend human.

My review: What can Japanese do? They made me feel for a cockroach! Yes, after watching two 8-minute episode of this, I actually felt for a damn cockroach! A cockroach, for goodness' sake!

Anyway, this anime is really unlike any other anime. This anime tells a tale of a kindhearted cockroach who tries to befriend human being, but fails at every attempt. She'll get stepped on sprayed with insecticides and tossed around, but she is still hopeful in coexisting with humans. She is also mindful to other creatures such as crows and other cockroaches. I think this cockroach is more thoughtful and friendlier than many humans!

At the end of episode 2 where this anime currently stopped, our little cockroach girl here tried to persuade another cockroach friend to not steal food from human, and then something terrible happened to her. I cried! If a cockroach in reality is like her, it will definitely make a perfect pet or even a friend. Sadly, they are not.

If you watched this anime, you will think twice before stepping on a cockroach. It's crazy.

My rating (out of 10): 10

Game review: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: Gears of Destiny

Title: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: Gears of Destiny (That's one hell of a long title)

Year: 2011

What is it about: It's in Japanese, so I'm not too sure. But I can tell it's about little magical girls traveling between time and space.

Genre: Fighting game with a proper storyline.

My review: It will be a big advantage if you can comprehend Japanese language well because there will be lots of talking and talking and talking in this game, and it will be in Japanese. There are no motion cutscenes in this game, just static pictures and fully voiced dialogue with words. However, this is only to be expected in a fighting game like these.

There are a total of 11 chapters in this game (plus one unlockable chapter which I'm having a hard time unlocking) and they are termed Sequence. In each sequence, there are a series of characters you can choose to battle with and battle against. Each choice will lead you to a slightly different route in the storyline, but nothing too major. Usually it's just the dialogue that will change. Therefore, if you wish to see the various outcome of the storyline, then you will have to repeat the sequence many times with different combinations of characters. At certain times, the storyline also differs depending on whether you successfully beat a particular opponent.

Though this is a fighting game, it's actually a very friendly one. No surprise here considering the fact that this game is filled with loli girls. Characters in this game greets each other and converse in a friendly manner before engaging in combat. There is hardly a character where I would consider a foe. They are all friendly. Only at times, some misunderstanding happens and the characters battle for real but no one character will die from it.

Say, an evil guy (in this case, they are all girls) resurrected a supposedly highly destructive dark powered entity in front of you. What will you do? Here, what you do is introduce yourself and give the dark powerful entity a cute name! Exactly! And guess what, this newly resurrected dark figure is the final boss, and she really is cute! She even looks harmless and you wouldn't guess she's a powerful dark being.

That said, I advise you to not judge a book by its cover. The final boss in this game is one of the toughest I've ever fought. Don't let the cuteness fool you. Without a good strategy and hand-eye coordination, you wouldn't stand a chance against her. I just finished the game after losing like a million times to her, and my fingers still hurt!

Anyway, here's a brief description of the battle system. Your skills differs according your distance from the opponent. At close proximity, the battle will be two-dimensional, but you are allowed to move slightly in or out. Your attacks will be dealt mostly with melee weapons. At a far distance, your skills switches to long-range magical powers, and you will get a complete three-dimensional field where you can float around. There are not much of combo you can do in this game, but still it's an interesting battle system.

In conclusion, this game is quite confusing in terms of storyline, but it's very cute. The battle system is simple but interesting. There are no difficulty settings in this game, but the opponent really poses a challenge to you. I really enjoyed this game. It has lots of eye candy.

My rating (out of 10): 8

Anime review: Black Rock Shooter (Anime)

Title: Black Rock Shooter

Year: 2012 (The anime)

What is it about: Girls fighting and going crazy in the most awesome way.

My review: There's Black Rock Shooter (BRS) game, then there's the anime including an OVA, and they are completely different from each other. In the game, BRS (and White Rock Shooter) is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto. Surprising. In the anime, BRS is voiced by, guess who, Kana Hanazawa! This is even more surprising because Kana Hanazawa isn't the type who voice in these kind of anime. But in this anime, you'll definitely be amazed by what Kana can do.

That is one reason why people actually watch this anime. You get to see Kana Hanazawa doing stuffs she usually doesn't, which turns out to be very badass. BRS is a killing machine, and there are lots of other killing machines too. This anime is where you get to see the most awesome catfights ever! Yes. In this anime, you hardly see any males. You see only girls fight each other with machines designed to kill, yet they don't die. So, these fights go on and on for 8 whole episodes.

Even so, this anime actually centers around two entirely different worlds. One of which is the human world where you see the everyday school girls. The other is where the girls' alter ego fights each other to the death (but then again, they don't die). This anime tries to link both worlds together with a storyline from the human world to explain what's going on with all the fighting in the other world. Sounds complicated? It is. Other than enjoying all the fight scenes in this anime, you will not get a single thing of what's going on. Worst, the explanation begins at around episode 6. Even so, it'll still keep you scratching your head.

In conclusion, this anime is just weird. If you don't enjoy mindless fighting, you will most probably get bored even at the beginning of this anime, unless you are a die-hard Kana Hanazawa fan. Even so, I really did not notice it was Kana who voiced BRS and also Mato whom BRS is her other self.

Rating (out of 10): 4

Anime review: Persona 4 The Animation

Title: Persona 4 The Animation

Year: 2011

What is it about: Venturing in a different dimension, solving crimes.

My review: Persona 4 is one of the best games ever. Persona 4 The Animation, however, is among the crappiest there is. Before spending on this anime which cost a lot more than a usual 25-episode anime does, I suggest you save it and treat yourself a good buffet instead. This anime is completely worthless. If you had already played the game, this anime is just a few excerpts from the game crumpled into 25 episodes. This means, much of the original storyline is either missing or is altered real badly. I didn't bother watching all 25 episodes. It bores me from the 4th onward, an  I immediately skipped to the last episode. Even so, it's just a huge disappointment.

Unlike the game, the characters in this anime hardly does anything but talk and talk and talk. All the fighting are left to the Persona. And a good battle is between opponents of an equal strength. In this anime, it's really like watching the old-day Ultraman. The Persona first loses, then after the characters' inspirational talk, the Persona suddenly gain incredible strength to be able to defeat the opponent in a single blow. This happens every time, and it also applies to the final boss which is supposedly unbeatable. Every time when they are at the verge of losing, weird stuffs happens and they gain sudden power. That is cliche beyond lame.

In conclusion, don't even bother watching this anime. If you are interested in experiencing Persona 4, get the game instead. I learned the hard way, that every anime made based on a video game tends to suck really bad, regardless how good the game actually is. If you are really interested in watching this anime, just watch the first episode. It will satisfy you more than watching the entire series.

Rating (out of 10): 1

Anime review: Fortune Arterial

Title: Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku

Year: 2010

What is it about: A boy newly transferred to a high school ends up befriending a vampire girl who is trying to be human.

My review: I really can't believe this anime started as an adult game (I didn't say that). Anyway, this anime is like any other ordinary anime involving daily lives of Japanese high school students. Everything is actually quite normal, and I'm a fan of animes which talks about real life, rather than magic, demons, and battles after battles after battles. So, it's just the way I like it. Then, this anime becomes not so normal when two characters are introduced as vampires. Because there are vampires among the school students, this ordinary daily-lives anime became a little more interesting, just the way I like it too. I also liked anime which has a little special something to spice things up a little, because an anime which solely talks about ordinary daily life can be quite boring at times.

In this anime, the main focus was at Kouhei who tries to adapt to the new surrounding after having transferred to a new high school on an island. Meanwhile, this anime also focuses on Erika, a vampire who is also adapting herself to the human world and is trying her best to live as a human. Other than that, this anime comprises of short storylines centering a particular character, which in the end the storyline somehow links up. Towards the end, the storyline then focuses solely on Erika's hardship of trying to be human.

Unlike the typical vampire stories, this anime doesn't have much action going on. I'll get to that later. This anime is rather innocent and decent looking. To my surprise, not much of fanservice too. Again, just the way I like it. Well, some character does have huge boobs and ultra-large eyes. But they are still within an acceptable range. So, I'm okay with it. There are also quite a lot of comedy going on in this anime, and they are pretty well generated too.

There are, however, a few problems with this anime. First of all, although I think the storyline of this anime is pretty good, there is nothing very special about it. If this is an anime that involves vampire, I expected the vampire to show off its abilities, perhaps in a battle or two, and creating a bit of an action. This however, didn't happen and Erika's existence as vampire merely shows how she battles her thirst for Kouhei's blood and it doesn't really spice the anime that much. This was, however, a perfect recipe for a romantic anime. So, I thought I will be expecting a good love story out of that. Sadly, not so much, as Kouhei the main character hardly treats anyone any different from the others. Erika merely gets a little more attention, and by the end of the OVA which is the sequel to the final episode, Erika's relationship with Kouhei only begins to develop.

I won't complain much though, as I had really enjoyed watching this anime. This anime is really a decent and friendly one (albeit a little somber), not the violent or over-ecchi type like Rosario Vampire. And also, this anime is very very cute!

My rating (out of 10): 7