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Game Grind: Crowd Failed

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Happy Saturday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Game Grind! The place where any and everything in the video game industry and community is fair game for appreciation, examination, and criticism. Let’s see what’s going on in the amazing world of video games this week.

Neurogadget

Mighty No. 9 Putt Off Again – Release Date Delayed

Well shit….

Looks like today’s article is going to be about crowd funded video games, the problems that they can suffer from, and the impact that has on the gaming industry as a whole. Cheery  -_-

Mighty No. 9 is a game that I, and many other people, were looking foreword to playing in the near future. Mighty No 9 is a game that very heavily resembles the Mega Man series of games and is the product of Keiji Inafune, the primary illustrator for many of the Mega Man games, Inti Creates, and is being published by Deep Silver. The game was revealed as a kind of spiritual successor to the Mega Man series of games and received funding through the crowd funding website, Kickstarter. The game shattered its funding goal back in 2013 and was expected to be released in mid 2015, but then it was delayed to late 2015. It was then pushed back even further to early 2016, and now has been delayed even further back into the second quarter of 2016.

So the first question that should probably be answered is, how could this happen, how could a game be delayed like this? The answer to this question varies greatly in a case by case basis, but in MN9’s case, I believe that the development team got a bit too ambitious and bit off more than what they could chew. This game is being released on essentially every platform and has a wide range of bells and whistles that I do not think the creative team was expecting to have put in. A lot of these extra features were stretch goals, additional items on the Kickstarter that are only added if additional funds are received, and I am pretty sure the development team was not planning receiving as much money as they did and having to add these extra features.

Mighty No 9 2

It should also be noted that it is fairly common for video games to be delayed or cancelled all together. For me the first one that comes to mind is Capcom’s Deep Down, but it is a bit different when a Kickstarter funded game is released. A Kickstarter game is being created directly with player’s donated funds. A bunch of gamer’s give the perspective creator some money, they make the game, and then the public has the opportunity has the chance to buy the game and if you donated you generally receive some kind of perk or reward. When a Kickstarter game is delayed it causes the people who donated money to the project, or I suppose they could be called investors, to loose faith in the project and perhaps regret their investment.

So yeah, people are pissed off at MN9. Justifiably if I can add my own opinion. The bigger issue that results from this unfortunate situation is that people loose faith in Kickstarter video games. When very publicized problems and let downs like these occur, it makes it seem as though games that are trying to be funded through crowd funding are not good investments or worth the money. Even worse, it makes the people who are trying to make these games seem like cheats. While people have been ripped off by Kickstarter campaigns in the past, and most definitely will be in the future, some truly great games have come out of this method of funding. Shovel Knight and Undertale are two incredible and refreshingly different games that were both created through crowd funding and are regarded as some of the best games to come out recently and really validate the funding method.

I personally believe that the video game industry is entering a kind of revival right now, and that crowdfunding is the medium through which that revival can occur. Right now, most major game publishers and studios are making games with very similar mechanics, like some kind of shooter/rpg. They are making these games because they are incredibly popular right now and tend to sell very well, making them a lot of money. Crowdfunding allows developers to make less common and more unique and creative games. These projects not only bring back some practically abandoned genre of gaming, but also help validate the medium as a creative and artful. While Mighty No. 9 Might be bringing crowdfunded games down right now, I definitely think they are the future of gaming.

That just about does it for this installment of Game Grind. I hope you liked it and really appreciate the viewing. If you want to stay up to date with this blog, you can subscribe in the upper right tab with your email. Alternatively, you can stay up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. Have an awesome rest of the weekend and be sure to come back here on Monday for the next installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Game Grind: Crowd Failed

Pop Culture Wednesday: The Future is Now!!! + 984 Years

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Happy Wednesday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Pop Culture Wednesday, the place where we dive into some awesome pop culture related news or trivia in an effort to make hump day more spectacular and get you through the rest of the week. Today’s topic comes from some good friends of mine who recently discovered this program and are falling as head over heels for it, as they are for each other. Their name is Blair Huggles and they love Futurama.

Futurama 1

Futurama is a gem of a television show with a wonderful premise. In the year 2000, a lowly pizza delivery boy, Phillip J. Fry, is accidentally cryogenically frozen while on a delivery. Upon waking up a thousand years later, in the year 3000, and learning that everyone he ever knew or cared about is dead, he express jubilation and eagerly looks foreword to exploring the new and strange world before him. Through a series of events, he quickly meets the beautiful cyclopes woman and ace pilot, Leela, who throughout the series is Fry’s on again, off again romantic interest. He also meets the alcoholic one robot party machine/bending/Kleptomaniac unit, Bender. I say he’s an alcoholic mostly because he’s a lovable ass, but in actuality he needs to consume alcohol to power himself. The three become fast friends and quickly travel to Fry’s ancient nephew’s deliver company, Planet Express, and work for him. In the course of a thousand years Fry is once again a delivery boy, but this time eagerly kooks foreword to the adventures that go along with delivering packages to any point in the vastness of space.

Futurama is a good show. It kind of has to be considering that it was cancelled and brought back on three separate occasions. The biggest praise I can give the show, though, is that it is smart. Do you know how a lot of people think that The Big Bang Theory is smart solely because it focuses on smart people? Futurama actually is smart because it was made by intelligent people and for intelligent people. The writer staff of the show held three Ph.D.s, seven master’s degrees, and collectively possessed more than fifty years spent at Harvard University. The sheer knowledge and creativity of the show’s writers and creators bleeds into the show constantly. Over the course of Futurama’s run the show seamlessly blended high and low culture humor, created three separate languages, and invented a mathematical formula to determine how to get individuals who have switched bodies back into their original body, if no two people can switch directly with a person they had prior.

There are a lot of things I personally love about this show as well. In case you did not gather from the clips above Zoidberg is one of them. He is formally my spirit animal and just a perfect combination of goofy, pitiable, and lovable. I also very much like how the show embraces and pushes out their science fiction concepts. I believe that their originality and willingness to push the envelop is what has allowed other more high concept show like Rick and Morty and Man Seeking Woman to find the success that they currently have. Futurama my be less famous and less long lived than some of Matt Groening’s other works, but it is sill wonderful and totally worth your time if you want to watch something on Netflix.

Take My Money

Alright everybody, that just about does it for today’s installment of Pop Culture Wednesday. If you liked it please leave a like below and maybe even a comment if you feel so obliged. It’s much appreciated. If you want to stay up to date on this blog, you can subscribe to it in the upper right tab by using your email. Alternatively, you can stay up to date you liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have a truly kickass rest of the week and I encourage you to come back to this blog on Saturday for the latest installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

 

Pop Culture Wednesday: The Future is Now!!! + 984 Years

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday: A-Bridge-d to Hell

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Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where we dive head first into the wonderful, diverse, and sometimes scary world of anime and manga. Today, rather than talk about an anime (although technically it’s an OVA, but that’s a whole other post in and of itself), this post will focus on an Abridged series that is parodying an anime. While the previous time I wrote about an Abridged anime series, which can be read right here, it was under the Pop Culture Wednesday section, I believe that western parodies of animated series can easily belong in either of these two headings. Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get into Team Four Star’s Hellsing Ultimate Abridged.

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged 1

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged parodies a story about an immortal vampire, Alucard, that is tasked by the family that defeated him a hundred years ago to defeat a evil organization known as Millennium, that turns out to be an army of vampire Nazis. Already off to a great start! The best way I can describe this show is by comparing it to the amazing television program Archer. Alucard is a lot like Archer, if Archer were actually immortal, even more sexually promiscuous, and an even greater violent sociopath. As seen below:

Of course the parody also manages to improve up other aspects of the show besides the main character, as well. The villains have been greatly expanded upon in this series and are arguably made even more terrifying. I am both genuinely disturbed and entertained by the leader of the Nazi army, The Major. This is especially true in the follow scene:

I honestly cannot recommend this series highly enough. It is simply fantastic and it deserves to be watch by all who have an internet connection. My only gripe about the program is that only one episode of it is released per year. We have been promised the sixth episode by the end of January, though! That’ll be fun! I know that this post is incrediably short, but really nothing more needs to be said than the Team Four Star people have created another excellent abridged series and that you should definitely watch it. Even if you have never seen Hellsing Ultimate or have no clue what’s going on, you need to watch this series. Here’s the first episode, enjoy!

That will just about do it for this weeks installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday. If you enjoyed it please leave a comment down below and maybe a comment if you are so inclined. If you want to stay up to date with the 4B blog, you can subscribe using your email in the upper right tab. Alternatively, you can stay up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have an amazing week and be sure to come back here Wednesday for the next installment of Pop Culture Wednesday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday: A-Bridge-d to Hell

Game Grind: Localization, Gamings Eccentric, Hot Mess

LucasLeave a comment

Happy Saturday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Game Grind, the place where any and everything video game related is discussed with vigor! Today’s topic is going to be a doozie; and by that I mean that this topic is fairly controversial. Today’s post is going to be all about localization, or the changes a game goes through when it adapted for a new audience in a different region than the one it was produced for originally.

Localization

I should begin this article by prefacing that localization is one of the biggest reasons why video games have become a world wide phenomenon and is a massive contributor to its growth as an art form. Localization, in its most basic form, is changing aspects of a game when it is brought to a new culture, so that the new culture can more easily enjoy it. When localization occurs, the most apparent change in a game is it’s language. By changing the language in a game to the most common language of the culture it is being introduced to, it allows for thousands if not millions of people to easily experience and understand the narrative that is being presented to them. Localization allows stories and perspectives from all over the world to be shared and experienced with people who never could otherwise. Localization can bring people from all over the world together and that is pretty freakin’ awesome.

However, that being said, localization can suck sometimes and can be the generator of a lot of controversy. Coincidentally, the most viewed article on this blog happens to be controversy created due to the localization process. You can read the full article right here, but that post was essentially about how the game Dead or Alive Xtreem 3: Beach Vollyball, would not be receiving an English release and localization due to its very sexualized content. In this game’s case, the creators decided not to release it in English speaking areas, although it can be imported to western nations and the game by default does have English subtitles, however what usually happens in situations like this is that the potentially controversial material is changed so that it is less offensive to the culture that it is being introduced to.

DoAx 2

A recent example of this can be found in the upcoming Fire Emblem: Fates games. In these games there exists a character that gets flustered when she is around attractive women. In order to help this character overcome her kind of, sort of gynophobia, the player character puts a magic powder into the woman’s drink without telling her that makes her see men as women and women as men. After other interactions with the female character, the magic powder wears off and the player character and this female character enter into a romantic relationship. Nintendo, the producer of the Fire Emblem games, announced that these scenes would be changed when it came to the west, primary due to fans seeing these interactions as being representative of gay conversion therapy and drugging women. Some people have seen this change as being a positive one that appropriately addressed culturally sensitive issues, while others have responded to this announcement as this game being censored due to the actions of “Social Justice Warriors”.

I am not going to go into too much depth regarding that localization decision, mostly because there is a lot to unpack there and because it merits a whooooooooooooooole other post in and of itself, but I just want to make it clear that changing certain elements of a game is not uncommon in the localization process. In fact, in the previous Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem Awakening, a character had their personality completely changed between the Japanese version and the English one. In this case, though, I wholeheartedly believe that this change was for the best and that the character was actually improved upon when the game was brought to English speaking countries. I believe this mostly because in the English version they made the character, Henry, punnier.

Localization 2

So that more or less is why localization is controversial; it changes a work of art so that it fits better into the cultural views of the newest group experiencing it. Can localization be considered censorship? I personally think not, but I could definitely see the case that is being made in the contrary. Sure minor character details regarding a game have changed in the process of localization, but I cannot think of one game to be released recently that has had a large part of its story or message changed due to being presented to a new culture. The main issue I have with localization is that it can take so damn long!

For example, it was recently announced, with much less fanfare than what I believe it merits, that the video game Bravely Second: End Layer would be coming to North America on April 15th. This is nearly a full year after the game was originally released in Japan and two months after it was released in Europe and Australia! It’s no secret that I loved the original game, which coincidentally had it’s own share of peculiar localization changes, and I am severely bummed about having to wait so long to play the sequel.

Localization 3

I know that the localization process can be extremely time consuming, expensive, and nuanced; but I do not care because I desperately need my JRPG fix and because I am extremely eager to see where the story goes from the original’s heartbreaking ending. So there you have it; my personal opinion is that I am far more frustrated with how long a localization process can take sometimes than I am with the process “censoring” (read, sarcastically quote, un-quote) the game. If localization ever does truly and deeply effect a games narrative and it’s messages, I will be the first one to riot; but, until then, I really do not care.

Localization 4

Alrighty, that is more or less all I have to say on this sensitive-ish video game topic. If you liked this post, please leave a like down below and if you have a question or strong opinion about localization, go ahead and leave a comment as well. If you want to stay up to date on the going on’s of this blog, you can subscribe via email in the upper right tab. Alternatively, you can keep up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter on Twitter. I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend and be sure to stop by on Monday for the next installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

 

 

Game Grind: Localization, Gamings Eccentric, Hot Mess

Pop Culture Wednesday: There can be Only One! (Not Really, Though)

Lucas3 Comments

Good morning BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! I hope you are having an awesome Wednesday and are ready for a pop culture knowledge mic drop. This is Pop Culture Wednesday; the place where anything and everything related to media is examined, evaluated, and critiqued. Today’s topic is an interesting one and I have my buddy Andy (yes, he’s not always a wet blanket) to thank for it. The question is a simple one, but is also extremely dense and merits unpacking. The question is, “which is the leading media industry, T.V. or Movies?”

TV-vs-Movies

Determining which of these industries is better than the other is difficult, as it is hared to find a way to objectively which is superior to the other. Sure, revenue is the go to answer for something like this, but that can be difficult to calculate across entire industries and can becomes even more difficult when you consider and try to categorize content that is trying to bridge the gap between television and film, like Sherlock or the upcoming The People vs. O.J. Simpson special. So instead of focusing on the funds each industry annually pulls in, I’m going to focus on the creative content generated by each medium.

Movies have been considered for a long time to be superior to television. Movie actors are held in higher regard than television actors and the content created for the big screen is often considered to be more artistic then that of its T.V. counterpart. This is totally understandable when it is acknowledged that movies have been around much longer than television. The movie industry is much older and more refined than television and has changed numerous times through out history as the medium has been pushed beyond what was considered possible numerous times.

This is reflected in lists that rate the greatest movies ever made. The American Film Institute’s Greatest American Films Ever Made list consist primarily of movies that are either groundbreaking for the medium or works that are extremely artful. However, the list is also extremely dated. The top movie on AFI’s list is Citizen Kane which came out in 1941 and the most recent movie in the top thirty is Schindler’s List, which was released in 1993. While their truly are some astounding pieces of cinematography and stories in the world of film, it seems very much like it has plateaued.  Some great and astounding movies have undoubtedly been released in my lifetime, but I can not say whole wholeheartedly that a movie has come out during my existence that was a game changer for the industry.

tv vs film 2

Television, on the other hand, seems to be on the upswing right now. Programming has been created recently that has reshaped the television industry for the better. Works like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad have proven that television can be just as compelling and deep as film. Television has also recently been recognized as being a better medium to tell certain types of stories. For instance, Stephen King’s epic The Stand is being adapted into a television mini-series due to it having too large a scope to be done justice on the silver screen. It is undeniable that television is growing right now and in a couple years or decades it could be more highly regarded than the film industry.

So, in short, I think film and television are pretty even right now in terms of quality and content. That may change in the near future however, because movie have not done anything truly groundbreaking in the last decade or so, while television is constantly in the process of releasing better content and pushing the boundaries of the medium. Television may surpass film in the future, but then again an earth shattering movie could come out in the next year or two that totally reshapes the industry. Anything could happen, life is chaos.

There you have it, the best answer is that there is no answer. Although, I’ll admit that I personally prefer the content on television as I enjoy the weirder and more creative programming that occasionally appears on that medium. If you liked this post please leave a like down below and if you feel inclined to leave a comment while you are down there, please do so. As always, you can subscribe to this blog in the upper right tab via your email. Alternatively, you can stay up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have a great rest of the week and be sure to come back here on Saturday for the next installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Pop Culture Wednesday: There can be Only One! (Not Really, Though)

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday: Anime for All Ages

LucasLeave a comment

Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Manga (And Also Anime) Monday, there place where our appreciation for anime and manga is strong enough to pierce the heavens! Total disclosure, that’s a quote from an anime I have yet to actually watch, so I may have just broken a rule by saying that. But, yeah know, that’s how I roll. Today’s post is going to be dedicated to explaining how exactly anime became a medium that is considered view able for all ages, while western animation and cartoons are generally considered to be exclusively for younger audiences.

pokemon anime meme

The explanation for this phenomenon can actually be boiled down to two simple features: money and circumstance. Anime did not become an all ages medium due to anything really culturally related or due to any specific campaigns; it became such a diverse medium because when anime first started to be produced, it was profitable for many anime to be made for different demographics of people. Allow me to explain.

Anime first began to take shape as we recognize it today in the 1930s. This anime was heavily influenced by the incredibly famous animation of the Walt Disney studio. With the exception of a few cultural tells, this early anime is almost indistinguishable from the western Disney animation.

early anime

early anime 2\

However, early anime production companies quickly realized that they would not be able to make anime that was as high in quality as Disney’s and still be cost effective. This resulted in a shift in focus in Japanese anime, where the narrative of a work was focused on more and placed in a higher regard than the work’s animation. Then the Great Depression happened. While the Great Depression is generally taught as being an event that really only heavily impacted the United States, the implications of the massive economic decline were worldwide. Japan suffered from this depression as well and, seeing as animation was a rapidly growing industry at the time, many young men looking for work ventured into the anime industry as a means to support their family.

Then World War II happened. I’m not going to sugar coat it, anime got a little bit propaganda-y during this time frame. Actually, now that I think about it, everything kinda did, which I suppose makes sense. Anyway, after Japan loss the war (Go Team USA!) anime and other creative works were pretty heavily censored and it was very frowned upon to release any creative works that criticized or depicted government officials or any real world figures or events.

This is when anime started to become so thematically diverse. The combination of an incredible number of working age individuals with animation skills and the restrictions of not being able make anything too closely related to the real world pushed anime into exploring more varied and high concept story lines and themes. It was during this time period that anime was first being created for such a wide assortment of age groups. Anime with factious story lines were created for multiple demographics simply because there were to many creators to just focus on younger audiences and because creative restrictions at the time gave anime produces to explore more adult tones and themes.

There you have it. Anime exists as it does today because of a wide combination of events that forced the medium to repeatedly reshape its identity. This makes anime both a kind of medium and a genre as it is so thematically varied and has such a massive audience. It is through all of these events that today we have Shonen anime, Seinen anime, Shojo anime, Josei anime, Kodomomuke anime, and pornographic anime. Yeah, that last one is actually a thing and merits a whole other post (although don’t hold your breath on it). The point is, anyone today can watch and enjoy an anime mostly because there many different kinds of anime intended for many different kinds of people and it it were not for several different events lining up the way they did, anime today would be very different from what we all know and love.

anime meme 1

I hope you all liked today’s post about anime’s history. If you enjoyed it, please leave a like and a comment down below. If you would like to stay up to date with this blog, you can subscribe to it in the upper right tab by using your email. You can also stay informed by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope all of you have an amazing week and that you stop back here on Wednesday for the next installment of Pop Culture Wednesday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday: Anime for All Ages

Game Grind: Ninten-Do or Ninten-Do Not, There is no Try

LucasLeave a comment

Happy Sunday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Game Grind, the place on the internet where anything even slightly video game related can be examined, critiqued, and/or praised. I know this segment usually comes out on Saturday, but I was preoccupied with moving back to campus and this article deserves the appropriate amount of time and effort. Today’s post is going to be dedicated to analyzing the recent claims by Nintendo’s new President, Tatsumi Kimishima,in regards to Nintendo’s plans for 2016 and their desire to increase their returns in the next few years. Today I’m going to be looking at the likelihood of Nintendo achieving some of the promises made by it’s president, and how currently existing information compares to and affects the recent press release. Here we go!

nintendo

The first big piece of information presented in this press conference, which can be partially read in it’s translated format over at IGN, is in regards to the upcoming Nintendo NX (tentative title). It was revealed that the NX is going to be focusing on “entirely new [ideas]” and that further details on the NX will arrive later this year. At this point, the public still has a very limited idea of what the NX is and what it will be capable of. Many are speculating that it will be an entirely new console that will replace the lackluster Wii U and that it will bring back cartridge gaming as computer chips are now able to hold more data than Blu-Ray disks. The timing of when this information is released is going to be very interesting, as I suspect that Nintendo would ideally like the NX to be released during the 2016 season. Only time will tell what exactly the NX is going to bring to the gaming industry and if it will be the bounce back Nintendo is desperately looking for.

Another interesting piece of information that was released is that Nintendo is looking to have their world famous characters branch out of video games and into other mediums such as mobile games and TV anime. Nintendo characters in mobile games is not the newest of information, it has been known for some time that Nintendo’s future business plans are going to focus more on the mobile market, but the unavailing of Nintendo characters receiving an anime is entirely new and has some massive implications. Nintendo has not had much to do with either movies or television, with the long running Pokemon anime series being the only notable exception, since 1990 when numerous poorly received television shows and one notorious movie, The Super Mario Bros., ultimately hurt Nintendo’s brand. If these new animated series are created with even a shred of care and hold true to both the game’s and Nintendo’s core values and philosophies, they very easily could be widely successful.

Nintendo anime

The last, and intentionally most interesting, piece of information expressed in the press release is that Nintendo is aiming to raise its profits by about $855 million dollars in the next few years. This would be roughly four times the amount that Nintendo made in its previous business year, which was already impressive as in the years prior to last Nintendo had actually been loosing money. When I first read this goal, I was extremely skeptical. However, as I have been mulling it over in my head for the past day or so, it does seem like Nintendo plans to bring it hard for the foreseeable future. I realize now that the bulk of the games I had written about in my Game Grind: 2016 To Do post were going to be released on Nintendo systems. I have also realized that Nintendo has a lot of big events on it’s horizon.

As this year is Pokemon’s twentieth anniversary, numerous events have been planned for that Nintendo property. The card series is being revamped, old games are being released on new the 3DS system, and a limited edition Pokemon New Nintendo 3Ds is going to be released sometime this year. What is probably going to be the biggest cash cow for Nintendo, however, is the Pokemon GO mobile app, which I woefully forgot to mention on my 2016 to do list (please forgive me, lord Arceus!).This mobile Pokemon game will allow people to catch Pokemon in the real world as they go about their daily lives and has been almost exclusively marketed to people my age rather than children. I can only imagine that the announced Pokemon Super Bowl L (yes, L, not 50) commercial is only going to further promote this mobile game in an attempt to rekindle older individuals love of the series and give Nintendo an opportunity to essentially print money.

Nintendo’s NX will also likely help turn things around for the company. Nintendo has a history of innovative consoles backfiring on them. The better forgotten Virtual Boy being a prime example of this. However, their subsequent console release has always made up for their previous losses. The Nintendo 64 followed the Virtual Boy and sold extremely well in addition to revolutionizing the video game industry with the introduction of analog controls. Nintendo definitely seems to be gearing up for some kind of game changer like that again, and I personally hope that the NX does live up to the speculation and hype surrounding it. Nintendo is arguably responsible for video games growing as they are currently and it would be disheartening to see the company that created generations of gamers fall into obscurity.

That just about wraps up the latest information regarding the House of N. If you enjoyed this post or have any questions regarding it, feel free to leave a like or a comment respectively down below. If you would like to stay up to date with this blog you can do so by subscribing in the upper right tab with your email. Alternatively, you can stay informed by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have a great Sunday and be sure to stop back here tomorrow for the next installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

BaddaBing BaddaBye

 

Game Grind: Ninten-Do or Ninten-Do Not, There is no Try

Pop Culture Wednesday: Man Seeking Woman Review

LucasLeave a comment

Happy Hump day BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! How are you? I’m good, thanks for asking. As it is just about every time this week, this is Pop Culture Wednesday. Today’s article is going to be a review critiquing and analyzing a wonderfully nerdy show that coincidently has its season two premier airing tonight. Today’s post is going to be all about the FXX program, Man Seeking Woman.

Man Seeking Woman 1

Man Seeking Woman is an American Sitcom created by Simon Rich that is loosely based on a book he wrote titled, The Last Girlfriend on Earth. The show usually follows Josh, a twenty something naïve and awkward young man, as he deals with surreal moments and situation as he tries to both find love and make sense of his life after ending a long term relationship. Along for the ride is Mike, Josh’s best friend who is able to date much more easily than Josh and is also far more interested in getting Josh laid than helping him find a relationship, and Liz, Josh’s older sister whom he goes to regularly for dating advice.

The best description I can give to this show, and perhaps the greatest compliment as well, is that it feels very much like an episodic Scott Pilgrim. The show’s over-the-top-ness and obvious love for nerd culture are apparent from the very first episode. This is where a majority of the show’s humor comes from. It takes situations and common dating experiences that most people are familiar with and hyperbolizes them or literalizes them. Have you ever been to a really unpleasant wedding that you desperately didn’t want to attend? In one episode Josh goes to a destination wedding that is literally in hell. Ever feel like your on the top of the world because you got an attractive person’s phone number? In the pilot Josh literally gets a call from Pres. Barak Obama congratulating him when he does that. Below is the trailer for season two, and I can admit, with only marginal embarrassment, that I can completely relate to the events at 1:01.

Man seeking woman’s biggest draw is also its biggest weakness, however. As the majority of the show’s humor revolves around each episode taking common experiences in dating and taking them to absurd levels, the jokes and each episode can kind of drag or have too much set up and not enough punch line. While each episode is consistently funny and relatable, I have only had a handful of laugh out loud moments in the entire first season. The joke that comes first to my mind when I think of the previous season is when Josh finds out that the guy his ex-girlfriend is dating is literally Hitler.

Man Seeking Woman 2

This show is definitely worth a look if you’re within its target demographic. That being twenty to thirty year olds who are at least slightly nerdy or pop culture savvy and have any amount of experience being single. I also believe that this show does a better job depicting what it’s like to be a single nerdy and awkward person than any other sitcom on television right now (*cough* Big Band Theory *cough*). Bottom line, if you’re the kind of person that even occasionally looks at this blog, I really think you would enjoy Man Seeking Woman.

That just about does it for this week’s installment of Pop Culture Wednesday. If you enjoyed it or have thoughts on Man Seeking Woman, please leave a like and a comment down below. As always, if you want to keep up to date with this blog, you can subscribe to it via email in the upper right tab. Alternatively, you can stay up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have a great rest of the week and be sure to come back here on Saturday for the next installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

 

Pop Culture Wednesday: Man Seeking Woman Review

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday:Samurai Champloo Review

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Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where Japanese reigns king and we get to revel in its glory, while also making respectful criticisms. Today’s topic is going to be a gem of an anime from 2004, Samurai Champloo (yes, a part of this is going to be explaining what the name means). Here we go!

Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo answers the long unasked question: What if feudal Japanese culture and Hip Hop culture happened at the same time? In answering this question, this anime is able to both depict and comment on historical events and practices, as well as modern day issues and practices. The story follows two vagrant swordsmen, Mugen and Jin, and a teenage girl, Fuu, as the travel the countryside in search of “a samurai who smells of Sunflowers.”

While the plot of Samurai Champloo is somewhat lacking, as the majority of the story lines are episodic and their is not much of an overarching plot, the show more than makes up for it with its stunning animation and score. The animation in this program is reminiscent of the incredible anime, Cowboy Bebop. The animation may not always be of the highest quality, but it is still done in such a way accents the many elaborate fight scenes and perfectly sets the shows Hip Hop tone.

The music in this anime is arguably some of the best in the entire industry. You can easily tell that an incredible amount of effort went into creating the anime’s music, but also that the creator’s of said soundtrack had a deep appreciation and passion for what they were doing. On its own the music would be incredible, but when blended with Samurai Champloo’s stylistic animation it creates a truly unique and masterful experience.

The other big pull that this adult anime has going for it is how it beautifully mixes humor and action. A lot of shonen-esq anime tend to mix comedy and action in a fifty-fifty ratio. Samurai Champloo, however, is closer to seventy percent humor and thirty percent action. While this could be a problem for other anime, Samurai Champloo manages to pull off so many laughs due to its unique and enticing characters.

This also means that when the anime does choose to focus on action, it really is balls to the ball excellent and truly enthralls the viewer.

Samurai Champloo really is a great anime that succeeds at blending distinct and whole seperate cultural elements. This is even demonstrated in the series title, as the word “Champloo” is a corruption of the Japanese word for mix-up, and can be thought of as meaning mix tape. This signifies not only the blending of traditional Japanese culture with modern cultural influences, but also the series’ have focus on Hip Hop music. If you are looking for something to watch over winter break, I cannot recommend Samurai Champloo enough. It’s up for viewing on Hulu for free, so do yourself a favor and check out this anime original series.

Samurai Champloo 2

Alright. That just about does it for this week’s installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday. If you enjoyed it, please leave a like and a comment down below, it’s really appreciated. If you want to stay up to date with this blog you can: subscribe in the upper right tab using your email, like the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Faceboook Page, or follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope all of you have a great week and be sure to come back to 4B on Wednesday for the next installment of Pop Culture Wednesday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Manga (And Also Anime) Monday:Samurai Champloo Review

Game Grind: 2016 To Do

Lucas2 Comments

Good morning BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Or, if you had a little too good of a New Year’s, good afternoon! This is Game Grind, the place where everything relating to the video game industry and gamer culture is written about with vigor. I’ve noticed that a lot of news outlets use this time of year to talk about some of the best aspects of the previous year or even repost some of their previous stories with a “Best ___ of 2015” moniker. I could do something like that, but instead I’m going to look to the future, like a boss! Here are some games that are coming out in 2016 that I am definitely going to play.

Final Fantasy Explorers

Final Fantasy Explorers

Final Fantasy Explorers is a Final Fantasy spin-off title for the 3DS.The game play will consist of all of the long time FF staples, and a combat system reminiscent of Monster Hunter. It also has an interesting feature that allows monsters you have defeated in battle to join your party and help you beat up other monsters. So it’s basically Final Fantasy mixed with Monster Hunter, mixed with Pokémon. If I have to explain why that’s awesome…..why are you even reading a blog post about video games? (Also the game lets you play as fan favorite FF characters, so that’ll be fun.)

Release Date: January 26th

 

Mighty No. 9

Mighty No. 9

Mighty No. 9 is the spiritual successor to the original Mega Man games and is being released for nearly all gaming platforms. The game originally received funding when Mega Man’s producer, Keji Inafune, started a Kickstarter for the project, but has since been picked up by some major publishers and development studios. The game promises a return to the original Mega Man gold standard and that promise alone has me sold.

Release Date: February 9th in the U.S. and February 12th world wide

 

Fire Emblem Fates

FE fates

Fire Emblem Fates is the next installment in the Fire Emblem franchise and is coming to the 3DS. It promises to be as fun, intricate, and challenging as its predecessor, Fire Emblem Awakening, in addition to having a more compelling story. The game’s been out in Japan for a while and I’ve only really heard good things about the latest FE game. If you like turn based strategy games as much as I do, this game looks to be everything done right in a JRPG.

Release Date: February 19th for North America, Q1 for Europe and Australia

 

Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow

pokemon rby

In celebration of the original Pokémon games being twenty years old this year……wait, Pokémon is twenty years old!!? I have to fact check this, one sec……………………………………………………………………………………Wow, yeah. Pokemon Red and Green came out in Japan on Feburary 27th, 1996. Time fly’s, huh? Anyway, in celebration of this anniversary, the original Pokémon Red and Blue (the Western and improved versions of Pokémon Red and Green) are going to be released in all their Game Boy goodness on the 3DS eShop. This is actually a pretty big deal, because The Pokémon Company never re-releases their games on newer hardware without massive graphical and technical updates. I’m totally going to pick up Pokémon Red again and trip balls on all the nostalgia.

Release Date: February 27th   😀

 

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

Twilight_Princess_HD_cover

I have a confession to make to all of you. I have committed a Nintendo fan cardinal sin, I have never played some of the console Zelda games. Yes, go on, shame me. I disserve it. Thankfully though, Nintendo has given me a chance to redeem myself and is re-releasing Twilight Princess for Wii U. There is also going to be a very cool looking Midna/Wolf Link Amiibo that, by the sound of it, will release extra content on the upcoming Zelda Wii U project. Now all I have to do is play Skyword Sword and all of my sins will be forgiven! Although, I have it on pretty good authority that I don’t really need to play Skyword Sword.

wolf link amiibo

Release Date: March 4th

 

Star Fox Zero

Star Fox Zero

You know how Zero Suite Samus is known to most young players as “the hot chick from Smash Bros.”? Well, Fox and Falco are dangerousaly close to becoming the furries from Smash Bros., seeing as a new, non-remake game has not been seen in the series since 2006. Thankfully, a new entry is coming to arguably the most popular rail shooter ever, in the form of Star Fox Zero for the Wii U. The game looks like a return to form for the series and seems to have a fun blend of action shooting and puzzle solving. I’m so excited I could…….DO A BARREL ROLL!!! (Yeah, that was lame even for me, sorry.)

Release Date: April 21st for Japan, April 22nd for the US, and sometime in April for Europe.

 

Darkest Dungeon

header

This dark, anxiety inducing turn based RPG/dungeon crawler is coming to both PC and PlayStation 4. This Indie gem was well received on Steam during its early access period. This game seems like a new spin on the RPG genre and I’m sure I’ll enjoy its dark and gothic motif.

Release Date: January 19th for PC (master race) and Q2 for Playstation 4 and Vita.

 

Bravely Second: End Layer

bravely second

I freakin’ love Japanese Role Playing Games (JRPGs) and turn based strategy games. I know they are not for everyone, but they are most definitely for me. I was elated when I discovered that one of my favorite JRPGs from this generation was getting a sequel in the form of Bravely Second: End Layer for the 3DS. The original Bravely Default set the standard for what a modern turn based strategy game should be and I cannot wait to see how it expands on the original’s charming and imaginative universe and story.

Release Date: Already out in Japan, February 26th for Europe,  February 27th for Australia, and sometime in 2016 for North America.

 

Dragon Quest VII and VIII

Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest is a franchise that is arguably on par with or exceeds Final Fantasy in terms of quality and scope. These are two fan favorite titles of a series that I have yet to spend much time with so I’m looking foreword to experiencing these remakes for the first time on the 3DS.  Also, all of the artwork is either created by or done in the style of Akira Toriyama, the guy who created Dragon Ball. So it’s already awesome.

Release Date: VII in the Summer and VIII sometime in 2016 after that.

 

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy 15

It is difficult to express how much I want to play this upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox One title. I bought the mostly sucky HD version of Final Fantasy Type Zero just so I could experience this game’s demo and it was marvelous! For years the FF franchise seemed to be on a down swing and only since the release of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has the core FF series begin to climb back to its former glory. I believe that FF XV will solidify Final Fantasy’s place at the forefront of modern gaming, where it deserves to be.

Release Date: sometime this year (hopefully, it’s been in development for like seven years).

 

The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian

This is a beautiful game where you solve puzzles with the help of a giant bird/dog/cat creature and it draws upon elements from The Shadow of the Colossus. Nothing more needs to be said. Oh, wait, there is one more thing; it comes out on PlayStation 4. So go out and buy a PlayStation 4 before this game comes out.

Release Date: Not soon enough, in 2016.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Wii U (tentative title)

The Legend of Zelda Wii U

Very little is known about the next installment in the Zelda franchise. We don’t even know for sure that it’s coming out on the Wii U! However, it has been described as the most open Legend of Zelda title yet, and as a mix between Skyrim and The Legend of Zelda. That promise alone makes this game a guaranteed buy for me.

Release Date: 2016 (Maybe, probably, hopefully)

 

Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem

Fire Emblem Shin Magami Tiensen

This game is going to be a hot Japanese mess. And I, as a proud Otaku/Weeb, am going to revel in it. It’s going to be coming out on the Wii U and is either going to be very good or so bad that it’s good.

Release Date: Already out in Japan (lucky!) and sometime in 2016 for the rest of the world.

 

World of Final Fantasy

World of Final Fantasy

Finishing up this list is the chibi style final fantasy game that looks to be as adorable as it is cliché. This game is similar to FF Explores in that it has players befriending and fighting alongside monsters, but is different in that the game play is turn based and utilizes Final Fantasy’s classic Active Time Battle system. Will this game be the best video game in 2016? Probably not, but it will be pretty amazing to see and interact my favorite Final Fantasy characters and monsters in such an adorable art style. I’m definitely going to add this to my PlayStation 4 library (sorry Vita).

Release Date: Sometime, someplace, and somewhere in 2016.

 

Alright, those are my must buys in gaming for 2016. Ugh, my wallet hurts. Did you see anything you like? Do you have any questions about any of the titles? Do you want to know why any of your picks didn’t make the list? Well feel free to ask these questions and any others in the comments down below and I’ll be happy to get back to you. If you’d like to be informed when new content is posted to the 4B blog, you can do so by: subscribing via email in the upper right tab, liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you all have a great New Year’s weekend and be sure to come back here on Monday for the next installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

 

 

 

 

 

Game Grind: 2016 To Do