I-n-j-i-n

Okies http://kotaku.com/5338307/shadow-complex-review-genre-upgrade

I loved Super Metroid but I like this game better. A lot better. You don't get constantly stuck, the aiming is impeccable, the visor is better, it's more fun to beat up on enemies, the graphics, the music. To top it off, even the bosses are more epic and strategic than Super Metroid. And don't tell me I know nothing about Metroid or anything like that, because I played and came close to 100% percentage on almost all the major exploratory Metroid games ever made. I think there's a lot of hate and jealousy for Shadow Complex, but I think Castletroid fans should just embrace it as a Super Metroid sequel as a delusion and love it for what it is. This game is just better. I'm too numb right now, because I think I just played something better than Super Metroid. On addendum, I still don't think most games can really touch Super Metroid in the whole 'iconic' aspect and its atmosphere obviously. That and the classic-ness of its bosses and all. But it's like playing the new Ninja Gaiden on the PS3. The old Ninja Gaiden on the NES is a classic too, but there's something just that extra about the new game. I just hope there's a Shadow Complex 2 in the making. Really one of the best games of the year so far, on any three consoles for me.

Someone tell Sega to fucking stop it with the PSP ports and get working on full fledges PS3/Xbox games. I swear those portables are eating into the bottom line of home console games now.

I thought it was okay, but yeah, the guro stuff was to the point of exhibitionism than something profound. For better/cooler usage of 'guro', Shikabane Hime and Ga Rei Zero does it better. And other 'supergirl who kills people' anime like Saikano that sets up a better mood about it.

Okay, so now they need to lower the price of a Dualshock 3 down from the eagle perch of $50 to something HUMANE like $30.. That price is insane. It's literally keeping my friends from getting one..

^ Strangely as I have liked Sonic Unleashed, that puts a bad taste in my mouth..

I'm really hoping that turning wheel is a navigational wheel for a ship... And I just wish Sega would make a full sequel to Valkyria Chronicles already (not that weird portable version... which I'd probably buy anyway) and porting the Yakuza series..

Well, I guess I've long since entered the 'critic mode' since I'm so into the entire genre of anime now. Though it's ironic since I even watch crappy shows just to be a completionist about it. But either way, the one thing that Miyazaki is simply uncontested is with his visual imagery and the art of actual animating things. To me, there has been way worse animated shows but with better story pacing and the actual act of telling a story. I'm way more torn over the fact that people consider Oshii one of the big names in anime movie making, because his movies have since fallen into "Oshii-isms" with his profuse love for cigarettes and Basset Hounds. lol. Oh, and passing off consistent rant/banter/technobabble as actually palatable dialog. Apparently, a lot of people do. I do think he has his chops as an anime director, but IMO he has way more flaws that gets into the way of digesting a story than Miyazaki. With Miyazaki, it's usually being way too terse and mythical about plot progression in general.

For Shinkai, 5 Centimeters Per Second is his best and most recent one so far. Thankfully, he's letting other character designers do the character art for him now. When he tried to do it all by himself with Voices of a Distant Star, while it was innovative and all, you could tell he can't draw humans for crap. lol

I tried so hard to be a GiTS fan like all the cool anime viewers, then I realized that anime that have very little actual dialog but are filled with atmospherics do just the same job than a static-screen with moving-mouths being insanely overtly philosophical like in GiTS shows. Some cases in the shows/movies gets ridiculous when they literally over-think the simple mechanics of kidnapping. I mean, seriously? World economics and cyber terrorism to kidnapping? Okay....

Honestly, Bluray is like half the reason I'm buying a PS3. And I don't want to keep wittling down my harddrive spaces. That's really no fun. I'd rather keep them in a DISC, where I can store INFORMATION, like it's supposed to. I'd totally shun the PS3 Slim if they go down the data-only route. There'd be almost no point getting it and stressing over the harddrive space. As if PS3 gamers don't do that already by installing games.

^ Or Moon, that came out months ago, for that matter. Not even sure you can classify Sunshine as a sci-fi..

I wouldn't really say that I hate Miyazaki movies really, because I do think 99% of the times, it is an incredible watch. Even if the story falls apart like in Howl's Moving Castle (which apparently butchered the original book's story), it was still a very convincing watch. I don't think his stuff is amateurish really. They still are all classics even to my eyes. It's just that his storytelling techniques really aren't the epitome the anime medium could reach. Especially with Ponyo, where the end-game really does not really exist, you could see the fault in that. Though again, the experience is so mesmerizing, it almost doesn't matter. But I still think anime as a movie experience hasn't reached that ceiling of compelling visuals + amazing storytelling. Even Oshii movies have the 'long-droning-technobabble+weird-philosophizing' thing going on, even at their height. The only thing that gets me is when some reviews cite his works as perfect or complete. To me, it would be if the storytelling comes together better and more concisely. Some movies like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time came very close, though that movie's end-game was an epic trainwreck.

Everybody who loves this movie has to check out the shitstorm caused by a well known Black, racist movie reviewer who has SMASHED this film in his review. It's one of the few bad reviews you can find in Rottentomatoes. You can't miss it. Hilarious. Anyway, I really hope the Blomkampp changes his mind and collaborates with Spielberg and Peter Jackson for that fabled Halo movie now more than ever. He showed he can do the aliens mixing up with humans many times now.

Backward compatibility would be nice I guess, though I'm not sure it still warrants getting $50 in gamestop for my $400+ PS2 package with a modem (freakin' useless, that modem. ugh). Still too suspenseful with the PS3 Slim maybe being released at $299.. Unlikely but still.

No hate, because I agree 100%. Miyazaki movies, as classics they tend to be, are quite overhyped. Even though not many ambitious anime exists out there that boasts Miyazaki visuals, the story is all over the place with most Miyazaki movies. And Ponyo had amazing ambience but almost no real meat to the story. And the 'finale' thudded to the ground like a heavy stone. Weird story pacing.

I actually am compelled to buy the PS3 version for the Joker exclusive and maybe make it my first PS3 game if the reviews are amazing (90%+ in metacritic plz. I can't handle spending $60 on anything less than a classic). Otherwise, I'm happy with buying most ports for 360 version.

Thank you Sony, for keeping me in suspense on the pending PS3 Slim just when I got enough money to buy one. Damn it.

It still was a pretty good movie. Not like Oshii's 'technobabble for technobabble sakes' stuff with all his Ghost in the Shell movies. At least with the angst this time, it was very tangible. Even if the REASON why the European nations adopted JAPANESE pilots to fight PROXY wars. I can't ever figure that out. They never explained. Emotionwise though, it was spot on. As for Ponyo, I'd say it's still worth a watch at least for the amazing visuals. If there was a more complete ocean based anime movie, I'd say it's My Beautiful Girl Mari, but Ponyo will poke your eyes out with the prettiness.

It would be sort of like MGS if it had more depth. Even compared to Soul Reaver, it didn't have much depth to it. It just seemed stock, even though it's done really well. Hopefully the more you get into the game, the more gameplay variables open up and you can actually do more unique things. The demo just looked like a short attraction ride. Looked pretty but a bit rote, even with the grappling system. As for the style, it's basically the combination of Begins, Burton and Cartoon. Even the Batmobile looks like the Burton mobile + Batman Forever. Basically the best look it can have, IMO. And thank god the voice acting for Batman is not the grating and possibly very inaccurate Christian Bale voice, but the old, noble Batman voice (Cartoon) casting.

Sky Crawlers was pretty decent and it was basically melancholic to be melancholic it seemed. There's a movie out, Moon, that basically has the same plot twist as Sky Crawlers. As for Ponyo, I watched it a while ago and honestly, aside from the amazing visuals having to do with the seas, I was pretty disappointed. There's not much of a plot turn and it ends pretty abruptly and without much explanation for anything. Miyazaki movies always end a bit abruptly, but Ponyo might take the cake for that.

Also, something like that might make sense if it is a gripping mystery. But it isn't. It's about Haruhi, the totally ignorant ditz she is, to stop exploiting the time warp. That is really not a mystery at all... And I have a feeling that no matter how good the conclusion is, it won't make up for the slaving of time. Honestly, out of maybe 30 anime shows I'm currently following right now, I actually dread watching Haruhi the most. I even like some pretty crappily made shows over Haruhi. At least I'm watching something new for most anime out there.

I seriously might be getting a PS3 for this game for now. I already bought a PSN card ahead of a PS3... and a controller.. and a game..

Regarding 00, what I said before seems to have rang true. The unnecessary emo relationships and the whole "WE ARE SUPER HUMANS and > than humans" seems to ring true and plucked straight out of that terrible Zeta series. As for Geass, I actually liked it, but mostly because there were funny plottwists and not because of its actual, serious story, which was very hard to take in too seriously. And as for Endless Eight, I honestly don't care about the reason anymore. I am pretty much pissed. I actually understand the REASONING to doing it and especially if it copies straight out of the novels, but I think it's just more gimmickry than anything. Especially with Kyoto Animation, which has had its share of weird animation flops in the past year. I would think they wouldn't and maybe shouldn't do this when they are in a bit of a pinch overall.

For the story and not just for the sexy boytoys, Gundam Wing had some pretty interesting and unique ideas about war. A lot of weird plotholes and convenient 'super explosion didn't kill a boy (albeit superpowered) when he detonated it right next to him' stuff though. 00 also came close to being pretty innovative because they were following Wing's storyline for most of the first half. Then the second half made a tragic mistake of copying Zeta, which is a total nonsensical emofest, and that ruined almost everything. I hope the movie returns to the Wing-esque storytelling.