Monday, 31 March 2014
Cube World
Cube World is a voxel based exploration RPG.
A bit like Minecraft crossed with The Elder Scrolls.
It is roughly $24.00 NZD
I want it.
Team SKT T1 World Championship Teaser
A Montage of footage from the world finals showing some of the plays and team fights that secured the World Cup.
But what's that at the end? Could this be confirmation that SKT are getting their own set of skins similar to last years TPA Skin Bundle.
We can only hope this inst a April fools joke seeing that there has been confirmation from twitter and the Dev team that this is not a April fools joke since they released it on the 31st of March and not April the 1st.
Alone side this a new log in screen featuring Urf the manatee can be seen along with a new summoner icon showing Urf which was the April fools joke several years ago so its more likely that will be the joke, and this is the real deal.
From what we have seen at least three of the champions that could be up for consideration are, Zed, (as teased) Lee sin, and Jax, Hopefully we will know shortly on what champions these could possibly be for.
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Games! Games! Games!
Add us on Steam!
Nathan
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/niknar/
Daniel
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015511136/
Kostijn
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198054204241/
Nathan
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/niknar/
Daniel
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015511136/
Kostijn
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198054204241/
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Anime Review: Mirai Nikki
(Sorry for the MASSIVE delay on reviews, been busy with school and all. Anyway, here you go!)
(Also, this review contains spoilers in [these kinda brackets]. You have been warned.)
Before I go anywhere with this review, I'd just like to point out that opinions vary. My opinion may be different to yours, and that is fine. It doesn't make you wrong.
I've been watching anime for a while now, and there was always a handful of anime that was looking at me. Waiting for me to pick it up and give it the time it deserved. Mirai Nikki was such a series. I've had it in my hands on many occasions, but never really been in the mood for it. Until recently, where I did finally finish the series. Now, to say that the series was bad is a lie, a fall though lie. It was good, some may even say it was great. And if you haven't seen it yet I can say nothing other than it's a series you have to have seen. However, you may notice that I complain a lot about this series, and it'll all be explained soon. I promise.
Mirai Nikki is a very dark Romance series, and the only reason I add'Romance' to this is because the series follows a 'couples' trials in a very dark situation. Otherwise I'd just call it a very dark and psychological series.
Story
Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano is your loner. He spends his days alone in his room, fails to interact with kids in school, and pulls himself into an imaginary world where he talks to his imaginary friends Deus Ex Machina, the God of almost everything, and Murmur. Yuki also spends a lot of time on his phone, writing down everything that happens around him in it. One day when talking do Deus, Deus mentions something about a game, and the next morning Yuki wakes up with a diary that can tell the future. Completely bewildered by this, Yuki begins to use his 'Random Diary' to do all sorts of things, like steering clear of bullies, and cheating on tests.
As this is all occurring, the police are after a serial killer, who is going around killing people, as most serial killers do. On his walk home from school, Yuki finds out he is being followed by the killer, and starts to run away. While running away Yuki stumbles upon a classmate of his, Yuno Gasai. She quickly tells him to follow her, and being the loner with no opinion he follows her. Over the next series of events Yuki quickly finds out that Yuno also has a diary that can tell the future, called the 'Yukiteru Diary' because it tells Yuno exactly what is going to happen to Yuki. Soon Yuki and Yuno become cornered, and using his only good skill, Yuki throws one of his playing darts, piercing the phone of the serial killer, making him suddenly disappear.
Yuki and Yuno are then teleported to Deus, who explains that Yuki is part of a battle royal, where the winner will take his place as God to rule over the world. Along with this, he mentions to the other 11 participants that 'Diary Owner 1', in this case Yuki, is his favorite to win. This makes him the biggest threat of course, and the number 1 target.
The series now follows Yuki and Yuno, trying to survive the battle royal by all means, and by all means. I mean, all means.
Characters
As with my other reviews, I'll stick to just the hero and heroine.
Yukiteru Amano: Yuki is, for lack of better words, a cry baby. He starts off as a loner, doing nothing but talk to his 'Imaginary' friend Deus and his lackey Murmur. We soon find out that Yuno and Yuki have a little bit of history together, but I'll go into detail with that in Yuno's review. My biggest problem with Mirai Nikki isn't the story, the animation or anything like that, heck. Even like the characters. Well, all of the apart from Yuki, the fact that he doesn't change throughout almost the whole series until some crazy thing happens [his father gets killed], and he suddenly becomes very serious about winning the Survival Game. I suppose he also becomes quite good at manipulating Yuno as the series progresses, but if your girlfriend is as f**ked up and in love with you as she is, I get the feeling it can't be too difficult. But the thing that really ticks me off is the last 5 minutes of the final episode. All that character development, all of that build up, to give me an ending like that just gave me a sour taste in my mouth. Again opinions may vary, but it just really pissed me off for the series to end like that.
Yuno Gasai: Sadly this is going to be rather short, because if you have seen the series, you know why she's as 'crazy' as she is, and if you haven't, the it's something I really cannot spoil. But in any case, Yuno's story really begins when she saves Yuki from the Third diary owner. We then find out that Yuno has been obsessed with Yuki ever since she helped him fill out his 'Plans for the Future' sheet, where she writes down that he'll marry her on it.
If you have heard or seen anything of Mirai Nikki, you will probably know that Yuno is, aside from a freakish stalker girl, also a murdering psychopath. The thing I like about Yuno though is that, for all her 'strange' ways, we are shown throughout the series, why she became like this. The character development is really nice, and although her character doesn't change dramatically like Yuki's does (even if that was only for a short time), it's still nice to see there being some development in her character and her story.
Animation
The animation for Mirai Nikki was done by a company called Asread, who have done work on series such as Corpse Party and Kiddy Girl-and. They have also helped produce bigger works such as Full Metal Alchemist, Sword Art Online and a very popular series right now called Kill la Kill.
The art is fantastic. The animation itself flows very nicely, and the feeling you get from the series is expressed through the drawings in the exact same way. The gore is there, but it doesn't flood your eyes (not all the time anyway) and the feel I got from watching it was very aesthetically pleasing.
Openings and Endings
The first opening 'Kūsō Mythology' was amazing. Not only was the animation in it beautifully placed with the music, but the tempo, the way it sucked you in. Everything about it felt very, Mirai Nikki-like, which I find some openings fail to do for me, which I sometimes get disappointed by. 'Dead End' was the second opening, and I was surprised to recently find out it was completely English. Again it gave off the feeling that the opening really belonged with the series, and not like it was just there to roll opening credits through.
I found both endings to be pretty average. Probably not really my taste, but they aren't terrible either, so that's a good thing.
Other Points
What I like about Mirai Nikki is that most of the other Diary Holders get some screen time, not all in the same amount, some hardly any at all. but at least we get to know a little about all of them before Yuno sticks a knife in it, so to speak. However, and this is my biggest problem with the series. Those last 5 minutes of the last episode really ticked me off. But before you say "But if you watch the OVA it fixes that", I'm reviewing the series, not the OVA, not the franchise, just the series. Because of that the OVA doesn't fix it, because for me it's not there to fix it. At least not in this review it isn't.
Final Marks
For all my complains with Yuki being a cry baby that doesn't grow up, the rest of the series is great. The story will keep you curious about what is going to happen next, and I found myself wondering what kind of stories the Diary Owners had, and what they were hoping to get out of becoming God. In the end I have to give this series a solid 8.5/10. Because no series is perfect, and for all it's good points, there are always little plot holes and other questions you are left with that you can only ever really get an answer to if you read the manga.
Thanks for reading through all of that, please tell me if you think there's something I can improve on, or if there are things that you disagree with. See ya.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Anime Review: Kaicho wa Maid-sama
(I apologize in advance, this is the first review I've ever done.)
I'm a sucker for love stories. It's true, I'll watch just about anything as long as it has a good romance to it. Maid-sama did not disappoint me in the slightest on this note. All though it doesn't hit my top 20 anime, It comes pretty close. Many of my friends feel I have a terrible taste in anime, and I can't say they're wrong, but I can't say they're right either, seeing as I will watch just about anything. If the word 'Maid' is throwing you off, and you think that it's just going to be another Ecchi love series between a maid and some other guy, you're 100 miles off. The series is simply a story of a girl who has worked her way to the top and is now Student Body President, but because she comes from a poor family, she has to word as a MAID to help her mother. Still put off, let me shed a little more light on the series for you.
Story
Misaki Ayuzawa has worked and worked, excelling in class and on the sports field, and as such has landed herself in the position of Student Body President of Seika High, a once all boys school which has recently switched to co-ed. As such the female population is rather low, and due to the ruffian, recklass and filthy male student body, the number of female students isn't going up. As such Misaki has taken upon herself to make this school a place where girls can enjoy themselves, and not have to deal with the many male shenanigans that occur within the school. We soon get introduced to Usui Takumi, the schools 'top dog' in the male student body. All the girls love him, and he's constantly turning down girls and causing them to cry, much to the displeasure of Misaki.
Many years ago, Mikasa's father ran away from home, leaving a large debt with his two daughters and wife. Wanting to help her mother make ends meet, Mikasa goes out to find work, and ends up landing a spot at a Maid cafe in a neighboring town. Although it is embarrassing, the pay is good, and as such, she decides to keep the job, just hoping against hopes that nobody will see her, and tell the school about her working at a maid cafe, as it would break the strong trust and respect she has worked so hard to obtain. However, things don't go as planned, as very quickly Usui runs into her at her work. Thus begins the unfoldings of a love story that I cannot get enough of.
Characters
For the sake of making this Review NOT 5 million words long, I'll just talk about Usui Takumi and Mikasa Ayuzawa.
Mikasa Ayuzawa: Perfect greades, a top athlete, a diligent student and the Student Body President, Mikasa is a character archetype which I enjoy watching, I was watching Maid-sama and Special A at the same time, and this specific character type was used in the female leads in both these series. But What Mikasa brings to the table better than Hikari from SA is the Tsundere archetype which she only puts on with Usui. The interactions between them are great and always entertaining to watch. However when she's not with Usui, she brings a more direct character, which shows her determination and her will to protect the girls of Seika if a fantastic light. Overall she was a very well designed character, and as much as I wish I could have seen her character develop a little more, all good things must come to an end.
Usui Takumi: Probably one of my favorite male characters in any series I have thus seen, Usui Takumi is the definition of pure awesomeness. Doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and having the grades, looks and total lack of care to back it up. It's an archetype I've seen done before, but never done with such pure cleanliness. Honestly, I can give no faults to his character, only that jumping off a school building and only coming out scratched seems a little far fetched to me. But that aside, there are few flaws that I find are worth pointing out. He remains the same though out the series, which is in a way a shame, but in a way isn't, as I feel his character barely needed development from after episode 5 or so. His interactions with other characters are great, and all thought slightly predictable, are still great to see on screen.
Animation: The animation is by J.C.Staff, who also animated the anime Witch Craft Works, which I did a first thoughts on, as well as producing other series like Toradora and season 2 of Bakuman. The animation itself was great, if a little rough, I felt it brought character to the series, rather than letting it down. And the flicking between Chibi and normal animation was done in such a way that although it was done so much, it didn't feel to me as it was done to often, and as such I could properly follow the series, rather than think "Why are thet all drawn as Chibi's in a scene like this?"
Opening and Endings: I don't plan to say much on this, as I only plan to note a few small things about them. The series has only one opening for all 26 episodes. It was catchy, even if I couldn't not laugh at the first line when I heard it. The series has 2 endings, which I both really liked and would happily listen to in the background as I went through my daily routine.
Other Points: All though I have said that this series, in a way, is perfect. That's only in my opinion, and that can very easily vary for other people. Not every anime is for everyone, and there could very well be people who don't like the 'fanservice' given to us by the maid cafe. Or maybe you just don't like the Tsundere character type and that's what drives you away. That's fine. Sadly the series ends at chapter 35 in the Manga series, which tempts me to go and read the rest, but that's up to you to decide.
Final Marks: Kaicho wa Maid-sama brings together the perfect harmony of comedy and romance. I've seen it twice, and will probably watch it again simply because of the interactions between Usui and Takumi. I'll say in advance, no amine is 10/10, because no anime is perfect, ever series has it's flaws in one form or another, and as such cannot be perfect. As such I give Kaicho wa Maid sama a solid 7.5/10. Definitely one of the finniest series I've seen, but as much as I am a sucker for romance, I feel it doesn't deserve more, not because of how it is, but because of what it is. The series leaves little room for character development as if there was, the characters would change to much, and the series would loose it's vibe that I want it to have so much.
Thank's for bothering to read that, I hope it was insightful and gave you a good impression.
I'm a sucker for love stories. It's true, I'll watch just about anything as long as it has a good romance to it. Maid-sama did not disappoint me in the slightest on this note. All though it doesn't hit my top 20 anime, It comes pretty close. Many of my friends feel I have a terrible taste in anime, and I can't say they're wrong, but I can't say they're right either, seeing as I will watch just about anything. If the word 'Maid' is throwing you off, and you think that it's just going to be another Ecchi love series between a maid and some other guy, you're 100 miles off. The series is simply a story of a girl who has worked her way to the top and is now Student Body President, but because she comes from a poor family, she has to word as a MAID to help her mother. Still put off, let me shed a little more light on the series for you.
Story
Misaki Ayuzawa has worked and worked, excelling in class and on the sports field, and as such has landed herself in the position of Student Body President of Seika High, a once all boys school which has recently switched to co-ed. As such the female population is rather low, and due to the ruffian, recklass and filthy male student body, the number of female students isn't going up. As such Misaki has taken upon herself to make this school a place where girls can enjoy themselves, and not have to deal with the many male shenanigans that occur within the school. We soon get introduced to Usui Takumi, the schools 'top dog' in the male student body. All the girls love him, and he's constantly turning down girls and causing them to cry, much to the displeasure of Misaki.
Many years ago, Mikasa's father ran away from home, leaving a large debt with his two daughters and wife. Wanting to help her mother make ends meet, Mikasa goes out to find work, and ends up landing a spot at a Maid cafe in a neighboring town. Although it is embarrassing, the pay is good, and as such, she decides to keep the job, just hoping against hopes that nobody will see her, and tell the school about her working at a maid cafe, as it would break the strong trust and respect she has worked so hard to obtain. However, things don't go as planned, as very quickly Usui runs into her at her work. Thus begins the unfoldings of a love story that I cannot get enough of.
Characters
For the sake of making this Review NOT 5 million words long, I'll just talk about Usui Takumi and Mikasa Ayuzawa.
Mikasa Ayuzawa: Perfect greades, a top athlete, a diligent student and the Student Body President, Mikasa is a character archetype which I enjoy watching, I was watching Maid-sama and Special A at the same time, and this specific character type was used in the female leads in both these series. But What Mikasa brings to the table better than Hikari from SA is the Tsundere archetype which she only puts on with Usui. The interactions between them are great and always entertaining to watch. However when she's not with Usui, she brings a more direct character, which shows her determination and her will to protect the girls of Seika if a fantastic light. Overall she was a very well designed character, and as much as I wish I could have seen her character develop a little more, all good things must come to an end.
Usui Takumi: Probably one of my favorite male characters in any series I have thus seen, Usui Takumi is the definition of pure awesomeness. Doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and having the grades, looks and total lack of care to back it up. It's an archetype I've seen done before, but never done with such pure cleanliness. Honestly, I can give no faults to his character, only that jumping off a school building and only coming out scratched seems a little far fetched to me. But that aside, there are few flaws that I find are worth pointing out. He remains the same though out the series, which is in a way a shame, but in a way isn't, as I feel his character barely needed development from after episode 5 or so. His interactions with other characters are great, and all thought slightly predictable, are still great to see on screen.
Animation: The animation is by J.C.Staff, who also animated the anime Witch Craft Works, which I did a first thoughts on, as well as producing other series like Toradora and season 2 of Bakuman. The animation itself was great, if a little rough, I felt it brought character to the series, rather than letting it down. And the flicking between Chibi and normal animation was done in such a way that although it was done so much, it didn't feel to me as it was done to often, and as such I could properly follow the series, rather than think "Why are thet all drawn as Chibi's in a scene like this?"
Opening and Endings: I don't plan to say much on this, as I only plan to note a few small things about them. The series has only one opening for all 26 episodes. It was catchy, even if I couldn't not laugh at the first line when I heard it. The series has 2 endings, which I both really liked and would happily listen to in the background as I went through my daily routine.
Other Points: All though I have said that this series, in a way, is perfect. That's only in my opinion, and that can very easily vary for other people. Not every anime is for everyone, and there could very well be people who don't like the 'fanservice' given to us by the maid cafe. Or maybe you just don't like the Tsundere character type and that's what drives you away. That's fine. Sadly the series ends at chapter 35 in the Manga series, which tempts me to go and read the rest, but that's up to you to decide.
Final Marks: Kaicho wa Maid-sama brings together the perfect harmony of comedy and romance. I've seen it twice, and will probably watch it again simply because of the interactions between Usui and Takumi. I'll say in advance, no amine is 10/10, because no anime is perfect, ever series has it's flaws in one form or another, and as such cannot be perfect. As such I give Kaicho wa Maid sama a solid 7.5/10. Definitely one of the finniest series I've seen, but as much as I am a sucker for romance, I feel it doesn't deserve more, not because of how it is, but because of what it is. The series leaves little room for character development as if there was, the characters would change to much, and the series would loose it's vibe that I want it to have so much.
Thank's for bothering to read that, I hope it was insightful and gave you a good impression.
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
First Thoughts: Buddy Complex
Time travel, Mechs, explosions, rivalries, this series has a lot to it, and I like it. First day back after summer break, Aoba Watase spends his lunch break with his mates playing a bit of basketball, when out of seemingly nowhere a giant mecha or Valiancer, comes out and starts trying to kill him. A classmate, Hina, suddenly grabs Aoba and runs away with him. After getting seperated, Hina soon appears with a Valiancer of her own, and after grabbing Aoba sends him and the mecha 70 years into the future. Where Aoba is suddenly thrown into a war, and must use the Valiancer given to him to save his own life. Animated by Sunrise, who have brought us many favorites like Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Gundum, Accel World and Gintama, the quality of art is beautiful. The series, for only being 3 episodes in has me immersed, and I'm not even such a big fan of mecha anime to begin with. If mech is for you, this series is a definite go to, but even if you're not a big fan, such as myself, I still recommend you give it a try, you may be surprised like I was.
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