~Ami Reviews~ (Currently text only) Ep3: Chobits

[Ami]

Hey everypeoples! So, I'm going to review video games right now. That's right, video games. So, what's going to be my first review?

Luigi's Mansion, widely considered a Gamecube classic.

Before I go on, I should probably say that there will be no numerical value given to this review. It's fairly arbitrary, and doesn't really give the user an idea of whether or not it's a good game (paraphrasing Yahtzee). So, I will be recommending or not recommending games as I see fit, and give exceptions if they're really necessary.


What first strikes one when they turn on this game (besides some of the best nightmare fuel that is the demonic reciting of the word "Nintendo" before the title) is the fact that this game stars Luigi. Not Mario AND Luigi, not "Luigi is in this game, too!", not "Luigi is a playable character, but only if you press the select button", he's in his own game. This is already a rather large innovation to the franchise (not counting Mario Is Missing, of course). To a franchise like the Mario franchise, it can sometimes seem somewhat oppressive- the "new games" that are really ported old games with better graphics. Almost every major franchise is guilty of this, inclusive of from Zelda, to Mega Man, to even Silent Hill. So, different is good (most of the time).

The controls are fairly simple, if not somewhat frustrating to work around. I've never liked the inverted y-axis in video games, unless one is in a game where piloting a jet, plane, or some such is involved. It makes no sense. I know of no one that thinks that moving their gaze downward will let oneself see the ceiling. Furthermore, it becomes very easy to get stuck facing one way, or get turned around, making battles feel more of a struggle against Luigi than the ghosts themselves.

The mechanics tend to be very simple, and puzzles sometimes difficult to figure out. In the case of Portrait ghosts, this can become very apparent: sometimes very little clue is given to making the weak point show on a ghost, while others are ridiculously easy. To contrast, we have the ghost in the Freezing Storage room. Portrait ghost surrounded by ice, light fires, burn ice shield off, start capturing. Meanwhile, the fat ghost in the dining room is much more difficult. The only clue that's given is to light the candles to illuminate him. Then, one can reason to take his food. Relatively simple. What isn't is afterword, where he attacks you with his fire spitting technique. Dodging is simple, but one's reaction to fire element spit is to run, get water element, and start spraying. This isn't the case, as I found out a few deaths later, as one is just supposed to let him tire himself out before capturing.

The soundtrack is somewhat simplistic, and has very few new songs (I obviously don't include anything that's been used before, i.e. the underwater theme). The graphics are nice, though Luigi;s nose jiggles more than a DOA chick's breasts. It's kinda disturbing. The camera, however, doesn't help the game that much, making the controls a bit more awkward for capturing ghosts.

The major flaw of the game, however, comes with its length. Sure, there is some replay-ability, but it ultimately feels too short. This feeling is true for many Gamecube games, like Pikmin.


In the end, this is an enjoyable game, and recommendable to anyone curious enough to check it out. This is definitely a game I will remember for a while now.

[Hodou Okappa]

>Video game reviews
>Media and Entertainment

...

eh?

[Ami]

>Video game reviews
>Media and Entertainment

...

eh?

This isn't exclusively video game reviews, so I probably shoulda mentioned that. I'm-a gonna expand, just need a really bad movie that's age-appropriate.

[Godot Mango]

Luigi's Mansion

One of my favorites.
*Approval*

[gotMLK7]

>Video game reviews
>Media and Entertainment

...

eh?

This isn't exclusively video game reviews, so I probably shoulda mentioned that. I'm-a gonna expand, just need a really bad movie that's age-appropriate.

...Street Fighter: The Movie.

[Wackyman]

I loved Luigi's Mansion. I've beaten it so many times and I've always gotten A-rank.
Anyway, nice review.

[Reyson]

Cool. And, there's a Street Fighter movie!?

[TrialmanAKASoma Cruz]

And, there's a Street Fighter movie!?

Yes, it was bad, and I mean really baaad. It was reviewed by the Nostalgia Critic.

[Reyson]

And, there's a Street Fighter movie!?

Yes, it was bad, and I mean really baaad. It was reviewed by the Nostalgia Critic.

I figured. I mean, who makes a movie based on a flipping fighting game? Now, if they made a Valkyria Chronicles movie...

[SwagmaWampyr]

SF is so bad it's good, that doesn't count. Yes it's bad if you take it seriously, but it's hilarious if you don't.

You want a REALLY bad movie? Hmm, is Paint Your Wagon age-appropriate for here?

[TrialmanAKASoma Cruz]

just need a really bad movie that's age-appropriate.

The Wizard

[Ami]

Death Note

Any anime poser that's visited Hot Topic has heard of Death Note. It's wildly popular with the casual crowd as well as some hardcore fans. How does Death Note's signature stack up with other anime? Fairly well, actually.

Without spoiling too much, the show is centric of Light Yagami, a bored high schooler who finds a Death Note, a notebook which can kill those whose name are written within its pages, and then uses it on a crusade against crime, while pursued by super-detective (the enigmatic "L"). A clash of the minds begins, and frankly, it's very interesting.

It's entertaining to watch a cat-and-mouse game go both ways in this manner, and the show does a fair job of portraying the struggle between Light and those pursuing him. There's a lot of tension, and (to be honest), not even I could discern every twist and turn, as I'm often able to do with mystery shows (note to everyone who ever sees me in real life: if we're ever going to watch something with suspense or mystery, please say beforehand if you want me to point out stuff or not, as that's my knee-jerk reaction). There are some things, however, that don't seem to flow well with the show. Why does the audience need to know that the desk drawer is booby-trapped, when that is not important to any future storyline? In fact, it could have ended with "I gave it a false bottom", and moved on, since the show never really needs it at any point.

The cast is actually fairly diverse, and you get a real feel for these characters. Matsuda, the idealistic rookie, Ryuk- a Shinigami that works on a whim, Near, the sexiest chick alive, and so on. However, where secondary and minor characters gain a LOT of development, main characters barely get any at all. Misa stays obsessively obedient, L makes little progress into becoming social, and Light's entire moral code turns on a dime. In fact, Light is probably the weakest character of the cast. The transition from bored high-schooler to megalomaniac is so sudden, it's actually jarring. The only way we see his descent into madness is with a short monologue on top of a montage. The only changes we do get to see out of him entirely consist of becoming craftier (which, while not bad, doesn't add much depth to the character). By contrast, a one-episode character like Penbar's fiancee' (whose name I always have trouble remembering), left more impact on me than most of the cast combined. In fact, Aizawa and Matsuda get the most development as characters in the Japanese police.

As far as animation goes, it's fairly immaculate (much like the beautiful Near herself). The framing works well, the motion is smooth, and there's not really a lot to complain about. The music, however, is not as scot-free. In any television show that has a theme, the opening theme is imperative to an enjoyable show. The ending theme can be recognizable if great enough to hold the audience's attention through what is essentially scrolling text that has nothing to do with the story. This being said, the first opening theme is AMAZING, and truly grips, along with the animation. The next opening theme... it's horrid. It lacks thought, to be honest, and lacks the feeling of the epic struggle that is between Kira (alias of those that hold the Death Note) and L that the first opener did. The animation is nice, and is very dark and gritty, but feels cheaper and shallow comparatively, stills of characters, Ryuk dancing, stills of characters, Ryuk dancing, stills of characters, still of Death Note with two blue roses, end of opener. The theme song and sequence are supposed to tell a story, or be so awesome that it doesn't need it. The second opener meets neither of these requirements of a good show.

My largest disappointment lies in the beginning of every episode- a recap of the previous episode. I understand the need to let the audience know what's going on, but honestly? That's one to one and a half minutes of a twenty-two minute program that could be spent doing other things that are more important. In fact, there's an entire episode dedicated to recapping the first half of the show, leading to the next. Nothing says "filler" to the audience like a recap episode. It's cheap, meaningless, and only serves to "add value" (adding filler to a work to justify a higher price) to the DvD.

All in all, this show doesn't live up to the outrageous heights some would say. It wasn't "awesome" by any means, but it was VERY far from horrible. I enjoyed myself watching this show, and as long as you can turn off your brain for this and that, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. Plus, Near is some NICE eye-candy.

Hey uh.. Ami? Take a look at the internet. Look Near up.

I don't think that's appropriate to do here, but whatever floats your boat.


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...ohgod.

Yeah. It's a dude.

... Well, I'm off to turn the iron off that I left in the oven while shampooing my hair. 'Till next time, everypeoples.

[EmaTheScienceSkye]

Street Fighter II The Animated Movie is actually really good.

[TrialmanAKASoma Cruz]

He meant the live-action one starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (If that's how you spell it)

[Reyson]

There aren't an Hadoukens in the live action one, are there.