Retro Game Friday: BattleTanx

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game that I have been meaning to cover for a long time. It’s BattleTanx!

Plot: The plot of BattleTanx is pretty much nonsense, a plague kills 99.99 of all the women in the world and the rest are held up as feudal ladies that are the leaders of all the various gangs that come after the world went to crap. If you are looking for a really deep story, this isn’t going to satisify you.

Gameplay: Thankfully that wasn’t the point, and the gameplay was. The gameplay is purely Tank vs Tank combat in various locales across the US, such as Chicago, and New York. It was pretty fast paced and fun to play, especially with a friend or two. This also included destructible enviroments, though you could say that took up much of the power that was used in the game. Still it was fun to play as a kid, even if it was a bit violent. Still what kid doesn’t like explosions?

Art: The art has aged incredibly poorly since it was first released, but given that this was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 that isn’t too surprising.

Music: I honestly don’t remember much of it. I was too busy talking with my friends while we played.

Overall: A fun game, and if you get the chance to play it with a friend or two it’ll entertain you for a bit, but not too long since games have improved greatly since this was released.

For those who like: Tanks, Explosions, Action, Drama.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: BOFURI Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a Winter 2020 Series. It’s my BOFURI Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot is very relaxed and not all that drama filled. It follows the adventures of a girl named Kaede who really isn’t a gamer, but ends up becoming one as the player Maple and does so in incredibly odd ways. That’s really the best summary of the first episode I could give without being spoilerific and taking all the fun out of watching this. I enjoy the plot of BOFURI quite a bit, it’s something I’ve been watching the past week while I eat lunch alone at home. The time it takes to eat a meal is generally how long it takes for me to watch the episodes and it works out really well, although I’ve had a few close calls with laughing and spewing my lunch everywhere.

Characters: Maple is a delight to watch, and in this first episode we really get to know her. She’s an oddball and a klutz, but is endearing in ways that are just hilarious. The rest of the cast introduced thus far is very small, but quite good.

Art: Silver Link is the animation studio and they did a great job of it. That’s all that need be said, it’s not ufotable quality, but with a series like this it isn’t necessary.

Music: The music fits the series wonderfully, it’s light hearted and upbeat, which is one way to describe the series as a whole.

Overall: This is an adaptation of a delightful Light Novel series that is high on the fluff and low on the drama. If you need a pick me up, and who doesn’t after the year we’ve all been through thus far, BOFURI is easily one of my top recommendations to watch to lift your spirits.

For those who like: Gaming Stories, Comedy, Action, Little Drama, Fluff, Excellent Plot, Great Cast of characters, Awesome Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but how can you hate all that?

Anime Sunday: GoHS Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with a Summer 2020 series. It’s my GoHS Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot is pretty good, and I wasn’t really expecting this to capture my attention the way it did after how thoroughly unimpressed I was by the Tower of God from last season. It’s got plenty of action scenes to fulfill my inner 8 year old that loved watching Dragon Ball, and is well written enough to interest me now. Though that is probably due to the various ties into different mythologies from across the world.

Characters: Our main character is Jin Mo-Ri and he’s a pretty fun guy. He’s much more laid back than some of the more recent protagonists I’ve watched which is nice. The rest of the cast is okay, but I have a feeling I’d prefer reading the original Manhwa to get a better handle of characters. That could be totally wrong though.

Art: The animation is done by MAPPA, who animated series like Zankyou no Terror and Altair. So while they are pretty good, they aren’t near my gold standard of ufotable sadly.

Music: The musical score fit the episode, that’s all I can really say here.

Overall: A fun first episode in a series that grabbed my interest when I didn’t expect it to.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Martial Arts, Mythology.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: The Dawn of an Era by Justin Miller

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with the sequel to the book I covered last time. It’s The Dawn of an Era, World Keeper Book 02, by Justin Miller!

Plot: This is a great sequel to the first book, and really covers the growth of Dale’s new Earth quite well. It’s pretty humorous for the most part, and it does get past the arc that was ended on a cliffhanger at the end of the first book. That said if you hope for Dale to enter the Keeper’s games, that doesn’t happen in this book, so it’s still pretty slow paced. Still there are plenty of amusing points in the story. My favorite part was the Turtle Tide portion of this book.

Characters: We get introduced to a couple new permanent characters in this book, and my favorite of them is Leowynn, but I’ll leave the why to that is the case for you to find out. The entire cast is great though.

Overall: A great sequel in a very slow paced series.

Retro Game Friday: Ape Escape 2

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with a sequel to a classic game. It’s Ape Escape 2!

Plot: The plot is just as ridiculous as the first game, which is saying something as the first was rather slapstick at times.

Gameplay: The gameplay is much like the first game, with the player using various gadgets via the right analog stick and controlling Hikaru via the left stick and the shoulder buttons. In addition the game has new gadgets you can use which add to the wackiness, like a Bananarang to lure monkeys with it’s scent.

Characters: Kakeru, the first game’s protagonist isn’t really in the game, though you can play as him in the New Game Plus mode. Hikaru is our new main character, with Natsumi taking over for the Professor for the most part.

Art: The art of the original game has aged poorly, although there was a PlayStation 4 port with enhanced graphics that was released four years ago.

Music: It fits the game, nothing more really needs to be said.\

Overall: A fun game, and a classic that is often overlooked.