Video Game Tuesday: Gandhi in the Civ Series

This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m looking at one of the more bizarre quirks of the Civilization series. It’s all about Gandhi in the Civ Series!

Huh?: So for those unaware, Gandhi in the Civilization games has always been a bit of an asshole. In the first game this occurred due to a mistake in the coding, but it was so hilarious that it’s stuck in all future games.

Wait what? So Gandhi in reality was one of the most peaceful and influential movers towards keeping peace between various nations. This isn’t the case in the Civilization series, oh sure he’s still one who prefers peaceful leaders and dislikes those who keep going to war, but if pushed the wrong way you’ll see him start dropping nukes on his enemies in a complete opposite of what you might expect.

How did this happen?: Well like in all games, it comes down to the coding, in the first game he was given the value of 1 for aggressiveness, but if the player chose democracy as their government type they’d get an automatic -2 to all other leaders for that stat. So it would go from 1 to -1 and the code being as it was it’d become 255, which is stupid high in terms of aggressiveness. So he’d start dropping nukes on everyone and everything. This has lead to him being a rather vindictive leader in later games, including the latest Civilization VI.

So the next time you see someone drop a ton of nukes on their enemy after declaring war in a game of Civ, it’s probably due to Gandhi being an ass. That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday!

Movie Monday: Young Frankenstein

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering another work from my favorite director. It’s Young Frankenstein!

Plot Synopsis: Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is a lecturing physician at an American medical school and engaged to the tightly wound socialite Elizabeth. He becomes exasperated when anyone brings up the subject of his grandfather Victor Frankenstein, the infamous mad scientist; to dissociate himself from his forebear, Frederick insists that his surname is pronounced ‘Fronkensteen’. When a solicitor informs him that he has inherited his family’s estate in Transylvania after the death of his great-grandfather, the Baron Beaufort von Frankenstein, Frederick travels to Europe to inspect the property.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, although if you are expecting anything really serious you’re going to be sorely disappointed. That said there is some some adult themes in this, so children probably shouldn’t watch this.

Characters: The entire cast is amazing, though Gene Wilder as Frederick really steals the show in my opinion. That being said Igor is also pretty freaking hilarious. “Didn’t you used to have that on the other side?”.

Cinematography: This is done in black and white as a nod to the old Frankenstein films, which Young Frankenstein takes many inspirations from.

Music: The music is, as one might expect from a Mel Brooks film, spot on. That’s all I’ll say on the subject.

Overall: A must watch movie.

For those who like: Comedies, Mel Brooks, Spoofs, Hilarity, Awesome Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters, Great Cinematography, Excellent Musical Score.

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

 

Sensate Saturday: Densetsu no Yuusha no Konkatsu by Nakamura Takatoshi

This week for Sensate Saturday I’ve got another Quick Review. It’s Densetsu no Yuusha no Konkatsu by Nakamura Takatoshi!

Plot Synopsis: The story takes place in a world after the legendary warrior defeats the demon lord. After he brought the peace to the world, he decides to search for a wife….

Plot: The hero, Yuri, is a really interesting guy, and the way he’s kind of just roped into the situation of searching for a wife is pretty hilarious. The whole thing is a fun read, hopefully the series will continue to make me laugh as it continues.

Characters: Yuri is really clueless, and he knows that. Which makes him more interesting then most main characters I’ve read. The rest of his party, Tasen, Sonia and Maho are all really interesting as well. Though Maho is my personal favorite of the three.

Art: Considering that it’s published by Shueisha, the quality is amazing as per usual with any work published by them.

Overall: If you want a Romantic Comedy, Densetsu no Yuusha no Konkatsu will be right up your alley.

For those who like: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Good Plot, Great Cast of Characters, Excellent Artwork.

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

TNT: I’m Really a Superstar Chapters 41-80 by Chang Yu

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with the second set of chapters in Zheng Ye’s ongoing rise to fame! It’s I’m Really a Superstar Chapters 41-80 by Chang Yu!

Plot Synopsis: Zhang Ye was originally a mundane college graduate, cursed with below average looks and height but with aspiring dreams of becoming famous. However one day, he woke up and suddenly found himself in a parallel world! In this new world, most things were similar to his previous world but there existed subtle differences, be it: brands, celebrities or even famous works! Armed with the knowledge of his previous world and a heaven-defying Game Ring that gives him magical items, stats and skills, Zhang Ye embarks on a journey to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a celebrity.

At the radio station, during the host hiring interview a loud voice narrated, “Up above the sea’s grey flatland, wind is gathering the clouds. In between the sea and clouds proudly soars the Petrel, reminiscent of black lightning. Glancing a wave with his wingtip, like an arrow dashing cloudward, he cries out and the clouds hear his joy in the bird’s cry of courage. In this cry – -thirst for the tempest!”However, the interviewers of this world that had never heard of Gorky’s “The Song of the Stormy Petrel” were so shocked that they stared with their mouths agape! That’s how Zheng Ye got hired by Beijing Radio Station…

Plot: This second set of chapters really gets the fun rolling pretty much from this point on, although it was still really fun in those first chapters. I had a hard time breathing after reading the first 40, but these next 40 chapters left me seeing spots because I was laughing so hard from the hijinks Zheng Ye gets up to. These chapters cover pretty much the end of Radio Station arc and while it’s merely the first arc I was already completely hooked to this series after the first 40 chapters.

Characters: We get introduced to some more petty people, like Teacher Little Red Mushroom or Zhāng Yě for the most part.

Overall: If you weren’t laughing by the end of the first set, you really ought to be by the end of this set. I’m Really a Superstar is a must read for pretty much everyone.

Sensate Saturday: Shounen Princess by Matsuri Seishirou [Quick Review]

This week for Sensate Saturday I’m covering a series that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy quite so much. It’s a Quick Review of Shounen Princess by Matsuri Seishirou!

Plot Synopsis: After seeing a picture of Naotora Kusunoki as a kid, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Urunei in Southeast Asia fell in love at first sight. The only problem is that Naotora is the son of a bureaucrat in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Eager to please the prince, Naotora’s father forces him to cross-dress and fly to Urunei to get married to the prince as “Nao”. Once in Urunei, he unintentionally captures the hearts of the populace who see Nao as the return of Putri Harimau, the Tiger Girl of legend who had a hand in the founding of Urunei with the Dragon Prince long ago.

Plot: I actually really enjoyed this first chapter, and since this is a very short series ending in a single volume I’ll probably do a full review eventually. However as I’m very strapped for time at the moment I’m doing a Quick Review. This first chapter has everything I needed starting from the hilarious plot hook till the last page of the chapter. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s quite good. I’m interested in being able to read the entire series soon, but again no time.

Characters: Nao and Ahmad are great, although we don’t get to see much of Ahmad in the first chapter. Hopefully the rest of the cast will be good, though being a five chapter series I’m not expecting anything huge.

Art: Great, but also pure Shounen style.

Overall: Great thus far, it has only 4 more chapters to mess up, so it should be good.