Album Review: Devin Townsend's Accelerated Evolution

Well this is a surprise fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Much like my look at Ministry’s first album of the 2000s, I didn’t know that the subject of today’s review turns 15. Today’s review happens to come from a man who’s no stranger to the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, and one that I’ve given favorable scores to. If you guessed Devin Townsend (If you didn’t read the title of the post), then you are absolutely correct! The man is not only a master of Prog Metal, but is seemingly a master of music in general. There is nothing that this man can’t do, and while he’s got a bruise or two when it comes to his content, you can’t deny that he knows how to weave songs that tug at the heartstring & feed the soul, not to mention make you mosh and headbang. The subject of today’s review is no different, so sit down, relax, and enjoy my review of Accelerated Evolution. Let’s begin.

Background
From Devin Townsend himself:

“Recorded at the same time as SYL, I frankly was about a thousand times more interested in this project than SYL. I naively put together a group of unknown local musicians with an arrogant need to prove that ‘anybody who was decent could make a great band’. I hired Mike and Dave Young, who were in their early 20s at a music store I frequented. I then auditioned a few drummers until I came across Ryan Van Poederooyen, who was in a local band that people were very complimentary of in terms of the drums. My old friend Brian Waddell had come back into my life, and it seemed like a way for me to work with people and ‘teach’ them what I had ‘learned’ in my experiences touring and being in bands. As such, the name ‘Accelerated Evolution’ seemed appropriate. This record was written after a trip to Korea had led me to complications of the heart, and a need to make direct music about relationships and the problems I had with them. It was mixed by Shaun Thingvold as well, (although I was much more involved with it than SYL). It’s a simple record that I don’t think has aged particularly well in terms of mix and production, but there are some songs on there like ‘Deadhead’ and ‘Sunday Afternoon’ etc that are really strong to this day IMO. We toured this as ‘The Devin Townsend Band’ but I soon realized that getting a great band together is not as easy as I had assumed it would be. We played some decent shows, but ultimately… I don’t think the DTB was ever really ‘ready’.”

Basic Description
Weird yet focused.

There are 2 schools of thought when it comes to a Devin Townsend album, regardless of time period. There are the albums that are all over the place (Just wait till I talk about Infinity in October) and downright insane, and then there are records that are still strange, yet are tightly organized. Accelerated Evolution seems to fall into the later category: while there are moments in some songs that seem off the rails, the whole musical package is really on point. It’s a testament to how talented Devin Townsend is as a musician that even when there’s a point in a song that does slip up, it doesn’t ruin the whole experience, and that’s impressive if you ask me.

Best Track
Even before I listened to this album in it’s entirety, I was always a fan of Deadhead. Right near the middle of the record, the song is heavy but slow-paced, and Devin sings in a ethereal yet heavy voice. Dealing with concepts such as the past, time, and even divinity, Deadhead is a song that’s simultaneously heavy, yet strangely thoughtful at the same time. Not many metal musicians, old or new, can attest to this.

Deadhead

Worst Track
If Accelerated Evolution had any faults, it would be that it does come across as a little too weird. I don’t have an issue with this, as some of my favorite songs & albums from Devin Townsend happen to be the weirdest. Newer fans might not know how to interpret the strangeness of his music, and I definitely can understand why some people would have issues with this.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, check out the link below:

Accelerated Evolution

Overall Impression & Rating
Accelerated Evolution is just a treat of a metal album. While it’s weirdness might be off-putting to some, I simply can’t deny that it’s a powerhouse of a release, and shows off just how good of a musician Devin Townsend can be. As one of the many albums released in the early 2000s, I can definitely say that it’s one of the best, and definitely something anybody should listen to.

Accelerated Evolution gets a 9 out of 10. Subtract 1 point if you’re not used to weird music.

So that was my surprise review of Accelerated Evolution. An odd & quirky album that provides plenty of headbanging moments, along with a few sections that really open up your mind. If you haven’t listened to this album yet, then I highly suggest that you do. See you tomorrow for Easter!

Starcraft: 20th Birthday & Retrospective

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and happy 20th birthday Starcraft!

That’s right, 20 years ago today on March 31, 1998, one of the world’s most iconic Real Time Strategy games came onto the scene, and changed the landscape forever. For 20 years, the legacy of warfare in the Koprulu Sector has become the stuff of legend. Terrans (Humanity), the borg-like Zerg, and the eldritch Protoss have etched their names into the stars, and people all over the world are still enthralled by their story. I wouldn’t be right to pass this anniversary, so it was only right to give not just the original game a look, but it’s sequels as well.

One caveat though: to make things a little more easier, I’m strictly going to be talking about the singleplayer experience in this post. I think by now we all know how the multiplayer works, regardless of which game it is. Even casual Starcraft fans probably know what’s going on, and because of that the multiplay is getting cutout. Anyways, let’s celebrate Starcraft’s 20 birthday, and have a little fun. Spawn more overlords!

Starcraft (1998)(Trailer)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“Blizzard Entertainment began planning development on StarCraft in 1995, shortly after the beginning of development for Diablo. The development was led by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, who also created the game's fictional universe. Using the Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness game engine as a base, StarCraft made its debut at E3 1996. The game's success led to the development of two authorized add-ons, which were both released in 1998. However, neither of the two add-ons were particularly well received by critics. StarCraft also marked the debut of Blizzard Entertainment's film department. Previously, cinematic cut scenes were seen as simply gap fillers that often deviated from the game, but with StarCraft and later Brood War introducing high quality cinematics integral to the storyline of the series, Blizzard Entertainment is cited as having changed this perception and became one of the first game companies to raise the standard regarding such cut scenes.

StarCraft's success also inspired third-party developer Microstar Software to release an unauthorized add-on, entitled Stellar Forces, in May 1998. Blizzard Entertainment consequently filed a lawsuit against Microstar for selling the add-on, arguing that as the product was unauthorized and created using StarCraft's level editing software, it was a breach of the end user license agreement.

“We believe that we must aggressively combat the sale and distribution of unauthorized add-ons associated with our properties. In our opinion, Stellar Forces meets neither Blizzard's standards nor our customers' expectations. As gamers ourselves, we feel obligated to prevent the sale of unauthorized add-on products that do not add value to the StarCraft experience.”
—Blizzard Entertainment

In November 1998, Blizzard Entertainment won the court case against Microstar Software. In the settlement, Microstar agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in punitive damages and to destroy all remaining copies of Stellar Forces in its possession, as well as to formally apologize to Blizzard Entertainment.

After the release of the first two add-on packs, Blizzard Entertainment announced the official expansion pack to StarCraft, entitled Brood War. Most of the team at Blizzard Entertainment responsible for StarCraft returned to work on Brood War. Development on Brood War began shortly after StarCraft's release, and Blizzard Entertainment were assisted by members of Saffire Corporation, who were contracted for a variety of tasks consisting of programming and design for levels, visuals and audio effects.”

Best Aspect? The atmosphere is definitely something of a different creature when compared to Warcraft & Diablo, and that’s a plus. Whereas Warcraft was a battle against orcish invades, and Diablo is an action packed hack-n-slash, Starcaft is a gritty science fiction epic. Though there are some moment for more lighter material, the story is setup so each of the game’s 3 races (More on that in a moment) eventually come together for a battle royal that turns into a war for the safety of the sector. It’s never overwhelming with how serious it’s story & setting, and instead goes for a balancing act that never really falters in any way. You really can’t say that about a lot of modern gaming’s stories, now can you?

Next up are the races, and this is what helped make Starcraft so recognizable. For starters you have the Terrans, aka humanity. They occupy a middle ground: not too fast, not too slow, they’re capable of a variety of attack strategies. They can repair their buildings, do radar sweeps of the map, and to end it all, produce & use devastating nuclear missiles. Then there are the zerg: an organic borg-like race, they are perhaps the fastest of the 3 races. From their hatcheries, they can produce a biological army within just a few short minutes, and thoroughly maul anything in front of them. On top of that, but their structures & units can regain health overtime, and while it’s a slow process, eventually they come back good as new. Finally, there are the Protoss: a race that’s been around for a longtime, what they lack in speed, they gain in sheer technological & psionic might. Every unit & building in the Protoss army has shielding, and similar to the Zerg’s biology, can regenerate overtime. The production of even a small squad of Protoss soliders might take a little bit, but even then they could overwhelm a small bass. Each race is balanced perfectly, with strengths & weaknesses that complement not only themselves, but that of the other races as well.

3rd aspect that makes Starcraft so good is the gameplay. The missions are designed wonderfully, and require you to understand your race’s attributes (There’s a training mission that helps you learn how each work). As the campaign goes further in, you’re given newer buildings & units to help complete the tasks you’re given, and by the time you’re done with that part of the story, you have the full armament of whatever race you’re playing. In an interesting twist, if you select a race before you finish the current one you’re playing, the difficulty has been ramped up considerably so it discourages you from discovering a part of the story prematurely. Gotta give Blizzard respect in that regard.

Lastly, a plus for Starcraft it’s it’s bonus content. Titled Brood War (Intro), it was released later in 1998 on November the 30th. Taking place sometime after the ending of the main game, we saw the arrival of new characters set on changing things in the sector, and older characters doing all they can to protect or destroy the universe. New units are added, while some of the older units have received upgrades. There are brand new campaigns for each race, and the challenge factor has been amped up from that of the main campaign. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Worst Aspect? To be perfectly honest....nothing! This game has aged incredibly well over 2 decades, and while the graphics are archaic by today’s standards (Almost looks like an overhall of Warcraft’s engine), and the A.I. can cheat in some missions (More so in Brood War than in the main game), there’s nothing in the game that I would consider to be bad. Even 20 years after it’s release, nobody really has anything bad to say about it, and that’s impressive if you ask me.

Starcraft. A classic RTS, and one that’s held it’s own against the passage of time. If you have not played it yet, it’s recent re-release & re-mastering for a new generation is the perfect excuse to try it. Next game!

Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty (2010)(Trailer)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“The development of StarCraft II was announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. According to Rob Pardo and Chris Sigaty, development on the game, though initially delayed for a year by the temporary reassignment of Blizzard's resources to World of Warcraft, began in 2003, shortly after Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne was released. StarCraft II supports the DirectX 9 (Pixel shader 2.0) software, and it is also fully compatible with DirectX 10 as well. The development team had decided not to add exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects. The Mac version uses OpenGL. The game previously featured the Havok physics engine,  which allowed for more realistic environmental elements such as "debris rolling down a ramp" which has since been replaced with a custom physics engine. Additionally, there are plans to implement VoIP into the game.

At the June 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard Executive Vice President Rob Pardo announced that development of the single-player campaign was approximately one-third complete, as well as that Wings of Liberty would be followed up by two expansion packs – StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, which would focus around the Zerg and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, which would focus around the Protoss. On February 25, 2009, Blizzard announced the Blizzard Theme Park Contest, where prizes would include two beta keys for StarCraft II. The updated news and updates page of Battle.net for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne stated that the top 20 players from each realm was to be given a StarCraft II beta key.

Blizzard posted a release date for the game's first beta of Summer 2009, but failed to release a beta during that time. Since May 6, 2009, it was possible to sign up for the beta phase of the game. In November 2009, the game's producer Chris Sigaty confirmed there would be no public beta for the game taking place in 2009 but assured fans that it would happen next year. In February 2010, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime announced that a closed beta would open later that month. On February 17, 2010, StarCraft II began closed beta testing, as promised. The beta was expected to last for 3–5 months. Beta keys for the initial release were sold on eBay for prices as high as $400. Blizzard also released a map editor for the beta as part of Patch 9. According to the company, they had planned to release a major content patch towards the end of beta testing. As of July 23, 2010, eighteen patches had been released for the beta (only seventeen on European servers), including a patch which provided access to the Galaxy map editor. On May 12, 2010 Blizzard released the beta client for computers running Mac OS X, for the users who had signed up. On May 17, 2010, Blizzard announced that the first phase of the beta test would be coming to an end in all regions on May 31, but it was later extended to June 7. The second phase began on July 7, 2010, and ended on July 19, 2010.

In an interview held in June 2009, Rob Pardo indicated that LAN support would not be included in StarCraft II. Removing LAN requires players to connect through Blizzard's servers before being able to play multiplayer games, causing gamers to voice their dissatisfaction online. Further controversy was sparked when Blizzard confirmed that the game would not support cross-server play out of the box, restricting gamers to only play against local opponents—for instance, US gamers against those in the US and Europeans against Europeans. The company originally explained that Australia and New Zealand servers would be located in Southeast Asia, pitting them against combatants from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. However, starting from patch 1.1.0, it was announced that the Southeast Asia/Australia/New Zealand version of the game would not be strictly region-locked, with gamers able to play on both the SEA/ANZ servers and the North American ones.

Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard, announced during the opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2009 that StarCraft II and the new Battle.net platform would both be released in 2010, with an approximately one-month gap between releases. As of March 2010, Blizzard had stated that the new platform was being tested outside the beta and was planned for release in early July 2010, for both StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, with a later upgrade for Diablo III. On May 5, 2010, it was revealed that StarCraft II and Battle.net 2.0 would be integrated with social networking site Facebook, "linking the world's premier online gaming platform with the world's most popular social platform"—a move that allowed gamers to search among their Facebook friends for StarCraft II opponents. Wired Magazine, in its annual Vaporware Award, ranked StarCraft II first among the delayed technology products of 2009. StarCraft II was finally released on July 27, 2010, with launch parties in selected cities of countries around the world. Customers and reviewers who received the installation DVD before the July 27 release were greeted with an error screen, telling them to wait until the release date. There was no known workaround and some reviewers had praised the action for limiting journalists to playing and reviewing the game with actual players.

Compared to the original StarCraft, StarCraft II was designed to focus more heavily on the multiplayer aspect, with changes that include major improvements to Battle.net, a new competitive "ladder" system for ranked games, and new matchmaking mechanics that are designed to "match-up" players of equal skill level. In addition, the replay function, which allows players to record and review past games, was improved. Blizzard also stated that they incorporated changes to the game that were suggested by fans. StarCraft II continues its predecessor's use of pre-rendered cinematic cut scenes to advance the plot while also improving the quality of in-game cut scenes within the levels themselves, which are rendered on-the-fly using the same game engine as the graphics in the game proper. Blizzard stated that, with the new graphics engine that StarCraft II uses to render the gameplay, they "can actually create in-game cut-scenes of near-cinematic quality". Improvements include advanced scenery allocation and more detailed space terrain, such as floating space platforms with planets and asteroids in the background. Small cliffs, extensions, and even advertising signs were also shown to have been improved and refined.”

Best Aspect? The first thing that make Wings Of Liberty so good is it’s graphics. First being shown in 2007, it was far more advanced than anything that Blizzard has done to that point. In fact, it was kind of a preview to what Diablo 3 was going to use. Improved textures, lighting, and greater usage of color are just a couple of the plus made because of the new engine. It’s aged quite well since the game’s release in 2010, and while there are some small things that people might nitpick at, it’s still a wonderful sight to look at. Coupled with the improved sound system, and it might just be timeless.

The races & story off Wings Of Liberty are it’s second plus. The Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss have returned to the Koprulu Sector, changed by the events of Brood War in the 4 years since that game’s story. The Terran Dominion is still under the tyrannical thumb of Arcturus Mengsk, and Jim Raynor leads a rebellion against him. The Zerg, perhaps more ravenous than before, are led by the new ruler of the Swarm, Kerrigan (Now called the Queen Of Blades). Traversing the sector in a parade of destruction, newer strains of Zerg entities are being spotted across multiple planets. Finally we’ve got the Protoss, who may have fallen harder than any of the other races. After the loss of Auir, they have been adrift among the stars, trying to recuperate their losses & dreaming of getting their homeworld back. All of the races & the chess pieces within have gone through thick & thin, yet they still stand tall.

New characters are another plus for Wings Of Liberty. Though not flooded with new characters, there’s definitely been a bunch that have been added that supplement the established cast. There’s Raynor’s old friend Tychus: a drunk marine with a minigun, he’s just as likely to piss you off as he is to fight by your side. You also have Valerian Mengsk, son of the current emperor of the Terran Dominion. Unlike his father, he actually has a heart and a conscious, and wants to be a more efficient ruler than his dad. These are just two of the characters you’ll encounter during the campaign. Speaking of which......

The campaign is the last positive point for Wings Of Liberty. Focusing exclusively on the exploits of Jim Raynor and his ragtag group of rebels (With a side glance at the Protoss), you see the evolution of a small group of outcasts, to a force to be reckoned with by the end of the game. Just like the original game, you gain access to new buildings & units, but this time around you gain credits from completing main missions & side missions, which you can use to upgrade said buildings & units so they have additional benefits on top of their normal abilities. On top of that, the missions are considerably more detailed than the original game. Case in point is the mission called Outbreak: You’re sent to a mining colony to help out with the people that live there, but you discover that they’re all infected a Zerg contagion. During the day it’s safe, and you destroy infected buildings. At night, your base is constantly assaulted by the infected inhabitants of the colony, and you have to hold out until morning when the inhabitants burst into flame. It’s absolutely eery, but a hell of a lot of fun at the same time. Check out the link below to see what I mean.

Outbreak

Worst Aspect? In comparison to the next two games, Wings Of Liberty isn’t quite as interesting in terms of story or characters. Which isn’t to say that nobody is interesting or likable. Far from it, in fact. My issue is that this games plays it safe with it’s characters & story, and in turns makes everything less unique than it should be. Given that Wings Of Liberty is more of a war story than anything, I shouldn’t completely complain.

The only other thing I would say is a fault would be the exclusion of singleplayer units from multiplay. The campaign of Wings Of Liberty not only had new units, but returning ones like the firebat & the vulture fought alongside them. It was really cool that the nostalgia factor came in, but to see them missing from online battles really was a little disheartening. This occurs not only in this game, but the accompanying expansions as well with their respective classic units.

If I wanted to be exceptionally picky, I would complain about Starcraft II being split up into 3 games. I recall when it was first announced that Blizzard would split the game into 3 separate releases, people were livid, and I can’t deny that I was one of then. After playing each release, perhaps separate releases were a good idea after all.

Wings Of Liberty. Maybe not as wild or out-there as the next two games, but it’s a hell of a way to kick off a damn good trilogy. Older Starcraft fans will love this, newer players will like it, and Terran players will enjoy it. Next game!

Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm (2013)(Trailer)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“The development of StarCraft II was announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. At the June 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard Executive Vice President Rob Pardo said that StarCraft II was to be released as a trilogy of games, starting with Wings of Liberty, focused on the Terrans, followed by Heart of the Swarm, revolving around the Zerg, and finally Legacy of the Void, devoted to the Protoss. Blizzard's storyboard team was already working on Heart of the Swarm in early 2010 while Wings of Liberty's gameplay was refined. Wings of Liberty was released July 27, 2010 to much critical acclaim.

A few updates will be made to the game's graphics engine, including upgrades to the look and behavior of Zerg creep, as well as some improvements to the rendering of game environments. However, the expansion will have the same hardware requirements as Wings of Liberty.

On April 30, 2012, Blizzard announced that the latest multiplayer build of Heart of the Swarm would be playable at the MLG Spring Championship (June 8–10) ahead of a planned beta release. No actual release dates were specified.

As of June 15, 2012, the game was primarily complete. The only unfinished thing is "tuning and polishing".

On August 15, 2012, Blizzard announced that the multiplayer beta would be beginning soon. As of September 4, 2012, Blizzard began closed beta testing of the multiplayer beta, releasing it to select Pro-gamers, members of the press, Arcade contest winners, and shoutcasters. The beta testers were not under a non-disclosure agreement, so they were free to stream their games, release pictures, etc. The Heart of the Swarm beta closed on March 1, 2013.

Blizzard officially released Heart of the Swarm for PC and Mac systems in multiple countries on March 12, 2013.”

Best Aspect? Once again I gotta give it to the story. While some of the characters have been changed in some bad ways (More on this below), it’s really interesting to see how things have changed since Wings Of Liberty despite the short amount of time between both games. Old characters return, new ones reveal themselves, and revelations are exposed that could change the fate of the Koprulu Sector forever. I especially enjoyed the new bits, facts, and lore that were added to the Zerg (The obviously primary focus of this expansion). It’s cool to see Blizzard enhance the background of an establish character/group of character, while at the same time never necessarily losing sight of what they are.

Next is how different Heart Of The Swarm feels. While Wings Of Liberty was akin to a traditional RTS experience, this game feels oddly similar to Warcraft III. There’s a bit of RPG-like mechanics in this outing: by gaining essence & doing side quests, you level up Kerrigan overtime, gaining more health, damage, and abilities to use in missions. This doesn’t just apply to her, as units are similarly upgraded as well. You can pick one out of 3 upgrades, and they alter the unit in some way. On top of that, there are side “Evolution” missions that let certain units gain the ability to evolve into a 2nd form. Even more interesting, you can change up what abilities Kerrigan uses & what little upgrades your units have anytime you’re in your commander center. I do admit that when something worked for me I rarely changed things up on subsequent playthroughs, but it’s nice that Blizzard gave us this.

Worst Aspect? If Heart Of The Swarm had 1 main issues, it just how much some of the characters changed....and not necessarily for the better. Kerrigan starts off strong, but shortly after the beginning turns into a petulant child, and one she becomes Queen Of Blades again, is almost a Mary Sue (Outside of 2 situation). Arcturus Mengsk, one of the most iconic villains in all of Starcraft’s history, became a shadow of himself in Wings Of Liberty, and in Heart Of The Swarn he’s nothing more than an old-timey villain that twirls his mustache. It’s incredibly pathetic, especially to those that have played the original games.

Heart Of The Swarm. An improvement over Wings Of Liberty, and while the characterization might have lapsed, it’s a much more engaging game. Fans of the Zerg will get a kick out of this. Next game!

Starcraft II: Legacy Of The Void (2015)(Trailer)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“As of 2008, little to no development was going into Legacy of the Void. Work had started on Legacy of the Void story, scripts and missions by March 2013, as Heart of the Swarm neared release. Dustin Browder, the game director of StarCraft II, stated that "we will certainly do our best to reduce the time between expansions", while noting that "efficient and quick game development is not something we have traditionally been great at." As of February 2013, James Waugh is serving as lead writer on Legacy of the Void.

By August 2013, the story for Legacy of the Void was written, much of the cinematics were completed, and voice actors were in the studio recording dialogue for the game.[19] Dustin Browder announced in November 2013 he was satisfied with the game's story, but felt the missions and campaign mechanics needed more work, to make them "feel" like Protoss missions.

In November 2014, Blizzard released additional information for the game. As opposed to earlier information, the expansion won't require the original game, and will be released as a stand-alone expansion. Blizzard also announced the new cooperative game play modes Archon Mode, and Allied Commander. Additionally, new units and unit redesigns for the multiplayer part of the game were showcased. The beta testing started on March 31, 2015 and ended on November 2, 2015. On September 13, 2015 at the WCS Season 3 finals in Kraków, Blizzard announced that the release date will be November 10, 2015.

On June 16, 2015, at E3, Blizzard announced the upcoming release of a prologue to Legacy of the Void titled Whispers of Oblivion consisting of 3 missions. The prologue is available to anyone who pre-purchases the game. After the October 6, 2015 update to Heart of the Swarm, it was made available to all players. The mini-series is intended to bridge the storyline between Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void.

On October 13, 2015, Blizzard announced a free digital prequel comic book with Artanis being the main protagonist. Titled Artanis: Sacrifice, the comic was written by Matt Burns and James Waugh and illustrated by Edouard Guiton and Emanuele Tenderini. It was released on October 20, 2015.”

Best Aspect? Yet again, the advancement of the story is a plus for Legacy Of The Void. In comparison to Wings Of Liberty or Heart Of The Swarm, this expansion is considerably darker in terms of vibe & tone. Things are going to crap not only for the Protoss, but for the rest of the Koprulu Sector as well. With the emergence of Amon, his plans to return to the universe in a physical form have caused a chain reaction of chaos & destruction the likes of which the universe has never seen. Thought at times this darkness is a little overwhelming (More on that below), it’s strangely refreshing when you compare it to the previous two expansions. The Protoss are trying to regain Auir, the Terrans are recovering from numerous battles, and the Zerg are trying to throw off their ancient Xel’Naga shackes. Nice job setting the mood Blizzard!

Next positive aspect is the Spear Of Adun. An ancient Protoss ship you acquire early on in the game, it’s just as much of a character as the rest of the cast. While it obviously isn’t a playable unit like Kerrigan was in Heart Of The Swarm, it can still help you in missions: as you go through the singleplayer, you slowly unlock subsystems within the ship, and gain abilities you can use like summoning additional unit & pylon drops, a laser bombing run, and many more. To power these abilities, you need to acquire Solarite. You can find Solarite typically in side quests, but some main missions give you some as a reward. To further manage this power, you have to a lot your Solarite throughout the various subsystems. This let’s you control what you can use, and manages the cooldowns. It might get tedious at times, but it makes for a neat little twist to the typical RTS formula.

Rounding out the positive for Legacy Of The Void are it’s units. Similar to how Heart Of The Swarm played out, you gain access to newer units overtime, and are capable of upgrading them with newer abilities. Only this time, you’re actually swapping between full unit subtypes, and each subtype have new & various abilities. As with Heart Of The Swarm, you can change between unit subtypes on the fly when you’re inside the Spear Of Adun, and as with the previous game, you change things up less with subsequent playthroughs. Still a fun little feature Blizzard!

Worst Aspect? The only real fault with Legacy Of The Void is just how oppressive everything is. Given how things escalated from Heart Of The Swarm, I’m not exactly surprised. That being said, there’s plenty of times where the bleakness of the story & mood seem to be trying to be a little too dark, and in the process comes off as hokey. Again, the concluding story in Starcraft’s end is understandably serious, but it sometimes needs to lay of the bleak so to speak.

Legacy Of The Void. The darkest story in Starcraft’s history, but acts as a fitting conclusion to this science fiction epic. Those who enjoy the power of the Protoss would do well to play this game. Definitely recommended!

So that was my look at the iconic Starcraft. I was hooked way back in the late 90s, and I’m still hooked today. It’s definitely one of the best RTS series out there, and if you’re a fan of Blizzard, it’s your duty to play it if you haven’t already. Well, tomorrow is the first of April, and it just so happens to be both April Fools Day & Easter. I have a nice silly treat for all of you, so see you tomorrow!


***
If you’re curious about what my favorite Zerg & Protoss missions where, then check out the links below:

Shoot The Messenger (Zerg)

Sky Shield (Protoss)

Metal Overview: Grim Reaper

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and happy April Fools Day.......and Easter!

In all my years, I never expected one of the holiest days of the year to also land upon one of the goofiest. I’m telling you all the truth when I say that I was coming up with some inappropriate jokes.....and I won’t repeat them here. Regardless, I thought I’d take this day to talk about a classic metal band. One’s that’s sadly been in the shadows for too long, and one that really needs to be listened to. Last year I covered the Christian Hair/Power Metal group Stryper (Which you can see here), so this year I wanted to take a look at a band that many metal elitests scoff at. Since it’s April Fools, this band was absolutely appropriate. It’s time to take a look........at Grim Reaper.

Yes everyone......that Grim Reaper! Often considered a joke by many in the metal community, what no-one realizes is that these English gents are a true 100%, honest, genuine, bonafide, Heavy Metal hidden gem. Though they only have 4 records to their name, said records are some of the best metal albums to have come out in the 80s & 2010s. As I devoured each album with gluttonous lust, I knew I wanted to give them the overview treatment, and today was absolutely perfect. So without further adieu, here’s a look at the long forgotten Grim Reaper. Let’s rock!

See You In Hell (1984)

There have been plenty of chronicled origin stories in the world of Heavy Metal. Some are well-known, some are obscure, and then there are some that are so odd & strange, you don’t quite believe them at first. Grim Reaper definitely belongs in that last category. Forming in 1979, the lineup consisted of vocalist Steve Grimmett, guitarist Nick Bowcott, bassist Dave Wanklin, and drummer Lee Harris, but it wasn’t until a Battle Of The Bands (Which had 100 bands in it) that the group was discovered. One of the judges, Roy Woods (From the band Wizards), happened to be a producer for the mostly punk flavored hole-in-the-wall Ebony Records. The band was signed, and on July the 13th in the year 1984, See You In Hell was released to the world. Getting to the 73rd spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 list, Grim Reaper’s inaugural output is an interesting one. An ode to their metal idol Judas Priest, See You In Hell is just dripping with the previously mentioned band’s flavor & atmosphere, and this was done by a band that a lot of people have never even heard of!

Best Track? The Show Must Go On is a melodic & surprisingly emotional song when compared to everything else on See You In Hell. Not to be confused with the Queen song of the same, it none the less shares an elegance not completely until Queen’s 1991 classic. What separates Grim Reaper’s version with that of Queen’s is a heavy dose of metal, and their devotion to Judas Priest. Easily one of the biggest head-turners of the 1980s, and one you shouldn’t ignore.

The Show Must Go On

Worst Track? Ironically, the title track is the worst song on the release. While I wouldn’t call See You In Hell as horrific as the critics do, I do find that it comes across as monotonous at times. Luckily, those times only happen during the chorus, so it’s not a complete slog to sit through.

See You In Hell

Apart from that, the only other issues with the album are with it’s drumming & production value. When it comes to the drums, Lee Harris isn’t that good. He’s trying his hardest to sound awesome, but it comes out incredibly amateurish at best, especially when so much of it sounds like someone’s head thudding against the wall. The production I’m a little more forgiving towards, as the band didn’t have a lot of money & resources at the time, and they had to make due with what they had. That said, See You In Hell is still the worst sounding album in Grim Reaper’s career. Not ear gratingly so, but it obvious as you go through the record it could sound much better.

See You In Hell. A little flawed, but a whole lot of awesome. If you want to see a dirty gem shine, then give this release a go. You won’t be disappointed. Next album!

Fear No Evil (1985)

Though a fun inaugural release, it was obvious that See You In Hell was proof that Grim Reaper needed a bit of a boost. Enter RCA Records: an American record label owned by Sony Music (A subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America). Distributing the band’s first release worldwide, RCA Records took note of Grim Reaper’s rising popularity, and gave them increased funding for their next album alongside Ebony Records. This was all the group needed to go on with their second album, and nearly a year after See You In Hell came out, Fear No Evil burst onto the scene. Released in May of 1985, Fear No Evil was an improved record in oh so many ways. Ditching the awful work of Lee Harris, Grim Reaper brought in Marc Simon to take the position of drummer, and new production workers came in to work on the album. Sadly, Fear No Evil didn’t chart as high as their first album, as it got to no. 111 on the Billboard 200. It’s a shame, because Grim Reaper’s second output proves that they were capable of improving upon past work, and could make better music because of that.

Best Track? Gotta go with the title track this time around. Unlike their first album, Grim Reaper really made a solid song with this one. Thanks in part to the drumming & improved production quality (More on that below), Fear No Evil is a crisper starting track than what was on the band's first record. I'm not going to say anything else, other than to enjoy this tune!

Fear No Evil

Apart from that, Fear No Evil’s other best quality is the drumming. Marc Simon’s drum work is far superior to Lee Harris, and it’s obvious from the first few thunderous beats that Simon knows what he’s doing. Every part of the drum kit he touches sounds like gold, and that gold spreads to & complements every other aspect of not only Fear No Evil, but to Grim Reaper in general. Definitely an upgrade!

Worst Track? Once again, the production value of the album is a weakness for this band. In the album’s defense, the sound on Fear No Evil is far better than it’s predecessor. Due to the increased budget Grim Reaper got, they had more funding for their album, and thus better equipment to use during the recording process. That said, you can still hear moments where things could sound better than they are, but again the increased budget made things crisper & cleaner than anything that can be listened to on See You In Hell.

Fear No Evil. An improvement over their first release, and one that should be in your music collection....yet the band would still need one more release to get things right. Luckily, Grim Reaper did. Next album!

Rock You To Hell (1987)

Sadly by the late 80s, Grim Reaper were in some trouble. Both Ebony Records & RCA Records unleashed some heavy lawsuits upon the band, and while their issues with Ebony eventually dissolved, the problems with RCA would still go on until the band dissolved in 1988. However, in 1987, Steve Grimmett and the gang cranked out a beast of an album by the name of Rock You To Hell. Released on September the 5th, 1987, the group’s 3rd album might very well be the best thing they’ve ever produced. Keeping Marc Simon on board as drummer, Rock You To Hell has the added benefit of a production quality that heavily eclipses See You In Hell & Fear No Evil in terms of sound quality & age. Rock You To Hell Also manages to eclipse Fear No Evil in terms of charting, as it reached no. 93 on the Billboard 200. This album has to be my absolutely favorite out of Grim Reaper’s releases during the 80s, simply due to the fact that everything they’ve gotten right before has been turned up to 11 on this release.

Best Track? Night Of The Vampire is just a fun & goofy song. Thanks to the production quality, you hear every single guitar note, drum beat, and vocal outburst from Steve Grimmett with crystal clarity. This really complements the nature of the song, what with it’s conjuration of the blackest night & it’s various denizens. Some of the lyrics come across as silly, but that in no way destroys the intensity of the track. Night Of The Vampire indeed!

Night Of The Vampire

A good second best song goes to the laughably named Lust For Freedom. Like the previously mentioned song above, Lust For Freedom is just a fun song, full of intensity & energy. I should note that Grim Reaper actually managed to get onto the soundtrack for a movie because of Lust For Freedom! Granted it was a movie from Troma Entertainment Inc, and said movie just so happened to have the same name as the song I’m talking about......but hell, even a B-rated movie is better than nothing.

Lust For Freedom

And finally for good points, there’s the production value. By the late 80s, Grim Reaper finally got guys in the recording studio that knew what they were doing. Max Norman had worked with many rock & metal bands before hand, and his experiences with those groups really shows on this album. Because of his skills, Rock You To Hell sounds the most crisp & clean when compared to the band’s previous 2 releases, and the album because of this has aged the best out of the 80s trio.

Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! Grim Reaper finally got things right with Rock You To Hell. The production is the freshest it’s ever been. The drumming is on point. The guitar & bass is superb, and Steve Grimmett’s vocal work is at it’s best on this album. Sadly, due to all of the legal issues the band was going through, it seemed that they were never destined to survive the 1980s. Despite their breakup, Rock You To Hell is the biggest & brightest feather Grim Reaper has ever put in it’s cap, and it wouldn’t be until fairly recently that fans would ever see the band again. Next Album!

Walking In The Shadows (2016)

With the dissolution of Grim Reaper in 1988, the band members went their separate ways, moving onto other passions & projects, seemingly destined to never return. However, around the middle of this decade, the telltale howling & wailing from the forgotten band came back in force, and the face of this return is the bombastic Walking In The Shadows. Released on September the 23rd, 2016, Walking In The Shadows is Grim Reaper back in full force......or it would be, if the original name was used. Sadly due to legal issues, Steve Grimmett could not use the original name, and had to put his own before it. On top of that, Steve himself is the only original member from the 80s to remain, as none of the other originals wanted to come back for this reunion. Luckily, Steve managed to find some guys that could do just as good. Enlisting the help of Ian Nash for guitarwork, Mart Trail for bass (At live shows), and Paul White for the drums, this modern take on Grim Reaper might not be recognizable at first glance, but once you listen to a few songs on Walking In The Shadows, you won’t even care!

Best Track? Rock Will Never Die is just a wonderful slice of 80s metal cheese, somehow seemingly preserved until it got opened this decade. Despite the modern production quality, fans from the 80s will feel right at home with this song. Steve Grimmett is at the top of his game when it comes to the vocals, Ian Nash is a wonderful substitute for Nick Bowcott, and Paul White is just as good with the drumming as Marc Simon was if not better. Definitely the standout song on the album!

Rock Will Never Die

Worst Track? To be perfectly honest, Walking In The Shadows is a 2010s smash hit. My only gripe is that this modern interpretation of Grim Reaper isn’t the one fans know from the 80s. Due to the legal issues I talked about earlier, Steve Grimmett couldn’t name the band Grim Reaper, and nobody from the original group really seemed interested. It’s a bit of a shame, as you can tell that the music on Walking In The Shadows just screams for the original lineup! Despite that, the new group & Steve Grimmett’s vocals are metallic in their own right, and that’s good enough for me.

Walking In The Shadows. Maybe not the Grim Reaper we know & love from the 80s, but the spirit is still the same. If you want some modern obscure metal, this is what will fulfill that craving. Definitely an album to add to your collection!

And that was a look at the legendary obscurity that is Grim Reaper. As the saying goes don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and this little British band is living proof of that saying. Stop listening to popular bands for a bit, and give some more hidden groups like these guys a chance! Well, with this smaller overview out of the way (Been a bit since I’ve done one of these) Wrestlemania 34 is just a few days away, and my review for it (Along with Raw & Smackdown) not long after. See you then!

Also, on an unofficial note.......welcome to April Fools Month! Hilarity will be rampant!

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If you’re curious about listening to Grim Reaper & their discography, check out the links below:

See You In Hell

Fear No Evil

Rock You To Hell

Walking In The Shadows

Smackdown: Episode 289 Review (Review Road To Wrestlemania Part 3)

Hi there fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Well, this is it. My final wrestling post on my review road to Wrestlemania, and like I alluded to in my last post, this one’s personal. I already took a look at Wrestlemania 20 back in January, and last month I examined the 5 moments in wrestle that get me to cry. This time around? I’m going back to where I truly reconnected with wrestling and the WWE. I’m going back to the first ever event that reignited my love for the magic that happens in the ring. I’m going back.....to Smackdown.

That’s right, WWE’s secondary show was what really got me back into wrestling. Thanks to the WWE Network, I’m able to travel back to March 3, 2005, and re-watch what is one of my most favorite WWE shows of all time. To make things a little simpler for myself, I am strictly going to be looking at just the matches. The main show matches, and the Velocity matches (Which were recorded before Smackdown itself) are all going to get covered. With that out of the way, here’s my review for Smackdown on March 3, 2005. Let’s begin.

Velocity
Paul London & Funaki vs Chavo Guerrero & Akio
Winner: Paul London & Funaki
- We begin Velocity between some of the biggest hi-flyers in the company at the time. Sure, each of the four men in this match weren’t as high on the card as other wrestlers that were on the show, but they put on a hell of a show. Everybody got an equal amount of time in this match, both in terms of screentime & how much they could work. As a way to not only open up Velocity, but Smackdown proper.....it was a good choice. Definitely a fun match!

Nunzio vs Spike Dudley
Winner: Nunzio
- From the high-flyers, we come to the scrappers. At first glance, neither guy looks physically intimidating. Once both of these guys get in the ring, however, that misconception goes right out the window. I must confess, I always had a soft spot for Nunzio and the rest of the F.B.I. (Full Blooded Italians), so it’s easy to see who I wanted to win this match. Spike was easily the heel of the match, as he was using different parts of the ring to his advantage. Right about the end of the match Spike Dudley put his leg on the rope to try to get out of the match, but Nunzio pulled out one last move for the win.

The Bashams vs Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
Winner: Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
- The last match of Velocty is really personal to me. It marked the first time that I began chanting along with the crowd (It was “Bashum’s Sucks!”, and just about everybody in the arena was doing it), and one of the wrestlers managed to clap my hand (Hardcore Holly). This was easily the brute force portion of Velocity, as both guys beat the crap out of each other. There definitely was some action on the ropes, but both sides kept their feet on the mat for the most part. Kinda like the first match from this show, both teams had equal time to show off, and in the end, the rightful team won. Nice way to end Velocity!

Smackdown
Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio vs Mark Jindrak & Luther Reigns
Winner: Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio
- With Eddie’s death later on in 2005, I consider it a privilege that I got to see the iconic Latino wrestler live at least once. Coming out in the lowrider, his theme song blaring in the at the time Pepsi Arena, and with Rey Mysterio by his side (The two were Tag Team Champions in early 2005), it painted an image that’s stayed with me since that day. Eddie & Ray were perfect counterparts to Jindrak & Luther, who were built like tanks and having issues within their team (Forgot what over). The two teams work surprisingly well together, despite feeling some small pings of disconnection between both sides. I especially enjoyed seeing Eddie & Ray flying all over the place, especially when Eddie gave Luther Reigns the Frog Splash. A fine match to start Smackdown on.

Heidenreich vs Booker T
Winner: Heidenreich (By DQ)
- Oh boy, Heidenreich. I fully admit that he was a guilty pleasure when I got into Smackdown. Looking back.....yeah, he’s not that good. So it came as a surprise to me all these years later that they gave the win to him by DQ (Due to severe BS in my book)! It’s ironic that I’m complaining, since the match was okay. Not god awful, as both men put in some effort & talent, but it’s easily a “Meh” kind of match. Booker T was definitely pulling his weight, as he laid down a bunch of the offense, and Heidenreich was carried by him through the whole bout (Though he put in a little bit of work). When the match was done, I was like “Eh, what’s next?”.

Angle Invitational
Winner: No Contest (See Below)
- Ironically, I wasn’t upset that there wasn’t a match here. This part of the show was really meant more as a buildup for Kurt Angle & Shawn Michael at Wrestlemania 21. Kurt had come out with security, and bragged about the beatdown he gave Shawn the week before, but not long after challenged a random wrestler to a match for his gold medal. Out came a local guy named Shawn White, and before the bout could actually happen, Shawn Michael, disguised as a camera man, came out of disguise to assault Kurt when he wasn’t looking. It was successful at first, till Kurt managed to run away, and Shawn was disabled by security. Definitely a good match buildup.

Michelle McCool & Big Show vs Dawn Marie & Rene Dupree
Winner: Michelle McCool & Big Show
- Talk about a bits-n-pieces kind of match! On their own, each wrestler definitely can go (Big Show especially), but all together? It just feels like they mashed a couple wrestlers together, all in an effort to see what would stick. Does this make for a bad match? Not necessarily, but this was easily a filler match, as it lasted just a few short minutes, and the men were barely in it except for the end. If you’re watching this episode of Smackdown on the network, then skip this match when you get to it.

Orlando Jordan vs John Cena for the U.S. Title
Winner: Orlando Jordan
- And here we are. The main event. Right at the beginning of Smackdown, Cena had come out and delivered one of his thuginomics promos (Promo), ending with him saying that he’d be taking on Orlando Jordan in a match for his U.S. title. Meanwhile, JBL had come out just before this match to deliver one of his heel speeches, and at the end drove off in one of his limos, leaving Orlando there by himself (Orlando was in JBL’s pocket at the time). Cena came to the ring first, then Orlando came out with a nervous look on his face. From there, the two get into a fight, and it’s pretty good despite Cena doing most of the offense. By the end of the match it seemed like Cena was going to win, but the Bashams (Who were also in JBL’s pocket), and JBL provided the distraction needed for Orlando to win. A spicy way to end the night, and a hell of a way to start building up between Cena & JBL!

Final Review Score: 10 out of 10 on a nostalgia factor, but a 7 to 8 out of 10 for practicality.

So that was my review for the first ever Wrestling event I ever went to, Thursday Night Smackdown (On A Tuesday). I confess the nostalgia factor was pretty high while I watched, and even though not all of it has aged well, I can’t deny that it tugs at the heartstrings a little even today. Well, March is just about done, and I’ve got 1 last post for the month. So see you on the 31st, when a sci-fi classic turns 20.



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If anyone who is newer to Velocity & Smackdown, or if you’re an old-schooler looking for a bit of nostalgia, check this out:

Velocity Intro

Smackdown Intro (2005)

Also, if you’d like another review of the show, complete with looks at the in-between segments and the dark matches (Which weren’t on the WWE Network), check out the link below:

Smackdown (March 3, 2005)

Album Review (Obscurus Metalus): W.A.S.P.'s Still Not Black Enough

Holy cow fellow Otaku & Metalheads, this post was a long time coming!

I am genuinely shocked by today’s blog post. I always enjoy doing the Obscurus Metalus reviews, so I was genuinely surprised to find out that I did only one review in this sub-series last year. 1! I’m shocked, and a little disappointed in myself for only getting one of these reviews made. Well, much like my delay in anime reviews, this ends today! Obscurus Metalus has come back to the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, and I hope to make entries in this sub-series obviously more frequently than I did in 2017. With that out of the way, today I figured some Hair Metal was strangely appropriate to mare the return of Obscurus Metal, so sit back, open up your trust umbrella, and take a look at the mid-90s entry of the iconic W.A.S.P., Still Not Black Enough. Let the review begin!

Background
Taken from the Wikipedia page:

“Still Not Black Enough was originally slated for release as a Blackie Lawless solo album, but due to the heavy content, Lawless changed his mind and decided to release it as a W.A.S.P. album. This had also been the case for the previous album, The Crimson Idol. Still Not Black Enough is considered somewhat a successor to The Crimson Idol, bearing a strong resemblance with its lyrical themes. However, instead of telling the story of the fictional character Jonathan, this album is mostly a collection of personal songs from Blackie Lawless, including issues involving the death of his mother and personal crises just after world tour for The Crimson Idol.”

I should also point out that Still Not Black Enough’s first release wasn’t in the United States, but instead it came out first in Japan. In came out in June of 1995 in the land of the rising sun, but wouldn’t come stateside till August of 1996. A really odd move, if you ask me.

Basic Description
The very definition of a 90s hidden gem!

It is utterly baffling that this album isn’t known as much as more iconic titles in the W.A.S.P. discography, because dear god is the music on this record fantastic. From the opening attack of the title track (More on that song in a sec), to the concluding notes of the final song, it’s evident that the band still had a talent for making good music. With one fully solid in their Hair Metal past, but with another foot in 90s production quality & musical evolution/experimentation, Still Not Black Enough is a unique entry in the band’s discography, and one you shouldn’t ignore.

Best Track
Bit of a tie between the title track, and a cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic Somebody To Love. The former is an emotional rollercoaster, with a grim atmosphere that’s reflective of Blackie Lawless’s feelings at the time. You feel a little bit of his pain as you go through the song, yet it’s not overwhelming in any way. The later is an oddball of a track: keeping the original lyrics, W.A.S.P. mixed a little bit of that 60s Rock-N-Roll with a healthy dose of Heavy Metal. The end result is a surprising track, with a nod to it’s forebearer & somehow becomes a song for a new generation.

Still Not Black Enough

Somebody To Love

Worst Track
Really the only flaw with Still Not Black Enough is it’s obscurity. That’s it. Even though the 90s didn’t kill Heavy Metal like a lot of critics say, it none the less unintentionally shoved many classic releases to the side in favor for more easier & more commercial records. Still Not Black Enough was an unfortunate victim of this, but even a lack of time in the spotlight doesn’t harm the material on the album in any way, and I & the rest of the W.A.S.P. fandom appreciate this!

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then check out the link below.

Still Not Black Enough

Overall Impression & Rating
Still Not Black Enough is proof positive that the 90s were still a hotbed for Heavy Metal. Not only that, but the album was also proof that W.A.S.P. was capable of transcending their Hair Metal past, and morph into something newer and more contemporary for the times. Though the group wasn’t as relevant in mid 90s, Blackie Lawless and the gand were still a force to be reckoned with, and Still Not Black Enough was a statement that fit the group nicely.

Still Not Black Enough gets a 10 out of 10. A 90s hidden gem of the highest quality!

So that was a look at W.A.S.P.’s mid 90s classic. An album that should have had more time in the spotlight than it did, it none the less shows that a Hair Metal titan like these guys can still make awesome metal in the 90s, and acts as yet another piece of evidence that Heavy Metal didn’t die in what many consider the last great decade. Well, Wrestlemania 34 isn’t far away now, so see me next week when I take a look at something that’s very personal to me as far as the squared circle is concerned. Until then, keep listening to those obscure albums why don’t you!

Anime Review: Project A-Ko 2 (Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group)

Snowy salutations fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I must make an apology to you. It’s been a couple months since I last review an anime on the blog, and I’m sorry. A mix of other blog posts, weather, and life made it weirdly difficult to do something anime related.....but this post stops that (I hope, at least)! Finally, I’m back to getting as much anime on here as I can, and I thought of the perfect thing to signal this return. So sit back, relax, maybe put on a straight jack, and enjoy my review for the 2nd movie in the Project A-Ko series, Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group. Let’s begin!

Story/Setup
Taken from the DVD case:

“Three weeks have gone by since the alien spaceship crash landed on the Graviton City spire, and since then the aliens have been hard at work converting their ship to a pleasure district, hoping to make friends with the humans! ...Not. Perpetually late and continually over-eating A-ko, spacy and cheerful C-ko, and brilliant and bold B-ko are about to enter summer break from school, and it just so happens the aliens' ship is open for business. When a free meal turns into a sob story about how the aliens just want to go home, will it be A-ko or B-ko who can get the ship into orbit again? More importantly, which one of the two will win C-ko's affections? Giant mecha, superheroes, and battle bikinis abound in this second installment of the parody-tastic Project A-ko!”

If you’re reading this and thinking “Man, that look ridiculous!”......well, you’re not wrong. Just like the original Project A-Ko film, Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group takes parody & humor, turns it past 10, and just breaks the knob off so no-one tries to fiddle with it. I found myself laughing constantly, and even when I wasn’t, I was at least giggling & snickering. This series of movies gets comedy, and just rolls with it all the way to the bank. If you’re not laughing in anyway, then this clearly isn’t for you.

Animation
When looking at Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group, you can see that not much has really changed in the animation department when compared to the original Project A-Ko feature. Now, I watched what I believe was the original U.S. Manga Corps Video release on youtube, and I don’t know if it was me, but I could have sworn that the coloring seemed a little faded. Not enough to make it look like it was a lazy move, but enough so that you might think that you’re having tricks being played on you.

Voice Acting
Perhaps one of the biggest changes with Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group, and indeed the rest of the Project A-Ko movies, would be the complete change of voice actors. Nobody from the original film makes a return, as we now have a completely new cast. On the one hand, it’s a little jarring to hear new people behind the wheel of the characters. You’re so used to hearing that original cast, that anybody else induced a case of whiplash upon listening to new people! On the other hand, the new cast of voice actors does an incredible job of sounding like the originals. There are some slight differences when compared to the voices from the original movie, but they’re so slightly off it’s almost silly to complain about.

Characters
Apart from the goofy story, the one thing that hasn’t really changed are the characters. Though the change in voice actors does make them fell a little different upon first hearing them speak, their core personalities are still the same as in the first movie. Even the sliver of new characters that do appear in Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group, feel like people we’ve met in the movie before, and that’s okay in my book.

Availability & Pricing
For the longest time, the rest of the Project A-Ko films were almost impossible to find anywhere for purchase. U.S. Manga Corps Video has been closed for a while, and copies were considered worth their weight in gold. As recently as September of last year, Diskotek Media began re-releasing the movie (Along with the others) for a pretty good price. New copies start at about 20 dollars in price on Amazon, while a used copy typically starts at a little over 13 dollars. Pretty good deal either way.

Other
One thing you’ll notice about Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group is the running time. The original Project A-Ko movie went on for just about 2 hours. By comparison, this movie plays for just over 44 minutes. This really makes the feature feel smaller when compared to the original movie, but again the shorter run time has everything fit in nicely.

Overall Impression & Rating
Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group is just a fun little movie. It might not be as long as the original Project A-Ko, but the shorter length just concentrates the good points of the beginning movie to a factor of 10. If you’re in the mood for some action & laughs, then get a couple of friends together, and enjoy A-Ko’s second outing. You won’t be disappointed!

Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group gets a 9 out of 10.

So that was my look at the 2nd movie in the Project A-Ko series, Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group. Again, sorry for the long wait for another anime review, but circumstances & other content for whatever reason took great precedent. Hopefully, this doesn’t happen often here in 2018. Regardless, I’ll see you all next week for the first Obscurus Metalus review of the year, when we’ll look at a forgotten classic of a Hair Metal legend. See you then!

Convention Review - Genericon 2018

Happy 31st Genericon fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I must admit.....this was a tough one to review. Was the con bad? Not in the least. Genericon 31, while not one of my favorites of all time, isn’t a stinker by any stretch! Like pretty much every previous year I’ve gone, I’ve had nothing but a fun time. There are, however, issues that made this one rather interesting. Issues that simultaneously helped & harmed this lovely convention, and said issues many of you agree with. Without further delay, let’s take a look at my review for the snow-covered Genericon 31, and see if it was any fun.

Good Points
More than anything else in Genericon 31, one of the best things was the staff. Despite the issues that arose (more on that below), these wonderful people kept everything together. They took some heat from con-goers that were less than kind, but as usual they were friendly, helpful, and took time out of their schedule to make our schedules great, regardless of the circumstance......especially the cosplay coordinator......love you Tea Leaf!!!!

Next up is the venue. As usual, Genericon covers a good stretch of the RPI campus. The Great Hall handles the bulk of activities, the Playhouse took care of the smaller panels & events (Great burlesque show from Pleasant Nightmares Burlesque), the cafeteria & Jazzman’s café (Now a mini-Starbucks) provided great food, and the armory as usual was a great space for the vendors & artists (Alongside the Reg & pre-reg tables/lines) to ply their wares alongside a few other food vendors as well. All of the occupied spaces were organized quite well despite the chaos of Friday, regardless of the crowding of activities (See below for details).

As usual, one of Genericon’s finest points are the con-goers themselves. Like the colors of the rainbow, just about any & every kind of geek, nerd, otaku, and metalhead (Cause metalheads are everywhere) could be found roaming the land that is RPI. Everybody that I ran into was nice, kind, friendly, and quite helpful. There were plenty of friends & people I recognized, but I came across an equal amount (If not greater) of new convention goers that were wonderful to meet. Some were long-time Genericon fans, others were brand new of relatively recent additions to the weird & bizarre Genericon family. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Lastly, the various panels & events are a great plus for this convention. There was practically something for everybody per usual. Cosplay Chess, Iron Cosplay, Hentai Comedies Worth Watching Part 2 (The panel I hosted), and many more were available for anybody to enjoy. I know it seems like I’m repeating myself here considering I talked about this the past few times I’ve reviewed this convention, but it’s true!

Okay Points
Due to the actions of what happened below, the various panels & events were completely compacted into Saturday & Sunday. There’s 2 sides to this: on the one hand, this made for an action-packed weekend. There was a lot to see & do, and many panels were effectively back to back. On the other hand, this made for a simultaneously chaotic weekend. The transitions between back-to-back panels were sometimes a mess, and because of the shorter weekend, the wait line for the convention registration went outside the armory.....and it was impressive in a warped way that the line was so long.

Bad Points
Okay......let’s talk about the elephant in the room.....the cancellation of the convention this past Friday. I’m not gonna lie in saying that I was pissed when I first heard that RPI was closed. In all the years that this convention was open, never once was there a closing. Delays to be sure, but never a closing. Genericon 31 marks the first time that RPI (Again, don’t blame the con staff) closed down the con per se. In my mind this killed a part of Genericon, and threw the rest of the con into chaos. The shortened length made the experience smaller, and strangely less significant than prior cons.

The other bad point also involves the closing, but in a different way. On Friday, a notice early on that morning said that the con was closed that day. Not long after, it was un-canceled. After a few hours, it was re-canceled as it were. The chaos from this was impressive, and everybody was thrown for a look. At the Q&A with the con staff, I asked what was going on, and lo & behold, the individual (Don’t know the name) who handles the Facebook page of the convention jumped the gun on the information. Things were corrected for a bit, then changed to a cancellation once again from an official RPI decision. This was really infuriating, and the un-cancelling really created a sense of hope.....which ultimately turned out to be false.

Overall Impression & Rating
Genericon 31, while having some bruises, still manages to come out on top as a fun event. It took a little bit of warming up to, but once I did I’m glad I came. The time might have been shorter than usual, but I didn’t feel bored for effectively the entire time. Again, this might not be one of my favorite Genericon trips I’ve made, but I didn’t hate it one bit. 

Genericon 31 gets a 8 out of 10. Originally I was gonna rate it from a 7 to a 7.5, but after thinking about it a little, I found it to be much more enjoyable than I first thought it was.

So that was my look at Genericon 2018. A damn fine convention with some damn fine people, great events, and a nice geeky atmosphere. It had it faults to be sure, but the faults didn’t completely damage how nice this gathering was. I look forward to next year’s, as it’s a very special anniversary for me. Until then, the rest of March moves on. See you soon!