Half-Life: 20th Birthday & Retrospective

Greetings fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s been a bit since I covered a video game’s birthday. Not since May have I looked at the further aging of a game (Which you can read here), and in November an iconic series turns 20 years. I’m getting the celebration done early, as I have something planned for the month of Thanksgiving as well as next month. Hopefully you don’t mind me doing this early, but I think what I got planned a little further down the line might make up for this. In any case, put on your lab coat, find the nearest crowbar, and have fun looking at the 20th birthday & retrospective of the iconic Half-Life. Let’s begin!

Half-Life (1998)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“Valve, based in Kirkland, Washington, was founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Mike Harrington and Gabe Newell. For its first product, Valve settled on a concept for a horror first-person shooter (FPS) using the Quake engine licensed from id Software. Valve eventually modified 70% of the engine's code, adding skeletal animation and Direct3D support.

According to designer Harry Teasley, id's 1993 FPS Doom was a major influence, and the team wanted Half-Life to "scare you like Doom did". The project had the working title Quiver, after the Arrowhead military base from Stephen King's 1980 novella The Mist, an early inspiration for the game. The name Half-Life was chosen because it was evocative of the theme, not clichéd, and had a corresponding visual symbol: the Greek letter ? (lower-case lambda), which represents the decay constant in the half-life equation.

Valve struggled to find a publisher, as many believed the game was too ambitious for a first-time developer. Sierra On-Line signed Valve for a one-game deal as it was interested in making a 3D action game, especially one based on the Quake engine. Valve first showed Half-Life in early 1997; it was a success at Electronic Entertainment Expo that year, where Valve demonstrated the game's animation and artificial intelligence.

Valve aimed for a November 1997 release to compete with Quake II.  By September 1997, the team found that while they had built a number of innovative aspects in weapons, enemies, and level design, the game was not fun and there was little design cohesion. The company postponed the release and reworked every level. They took a novel approach of assigning a small team to build a prototype level containing every element in the game, and then spent a month iterating on the level. When the rest of the team played the level, which designer Ken Birdwell described as "Die Hard meets Evil Dead", they agreed to use it as a baseline. The team developed three theories about what made the level fun. First, the level had a number of interesting things happen in it and all when the player came into near proximity of the event, rather than based on time elements, so that the player would set the pace of the level. Second, the level had means to respond to any player action, even for something as simple as adding graphic decals to wall textures to show a bullet impact. Finally, the level warned the player of imminent danger to allow them to avoid it, rather than killing the player with no warning.

To move forward with this unified design, Valve sought a game designer, but found no one suitable for the job. Instead, Valve decided to create the "cabal", initially a group of six individuals from across all departments that worked primarily for six months straight in six-hour meetings four days a week. The cabal was responsible for all elements of design, including level layouts, key events, enemy designs, narrative, and the introduction of new gameplay elements relative to the story. The collaboration proved successful, and once the cabal had come to decisions on types of gameplay elements that would be needed, mini-cabals formed from other departments most affected by the choice were formed to implement these elements. Membership in the main cabal rotated, since commitment required created burnout. The cabal produced a 200-page design document detailing nearly every aspect of the game. They also produced a 30-page document for the game's narrative, and hired a writer, novelist Marc Laidlaw, to help manage that script for the game to assure in-game consistency. The soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey.

Within a month of the cabal's formation, the other team members started detailed game development, and within another month, began playtesting through Sierra. The cabal were intimately involved with playtesting, monitoring the player but otherwise not interacting, as to take the player's feedback, including any confusion or inability to solve a game's puzzle, into action items to be fixed on the next iteration of a game. Later, with most of the main adjustments made, the team included means to benchmark players' actions which they then collected and interpreted statistically to further fine-tune levels. Between the cabal and playtesting, Valve identified and removed parts that proved unenjoyable. Birdwell said that while there were struggles at first, the cabal approach was critical for Half-Life's success, and was reused for Team Fortress 2 from the start.

A few days prior to the release, the developers discovered an error in the source code. Developers fixed the error by adding corrections into a single line of the source code. Much of the detail of Half-Life's development has been lost; according to employee Erik Johnson, two or three months before release, their volume shadow service "exploded"; they had to compile what they could from was otherwise stored on individual computers at that time, meaning that only the last month of technical changes were preserved. This included saving the source to GoldSrc.”
                       
Reception for Half-Life was pretty damn high back in the late 90s, and still carries some weight with it today. Computer Gaming World's Jeff Green said that the game "is not just one of the best games of the year. It's one of the best games of any year, an instant classic that is miles better than any of its immediate competition, and - in its single-player form - is the best shooter since the original Doom". IGN described it as "a tour de force in game design, the definitive single player game in a first person shooter" and also said that the history of the FPS genre "breaks down pretty cleanly into pre-Half-Life and post-Half-Life eras". Guinness World Records awarded Half-Life with the world record for Best-Selling First-Person Shooter of All Time (PC) in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, and The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Half-Life for its 1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development" award, although ironically it would lose to Pokémon Red and Blue.

Best Aspect? Graphically, Half-Life was pretty good looking for it’s time. With real 3d graphics winning out in the FPS market (Thanks to Quake), it was able to show off some stuff. Textures were more realistic, models seemed to be more realistic, and lighting appeared to be natural for it’s time. While it’s definitely dated nearly 20 years later, something about it comes across as less “In Your Face” than what was to come in 2004, and thanks to modders & Valve themselves, it has gained improvements & newer visual elements overtime.

Secondly, the story & character of Half-Life was surprisingly good. Despite it not being the most in-depth story or having the most intriguing characters (*Cough* Gordon Freeman *Cough*), there is at least some meat on it’s bones. You definitely feel concern for some of the scientists & security guards as you traverse Black Mesa, and when you finally travel to the dimension that the aliens come from, you’re wondering what’s happening to everybody back on Earth. The expansions show different perspectives on this, but I’ll get to that in a sec.

Next positive for Half-Life is the gameplay. In all honesty, it’s not that much different than most other FPS games of the 90s. Move around, shoot things that move, find keys, solve puzzles, etc. What makes things different are the more subtle things the game does: there’s little in-game sequences that play out, and in some cases force you to take a different route or use a different tactic. There’s little sounds all over the place that make things come alive, and in a neat twist, there’s no loading screen for each level. There’s quick moments that load each segment, but that’s it. Multiplayer is fantastic as well, with many game modes for everybody to pick & choose from.

Finally, the last positive of Half-Life is the post launch content. There was Opposing Force, which put you in the boots of one of the government soldiers sent to Black Mesa to erase the facility off the map, and Blue Shift, which put you in the vest of one of the facilities’s numerous security guards. Blue Shift also bears the distinction of upgrading the graphics engine to 2.0. Better textures, fluider movements, you name it. In addition to these expansions, some of the mods made for Half-Life (More specifically, Half-Life/Quake) eventually became their own thing. Team Fortress, for example. Even today, Valve still supports this game on their Steam platform. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Worst Aspect? Overrated as heck! Even before it was released, the hype behind it was huge, and caused Activision to force Ritual Entertainment to rush out SiN, & in the ensuing proceed forced it into a cult status (More on that next year for a delayed birthday & retrospective). After it had been out for a while, people where constantly praising the rather thin story and bare-bones characters, to the point where they raised it as high art. That being said....Half-Life deserves to be called overrated less than the sequel. There’s much more meat on the story’s bones, despite it being weak, and the characters seem more interesting, despite not having much to them. Even the setting of Half-Life appear to be more lifelike & fascinating than it’s sequel, and most of HL1 takes place in a science facility!

Half-Life. A classic shooter from the late 90s, and while it might be a little overrated, it definitely deserves a lot of credit. If you want to play one of the best of that decade, then this might be for you. Next game!

Half-Life 2 (2004)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“For Half-Life 2, Valve developed a new game engine, Source, which handles the game's visual, audio, and artificial intelligence elements. The Source engine comes packaged with a heavily modified version of the Havok physics engine that allows further interactivity. When coupled with Steam, it becomes easy to roll out new features. One such example is high dynamic range rendering, which Valve first demonstrated in a free downloadable level called Lost Coast for owners of Half-Life 2. Several other games use the Source engine, including Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source, both of which were also developed by Valve.

Many elements were cut from the game. Half-Life 2 was originally intended to be a darker game with grittier art direction, where the Combine were more obviously draining the oceans for minerals and replacing the atmosphere with noxious, murky gases. Nova Prospekt was originally intended to be a small Combine rail depot built on an old prison in the wasteland. Eventually, Nova Prospekt grew from a stopping-off point along the way to the destination itself.

Valve announced Half-Life 2 at E3 in May 2003, where it won several awards for best in show. Originally slated for release in September 2003, the game was delayed in the wake of the cracking of Valve's internal network. The network was accessed through a null session connection to a server owned by Tangis, which was hosted in Valve's network, and a subsequent upload of an ASP shell, resulting in the leak of the game's source code and many other files including maps, models and a playable early version of Half-Life 2 in early September 2003. On October 2, 2003, Valve CEO Gabe Newell publicly explained in the Halflife2.net (now ValveTime.net) forums the events that Valve experienced around the time of the leak, and requested users to track down the perpetrators if possible.

In June 2004, Valve Software announced in a press release that the FBI had arrested several people suspected of involvement in the source code leak. Valve claimed the game had been leaked by a German black-hat hacker named Axel "Ago" Gembe. After the leak, Gembe had contacted Newell through e-mail (also providing an unreleased document planning the E3 events). Newell kept corresponding with Gembe, and Gembe was led into believing that Valve wanted to employ him as an in-house security auditor. He was to be offered a flight to the USA and was to be arrested on arrival by the FBI. When the German government became aware of the plan, Gembe was arrested in Germany instead, and put on trial for the leak as well as other computer crimes in November 2006, such as the creation of Agobot, a highly successful trojan which harvested users' data.

At the trial in November 2006 in Germany, Gembe was sentenced to two years' probation. In imposing the sentence, the judge took into account such factors as Gembe's difficult childhood and the fact that he was taking steps to improve his situation.”

Reception for Half-Life 2 was also pretty high upon it’s release, despite getting released just a few months after the equally massive Doom 3 (That came out in the beginning of August 2004). Sites like GameSpy, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The New York Times, and VideoGamer.com had given the game perfect scores, while other places like PC Gamer, IGN, GamesRadar, and Eurogamer gave near perfect review. In an unprecident move, Maximum PC awarded Half-Life 2 an 11 on their rating scale which normally peaks at 10, calling it "the best game ever made". I personally disagree with this amount of praise, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Best Aspect? Once again the graphics are a plus, and this marks perhaps one of the few things that raises it above the original. Valve really gave it their all, as the graphics are far more advanced, and have aged really well for nearly 15 years. Everything comes across so much more smoothly, far better lighting, greatly improved textures, breakable objects fall apart realistically, and models look nowhere near as clunky as anything in HL1. While it doesn’t necessarily deal with the graphics, the other thing that sets Half-Life 2 apart from the original is the physics engine put in. Objects fall over in a manner that’s real, roll around, dragged, you name it. The physics also plays into some of the puzzles, and it’s done in a way that’s real. While it’s not the most amazing physics nowadays, it still comes across as charming.

Gameplay really hasn’t changed all that much from the original HL, but that’s not necessarily bad. Gone is the key searching, and things are placed more on the action & puzzle work elements instead. There’s still sequences the player comes across, and they’re all the better thanks to the graphics used. Ironically, the weapons in Half-Life 2 aren’t quite as much fun. The guns in the original had something of a “Rough-And-Tumble” kind of feel to them. They felt like they had gone through stuff. The weapons in HL2 (Apart from the crowbar & crossbow) feel too clean & manufactured, and not only that, but your selection of tools to use somehow seems smaller. The only new gun that’s fun is the Gravity Gun. Taking advantage of the physics engine, the things you can do with it are hilarious.

Half-Life 2 also had great post launch content. There was Episode 1 in 2006, which took place shortly after the end of the main game, and the Orange Box in 2007, which included Episode 2, the long awaited Team Fortress 2, and the sci-fi weirdness of Portal. There’s also a great mod community for Half-Life 2 as well, though I never saw as many, nor played as much.

Worst Aspect? Much like the original Half-Life, HL2 suffers from a severe case of overratedness. However, whereas the original game doesn’t deserve all of it......this game deserves every single bit of it. Weaker story, blander characters (Gordon Freeman is still silent, and somehow he’s even more boring), less interesting setting, and overall I find myself far less interested in coming back to play it. It’s not to say that there isn’t any entertainment factor, cause there’s definitely a little to be had. However, it feels far more like a graphics test with gameplay elements instead of a full fledged game (Something that Doom 3 did better). This isn’t helped by the fact that the 2 expansions afterwards feel even less interesting than the main game itself (Though the 2nd did mix it up just a little with some interesting gameplay elements).

Half-Life 2. Not necessarily bad, but due to events behind the scenes, along with a host of other issues, makes it a game I’m less likely to talk about. Recommended, but nowhere near as much as the original.

So that concludes my somewhat delayed retrospective & birthday on the iconic Half-Life. Though the series might be dead nowadays, the memories of the original games will live on, and even newer gamers eventually discover this late 90s classic. With that said, this concludes my 4-year anniversary, and so I’m taking a break from the rest of September to begin work on a special Halloween event for the blog. Until then, hope you don’t have your life.....halved.


***
Here’s 2 mods from both games. Enjoy!

They Hunger (Part 1/Part 2/Part 3)(Half-Life 1)

Left 4 Dead (Link)(Half-Life 2, but technically it’s own game)

Album Review - Accept's Balls To The Wall

Welcome back fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Earlier this week I took a look at The Paradigm Shift, a modern classic from Nu Metal legends Korn that brought new life to the band. Today’s review covers an iconic metal album from one of the genre’s founding fathers. An album that happens to turn 35 years old this year, and one in which still contains great power & nostalgia. To make things special, this review marks the first time I’ve covered the band in question, and I’m ashamed, cause holy hell are they good! So sit back, loosen your belt a little, and take a look at my review for Accept’s 1983 hit, Balls To The Wall. Let’s begin!

Background
The early 80s were a smashing success for Accept. Crafting high quality records, the band was garnering popularity in both the United States & their native Europe. However, just because they were getting more popular didn’t mean they would rest on their laurels, as the band would embark on what is perhaps their most ambitious album to date. Recorded at Dierks Studios in Cologne, Germany from July to August of 1983, and released on December the 5th of that year (It would come out a year later in the U.S. so it wouldn’t compete with their previous record), Balls To The Wall is one of the most iconic releases in Accept’s history. In addition to the usual members on instruments & vocals, the services of Wolf Hoffman’s wife Gaby (Who went under the pen-name of “Deaffy” on the album’s credits) were called upon. The end result was a record that was incredibly headbang inducing, while at the same time touched upon subject material that was somewhat seen as controversial in the early 80s....but you’ll have to read on for details.

Reception for Balls To The Wall was pretty damn high for it’s time, and today as well. The album marked the first time they would chart in the United States, reaching no. 74 on the Billboard 200, and was also their first release to chart in Germany, reaching no. 59 on their respective chart. Canadian critic Martin Popoff loved the complexity of the record’s lyrics combined with the clean and restrained riffing, which gave the release a "subtle sophistication" and a "singular purpose". Allmusic writer Eduardo Rivadavia refers to it as an "essential heavy metal album", only "slightly more melodic" and "less gritty" than Restless and Wild and considers the title track "an irresistible, fist-pumping masterpiece that came to epitomize the modern, slow-marching metal anthem as it became known."  Sputnikmusic contributor Eduard Pickman Derby enjoyed the versatility of "explosive front-man" Udo's vocals, as well as the "simple, heavy and fist pumping" riffs of Hoffmann and Frank's guitars, which made Balls to the Wall "an excellent metal record". Finally, Pierre Bégin of the online magazine The Metal Crypt simply said that the album "is simply pure heavy metal", with "no weak tracks, and a masterpiece".

Balls To The Wall was not only a good album in it’s own right, but also acted as a source of inspiration for many other bands. Ty Tabor of King's X was a fan of the album and its production, saying it "set a new bar for what heavy rock could sound like on a record". Doro Pesch of Warlock and Kai Hansen of Helloween were fans of the band and consider Accept among their main musical influences. To conclude, Swedish Power Metal legends Hammerfall said they recorded their album Renegade in 2000 with Michael Wagener because they had Balls to the Wall in mind, and would even record "Head Over Heels" with ex-lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider on the 2008 album Masterpieces.

Basic Description
Fist pumping Heavy Metal.....that’s quite progressive at the same time.

No, I’m not talking about Prog music. I actually talking about what Balls To The Wall covers. You will be raising the devil horns and banging your head during the entire experience, there’s no denying that! However, thanks in part to the album’s lyricist, some of the subject’s covered are rather atypical, especially in the early 80s. Systemic oppression, politics, and even homosexuality (More on that below) are covered on some of the tracks. Though this led to the minor controversy, it simultaneously lends itself to being one of Accept’s smartest & most socially conscious records to date at that time. Even today, Balls To The Wall is widely held up as one of the pinnacles of early 80s metal, and Heavy Metal at large. 

Best Track
Bit of a tie between the title track, and the tragic tale of Love Child. The former became a staple for Accept at their live events, and it shows. A rhythmic guitar beat that’s heavy but not overwhelming, drumming that almost comes across like a mild march, and Udo Dirkschneider’s patented vocal work come together to form one of Heavy Metal’s most essential anthems. The later comes across like a light Speed Metal thriller: chronicling the turmoils of a teenager’s emerging homosexuality, Love Child is a considerably dark and grimmer song than Balls To The Wall. It’s not uncomfortable by any means, but as you listen to the tune, you sympathize with the teenager in question. Pretty damn impressive for the early 80s if you ask me.

Balls To The Wall

Love Child

Worst Track
Really the only bad thing about Balls To The Wall isn’t with the music itself, but the critics. More specifically, the “Gay Metal” controversy that cropped up when the album first came out in the states. Though it was minor, many in the early 80s claimed that due to certain songs Accept was trying to gain favor with the Gay community. Though not trying to gain favor, the band definitely has songs that leaned more in that direction. Even today there’s still a couple homophobes that might call the album out because of this. Just raise your middle finger high to anyone who bashes this record because of the extra sparkles.

Other
If you’re curious about this album, then click on the link below:

Balls To The Wall

Overall Impression & Rating
Balls To The Wall hits the nail on the head in every which way. From the production, to the instrumentation, to the vocals, and even the lyrics, it really shows that you can simultaneously be nice & heavy, while at the same time pushing the envelope as to what you can sing about. A cornerstone of 80s metal, there’s a reason you still hear tales about it in 2018.

Balls To The Wall gets a 10 out of 10. A metal classic from the heyday of the 80s!

So that was Balls To The Wall. Iconic & well deserving of praise both in the past & present, if you are on your way to becoming a metalhead, it should be one of the first records you listen to. So see you around later next week, when I’ll take a quick look at one of the most iconic PC shooters of all time. Until then, whether you’re man or woman.....appreciate the balls you have!

Album Review - Korn's The Paradigm Shift

Welcome back to year 4 fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

As I promised in my last post, I’m devoting the rest of this month to catching up on anniversaries & birthdays of games, albums, and anime I may have missed back in May during Catchup Month 2.0. This first week I’ll be covering birthdays that actually happen this year, and today’s review I’m actually doing a little early in anticipation for a special October event I have planned. But anyways!....

As you can tell by the title, I’m covering Korn for today’s review. I haven’t looked at a single album of theirs on this blog since the earliest days in 2014, and despite my overview of them back in 2016, I’m surprised that I never covered them in another post since then. Today is a look at their 2013 release, the Paradigm Shift. Coming in at almost 5 years old now (It officially turns 5 in early October, but again I got a surprise coming), it’s one of the best things that the band had put out for a long time at that point. Let’s not waste anymore time, and take a look at The Paradigm Shift. Let the review begin!

Background
Taken from Wikipedia:

“Following the year after the release of The Path of Totality, Korn had begun proposing ideas for their next album. James "Munky" Shaffer stated that the album would contain darker elements similar to Issues mixed with the heaviness of Untouchables (2002).On May 2, 2013, it was revealed that original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch rejoined the band after an eight-year absence and had been recording for the new album.The first single, "Never Never", was officially released on August 12, 2013.The track "Love & Meth" leaked on September 6, 2013 after the band had released several previews. The track "Lullaby for a Sadist" was originally written in 2010 prior to the idea of a dubstep-infused album, but the song did not make the cut for Korn III: Remember Who You Are. "Spike in My Veins" was originally written and recorded with Noisia for inclusion on J Devil's debut album, but ended up being reworked as a Korn song.

Regarding the sound, Munky says, "The new music is inspired by our Issues album, or even Untouchables, that era. It’s a little more melodic and a little more aggressive at the same time."Head added in an interview with Rolling Stone that "I'm a metalhead. I love rock music, and I came here just wanting to do the old Korn vibe, but with a new twist. "Me and Munky [James Shaffer] haven't been playing guitar together for eight years, so we came in just wanting to jam out with the bass player Fieldy [Reginald Arvizu] and Ray [Luzier], our drummer. The end product is a really good mix of old Korn mixed with some new elements. It's got a fresh new Korn 2013 sound."

Jonathan Davis described the writing and recording process as "weird". He explains: "They started writing, I think, in August, and I didn't get into the studio until March, because I was going through all kinds of crazy shit. My boy got diabetes and I had come off medication for my depression, and that fucked me up. I was in a straight haze."Davis entered rehab, then returned to writing the album. "It was weird – I moved into the studio. I stayed there for four months, I only came home on weekends. I moved my boys in with me, so I had my kids with me the whole time. It was an interesting creative space." Davis continued, "I don't know how the hell I did it. I was so fucked up from coming off all that medicine, and I feel so good about the record. When I look back now, I'm like, 'Wow, how did I come up with this shit?'"”

Reception for The Paradigm Shift was considerably more solid & positive than what they put out back in 2011. Max Barrett of Rock Sound wrote "Korn’s follow up to ’11’s dubstep-infused ‘The Path Of Totality’ is a completely different monster to its predecessor, and for all the right reasons." in his review of the album. Kerrang! noted the album as a "more organic effort", and AllMusic stated the album "shows the kind of creativity and inventiveness that, love them or hate them, helped to make them an influential force in heavy music.".

In a more mixed take on the album, Uncut stated "Essentially this is Korn returning to their familiar discomfort zone.". Popmatters was also mixed in their review, stated that it "may not quite be Korn's best album ever, but The Paradigm Shift is Korn's best album since Untouchables and metal fans could do a lot worse than that". At the same time as this, Classic Rock Magazine stated "It's Korn's most significant album in a long time" in their look on the album.

The Paradigm Shift debuted & peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard 200, selling 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. This made the album the 12th album from Korn to appear in the top 10. Since September of 2016 in the United States, the album has sold 174,000 copies, which is pretty impressive if you ask me!

Basic Description
A return to the old days.

I’m not kidding when I say that The Paradigm Shift.....was a breath of fresh air for the band. It had been nearly a decade that founding member Brian "Head" Welch worked with Korn, and having him come back injected the band with a massive new lease on life. When he left, it almost seemed like it was an excuse for the group to continue to drift further & further away from their Nu Metal roots. I’ve said it before, but Take A Look In The Mirror was the last truly Nu Metal release for a long time. Not anymore!

The Paradigm Shift is a truly awesome album. From beginning to end, Korn really channeled their 90s past, as their brought back Issues-like darkness, along with just a hint of the heaviness & experimentation of Untouchables. The end result sounds like a lost album from the 90s, but with modern technology & production techniques. Fans of the band who became disenfranchised after 2003 (Myself somewhat included) who want to get back into Korn would do well to listen to The Paradigm Shift at least once.

Best Track
Prey For Me is the best damn thing on this album. Though every track is worth your time, it’s the opening track of The Paradigm Shift that really grabs your attention. Gone are the days of the forced return to Nu Metal with Remember Who You Are, and the dubstep debacle that was The Path Of Totality has been thrown out with the bathwater. Instead, the entire band went back to their heyday in the 90s, and it shows on this tune. No Pro-Tools to clean things up: just a raw, natural approach to Nu Metal that hasn’t been heard by fans for years. If there was a song on this album you absolutely need to listen to more than once, make it this one!

Prey For Me

Worst Track
When I first talked about this album back in my Korn overview for the band (Which you can read here), my only complaint was the exclusion of the song Haters on the main album. While a great track to listen to, in hindsight I confess that my complaint was rather childish. Putting things aside, this album has no fault at all, and really shows that Korn can pull things back together & create so good music.

Other
If you’re curious about this record, then click on the link below:

The Paradigm Shift

Overall Impression & Rating
The Paradigm Shift.....is just that damn good. Forgoing just about everything the fans were complaining about in prior releases, not to mention some of the things that Korn themselves disliked, they really felt like for the first time in nearly a decade, a full-blown Nu Metal band. With the return on an original member, Korn were given a second chance, and they ran with it! Whether you’re a disenfranchised fan, or someone new to the faithful, The Paradigm Shift is waiting for you with it’s arms open.

The Paradigm Shift gets a 10 out of 10. Good to see you’re back on top Korn!

Again it was a little early, but I hope you enjoyed my 5-year anniversary of Korn’s return to Nu Metal, The Paradigm Shift. Full of old-school sound, it really tugs at the nostalgia strings in so many ways it’s almost touching. With this out of the way, stay tuned till this Friday, as I’ll be celebrating an album’s 35th birthday. Until then, don’t shift around too much.

My Top 10 Manga

Welcome back to the 4-year anniversary fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Like I said in my last post, it’s time to take a look at my top 10 favorite manga. Kinda like when I talked about my favorite books of all time, this was something of a tough list. Again, it wasn’t about what was going to be on here, but more on how to show them off. This time around, I got quotes from the comics themselves, and the front cover to give them a little more identity this time around. Some series on here you won’t be surprised by, but a few others you might. With that out of the way, here are my top 10 favorite manga of all time. Enjoy!

10) Elf-San Wa Yaserarenai (Link)

“Naoe Tomoatsu is a massage therapist at the Smiley Boar clinic. Things are pretty normal for him there until one night when he gets a new client who happens to be an elf. This elf, named Erufuda, came to our world from another dimension and wants to go back. However, before she can go she has to lose the weight she gained during her stay, which is very difficult due to her newly gained addiction to french fries, so she wants Naoe's help slimming down. As he tries to help Erufuda keep her weight under control, Naoe meets other non-human women in a similar situation who also need his assistance”

I start off this list with a really weird & unknown series. Discovering it in a suggestions section on a site I frequent, it’s one of the oddest comics I’ve read.....and yet it’s one of the smartest series I’ve laid eyes on. Take various fantasy races, put them in the modern world, give them access to foods & other things that would otherwise not be where they’re from, and see someone help them get back in shape using real-world techniques. The end result is surprisingly educational, full of wacky & fun characters, and manages to get your attention in strange ways. Though it’s only up to 20 chapters at the moment, it’s a neat little ride that’ll keep you paying attention.

9) Bleach

“Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn't change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia--who is slowly regaining her powers--it's Ichigo's job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.”

If there’s one thing I hate doing, it’s getting into things a little too late. Type-O Negative comes to mind for me in terms of discovering bands later than I should have, and in one example of finding a manga later than I should have, it would be Bleach. Ironically, I watched the anime for years, and enjoyed it immensely. The Manga? I’ve only been reading it for the past 1 to 2 years. Upon acquiring the first compilation of the comic, I immediately became hooked. It reminded me of watching the first few episodes back in 2006 all over again, and after getting a few more of the compilations in recent times, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll keep buying & reading them.

8) With The Light: Raising An Autistic Child & A Silent Voice

“Born during the sunrise - an auspicious beginning - the Azumas' newborn son is named Hikaru, which means "light". But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In the alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child's autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together. This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents.”

“The story revolves around Nishimiya Shoko, a grade school student who has impaired hearing. She transfers into a new school, where she is bullied by her classmates, especially Ishida Shouya. It gets to the point where she transfers to another school and as a result, Shouya is ostracized and bullied himself, with no friends to speak of and no plans for the future. Years later, he sets himself on a path to redemption.”

I shouldn’t necessarily put both of these here. Technically, I’ve only ever bought & read one volume in the case of the 1st series, and 2 volumes in regards to the 2nd series, but that won’t stop me from talking about two of the most mature, educational, and heartwarming manga I’ve ever read. Both series are also incredibly realistic: the main characters are disabled in someway, you see how harsh the word treats them, but you also see them rise up alongside those that care for them & are friends. I’ll eventually complete both comics, but even without doing so, I love the both of them.

7) Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary

“"COME UP AND SEE ME SOMETIME"

Welcome to the nurse's office! School Nurse Hitomi is more than happy to help you with any health concerns you might have. Whether you're dealing with growing pains or shrinking spurts, body parts that won't stay attached, or a pesky invisibility problem, Nurse Hitomi can provide a fresh look at the problem with her giant, all-seeing eye. So come on in! The nurse is ready to see you!”

Weirdly enough, the middle part of this list was actually a bit tricky to think about. 10 to 8 was easy, and 3 to 1 was a piece of cake. From 7 to 4? That took a little bit, but it wasn’t impossible. Starting off this section of the list we have the quirky series, Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary. With art & story created by Shake-O (Yes, that’s the artist’s name), Nurse Hitomi takes the typical monster trope, and strangely turns it into something more grounded. The titular Nurse Hitomi is the guidance councilor of a high school she works at, and helps the various students through their issues. Whether it’s relationships, trying to control one’s invisibility power, or even something as simple as a stretchy tongue. Even Hitomi herself is unusual as well, as she’s actually a cyclops, and is more perceptive than she lets on. Though the “Monster” descriptor is a bit of a stretch, adding a quirky element to real life somehow makes it fascinating. If you want an alternative to more mainstream “Monster” series, then Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary might be what you seek.

6) 12 Beast

“HARPY GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!

Three things you should know about Touga Eita, second-year high school student and heir to the Touga-style ninjutsu dojo: First, he really, really loves video games. Second, when given a choice between heroics and saving his own skin, he will always choose the latter. Third, he's never so much as kissed a girl.

All this changes when a voluptuous girl with wings and taloned feet named Aero appears and calls on Eita to help save her people-the harpies of Re-Verse-from the merciless onslaught of giant robot monsters known as Gigas. Eita will follow his newfound harpy friend into a whole new world, filled with monster girls and fantastical creatures beyond his wildest dreams.”

From the picture I used for this, I may have spoiled what was coming later on in the list, but that won’t stop me from talking about one of the most fun fantasy series I’ve ever read. Despite the presence of monster girls, the fan-serivce aspect is much more controlled, and isn’t non-stop. It’s basically one guy reluctantly taking on a quest, and he’s got a party he build up overtime. Along the way, they learn more about the world, and the enemy they fight. Though it’s only at 5 volumes right now (With a 6th one coming out soon), it’s really entertaining, and it’s something worth checking out.

5) Love Hina

“When Keitaro Urashima fails his entrance exams to get into Tokyo University for the second time, he's officially an unemployed and uneducated slacker. To make things worse, his parents have kicked him out of his house. Fortunately, his grandmother owns the fabulous Hinata Lodge and has agreed to take Keitaro in as caretaker. What he doesn't know is that the lodge is actually a girl's dorm and he's the only guy around! Most guys would kill to live with five sexy ladies, but if Keitaro's not careful, this job will kill him.”

This spot. Out of every single spot from seven to four, it was number five that proved the trickiest for me to figure something out. Cue this past Saturday, as I was scanning my manga collection for something to put here, and for whatever reason my eyes got fixated on this series. As much as I like the anime incarnation, I found the manga version strangely more mature. Make no mistake, it still knows how to be silly & fan-servicey on many occasions, but the comic knew when to pull the wacky back, and a mature scene or two come into the limelight & really flesh things out. Like the show, the Love Hina manga isn’t for everybody, but if you give it even a small try, you might find it to be quite enjoyable.

4) Astro Boy

“Built by a brilliant scientist to replace his lost son, but with powers beyond imagination, Astro Boy fights for the oppressed and helpless—human, alien, or robot. Created by Osamu Tezuka, “Japan’s Walt Disney,” Astro Boy is action-packed, classic fun for all ages, now featured in value-priced omnibus editions!”

If there was one thing that Osamu Tezuka knew how to do, and do well, was being deep. Not edgy deep like you see in a lot of tweeny stuff, but deep in the terms of thought provoking. A good chunk of his series dealt with some really heavy stuff. Kimba The White Lion, Blackjack, Princess Knight, and the series I’m talking about here, Astro Boy. To many older Americans, this was perhaps one of if not their first exposures to anime. You have the titular Astro Boy, a robot created to be the spitting image of the dead son of the scientist that made him, and when the scientist rejected him, he was eventually found by another scientist, becoming a new symbol of justice. All along his journey, he come across many moral quandaries, meet plenty of friends, lose some friends, and goes through evens that would break lesser individuals. Though he may no longer be with us, Mr. Tezuka has crafted a legacy that will last until the end of the world, and Astro Boy will always be there to do what’s right.

3) Tenchi Muyo

“The trouble and fun began when ordinary teenager Tenchi Masaki inadvertently released the legendary demon Ryoko from his grandfather's shrine. Turned out Ryoko was actually a marooned space pirate! Since then, she's become Tenchi's unwanted houseguest, attracting a host of other troublemaking alien women: Ayeka, a haughty alien pricess; Sasami, her mischievous little sister; and Washu, Ryoko's mad-scientist "mother." Add Ryo-oh-Ki, an adorable little carrot-eating spaceship, and you've got one full Shinto shrine!”

True story: a long time before becoming part of the anime fandom, I got into manga. Okay, that’s technically not true. In reality, while wandering inside a Waldenbooks in 2001 (Shout-out to anyone who remembers that chain), I came across the first volume of this now looooong out of print series. For whatever reason, the group of characters enchanted me somehow. My Mom bought it for me, and I loved it. On Christmas that year, I got volume 2, and loved that as well. From there....nothing. It would take 13 years before I would come back to the Tenchi series, and all the while picking up other series in the process. Then, in 2014, after getting some birthday money, I grabbed what’s left in the series...and by god I was punching myself in the face for not getting into this sooner!

Tenchi Muyo the manga carries all of the wit, charm, humor, heart, and even occasional dirtiness that the anime had, while at the same time creating it’s own mood & atmosphere. Seeing what happens to Tenchi & the gang after the events of the OVA, it’s really a lot of fun to read. It might be a bit expensive, but if you can find all of the volumes, buy them. If you do, you’ll have a piece of early 2000s manga history.

2) Rosario + Vampire

“All-around average teenager Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school save one...but on his first day he finds the rest of the student body doesn't appear average at all. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec'--are those her teeth around his neck too...? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H E double hockey sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn't between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?”

There’s always a manga series that, when you finish collecting it, you feel the heartstrings tugged. Such is the case of Rosario + Vampire for me. I’ve already talked about it before in various articles I posted, so I won’t repeat much here. I will say once again that Rosario + Vampire the manga is more mature, clever, and deeper than it’s anime counterpart. Sure there’s some fan-service & romantic elements, but they’re not the focus. Regardless, this Shonen series is a cut above some of the others, and it’s one worth reading.

Now before we get to my no. 1, I wanted to talk about 2 honorable mentions in my favorite manga collection. To make things a little more interesting, I decided to go for two pretty obscure titles. One might be familiar to more old-school anime fans, while the other is virtually unknown, and hasn’t been printed in English. With that out of the way, here are my manga honorable mentions.

HM1) Plastic Little: Captain’s Log

“From CPM: The curvaceous cutie Captain Tita pilots the far-future submersible Cha Cha Maru, hunting creatures for the exotic pet market. With only four years’ experience under her belt, can Tita capture an elusive cloud whale and fulfill a vow to her dead father, or is she literally out of her depth on this one?”

I think a lot of old-school otaku might recall Plastic Little: The Adventures Of Captain Tita. A short little OVA (47 minutes I believe), it was filled with fun sci-fi action, and had phenomenal artwork from the legendary Satoshi Urushihara. Originally released as a series of small comic releases (If I’m remembering correctly), they were eventually compiled into the collection known as Captain’s Log. Focusing more on stories of some of the crew members of the Cha Cha Maru, they almost come across like episodes for a mini-series that never got made. This manga collection has been out of print for a longtime, since it was released by CPM manga, and no-one has reclaimed the license for it. So if you can somehow find a physical copy, or find a site that hosts scans of it (Link here), give it a read.

HM2) Bra Girl (Link)

“She's quite a normal girl with a crush on a handsome boy but she has a hardon everytime she sees him. Welcome to the life of Haruka-chan, a girl with a penis. Although it's not that uncommon in this world, she is still embarrassed by the fact. There is also a group of dickgirls in the school, and they found out her secret, what will she do?”

Like I hinted at above, this short series has never been released in the United States, and I think anywhere else. However, that won’t let me talk about one of the most surprisingly progressive manga I’ve ever read. Like the description says about, it’s about a girl who has a crush on a boy....but has to worry about him discovering the fact that she has some extra between her legs. She finds a group of girls at her highschool who are in a similar predicament, they become friends, and by the end she gets the boy. Though the creator says that this wasn’t one of their best works, you can see the potential somewhere within. I put a link up above, and despite how fan-servicey it can be, there’s some genuine humor & heart in it. If you have a little time, give it a read & see what you think.

1) Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls

“They're real, and they want to date us! Three years ago, the world learned that harpies, centaurs, catgirls, and all manners of fabulous creatures are not merely fiction; they are flesh and blood?not to mention scale, feather, horn, and fang. Thanks to the "Cultural Exchange Between Species Act," these once-mythical creatures have assimilated into society, or at least, they're trying. When a hapless human teenager named Kurusu Kimihito is inducted as a "volunteer" into the government exchange program, his world is turned upside down. A snake-like lamia named Miia comes to live with him, and it is Kurusu's job to take care of her and make sure she integrates into his everyday life. Unfortunately for Kurusu, Miia is undeniably sexy, and the law against interspecies breeding is very strict. Even worse, when a ravishing centaur girl and a flirtatious harpy move in, what's a full-blooded teenage human with raging hormones to do?”

Anyone who knows me, whether you’re a close personal friend or an acquaintance, should not be surprised by what’s at my number one spot. First hearing about it from a friend, I had the itch one day to just read everything that was scanned in at the time. I was immediately hooked: the setting & story was interesting, the characters were fun, and the fan-service was incredibly enjoyable. Since becoming a fan, I have obtained all of the physical volumes released in the states at this time, just about all of the music CDs (I got 1 left to buy), and even managed to acquire some Centorea card-slips (Which I’m currently using to make a Valduk EDH deck). I’ve had a lot of manga series I genuinely like, but Monster Musume is the first that I genuinely love. Whether you’re gay, straight, or anywhere in between, just binge read this series. You won’t regret it!

So these were my top 10 favorite manga of all time. This was a genuinely hard list to come up with, but I took it as a challenge. There are plenty of other series I enjoy, but these ten series are the ones I like the most. With this list done, It’s time for me to make up for the lack of reviews I did during the 2nd catchup month, so stay tuned throughout the rest of the month.

My Top Five Highest Viewed Posts (At This Time) No. 4

Happy 4-year anniversary fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

That’s right, 4 years ago this month I created this blog. A temple to cartoons from the land of the rising sun, as well as music that will shred you, this year’s anniversary will be a little different that previous ones. I got a personal 10 top list that I’ve been pondering over for a long time, some catchup reviews to make up for earlier this year, and today’s post showing off some of the currently highest viewed posts on the site. I confess that we got a returning post taking the no. 1 spot, but every other spot on here is something new. With that out of the way, here are my top 5 highest viewed posts at this time, number 4. Let’s begin!

5) Convention Review - Genericon 31 (Currently at 137 views)

This was really the sleeper hit of the conventions I went to this year. Despite getting a day cut out due to bad weather, Genericon 2018 was surprisingly fun. The convention schedule was shot to hell, and some of the panels & events from Friday were either placed in extreme time spots, or cancelled completely. My part 2 panel in my series was super early in the morning on Sunday, and it was one that I was looking forward to hosting (Part 1 in 2017 was a packed house). Despite that disappointment, Genericon 2018 was fun to go to, and I respect what the school had to do in regards to the weather (Fingers crossed this doesn’t happen for 2019's con).

4) Album Review - Type-O Negative’s Dead Again (Currently at 208 views)

And here we come to a morbidly named album. I was quite surprised that my review for the band’s final record got as many views as it did. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised it got viewed by so many people: releasing it on it’s 10-year anniversary, the album was a reluctantly good way for Type-O Negative to end their career. Pete Steele finally got clean, returned to the Roman Catholic faith he abandoned long ago, and slew many of his old demons. It was a tragedy when he died in 2010, but the legacy he & the rest of the band left behind is one that has not been forgotten.

3) Metal Overview - Turmion Kätilöt (Currently at 212 views)

Far & away the oldest article on this list (I put it out in early July of 2015), I’m shocked that it has as many views as it does. Considering that Turmion Kätilöt are a band that are fairly unknown in the United States (Apart from the few fans), you’d think that it wouldn’t get looked at much. Low & behold, it’s received a healthy amount of views, and I’m pleasantly surprised. A great alternative to more mainstream Industrial Metal artists, if you’re even remotely interested give the article a read. Maybe you might like them!

2) Convention Review: Connecticon 2018 (Currently at 419 views)

And here we get to perhaps the more predictable part of the list. If you’ve been reading my blog for a long time, you’ll know what’s coming at number one. Before we get to my no. 1, let’s talk about the 2nd most viewed post on the site. Despite getting released just this past July (A few days after the con itself), I’m surprised it got as many views as it did. I also like to admit I’ve been a little more critical of Connecticon since 2016, but I’ve never lost sight of how much fun it can be. I think a lot of fans of the convention feel the same way, which is probably why this got as many views as it did. Speaking of which.....

1) Convention Review: Connecticon 2017 (Currently at 560 views)

You all shouldn’t have been surprised by this. I had put it at the no. 1 spot on my list of highly viewed posts from last year, and it came back this year. In 2017 it had 537 views, and since then it got 23 more. I was definitely not surprised by how this got so many people to read it: coming a year after Connecticon 2016, when many of the newer issues cropped it, it probably seemed refreshing that somebody was pointing out what said issues were. For others, they probably came to the article because they liked the fun aspects. No other article I posted has managed to even remotely get close to the views of this review (Apart from the 2018 review), and I have a feeling that nothing ever will.

And this concludes the highest views posts on my blog, version 4. Definitely an interesting list to be sure, but one that I had fun making. I’ll see you all soon, when I’ll put up a top 10 list of my favorite manga of all time. See you then!