Personal Post: Yakuza 0 Parts 7-10

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 Sorry for the delay in these updates. As you can see things have understandably thrown our collective schedules off-course. But we just need to keep on keeping on. As for Kiryu he has to take back Kamurocho from the 5 Billionaires and to do that he'll need training and lots of it. But first, several trips to the telephone club for some severe life lessons.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Month of Mayga Man: Favorite Mavericks of each Mega Man X game

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 Hey guys, I know I'm very late I mean given what's been going on I think that you can cut me some slack while I focused on other priorities. But anyway during these UNCERTAIN TIMES we have to keep ourselves and each other occupied and hopeful. So what better way than to give people hope for the future by looking at a civil war between robots for the safety of humanity? I know I was going somewhere with this but screw it it's the Month of Mayga Man once again and now I can finally talk about my favorite entry in the Mega Mans series; Mega Man X.

 Last year I started off by talking about my favorite robot Masters from the classic series so why not do the same for the X series? Now admittedly the Mavericks aren't exactly as memorable as their Robot Master predecessors so there may be some times where aesthetics triumphs over all or only because their weapon is awesome but at least it will be much shorter since there's 8 mainline X games as opposed to the 11 of the classic series. Now rest assured there are some bad Maverick bosses in these games, but that's for next time for now let's get to the good ones.

From the Original Mega Man X we have Storm Eagle.

 Originally a Maverick hunter alongside X and Zero; Storm Eagle fell in with Sigma after he was bested in battle by the former Maverick Hunter leader. In battle he relies on both his aerial skills and the arena to eliminate anyone who dares to stop him and his new master. He provides a decent challenge for those who pick him as their first stage and his weapon the Storm Tornado is one of the best weapons in the franchise for the amount of coverage and damage it can dish out to common enemies. Him being a formerly noble Maverick Hunter also gives a decent amount of weight to the encounter between him and X in Maverick Hunter X where you can hear the regret in Eagles voice as he declares his intention to fight for Sigma. Also the humanoid bird design is simple but effective, a nice base to judge other Mavericks by in my opinion.

X2 we have yet another bird Maverick, Overdrive Ostrich

 Just like Storm Eagle Ostrich was formerly a Maverick Hunter who joined Sigma after recognizing his new speed after he was forced into retirement when he lost his ability to fly after an accident on a mission. (But then again good thing he was based on an Ostrich which ca't even fly in the first place so I honestly don't know how he could fly in the first place, rockets maybe?) Anyway his weapon is one of the three that works on the X-Hunters, making him a top priority if you want to save Zero. Thankfully his strategy is easy to figure out and provides a decent challenge if you do decide to go after him first. Though outside of the X-Hunter weakness his Sonic Slicer is just ok.

Blizzard Buffalo was picked for X3, though mostly because he was the only one you can beat to star the weakness chain.

 Now a major problem with X3 is that there's no happy middle ground with the bosses, either you stream-roll them with their weaknesses or they crush you with their high defenses, nearly unavoidable attack patterns and hard hitting attacks. The only reason Blizzard Buffalo is on this list is because he has an exploit that you can use to take him down and start the weakness chain. Though to be fair his weapon does cause enemies to drop heath when they're destroyed with it so there's that.

X4 I picked the only Maverick that actually affected the story, Magma Dragoon

 Now unlike Storm Eagle who only go expanded on in the remake; Maverick Hunter X Magma Dragoon's actions actually do have an impact on the story as he was the one who caused the Sky Lagoon to crash thus sparking the conflict between the Maverick Hunters and Repliforce. Though his reasoning was rather weak as he only helped Sigma so he could have a chance to fight X and Zero. Now at least outside of Japan this is weak but apparently this is elaborated in expanded material that never left Japan. But aside from that we do have a chance to fight him using a Ride Armor making him at least a decent choice for the first pick of the weakness chain. Also he's basically a walking Street Fighter reference and hey if Capcom decided to reuse him as the practice mode boss in X5 I'm guessing someone else liked him too.

For X5 I picked one of two survivors of Repliforce, Spiral Pegasus 

 As X4 was the first to try to expand on the Maverick's back stories aside from "humans suck all hail Sigma" Pegasus here is a sign of continuity between the games as he and Burn Dinorex are the last surviving members of Repliforce. Now X and Zero don't want to kick him when he's down but since Pegasus has a component for the Rocket that is humanity's last hope and that he's infected with the Sigma Virus he unfortunately has to be taken down. Plus Pegasus has the chance to avenge either General, Colonel or Iris (depending on who fights him) while trying to uphold the honor of his fallen organization. Also just like Storm Eagle his outdoor battle arena offers him a major advantage, on top of the fact that his weakness doesn't annihilate him in one click of a button making for an actual challenge that I can appreciate. Sadly his weapon is just ok with X and rather tricky to pull off for Zero but nevertheless I have to give the thumbs up for fly boy here.

X6 is Blizzard Wolfang, the best of the worst Mavericks from the Worst game in what I consider the worst game in the X series.

 I'll save my complaints about X6 for later but hey at least Wolfang looks cool (pardon the pun) and at least this game really tries to give the Mavericks some decent backstories for why they're helping the bad guys. Mostly due to a debt that they owe the main villain of X6, Gate. In Wolfang's case he was blamed for a cave in that North Pole research team and left to freeze to death by Alia. Shame that only gets mentioned at the end of the level but I can at least acknowledge the effort, but that's all.

X7 is where I bring up yet another avian Maverick, Wind Crowrang.

 X7's Mavericks all have their own unique quirks, most of which can be fixed by switching to the Japanese audio track on the Legacy collection. But just like X6 there's not much to these guys other than Axl's former teammates. Out of all of these guys I'd say that Crowrang is at least the most interesting from a visual perspective. Maybe it's just because the Avian Mavericks still have the pseudo humanoid design along with their wings but I just think that they look cool. I'll unfortunately have more to say on Red Alert when I get to the worst Mavericks list but at least Crowrang just barely manages to slink on by on his design.

Lastly we have X8 and the last bird, Burn Rooster.

 X8 is a step back in the right direction for the most part in terms of Maverick designs. Of these New Generation Reploids I have a bit of a soft spot for Burn Rooster. While the rooster design sounds goofy the emphasis of his legs in his design blends in well with his flaming kick attacks, those talons helping out with that. On top of that if players aren't careful and minding the arena Rooster can roast them with his desperation fire tower and Melt Creeper combo. With that I'm officially back in action, next time I get into the guts with what I consider to be the worst Mavericks.

Megaman X is owned by Capcom.

Lets Play Mega Man Zero (Legacy Collection) Part 4-6

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 You know, I kinda don't think that Ciel is the right person for this whole "leading a rebellion" thing. First she fails to tell me about a faster and easier way to infiltrate and enemy base. Then she didn't even give Zero any goggles or something to cover his eyes when infiltrating a moving train. And lastly she seems to pin all her hopes on one guy being able to take out a giant tank before it makes a nice new hole in her resistance base. I mean she's right but still I think that maybe she should just stick to science ya know?

Megaman Zero is owned by Capcom and Inti Creates.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 28, Kirameiger 2, Beast Morphers 27 & Yakuza 0 Part 6

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Now that we know how Gai's actor got his inspiration for his performance I can fully give him the credit he deserves because man oh man did he take this character and make a proper monster. Speaking of Actors send some match needed love to Jyuru's actor Rio Komiya who was discharged from the hospital and is in self quarantine after recovering from Covid-19. Nate however has attracted the eye of Evox which means he might be on track to meeting the fate of his Gobusters Counterpart Jin. Back in 1988 Kamurocho Kiryu gets his new look and settles into his new life as a Real Estate Agent. Aside from having proper health insurance it's not all that different from his life with the Tojo Clan.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

April fools Post: Tokusatsu Memes 2020

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 Once again April fools is upon us and now to avoid the usual fake posts by putting up this years crop of memes. Which you would have already seen if you're a regular viewer of Toku Riffs live with the RVT crew. In case you're not aware Toku riffs is Ez Rider, Shades, Spade Ace and Matty J and a whole group of fans getting together to riff MST3K style on the latest episodes of Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Ultraman that we can get our hands on. We also riff on classic series as well. We also riff tokusatsu movies when they're available for fansubs so we have a lot of fun, laughs and just a general good time.

 During the intermissions we submit Tokusatsu memes to try to make the four headed jury laugh and show our creativity. So if you see this post follow the link to the RVT twitch page. Toku riffs is on Sunday at 7:00 PM or 6:00 PM depending if there's a marathon going on. Here's the link to the RVT twitch page and then the memes, use as you see fit.

https://www.twitch.tv/rvtentertainment

This one got me a button.

Second Button in a row!

Not a Toku meme but it's still a good one.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 27, Kirameiger 1 & Yakuza 0 Part 5

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Zero One seems to be using what I call the Good Burger defense as to why Thouzer isn't in jail right now. Kirameiger has our new Red Atsuta and he isn't an over glorified idiot, though he still has an annoying catchphrase. Beast Morphers was off for the week but we still have Yakuza 0 to deal with. We get some backstory behind Majima and why he's so dead-set on getting back into the Tojo Clan even though he was tortured and had his eye stabbed out. After some shenanigans involving a chiropractor he's now conflicted as to whether to protect a blind woman or kill her to get back into the clan.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Lets Play Mega Man Zero (Legacy Collection) Part 1-3

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 Folks, I'm not gonna sugar coat it, we're living in trying times. Though take comfort that at least our current trials don't involve willing genocide on top of an energy crisis. But unlike us, they have Zero to help turn back the tide against Neo Arcadia. For his first two actions after a century of slumber Zero saves several innocent Reploids and then destroys an elephant Reploid at the site of his stasis chamber. Well, at least one of these does sound heroic, the other just sounds like I was on shrooms.

Megaman Zero is owned by Capcom and Inti Creates.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 26, Kirameiger 0, Beast Morphers 26 & Yakuza 0 Part 4

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Now that Ryusoulger is left to be adaptation fodder it's time to get acquainted with the new guys with Episode 0. Zero One moves on to a firefighting contest where a Rocket launching Panda Raider runs interference, god the things that come out of my mouth sometimes. Beast Morphers has Evox start to take advantage of his new body to further his schemes. Yakuza 0 has Kiryu start to ally with Tachibana real estate since Tachibana himself is apparently working with Kiryu's mentor, Kazuma. This then finally has us introduced to Goro Majima who is under the heel of a sleezeball until he can buy his way back into the Omi alliance.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 21-Finale

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 Here we are my friends, the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind. First we finish off Judge Doom only to find that our reward was a big, fat, goose egg! And what was in that goose egg, was a monstrosity named Yozora. A androgynous pretty boy that is right up there with the Demi-Fiend from Digital Devil Saga in terms of OP Superbosses. So with that we have finally beaten Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind on Critical, thanks for all of your support and be sure to stick around for my new Lets Play.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 25, Ryusoulger 48, Beast Morphers 25 & Yakuza 0 Part 3

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 We've finally reached the end of Ryusoulger and quite frankly I hope Power Rangers can make something better out of this disjointed pile of meh. Zero One has Jin making his return with a new personality, form and driver. Beast Morphers finally states that Mayor Danials is possessed by Evox. Yakuza 0 has more side quest fun for us. From helping Michael Jackson and Stephen Spielberg to helping a cop get his confidence back to getting some shrooms.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 19-20

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 Only two more Organization Members to go before the rematch with big bad Master Xehanort and the Unholy hell beast born of Tetsuya Nomura's dark feelings towards the fate of Verses 13. First is Ansem and after dealing with the Nobody of Terra-Xehanort his Heartless is relatively easy. Honestly he is one of the easier fights in this DLC, relative to the rest of course. Xion on the other hand can be a bit of a problem. But she's nothing compared to what's coming next and at least she gives me some unique gear that I can actually use!

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 24, Ryusoulger 47, Beast Morphers 24 & Yakuza 0 Part 2

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 You know how I've been saying that Zero One is basically Mega Man X? Well, apparently Aruto took that to heart because now he has a sword with the Mother Elf inside of it! Helas has revealed her master plan and she's now an organic version of the Matrix. Sure Blaze and Roxy are human again but thanks to Scrozzle's intuitive thinking we have both the humans and the avatars. Yakuza 0 forced me to go back into bad habits, not just the content of the side quests but the length of them. But hey at least these side quests are 1000 times more interesting than Lost Paradise.

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 23, Ryusoulger 46, Beast Morphers 23 & Yakuza 0 Part 1

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Zero One takes a break from the competition to get into some marriage hijinks and Aruto can't use any form other than the dangerous berserker form. Ryusoulger is almost finished, until it gets adapted into Power Rangers. Speaking of Beast Morphers has finally ditched the "Super" subtitle, praise Zordon! Oh and we get into the Yakuza series with Yakuza 0. Lost Paradise was only the appetizer in terms of insanity and difficulty, this is the real deal!

Yakuza is owned by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega and Toshihrio Nagoshi

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 16-18

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 Only a few more of these jokers left to go before I get to the real demon of this DLC. First we have a rematch with the third D'arby brother and he's definitely a lot easier than last time in KH2FM, just don't make the card, use the triangle button and you should be good. Next is Revolver Ocelot and his endless bullet frenzy. Last is Xemnas, he's one of the worst ones, on par with Saïx and Dark Riku, I hate this guy and hopefully I never have to see him again. Thankfully it's all uphill after Xemnas so just hang in there kids.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 13-15

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 Prepare for a new pain regimen people. Saïx is a screaming monster man with flaming Claymores and I'm just a kid with spiky hair and a key, Saïx is so screwed. Marluxia is still just a creep, whispering sweet nothings into Sora's ear and whatnot. And after the first few beasts we move on to the relatively easier fights starting with Larxene. The one point in these fights where my berserker tendencies actually came in handy.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 10-12

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 The pain train is going full speed and the breaks are reduced to gram crackers!!! As if Vanitas wasn't bad enough with his ridiculous Remnant homage attack he also hits like a truck. Dark Riku is even worse with his constant unblock able attacks and area attacks that he loves to span constantly! Surprisingly Terra-Xehanort is the easiest of this crop. But make no mistake, doing this on critical was a horrible idea but I did it anyway, so there.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 22, Ryusoulger 45 & God of War Finale

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 We've finally caught up on all of the topics for now. Zero One has the introduction of Metal Cluster Hopper and Gai apparently couldn't be happier since the guy is clearly a psychopath, but then again he's a CEO so it shouldn't be surprising. Ryusoulger is finally starting to wrap up and apparently Helas has had it with Pricious' crap. Speaking of family issues we wrap up Dad of Boy by finally killing Baldur and Freya is more than a tad annoyed by this. Oh and we get a final shot that hasn't given people blue balls like this since the end of God of War 2.

God Of War (PS4) is owned by SIC Santa Monica Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Cory Barlog

Lets Play Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind Part 7-9

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Now we finally see the end of the Second Keyblade war from the Guardians' perspective. Not only did they stop the onslaught of the Organization Replicas but Sora eventually succeeded in saving Kairi. Even though the Replicas fused into a second Armored Xehanort and had 13 Keyblades Kairi and Sora eventually managed to defeat the Replica Xehanort with the help of the Guardians. However Sora still had to pay the piper. And in order to find him Riku and the gang from Radiant Garden had to guide a second Data Sora against Data Versions of the True Organization 13, starting with #12, Young Xehanort.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Personal Post: Top Video Games of the Decade (2010-2019)

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 To think that ten years have already come and gone. As we head into the 2020’s we must take the time to reflect and plan from where we were in 2010 to where we are now to where we want to be in the future. But that’s a bit too overwhelming and philosophical for this guy so let’s instead talk about the best video games of the decade. Now this is all my list covering games that I’ve personally played that were released in the United States that year so if you don’t see your game of that year on here leave a comment and let me know how much of a non gamer I am. Also there won’t be any compilations or collections on this list so no Mega Man X Legacy Collection, Bioshock collection or anything like that. 

 Nor will I put any game on here just for the critical acclaim that they’ve received or what everybody else thinks should be on the list for that year or anything like that. If you want that go to IGN where they’ve most likely put Ocarina of Time 3DS on their list because it’s expected and everyone is a Emperor Damned Sheep. No my choices are ones that I either really do love or have a personal attachment to me as a gamer and as a person. Though to give you all hopefully some idea of what kind of gamer I am here’s the list of the runners up for their respective years.

2010 God of War 3/ Bioshock 2

2011 infamous 2

2013 Project X Zone/Bioshock Infinite/ SMT4 

2014 Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth/Ni No Kuni

2016 SMT 4 apocalypse

2017 Persona 5/ Pokémon Sun

2018 Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise/ Bendy and the Ink Machine (PS4)/ Ni No Kuni 2/ Mega Man 11

2019 Luigi’s Mansion 3

Now that you have a taste here’s what I consider to be the best games of the decade in the year of their release.

 Starting off with 2010 I’m going with the release of my very first non Persona SMT game Shin Megami Tensai Strange Journey. With Persona 4 I discovered my favorite franchise and fittingly enough Strange Journey was my first step into the wider SMT catalogue. The best way to describe the transition from the two was like one minute you were watching Diamond is Unbreakable and the next; a remake of Saving Private Ryan written by Alan Moore. Strange Journey introduced me to the negotiation system, a more serious story, even harder bosses, but slamming difficulty and the moral choices between Law, Neutral and Chaos that the wider SMT games are known for. Now I know that this game got remade in 2018 and while I do love it to pieces and consider it essential for your 3DS collection the original is more personal to me and while I will definitely recommend the 3DS version the original game is what I will remember 2010 for, when I took a chance, chose my unit and ventured forth into a strange and dangerous land and will carry those experiences with me forever.

 2011 however will be much shorter since honesty I would rather keep any positive comments toward Konami at a bare minimum considering how they are the pinnacle of the Japanese Hell Company and thus earns my unyielding hatred. Downpour contributing to that as well when Konami tried to release this game, Book of Lost Memories and the horrendous Silent Hill HD collection during the aptly named month of Madness. The last hurrah of the Silent Hill franchise; Downpour was the spiritual follow up to Silent Hill 2 that Homecoming tried and failed so hard to be. Though it did have its flaws with the Otherworld segments being reduced to running away from a red vortex for a few minutes to the breakable weapons the spirit of what Silent Hill should be still shined through without having to lean on nostalgia. Plus it was one of the few games that acknowledges that Silent Hill 4 existed so there’s that. So; short and sweet, this game is underrated and #FucKonami.

 Now I did say that compilations are off the list but that doesn’t mean that remakes of the same game with new original content were excluded. So that means that I can put Persona 4 Golden as my pick of 2012 no problem. Oh the poor PS Vita, a lovely little handheld that Sony sadly neglected. Before the Switch came around this was as close as we could get to having full console quality video games on the go, with the enhanced rerelease of Persona 4 being the pinnacle of that notion. With this game I will forever refer to the PS Vita as the Persona 4 Golden machine.

 Aside from that Persona 4 Gold is basically Persona 4 only portable with new content, simple as that. And if you have a problem with that (other than "please port it to a system that more than a few people own so everyone can enjoy it aside from watch let’s plays") let me know. Not much else to say but it’s Jojo’s BizzaRPG 4 on the go, what’s not to love?

 Now 2013 was a great year for the 3DS with Project X Zone introducing me to new franchises I was only casually aware of to SMT4 my first proper mainline SMT game. But for me I have to give that spot to the game that got me back to a childhood classic, Pokémon X. I skipped generations 4 and 5 simply because I was kind of bored with Pokémon by that point so seeing as I had a new 3DS and needed games for my library I figured what the heck and now I was literally back in the game. Just seeing all of the Pokémon in 3D on a proper portable console invoked the expected reaction. 

 Not much else to say except it was the game I needed at the right time, sometimes you can come home again. Except for now when Nintendo, game deal or whoever decided to do what they did with Pokémon Home, absolutely unforgivable!

 2014 however was a rough year for me personally. This was the year that I finished my one year game design course at the New York Film academy and started to get into the real world. I didn’t have a job for months so until that came around I had quite a bit of time on my hands. And after the emotional roller coaster I needed a pick me up and Studio Ghibli and Level 5 gave me that with Ni No Kuni, Wrath of the White Witch. It’s a cliche to say that certain video games are like playing an interactive movie, but it’s true Ni No Kuni gives you the chance to play an actual Studio Ghibli movie with all the tropes, proper hand drawn art style and the whimsy, wonder and magic that comes with it. 

 Now as much as I love this game I do have some problems with it. Actually completing the game is an absolute nightmare with getting all the Familiars, creating all the items from the Genie, fighting the super boss and completing the Solosseum was just too much for me to bear back then. Speaking of the Familiars I was not a big fan of that, you’re supposed to be a newly minted Wizard with your new companions yet you have little monsters to do all the work for you, sounds pretty weak to me. Completion problems aside this game and Studio Ghibli remind us that sometimes it’s always darkest before dawn, even if Miyazaki himself can be a grumpy asshole.

 2015 was one of the tougher years to pick out though that was mostly due to the lack of games that I was interested in. But there was one game that I was waiting for, the conclusion to the Arkham trilogy; Batman Arkham Knight. While I did have a fun time getting to be the Goddamn Batman one last time before my opinion of Warner Bros withered and died like the Joker. That was mostly due to me playing the PS4 version while PC users were treated to a buggy, broken disaster. Also if you knew anything about Batman history you knew who the Arkham Knight was as soon as you heard him talk.

 Now funny enough apparently the Arkham Knight caught on with someone at DC since there’s an actual Arkham Knight in the comics now. Now before you say anything, no the Arkham Knight in the comics is not Jason Todd. Back on track Arkham Knight wasn’t the only problem since Scarecrow was a boring, droning putz who took himself way too seriously. But thankfully we had the surprise inclusion of the Joker with Mark Hamill’s second to last performance as the clown prince of crime before the bellyflop that was The Killing Joke. As the conclusion to the trilogy that helped repair the reputation of Superhero games it was satisfactory but Warner Bros and WB have burned too many bridges with me to give their games another chance, and that's truly a shame.

 Speaking of licenses in 2016 we got the brilliant return of Ratchet and Clank on the PS4. Now while I never saw the movie that the game was apparently tied into (and from what I heard that was for the best) this reboot got most of what made Ratchet and Clank work right gameplay wise. The game had the proper mix of platforming, gunplay, puzzle solving and a good bit of humor in the writing. I would complain about how Ratchet and Clanks early dynamic was off from how it was originally but since this was being told from Captain Quarks perspective (aka the most unreliable of narrators) I can let it slide since he most likely didn’t pay attention to those parts. Though that does bring up a bit of a problem with that excuse; namely. 

 Plot wise this was a remake of the first game only with Dr Nefarious added in as the evil scientist working for Chairman Drek. Sure, while we didn’t re-explore every planet from the first game it did expand on some of the smaller details on the planets that we do revisit. From what I can gather the movie seems to have the same problem that the Warcraft movie suffered from, namely being too faithful to the source material that it forgets to create a story that it appeals to others outside of the established fan base. But again that’s just what I’ve heard, I could be wrong. Regardless of the movies failings the game itself is a good introduction point to the new fans while being a great trip down memory lane for the old fans. It definitely makes a better showcase for the PS4 than Knack that’s for certain.

 Now before I made my pick for 2017 I initially thought that it would be Persona 5, since it was one of my most anticipated games this generation. But when I finally played the Switch rerelease last year and knowing the development history; I have to name Cuphead as my favorite game of 2017, at least retroactively. Now since Cuphead DLC was included in Smash Bros one can assume most people know about Cuphead through research and pop culture osmosis; bit you know what they say about assuming so here’s the rundown. Cuphead is a hard as nails 2d side scrolling boss rush game in the same vein as Alien Solder on the SNES. It was made by two brothers who remortgaged their houses to keep the project alive and to capture the feel of the Fleischer cartoon style they did the animation for every character by hand! 

 Let me repeat, they put their livelihoods on the line to get their uncompromised game out into the world. Now add on the fact that Cuphead was so critically and commercially received that the game now stands among the ranks of Shovel Knight and FNAF as one of the icons of the indie game market and that would have been enough but for it to be just so damn fun and challenging with era appropriate music, creative and challenging bosses and all for at 20 bucks sets it leaps and bounds over any other game in 2017. If you haven’t played Cuphead you need to rectify that ASAP!

 Now 2018 had the exact opposite problem of 2015 for me to pick the best game since there was so many candidates I could have picked if my runners up for that year were any indication. But my ultimate pick for 2018 was the PS4 Spider-Man. Just like the Arkham games you truly got to be Spider-Man, but unlike the overexposed, multimillionaire Goddamn Batman who constantly drones on about how he touched his dead mother's breast, Spider-Man’s entire premise is being relatable to the observer. Though that’s what my draw to this game is since, honestly I can’t stand 616 Peter Parker. Mostly attributed to One More Day Into The Spider-verse also showed how 616 Peter’s life is a complete and utter train wreck not helped by the writers constantly trying to put him into the “escapist fantasy” box and other people who have the name of Spider-Man just carry it better than him, like Gwen Stacy, Miguel O’Hara, Dr Octopus and yes even Miles Morales are all just better than main universe Peter. 

 But in this game we have a similar Peter Parker but thankfully not an exact copy. He has a better relationship with the NYPD, Mary Jane knows his secret identity but their relationship is on the rocks and spoilers; this Peter Parker takes the “great responsibility” part seriously when he didn’t waste the antidote to the Devils Breath on Aunt May before it could be mass produced. That moment is what cinched it for me, because I knew that main Peter Parker would be that big of a selfish, shortsighted idiot to put Aunt May over everyone in New York if the whole deal with Mephisto was enough of an indication. Spider aside the gameplay here is some of the best I’ve come across in a long time. Sure the combat system may take a few notes from the Arkham games such as the spider sense but unlike the detective vision it’s not game breaking nor does the combat system guarantee a block by pressing a button; it still relies on your skills as a player. 

 Also yes, THE WEB-SWINGING IS THE G.O.A.T! Just the feeling of swinging around New York climbing to the top of Avengers Tower and free falling into the concrete jungle down below and swinging around like an urban Tarzan was just downright magical. But then again these are the guys behind Ratchet and Clank and they know how to make a fun and entertaining game through and through. If you haven’t played this gem, rectify that immediately!

 Now to wrap this up we have the one game that several of us were waiting 13 years for, 2019 finally gave us Kingdom Hearts 3. Now did this game have some problems when it came out regarding the difficulty, yes. Did the story wrap up the Xehanort saga while still having Tetsuya Nomura’s less beloved little writing quirks such as sequel baiting, leaving some parts of the story unexplained or not explained well enough that a whole new set of DLC was released to retcon those parts, yes. Did this game still capture that feeling of childhood wonder, excitement and hopefulness even if you’re not a major fan of most of the Disney worlds, yes. Did this game draw out the ire of some of the worst parts of the gaming community for various reasons, sadly yes. 

 But no matter what anyone says about this game at least Square recognized the criticism and actually did something about it with the free Critical Mode update and the (sadly overpriced in my humble opinion) Re:Mind DLC. Whereas most other companies would have just left it and forget it to drive their reputations into the ground “cough Gearbox” “cough Bethesda” “cough Warner Brothers.” Now as a game KH3 is still a fun old time, though in my experience Proud mode was a bit too easy and Critical Mode took this game from zero to Cuphead in just a few Megabytes which was fine with me and at least you can unlock the Oblivion Keyblade by finishing Critical so there’s that. Now while KH2 is my overall favorite game in the series KH3 as of the Re:Mind DLC is a very close second.  So that wraps up my list of the favorite games of the decade per year. 

 From the end of the PS3, the failure of the Wii U, the end of Steam Greenlight to the rise of the loot box and its subsequent need for regulation to the mistake that was the Stadia and the constant disaster of Fallout 76. From the birth of both the PS4 and, honestly the best console so far the Switch; video games have had a rather interesting and turbulent ten years. Now speaking of Decade; since we’re in the Reiwa era now I have to give my thoughts on the last of the Hesei era of Kamen Rider. If this list didn’t kill me than the next one will, oh well I beat Cuphead, The Valkyrie Queen on Give me a Challenge and Yozora on Critical within the span of three months. Bring it on!

Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey is owned by Atlus, Sega and Lancarse.
Silent Hill Downpour is owned by Vatra games and Konami Computer Entertainment
Persona 4 Golden is owned by Atlus and Sega.
Rick and Morty is owned by Justin Rolland, Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions, Harmonious Claptrap, Starburns Industries, and Williams Street
Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, Ken Sugumori and Statoshi Tajiri.
Ratatouille is owned by Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios and Brad Bird.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is owned by Level-5 Games, Studio Ghibli and Namco Bandai.
Batman Arkham Knight is owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Rocksteady Studios and DC Comics
Ratchet and Clank is owned by Insomniac Games and Sony Computer Entertainment.
Dragon Ball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT and Dragonball Super is owned by Funnimation, Toei animation, Fuji TV and Akira Toriyama.
Dragon ball Z Abridged is owned by Team Four Star. 
Cuphead is owned by Studio MDHR and Chad and Jared Moldenhauer.
Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.

Personal Post: Kamen Rider Zero One 21, Ryusoulger 44 & God of War 8

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 Happy Singles Awareness Day ya'll! Zero One has a court case that seems like something out of Harvey Birdman since the defense attorney is a Humagear. Ryusoulger continues with its admittedly decent final arc with new Druidons and the Ryusoulgers actually being smart. We're almost done with Dad of Boy however as we explore Tyr's Temple and Atreus' new ego lands him and Kratos back in Hel after Baldur nearly kills the two. Thankfully Atreus pulls his head out of his ass after the whole experience and after I explore Musephelheim and Niflheim I'll finally get to restoring the tower to Jötunheim.

God Of War (PS4) is owned by SIC Santa Monica Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Cory Barlog

Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind: Keyblades of the Patriots.

When you're done read, comment, spread the links, re-tweet and follow me on Twitter @OnDavidsBrain!, support me on Patreon and watch my Twitch Channel Every Saturday at 10:00 ET

 After Dream Drop Distance and Union X the Kingdom Hearts series seemed to have stopped. I mean sure we had the 1.5, 2.5 and 2.8 compilations but aside from 0.2 in the 2.8 collection there wasn’t any major story expansion from where DDD left off. But after all these years we’ve finally made it kiddos. We finally have Kingdom Hearts 3 in our hands for over a year plus the Re:Mind DLC and is it worth it after these long years? Short answer, yes, long answer just give me a few paragraphs and I’ll explain what I feel KH3 could have improved on at the time of this article and no the plot is not one of them! Except for some stuff near the end but that’s major spoiler territory.

 But concerning the story; before this game itself there's several compilation movies in the opening menu to give new players the clip-notes version of the story so far that cover the major story points of the Dark Seeker saga. There’s even a handy dandy glossary to explain the terms the series loves to drop at light speed as they're mentioned so if you still complain about how nothing is explained then you only have yourself to blame. As the title of this review says Kingdom Hearts has more then a few parallels to Metal Gear Solid in that both have mountains of backstory to explain who everyone is, why we’re even doing all of this silliness and this game essentially is a G rated Guns of the Patriots. What I mean by that is that this is a sequel in every sense of the word, the story was made for people that have been with the series since day one but unlike MGS4; KH3 does give you the cheat sheet before hand so if this is your first time in the series, proceed at your own risk.

 Anyway the story doesn’t even bother with a mandatory tutorial as we see Sora, Donald and Goofy (take a shot) start at the world of Olympus to ask Hercules for help with Sora reclaiming the Power of Waking after he lost it when he nearly became one of Master Xehanort’s vessels at the end of DDD. From there he decides to “let his heart be his guiding key” to lead him to the various worlds that the Organization is causing trouble in with their armies of Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed in order to stop their pet projects and recover the power of waking to help save Aqua who’s been stuck in the world of Darkness for at least 11 years and I’d bet that she desperately needs a shower as well as several years of therapy.

 Now unlike the pervious games where most of the Disney worlds we visited mostly felt unrelated to the overall plot and just felt like fan service; this time around most of the Worlds we visit serve the plot with the Organization members taking a much more active role in the trouble each of them face. For example Toy Box and San Fransokyo were targeted to further the Organization’s experiments in creating a heart from nothing and how to infuse a living heart into an inanimate object. Kingdom of Corona and Arendele is where three of the new princesses of heart are and the Organization might need them to create the x-blade in case Sora and his crew can’t produce the Guardians of Light in time. As for the Caribbean and Olympus not only are they searching for Luxu’s black box but in the Caribbean they’re also observing Davy Jones and trying to learn how a creature can still exist without his heart without creating a Heartless and Nobody. As for Monsters Inc Vanitas has targeted it to reconstitute himself with Scream Energy since he is created from negative emotions like fear and sorrow.

 Also the main plot does get touched on after completing the worlds. Though some of it is just reiterating what we already know but what the characters (mostly Sora) don’t so that everyone is on track. I believe this change can be attributed to Tetsuya Nomura taking full writing duties over the previous writer Daisuke Watanabe who from what I've heard tends to work better as a scenario writer as opposed to being the overall writer. When Watanabe was writing the events of the Disney worlds tended to feel rather isolated but under Nomura he wants to make the plot this time as tight as he can.  But the one thing that anyone can follow is the combat.

 Let me just say that this incarnation of Sora is the strongest he’s ever been despite whatever Yen Sid is going on about; at least on Proud Mode and below, Critical Mode on the other hand; yeeesh! You have your standard magic spells to start with, fire, blizzard, thunder etc etc which if you cast the same spell in succession you’ll be able to cast that spell in the next tier of power. So say you kept casting Fire you can eventually use Fira before you’ve actually unlocked it in story, the same goes for every spell aside from Cure obviously since it uses up all your MP once you use it. But on top of that you also have form changes, shotlocks and attraction commands. Though yes the Attraction Commands come right the hell out of nowhere, are OP as hell and can make combat feel rather pointless because once you get that thing going and ride you'll take any and all challenge out the window.

 Form changes are special transformations that are tied to what Keyblade you’re using at the time. Just keep hitting the enemies with your Keyblade enough times and bam there you go. The Kingdom Key, Star Seeker and Ultima Weapon may only have one form but the Disney themed ones and the free OathKeeper and Oblivion have two. Some may be variants of the same form but there are the odd ones who have a wholly unique form. Speaking of Keyblade specifics we have the shotlocks back from Birth by Sleep.

 It works pretty much the same as before but instead of equipping specific shotlocks they’re tied to the Keyblade you’re using. Most Keyblades only have two but some have three for when you’re fighting a larger than normal enemy. You fire one by charging up the shotlocks gauge to max and the other by only as much as you want so give them a try and see which one works for you. Now let’s say you have a favorite Keyblade that you want to keep using but are afraid that it won’t be as powerful as later Keyblades that you really don’t like but at least want to experiment with. The first problem is solved with the Keyblade forge, all you have to do is gather certain materials, bring them to the Moogles, click the button and BAM there you go an extra strong Keyblade that may have a new built in ability on top of the extra stats. 

 The second problem is solved by now being able to equip and switch between three Keyblades at once. Personally I highly recommend the Favorite Deputy since it has Lucky Lucky as its starting skill which means grinding for synthesis materials is that much easier on top of how easy it already is in this game. But for those materials that aren’t dropped from enemies there’s shooting down meteors in the Ocean between with the new Gummi ship. The Gummi ship this time around is basically a mix of the best parts of Gummi ship travel from the first two games. Instead of linear shooters this time you actually get to fly around in the depths of space and do whatever you want. 

 You can take part in Gummi missions for more parts and Exp for your ship, unlock treasure spheres for parts and synthesis materials and of course discover new worlds all on your own. Basically if you’ve played Legend of Zelda Wind Waker and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in time you’ll get the gist of what the Gummi ship is like in this game. Though be forewarned if you are looking to forge the Ultima Weapon you need to finish off the last mission in the last sea of stars before the Keyblade Graveyard. I highly recommend taking down the Schwartzgeist beforehand for hands down the best Gummi ship in the game to even stand a chance. Though speaking of the Keyblade Graveyard I now have to give my thoughts on the ending. 

 Now up to this point everything is easy to follow if you’ve been paying attention, but when we get to the Keyblade Graveyard things start to go pear shaped. Even though this game has been out for a year at the time of this review still want to warn you that I’ll be getting into major plot spoilers at this point so here is your final warning. If you want my overall opinion I recommend this game warts and all.

 Now some initial questions that I had before Re:Mind were addressed with the DLC but then there's several more that popped up. Where did the Master of Masters scurry off to after his conversation with Xehanort after his journey AKA Kingdom Hearts Dark Road? What exactly was Vanitas talking about when he mentioned that he was something else that was hidden in Ventus for a really long time? If Xion's memories have overwritten the one that the New Organization made does that make the current Xion a clone or a reincarnation or something? Also what in the wide, wide world of sports was Yozora going on about "saving Sora?" 

 Oh and speaking of Yozora, if you are going to take on the Data Organization 13 and Yozora, do yourself a favor and do it on a Beginner Playthough. Or any other mode aside from Critical like I did! Maybe do a Beginner mode play-through using the Pro Codes to save yourself some time and headaches. Oh and free tip, Strength, Magic and Defense boosts are not affected by the Pro Codes, you're welcome. Though if you are going for the Re:Mind I suggest waiting till it's on sale or part of a future collection because 29.99 American, is a bit pricey for my taste.

 I personally recommend getting the All In One Collection that includes 1.5, 2.5, 2.8 and 3 for only 99.99, trust me it's a steal. #Notanad #NoSponsorship #Freepromotion But after all these years of waiting and a year to asses my thoughts I believe that Kingdom Hearts 3 as a conclusion to the Dark Seeker Saga is satisfactory. But as a game I honestly still say that Kingdom Hearts 2 is still my favorite in the series but KH3 does come close after all of the free updates and if they decide to expand on it more then I'd be up for it but at a more reasonable price if you'd be so kind Square? Now to start the clock on when the next major Kingdom Hearts game comes out (that isn't on Mobile please?) Happy New Decade and may your heart be your guiding key.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Shinji Hashimoto.