Spaztic Reviews - April 2018

April flew by this year, and I've been playing stuff and watching stuff like crazy. While all of you were playing God of War for the past few days, I've been playing a ton of Rock Band 4. The Rivals mode is fantastic, breathing life into an old game and an even older franchise. From what I can tell, it's still going strong with no end in sight. The beginning of the month was action packed with Ubisoft's Far Cry 5. Anime has also been great this month - as many of the Winter premieres are finally wrapping up. So many good series are finishing up, and many new ones are starting.

As a reminder, the games on my list are NOT part of my list because they released during this month.

These lists merely contain the games I've been playing this month. They could have come out in 2018, 2013, or 1984. Bearing that in mind, here's what I've been playing!

- Top Game of April 2018 - 

Far Cry 5 

Peppered in between the Rock Band 4 Rivals grinds, I got my hands on the collector's edition of Far Cry 5 with the steelbook case. Is the steelbook worth the $100 I payed for it? No, but the season pass is a major perk of the game. Not only do you get the three expansions, you also get Far Cry 3 remastered and some special avatars, I believe. When you consider the game itself was $60 brand new, the season pass is $30, I really only paid $10 extra for the steel case, which is beautiful.

One major selling point for the season pass for me is three different storylines all mashed into three separate add-ons. One is set in Vietnam, another is a zombie apocalypse, and the last is set on Mars. How can you argue with those? Especially taking into consideration the success of Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, you can't go wrong but to get this Season Pass.

It's been a busy month what with Easter and family holidays (birthdays), so I didn't actually beat Far Cry 5, but I will still review it the best I can. It's my top game of the month loosely based on the franchise itself and how much I've enjoyed them ever since Far Cry 2.

The Story

Considering I haven't yet beat the game, I feel like I'm less qualified to insert a section about the story of the game. However, it's an engrossing story about a deputy who went to detain the leader of a cult in the middle of this rural, mountainous area in a fictional Montana county.

The leader of the cult is assisted by three "henchmen" I'll call them, and I've so far only beat one. So far, the story is paced fairly well. There are some confusing parts to the story that don't really add up like pulling the player from friendly sanctuaries and putting them into an enemy encampment out of the blue, but I think those will make more sense the further through the story I play.

I can't say enough about my excitement for the end of the game, as Far Cry titles usually end with a bang. I'll either update this blog, or post a new one when I'm finally done.

Combat and Other Mechanics

Far Cry 5 is a fresh installment of the series, but it's still Far Cry through and through. I've read that Far Cry Primal's melee system was carried over to 5, and it does feel like an improvement over the melee system in 3 and 4.

Climbing, gun fighting, and most everything else feels identical to previous Far Cry titles. The wingsuit feels a bit different (feels much better), but it could just be me. I don't know that they actually changed anything.

I'm enjoying the level of customization for weapons and vehicles in this game. I'm running around playing as a pseudo Rick and Negan mash up from The Walking Dead. I carry a barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat and what I believe looks like a .44 magnum. Going up against the cult in the game vaguely reminds me of tackling Negan or the Governor from the television show, so it all fits together nicely.

Flying was a great addition to the game! Planes don't control quite as I'd like them to, but they're simple and fun to fly. They add a great new way to traverse the map, and it really helps to push the map size. On the ground with all the trees around you, you feel utterly lost. In a plane or helicopter, you feel slightly less lost. It's a fun time!

Speaking of helicopters, there's nothing better than grabbing yourself an armed chopper, hovering down next to an outpost, and letting the lead fly. It's so much more satisfying than sneaking through, taking the enemies out one by one.

Finally, outposts! They've been kept in the game (as I think this is Far Cry's main staple), and they're largely the same as what they've always been. They're as tricky as ever, and enemies do seem more intelligent this time around, but they're the same old outposts you either love or hate. Their philosophy is clearly "Don't fix what's not broken", and I'm okay with that.

Conspiracies and Preppers

This game shines a light on a certain group of people who are usually deemed insane. When compared to a malevolent cult, they don't look so bad! Maybe they're still a bit insane, but they actually seem kind of cool with their bunkers and prepper supplies.

One thing I love about Far Cry 5 is the insertion of actual conspiracies/UFOs/cryptids. In one cabin, you stumble across a prepper's cork board that connects certain areas of the map to bigfoot sightings and crop circles. How cool is that?! Move over Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 5 might actually have a bigfoot roaming the map.

I haven't fully explored the map, so I don't actually know what all is in the game yet, but it's exciting to say the least. Going on a hunt for cryptids or aliens (even if it leads to a whole lot of nothing), is a game within a game that I always thoroughly enjoy.

Final Word

Far Cry 5 won out over Rock Band 4 simply because of the game's age. I have far more time in Rock Band 4 this month because of the Rivals season grind (curse you, bloodstone!), but Far Cry 5 really hit home for me. I loved 3 and 4, so when 5 hit the store shelves, I knew it was going to be a fun game for me.

The gun play, flying, outpost captures, hunting, and conspiracy theories really push this game over the top for me. The story on top of everything else, I'm sure, will seal this away as one of my all time favorites. Ubisoft continues it's climb out of the whole it dug itself into with another great title.

- Top Anime of April 2018 - 

The Ancient Magus' Bride

One of those Winter series wrapping up this month is The Ancient Magus' Bride. This series is set in a fictional part of the world that is either parallel to ours or one that is just a secluded part of Earth.

 The Story

Chise is a young girl who is bought at a human trafficking ring by a mysterious stranger. When brought to the stranger's house, it is revealed that he is an ancient mage who bought Chise in order to train her as his apprentice, and for her to become his bride.

It might sound weird, but it is one of the best new series I've ever watched. With some dark overtones (I mean, it starts off with human trafficking), and some light-hearted moments in between for comic relief, it's a series that keeps on giving.

All that, and then throw in some dragons, fae, elves, alchemists, familiars, and even mythological figures and you have yourself The Ancient Magus' Bride. It all focuses on Chise finding her place in the world.

Artwork and Animation

The Ancient Magus' Bride brings top notch animation to your television and streaming devices. The quality of animation is on par to a feature film, and the special effects are stunning. The background scenery and locations that the anime takes the viewer to are unique and beautifully crafted. Some of the series takes place in London, and other parts take you to a mystical land of dragons, a magically charged forest, and more.

It's such an easy anime to get lost in, and the story is fantastic. As cliche as this sounds, it keeps you guessing until the final episode.

The Final Word

If you're looking for a great fantasy and slice of life anime with a great dub cast and excellent artwork, look no further than The Ancient Magus' Bride. There are themes that everyone has encountered in their life at one point or another, but the events in the story are told in a very mystical and satisfying manner. Have a tissue box ready for some moments, but be prepared to laugh at others. The series is a great balance of good story-telling, intense drama, and uplifting moments. As a shonen series, I feel confident recommending this series to everyone.


Talking Points

Top Games of 4/2018

1. Far Cry 5 (PS4, PC, Xbox)
2. Rock Band 4 (PS4, Xbox)
3. Terraria (PC, PS4, Xbox)

Top Anime of 4/2018

1. Ancient Magus Bride (Funimation (dub), Crunchyroll)
2. Tokyo Ghoul (Funimation (dub), Crunchyroll)
3. Junji Ito Collection (Funimation (dub), Crunchyroll)

Spaztic Reviews - January 2018

Hello readers, and welcome to the first review article of 2018!

At the very beginning of the year--or maybe late last year--I mentioned something about posting monthly reviews of the games and anime I've been watching during the last month.

What started this idea was at the end of 2017, everyone was posting their top games of the year. Usually it's a top ten list, and it's kind of all the rage. Even when I was a child, television stations used to get in on the action at the end of the year and show the "top commercials of 1998" or whatever year it was. After rolling around the idea for a while, I decided to start doing a 'top whatever' list at the end of each month.

The blog posts will start with my top game and anime for the month, and then in the talking points section, I will share a few lists that detail my top three to five games and anime for the month. Since some months see very few new game releases, my lists will not be restricted to games that released during the month of the blog article. If I get an itch to play A Link to the Past, and am enjoying the game, it'll be on the list. So with that said, let's get this show on the road!

Wait, one more note; a bit of a disclaimer--None of my reviews will ever contain major spoilers. My goal is to refrain from spoiling anything, so read at ease.

Top Game of January 2018 - Horizon Zero Dawn 

I'm only a year tardy to the party, but I finally unlocked the platinum trophy for the spectacle that is Horizon Zero Dawn.

The game takes place in the distant, post-apocalyptic future where interesting things happen that send humanity into a fiery doomsday spiral, and extinction is knocking on the door. Several (hundreds? thousands?) years later, Aloy--the protagonist--is born and the story begins.

The Story

From start to finish, the game sucks the player in and keeps things interesting. Never was there a moment that the story became weak or it felt like there were holes in the plot. The quests all linked together nicely, and I was constantly saying "I wonder where this is going." or "What happened all those years ago?", and that's one of the best parts of this game: The lore.

Throughout the game, Aloy can find datapoints in the form of text, holograms, and audio fragments that fill in the story of what happened that caused this near-extinction level event. I don't know about you, but backstory is the bread and butter of any IP for me. Hearing everything go down as the game went along was really awesome. The lore was well-done, and there were times when goosebumps and otherwise epic feels were had.

By the end of the game, you get a full narrative touching on multiple themes that really leaves the player satisfied...at least it left me satisfied. I did not get around to playing The Frozen Wilds, the DLC story, but the main game was an excellent ride.

My only complaint with the story is that I wound up missing a lot of the side quests. There are two contributing factors: Early side quests felt bothersome and kind of broke up the main story. Because of this, I seemed to move away from doing the side quests, but to unlock the platinum trophy, you have to do I think seven specific side quests. I had to look them up, and do them after I completed the main quest. As a side note, the trophy isn't technically missable. After completing the main story, you simply go do the quests and...well...it'll be clear when you do it. Anyway, I digress, the second and probably main reason is most likely my lack of completionism. When I see an exclamation mark in the game (signifies a quest), I usually ignored it because I was so drawn into the main story. That said, do yourself a favor and don't skip side quests! The major ones for the trophy I mentioned are all really interesting and pretty deep. They're not quite Witcher 3 side quest deep, but they're following close behind.

Combat and Other Mechanics

The movement, controls, and combat of the game was very fluid. Taking down the biggest machine in the game felt possible early in the game because of the intuitive controls, but by the end of the game--with full perks--you really felt like a master of dodges, rolls, and attacks. The mechanics are all a joy to use.

Early in the game, because of low HP, low quality weapons and armor, and the sheer power of the robotic enemies, the player is wise to not get involved though with the right dodges, rolls, and strategic attacks, it is possible to take down nearly any enemy. I found myself hiding in the brush a lot though. Bigger machines like the ravagers often had me either hiding or running, but you can absolutely take them on and even win against them one on one...it just takes a lot of skill and patience.

Mounts are in the game, but I rarely used them. It's not that the mounts didn't feel right, or were a pain to control, I just honestly didn't mind running everywhere. Aloy isn't particularly slow, and with the graphics of the Decima engine, the game is really easy on the eyes so I didn't mind taking the scenic route.

I've read that some found the climbing to be clunky and particularly difficult to spot (there are specific ledges on which you must climb, and sometimes they're not extremely obvious), but I never had an issue. It's better than old Assassin's Creed titles, I'm sure.

The World

The map is immense and full of life. When you fill in the entire map and zoom out, it's hard to see the map past all the points of interest. When you zoom in though, you find there's a lot of map surrounding each attraction. There's no shortage of things to do. One thing Horizon did well is the range of venues. Like Skyrim or Breath of the Wild, there's a fine balance of climates all crammed into this one map. From Snowy mountains to a dry, warm, rocky area, a lush jungle, and even a destroyed city...it has it all, and the Decima engine really delivers the eye candy. From ambient light to dense foliage, the world looks amazing.

Completely revisiting every location in the game, including major dungeons is a huge advantage Horizon has over many others. The Elder Scrolls series was always good with this, but some games will block off major dungeons making some trophies missable (Looking at you, Fallout 3). Horizon is the exact opposite. If you miss a datapoint somewhere deep in the guts of the giant dungeon from twenty quests ago, you just go back and dig through the entire dungeon again. Mind you, I use the word dungeon loosely as most of the "dungeons" are buildings and underground bunkers that are falling apart, but it gets the point across.

Challenges (Hidden Objects, Corrupted Zones, etc)

Horizon Zero Dawn had many ways of keeping the game interesting. One of those ways exists in the form of certain challenges like clearing corrupted zones and bandit camps. There aren't absurd numbers of either, so it really just adds a nice distraction when your want to prolong the story and just explore the world. Some of the corrupted zones are pretty difficult, but when you max out your perks and weapons, they're not bad. Once again referring to the scaling of the difficulty, it feels great throughout the entire game. I can't stress that enough. Bandit camps are interesting, as they almost always involve rescuing hostages and taking out one or two mini-bosses of sorts (just a commander, who is a stronger version of a typical grunt). I've never had a hostage die, which is strange for me, so I don't know if it's just not possible, but it's a nice touch if so.

There are a ton of collectibles hidden throughout the game. Treasure maps can be bought to help you locate these, and are all tied to trophies in the game. The datapoints (which there are hundreds of) are not connected to trophies, so they're optional but awesome for lore-lovers like myself. Hunting down a certain type of collectible also reveals the location of where HZD takes place, so I thought that was a nice touch.

Final Word

Horizon Zero Dawn has been an amazingly fun ride, and it is such a promising IP from the Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games. Their Decima engine was impressive to say the least, and there's information floating around that says Guerrilla Games and other Sony studios like Kojima's new team will be using it for future titles for the foreseeable future. The combat was satisfying, the challenges were perfect, and the story was gripping. There's not much else to say about this game. If you can put up with a sometimes less-than-stellar climbing system and main quest line that takes away from really spectacular side quests (that's a good problem to have, isn't it?), then you should definitely pick this game up if you get the chance. The Frozen Wilds is the only major DLC that released for the game, and it was announced that there wouldn't be any more. It seems like a bummer, but I'm hoping they're hard at work on a sequel.

Top Anime of January 2018 -

Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World (2017)

The Story

Kino's Journey is an interesting adventure and action anime that follows the protagonist Kino and bike Hermes through numerous countries. Most countries are seemingly no larger than a huge city typically enclosed within walls towering around the entire territory. Countries have their own rules, and typically the rules can be as normal or wild as the country wishes. In the first episode, the first country we see states that murder is permitted within the walls, but there is a twist which I will omit. I've already gone very close to spoiler territory, but I strive to never spoil anything. The twist in the first episode hooked me from the beginning. Nearly every episode has a twist like this first one, and every episode really is fantastic.

Along their many journeys, Kino and Hermes meet a couple friends and keep running into them from time to time. A couple episodes focus on the friends without Kino and Hermes, but most are centered around Kino. Hermes, a motorcycle, can talk. The best part about it is that nobody seems to think it's odd. It was another factor that drew me in right away. There may also be a talking dog in the series as well who is voiced by Vegeta and Piccolo's voice actor Christopher Sabat.

At the end of the day, there really is no story arc to the series. It spans 12 episodes, and it ends in a cool albeit open fashion. Through the episodes, Kino's history is visited, but the episodes focus mostly on stories from each country. There are funny parts, there are heavy parts, but it's such a good series.

Hermes, Kino's Motorcycle

Animation, Art Work, and Style

They don't call it The Beautiful World for nothing. Kino's Journey is beautifully drawn and animated in a fictional world where the landscape is dotted by fortified cities known as countries. That much I've covered already, but between the countries, it's not really mentioned whether there are dwellers or not. There seem to be fields of crops as well as up-kept dirt roads, so maybe there are residents outside of the countries. Regardless--I was kind of thinking out loud there--the landscapes are immersive and draws your attention away from Kino a lot of the time.

The style of clothing, buildings, and technology resembles that of the 1920s or 30s. The colors used in the animation are mostly drab tones, but there are moments where more vibrant hues are used to convey some of the more emotionally fueled moments. The color work and animation both work overtime to help convey the stories, which are already very nicely told.

Final Word

I can't recommend this anime enough. Kino's Journey: A Beautiful World is a very neat string of stories told as Kino travels from country to country. I'd never heard of this anime until Funimation announced the Simuldub, but it's been around in the form of light novels since 2000. In 2003, the first Kino's Journey was released and subsequently others were released as well. Apparently, the light novel is still ongoing. So I'm going to have to check that out as well. If you've read the light novels, feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on them!

Funimation will probably release the series on DVD, but I think it'd be well worth it to subscribe to Funimation Now long enough to binge this show. It is absolutely engrossing.

So there you have it! Those are my picks for top game and anime for January. Below are my extended lists. Please feel free to leave a comment below, tell me whether you agree or disagree, say hi, or just lurk. Regardless of what you do, I hope you enjoyed the article, and I hope you have a chance to enjoy these two titles.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more updates in the future, including next month's top picks.

Talking Points:

Top Three Games of 1/2018

1. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
2. Secrets of Grindea (Steam)
3. Euro Truck Simulator 2 (Steam)

Top Three Anime of 1/2018

1. Kino's Journey (Crunchyroll, Funimation)
2. The Ancient Magus' Bride (Crunchyroll, Funimation)
3. Drifters (Funimation)

Happy New Year to All and To All A Good....Wait, That's Not Right.

Happy New Year to all.

2017 is over and 2018 is coming in like a heroic protagonist charging into the battle in the upgraded version of your favorite mecha. While I sit here troubleshooting the fan on my parent's laptop, I got to thinking now might be a good time to update this blog.

A new year is a new beginning. It's an opportunity to start over. A much needed 'Get out of jail free' card. I want to make 2018 a great year for all parties involved. I have large aspirations in the works that hopefully you'll hear about this year, but a large part of my life revolves around gaming and Japanese animation. I've been a quiet member of those two communities for such a long time, and I want to start giving more back to the industry in any way that I can. Moving forward, I plan on releasing monthly statements on what I've been playing and watching: My top games and anime that I've played/watched for that month...and more. It'll probably exist in a top three list, and depending on how active the month is, it may dip to one title for each category. I'll play it by ear on that one.

For anyone who follows me now, you may notice I complain a lot about sports and sometimes politics. I'm hoping to focus less on negativity and pull more attention to the good things I'm experiencing. The world needs more positivity, and I'll try and deliver that all year. Inevitably there will be horrible things that occur, and they should not be swept under the rug to be forgotten about, but there's a place and a time for that kind of thing. Furthermore, it's unhealthy to dwell on that kind of thing for so long, so let's kick back and have a blast this year. I'll still tweet about sports, but my tweets will consistently involve nerd culture.

As I sit here eating my pork and sauerkraut (a new year's eve tradition for some), I'm reflecting on the year that now fades in the rear-view mirror. It's been a trying year for many, and there's no reason 2018 has to be the same.

Let's rock 2018 like it's 1998 all over again.

Talking Points:

Rituals to Bring in the New Year:

My old boss used to say that placing money on the window sill used to bring in money for the course of the new year.

I'm sure there are loads of other rituals, but this has been a favorite of mine since around 2010. Has it ever worked? I don't think.

My Top Games and Anime of 2017

2017 was a killer year for gaming and animation. Here are my top five picks for each medium:

Gaming:
5. Streets of Rogue (PC) - This game is a very new indie title that I played just a couple days ago. It's not very often that I sit and play a game for hours on end, but I literally sat and played this thing for nine hours straight. How can I not include it?

The game has a charming look to it. It's a twin-stick, rogue-like, pixelated shooter where you live in a dystopian city. You're job is basically sticking it to the man as part of a resistance group. Each level is a new "floor" in this towering city, and they're all randomly generated. There are a lot of different characters and play styles to choose from, and there are so many surprises that keep the game interesting even after playing it for nine hours. It is an early access game, but it plays very well. The controls are good, the replay value is through the roof, and the developer plans to keep adding content.

4. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PS4, PC) - Ninja Theory completely outdid themselves with this masterpiece of a game. The game itself is fairly short, I was able to beat it in a couple nights, but the content more than makes up for it. The story is incredibly engrossing, pulling you into the mind of Senua, a woman who deals with a mental condition that supports a deeper narrative. The sound design in the game, which one awards at the 2017 game awards, is amazing. When you use 3D headphones for this game, it literally sounds like you're hearing voices.

The combat is very rewarding, and the entire story is empowering but also somber and quite sobering. The graphics and sound design are impressive, and the puzzles are fun. There is no way you should miss this game!

3. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) - Plain and simple, it's the best Mario title since 64. The controls are silky smooth, the gameplay is challenging but extremely fun, there are fun easter eggs, you can change Mario's outfits...there really isn't much of anything to hate about this game.

There's really not much else to say. A proper 3D Mario in full HD is something Nintendo has needed for a long time. This was an instant classic.

2. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4) - Aloy is a great protagonist in this post-apocalyptic tour through a now-tribal region of the US. Running around with a bow, trip mines, bomb slingshots, and tethers is daunting when your enemies are giant robotic dinosaurs, but the fighting mechanics are so well balanced that all you get is this pure sensation of "That was awesome!" every time you take one down. There have been a couple times where I've found myself a bit upset with how a fight played out, but I usually don't blame the game - I blame my own ability and decisions most of the time.

I am almost finished with the story, and so far it's been ominous and very engrossing to see how the apocalypse played out all those years ago. I will tweet an update when I finally finish the story.

The graphics are really the main show here though. The combat is fun, the story is great, but the visuals are just insane. This game really pushed the PS4 to places it hasn't yet been, and believe it or not, I feel like Guerilla's game engine could even take the system even further.

1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) - There's so much to be said here, but I've already rambled for quite a while with my other games. I feel like there are three major points here. First:

The weapon system: People complain about the weapon durability system that is used in Breath of the Wild. Yes, the weapons break extremely quickly. It's a good and a bad thing. Weapons are so common in the game, that you really don't have a problem finding a replacement, so that's a plus. The bad thing is when you get attached to a weapon. Before you know it, it's gone...but other than one particular sword, there are multiples in the game. One major perk of low weapon durability is that the game forces you to use different play styles. You are forced to experience pretty much every weapon the game has to offer because you're constantly switching off. Later in the game, weapons and shields become more durable, but nothing is unbreakable. The main sword in the game (you guessed it, the master sword) recharges, so you don't actually lose it, and the main shield has an extremely high durability. Once it breaks, you can either buy or build a new one...I forget, as I've never had to do so yet. I did read about it online though. In previous Zelda games, when you found the best gear, that was it - you were done. This system keeps that from happening, and keeps the game fresh.

The World: The map is immense. The ability to climb is fun, though I read if climbing wasn't added, the hookshot would've been in the game. I miss the hookshot. Anyway, the world that you travel through is rather treacherous, but it's literally awe-inspiring. I can compare it to starting The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the first time. As soon as you step out of the sewers into the bright plains of Cyrodiil, you're just lost in the size of the world. 60% of the game for me has been exploring all the nooks and crannies of the map. The diverse regions are also a huge plus, and they're kind of level/gear locked. No fire protection? You're not going to Death Mountain. Same goes for the extreme cold areas. On top of that, you have numerous monsters to deal with, and threats from the environment like thunderstorms. It keeps you on edge, and because of this point and the last point, I can't help but love the game.

The Switch: With this impressive title, the Switch gained so much steam right from the get-go. It makes me happy to see so much success for a company that's been slumping in recent years. They have a long way to go to truly make fans happy, I think, but this was the first of many steps in the right direction. The Switch needs a better profile and friends system (there is currently no way to message others), and personally, I need an achievement system, but the system has a strong game library already and there's no sign that the dev support is going to wither anytime soon. If Nintendo keeps hitting the ball out of the park through 2018 and beyond, it will be the leading console for the foreseeable future.

So yeah, Breath of the Wild is definitely my top spot this year. It has soaked up a ton of my time, and I'm still far from done with it.

Honorary Mentions:
Conan Exiles (early access, PC)
Va-11 Hall-a (PC, Vita version landed in 2017)
Call of Duty: WWII (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
Cuphead (PC, Xbox One)
Warframe (PS4, PC, Xbox One - For its ongoing content)
American Truck Sim and Euro Truck Sim 2 (PC - For their ongoing support as well)


Anime:
This is going to be a much less in-depth review of the series (as compared to the games), but I have to list them regardless. Some of these series are ongoing, but here are my top anime of 2017.

5. Kino's Journey (Ongoing) - It has a talking motorcycle! Besides that, the stories from episode to episode are interesting. There's a lot to figure out about the protagonist, and the series just keeps delivering little bits and pieces to give you an idea on who Kino is, and what her story is all about. It might be a reboot of an older series, but it's really a fantastic series.

4. Juuni Taisen: Zodiac War (Ongoing) - A gory, unique story about a free-for-all battle royale pitting the world's strongest warriors against each other in a fight to the death. At the beginning of the match, each fighter has to swallow a poisonous gem. During the tournament, fighters who win one-on-one battles need to collected the fighter's poison gems. The last one standing and whoever collected the most gems wins the tournament. The games are held in this empty, ghost-town like city which is evacuated specifically for the Juni Taisen. So far, 10 episodes in, the series has been one of the best I've seen all year.

3. Knight's and Magic - You can't go wrong with medieval towns and magic, and you also can't go wrong with a mecha anime. That's what you get when you watch Knights and Magic. It's a story of a young male who tragically dies(?) in Japan, and winds up in this alternate universe where magic and giant mechs actually exist. Before he died in his previous life, he was an avid gunpla model collector, so once he embodies a prince in this new world, he can't help but obsess about real mechs. It's sort of your run of the mill mecha anime, but it was charming nonetheless. Definitely worth a watch.

2. My Hero Academia 2nd Season - How can you argue against superheroes in traditional fighting anime fashion? Want to punch your enemy? Why not yell out the name of your attack, and yell during the entire 10 second approach before your fist lands? That's My Hero Academia, plus your typical high school tropes of young Midoria, the protagonist. The best part of My Hero Academia is that it tells the story of Midoria, who has an against-all-odds uprising as one of the greatest superheroes ever. I haven't finished the second season yet, but even from the first season, that's the basis of the story - and Midoria even says so in the opening theme, so it's not really a spoiler, but yeah. Season 3 lands in February I think!

1. Ancient Magus' Bride (Ongoing) - When an anime is labeled as "shoujo", it suggests that anime is geared towards a more feminine crowd. Ancient Magus' Bride screams shoujo in many ways, but I'm really enjoying this one. It revolves around Chise, a 15 year old girl who has nearly nothing to her name, when a mysterious figure buys her. Yes, it's basically human trafficking, but the dude who buys her is an old mage. He takes her in as his apprentice and eventually his wife. Seems odd, but the story so far is filled with interesting themes of magic, alchemy, familiars, elves, and dragons. I sense Celtic and Druid influences, which is also cool. Finally, the stories in this anime have a way of tugging on the feels quite frequently. This anime is really different, and it's extremely interesting. Do yourself a favor and at least check it out!

Honorary Mentions:
Fuuka
Attack on Titan S2
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (film series)
Black Clover (Ongoing)
King's Game (Ongoing)

So there you have it. That's my rundown of my favorite games and anime of 2017. Hard to believe another year is gone, but I'm excited to leave this one behind and see what 2018 has to offer. I hope you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve, and I'll check back in with you at the end of January.

Have a good one!