Filed under: Anime | Tags: Anime, gundam, gurren, lagann, mech, mecha, tengen toppa gurren lagann, trigun
After a slow start to the year, i’ve finally decided to start watching some new anime. But i have one major problem.
And it’s name is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I had heard of the anime when it first came out, and being a mech fan i was going to watch it, but university and some other series i was finishing took over. It wasn’t until just a little over 2 months ago, prolly mid November, that i watched it all. And now i don’t think anything can beat it. Past animes that have won me over include Full Metal Alchemist, Hunter X Hunter, Prince of Tennis ( i have my reasons), Initial D, Trigun, Gundam, and The Law of Ueki, which all still i consider to be great. I just don’t think anything will be able to go as balls out as Gurren Lagann has. If you’ve watched it you know what i mean. If you haven’t, i couldn’t recommend this enough. Not only have i bought 3 boxes of the TCG figures (pictures will follow sooner or later), but my sheet of plastic should arrive soon to make my Kamina glasses. I know, that’s sad, but the closest any other anime has gotten me to do anything that drastic was Prince of Tennis, and that was a shirt.
So now i’m left with the decision of what to watch. I’ve heard of a few series that have taken my fancy, Moyashimon ranks the highest on my interest list, but it’s so different that i can’t stop craving more action. Think i’ll just swap between episodes of Gurren Lagann and Gundam 00 til i think of something.
Filed under: Video games | Tags: ffvii, games, gaming, resident evil, sonic, top 5, Video games
Having a lot of free time means there is lots of time to fill leveling-up and collecting coins, but sadly only in a computer world ( if only…). Here are my top 5 video game series that i have grown up on and still love, even with the odd blip through some of the series.
1. Final Fantasy
I could go into the whole argument about which is the greatest Final Fantasy. Some would say VII, others VIII, even X-2 ( although they are wrong with that one, sorry if you like it but you’re just wrong). For me, FFVII was the first RPG i played all the way through that i remember. After owning many versions of the game ( the discs kept screwing up, mainly due to faulty PS1’s, and not through left out of the case which doesn’t happen) i can still play this game today, and still am after starting for the [insert number here] time. All in all Final Fantasy, regardless of the number, always has something that keeps players playing, and i for one am looking forward to XIII, even if i don’t have a PS3.
2. Resident Evil
The Resident Evil series is quality, right down to the voice acting. Ok, maybe not the voice acting, but at least the gameplay stands out, in most games. Much like Final Fantasy VII, the first Resident Evil stayed in my Playstation for many weeks, until i bought the Saturn version for cheap. I still remember getting a teacher from my school when i was in town to help me and a friend get Res 3 as the guy in game wouldn’t sell me the game ( thank god i’m old enough to buy any game i want now, apart from Manhunt 2 because i’m obviously gonna kill someone. Thanks UK government). Now with the recent re-release of Res 4 for Wii, which if you haven’t played it or think just because you own the GC or PS2 versions it’s nothing new you should, and Res 5 coming out sooner or later, the series seems to keep going strong.
3. Megaman
I always liked Megman. I’ve played most of the games that i can get my hands on ( which is all apart from a few obscure titles) and besides a few of them, which is a very small few, the gameplay is solid. Ok so Battle Network dragged on for ages, but at least Star Force is in 3D. I recently purchased Megaman 2 on the Virtual Console, and after watching many speed runs of the game, i decided to play it straight through in one shot. I wasn’t aiming for a time or anything, i just wanted to see if i could complete it without continuing. Happily i managed it, and then proceeded to complete it again straight away, and then again straight after that. The level of difficulty is what keeps me playing these old games, games today need to look back at how you actually had to play, rather than just throwing graphics in your face and making the gameplay suck.
4. Super Smash Bros.
Do i really need to type this out. This game is awesome. the original on N64 had me renting out for ages until i finally managed to find a copy. I bought a gamecube for Melee alone, and had no there game for the console for nearly a month til i had hurt my hands enough playing it. I bought a Wii the day it came out ( after waiting outside game at 5am with the store not opening til 7am and no other customer turning up til 6.30am. Got the first one though), and have had the game pre-ordered since December 16th 2006! Yet i still won’t be able to play the game for another 4-5-6 months minimum. Thanks Nintendo, only spent over a £1000 last year on my Wii and prolly more on my DS the year before.
5 . Sonic The Hedgehog
If you couldn’t tell from the above 2 pictures, i like the blue hedgehog just a tad. Since the day i first played Sonic 1 on a friends Mega Drive, i knew me and him would turn out to be great friends. I’d buy his games, and he would give me endless fun. It’s been a long ride, we’ve had arguments (Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog almost broke my heart), but mostly it’s been a good partnership. I got a Saturn the christmas it came out, and waited patiently throughout it’s life span to play Sonic in 3D, only to have Sonic Jam, Sonic 3D Blast and Christmas NiGHTS as the only fill for that. Then, with the Dreamcast, my dreams had come true, and although there are a few issues with the camera, Sonic Adventure still reigns as my favourite game ever, or at least in a tie with FFVII. Like FFVII, i still play it today on my Dreamcast and am still awaiting a true next gen version to come out ( haven’t played the 360 game, but as much as i’d like to believe it could be good, every review slates it). And with the inclusion now of Sonic on DS with the Rush series, and his leap onto Wii with The Secret Rings ( very good), At the Olympics ( good but tiresome), and now Smash Bros. Brawl ( oh yeah), even with Sega not having a console of their own anymore, i hope my relationship with Sonic will get stronger and stronger. Just as long as Shadow and Cream stay the hell away.
Well as i said before, there is no particular order which i would put these game series in, game wise that’s another post. Other series that should be noted are Street Fighter for years of dispute between me and my brother, Mario Kart for years of dispute between me and my brother, Pro Evolution Soccer ( and ISS before that) for years of dispute between me and my brother, Tony Hawks for years of dispute between me and my brother, and the Smackdown series for years of dispute between me and my brother.
