Gamer--freakz

Jamming to some Megaman X music right now. Sorry I haven't been posting for these past week, I have been...sort of busy with school work and games.


So, lots of high schools in today's post. "High School DxD" is something I reviewed not too long ago, and well if you don't already know, I loved it. Fan service and great concepts galore. "High school of the Dead"...the forgotten gem. I have no idea what happened to HOTD, the manga releases SOOO slowly and the anime just died down. It was a good combination of zombie killing and fan service.  "Higurashi" is just all sorts of good gore and amazing mysteries, I'd highly recommend it if you don't mind a little violence (Correction, a LOT of violence).


*SPOILERS*


High School DxD

So, what's the deal with "High School DxD"? Well, no shit bro, it has a boatload of fan service, a pretty good story and solid fight scenes. Its one of those shows that's easy to please any male otaku, and I'm glad to say I'm one of them.

She's like, one of the many queens of sexiness.

Say hello to queen sexy of "High School DxD". Rias Gremory is a girl Issei would fap to, and I won't blame him. Just LOOK at how sexy she is. Anyway, her sexiness is just one of her many good qualities. Rias has what it takes to be a true demon family boss, and as the king piece for her rating games, she does a good job.


Outgoing girls that like to flirt their way through are always cool in anime. Rias always struck me as a little bit of a slut early on, and while she does cool down on the slutty attitude a little bit later, its made apparent that she does care for her underlings and that she eventually grows feelings for Issei. 


Choosing to make Asia her bishop was the first step of her growing as her leader. She was scouted by Riser to be another one of her girls but refused and even fought him to the end in another rating battle, though they lost. It was all in her good spirit, although I will still say that her sexiness plays a huge part of me loving her. F**k it she's just too sexy.



High School Of The Dead

HOTD is old business now. Its a zombie anime, and that's good. However HOTD took a route I didn't quite expect. Sure the promo art showed a ton of sexy girls in school uniforms, but even I didn't expect it to be a carnival of fan service. It had more fan service than zombie killing, and whether or not that's a good thing I'll leave it up to you guys, I thought the anime was pretty good.

We need more sword wielding badasses in zombie related stuff.

When you think of zombies, be it movies, games or anime, what's the first thing that comes to mind when our heroes fight off the zombies. Guns. Look at big time franchises like "Left 4 Dead" or "Resident Evil", its all about shooting them zombies. Sure there are knives and melee weapons in these games, but most of the times it boils down to shooting the zombies in the head. We need a bad ass ninja or samurai type character in these games/movies! Saeko Busijima is a great example.


Not only is Saeko the only sword wielding bad ass among the group (sure Takashi fights up close most of the time too, but come on, he's not even half as bad ass as Saeko), she freaking sexy. Then again the anime makes all the girls look sexy by making them wear skimpy outfits or tearing their school uniforms. Saeko acts as the "big sister" of the group and keeps a cool head throughout while smashing zombies in with her wooden katana.


However the best part of Saeko (besides being hot) is that she just goes into ecstasy mode when killing zombies. One part of the anime Saeko obtains a real katana and uses it in stead of her wooden one. That scene was just unforgettable. Her going all happy and insane while chopping up zombies didn't only make her look high as f**k, she still had to go and scream "I'M WET" after killing so many zombies. Man she's crazy.



Higurashi Series

Oh god. Just making me remember about this series makes shivers run down my spine. I won't deny that its a masterpiece, but I also won't deny that it made me feel a little uneasy throughout most of the series. Seeing children get stabbed continuously as they scream and die or dismembering witnesses with butcher knives ain't exactly the best thing in the world. 

I'll shut up now.

Chop, Chop Chop. Why would a cute girl do so much chopping?

Rena is probably the most memorable character of the "Higurashi" series in my opinion. Sure almost every character is bat shit insane in this anime, but Rena left the biggest lasting impression. Its like every freaking time I think about Rena, she's always holding her chopper, ready to kill some bitches. And yes, she has killed tons of bitches.


Rena is yandere, just like Gasai Yuno. There aren't many yanderes in anime, but to be honest I wouldn't want to see too many of them. Rena is the the 2nd yandere queen, behind Yuno. She starts laughing like a crazy bitch for no apparent reason and is actually happy about killing. Also, her crazy face is super scary (then again ALL of them have scary crazy faces).


There's nothing much I can say about Rena. She's yandere, and probably everyone will remember her for that. Rena is like the "mascot" character for "Higurashi". When you think "Higurashi", you think crazy, and boom, you think Rena. There's no going around it. You just do not f**k around with her around.


Peace.

Gamespot Score:n/a

My Score:8.0


(+)Pros:  - Same great game with new content, - Tons of new content, including new songs, new costumes and more, - A great step up in terms of difficulty, - More variety in character usage and duets.

(-)Cons: - Some of the old songs have been removed, - Still no songs for Sakine Meiko and Yowane Haku.

Gameplay time:50 hours +

So, Miku returns! "Hatsune Miku:Project Diva Extend" was a weird release to me. "Hatsune Miku:Project Diva 2" was already a perfect game that far surpassed any Miku game that Sega ever released. "Extend" was just there to to expand upon the universe that is Vocaloid songs, and acts a little bit like what "Super Street Fighter IV" was to "Street Fighter IV". In many ways its just an add on game to "Project Diva 2", it didn't really have to be a full on retail release, it could have been DLC. Still, its out, and here I am trying to review it. Bringing back the old Vocaloid cast, Sega tries to kick the hype back into the "Project Diva" games, did they do it right with "Hatsune Miku:Project Diva Extend"? For the most part, yes.




Music games don't have stories, and lets not go there ever again, especially for a freaking Vocaloid game.

"Two Faced Lovers" is an awesome song.

As an "expansion" to "Hatsune Miku:Project Diva 2", "Extend" is basically the same great game with new content. The game play mechanics remain unchanged from its predecessor, and the game is still a blast to play. There aren't any new changes or additions to the game play mechanics, and to be frank, I think that's a good thing. Anymore new symbols flying into the screen will cause me to have a seizure. As an add-on game, lets talk about what he game brings that is new. Well, obviously we're talking about the new content.


There's quite a lot to talk about when it comes to the new content "Hatsune Miku:Project Diva Extend" brings. For one, new songs. Yeah, this is a no brainer. If you're going to release an expansion of an older music game, you got to have more songs, and believe me, "Extend" new songs are pretty damn awesome. Fan favorites like "Luka Luka fever night", "Two faced lovers", "Rolling girl" and one of Ryo's newer songs at the time of its release "Sekiranun Graffiti". There are a lot more of course, these are the ones that I loved the most. Other new content include costumes....items for rooms....and just more vocal pieces. 

New songs for Kaito as well.

Speaking of costumes, these can be imported over from your "Diva 2" save data, so if you've played it before, you won't to unlock all these costumes again. Now lets talk more about the songs. Most of the new ones are fan favorites, but more importantly, the new songs are a great step up in difficulty. There are now multiple 10* songs (looking right at you "Two Faced Lovers", "Rolling Girl"), and even after that most of the new songs have 8*-9* difficulty, which can wreck many players. This in itself already motivates pro players even more than before.


Also, the new songs have more VARIETY this time, something that "Diva 2" didn't get quite right. While having new Vocaloids in the game is a good thing, it isn't as amazing if 90% of the songs are still Miku songs. "Extend" fixes that problem, as the other Vocaloids get their own share of screen time as well. There are still more Miku songs, but for ever 2 Miku songs there is another song from another Vocaloid. So you'll be switching Vocaloids quite often this time around, rather than sticking to Miku. Oh, and more duets. Rin and Len, Rin and Miku, Kaito and Meiko, Meiko and Luka, you name it, this game has it.

More Rin and Len duets, about time.

I'm not going to say it no more, having no songs for Haku and the other Meiko is just saddening. Sad day to be them I guess, when the f**k are they going to release a Haku song? WHEN!? The other small issue that I have with the game is that they removed some of the old songs, replaced by the new ones. While the new songs are f**king great, its sad that they removed some of the old songs that I loved, like "Romeo X Cinderella". They could have kept the old songs and added the new songs too, but maybe there were memory issues, I don't know.


"Hatsune Miku:Project Diva Extend" is a great music game on its own, and a good add on to the "Project Diva" franchise. It just feels that this game was a little bit unneeded. If they wanted to, they could have just done DLC for "Project Diva 2". Still, this game is good stuff, and any Vocaloid fan wouldn't want to miss it. Now, I so want to play "Project Diva F", but I need a freaking Vita for that. NOOOOOO!




Make a Vocaloid game with all these characters. Yes, get your asses to it Sega and Crypton.


Happy gaming!

Opening songs
OP 1- Kūsō Mesorogiwi (Yousei Teikoku)
OP 2- Dead end (Faylan)

Ending songs
ED 1- Blood teller (Faylan)
ED 2- Filament (Yousei Teikoku)

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Romance, Thriller

Episodes:26



I must say there are quite a lot of contenders in my mind already for the best anime of 2012, there are so many to choose from! "Another", "Guilty Crown", "Fate/Zero", "Shakugan no Shana 3" and now "Mirai Nikki". This is another one of those anime that you cannot stop watching, "Mirai Nikki" is addicting as hell. Having a plot which is based on survival games, you already have a recipe for success, especially if you throw in unique characters and one really sick concept. "Mirai Nikki" will satisfy your thirst for blood, and throughout the entire anime you will constantly remind yourself of how sick and f**ked up it is. But when you look back on it when you're finally finished, you will remember how much of a great thrill ride it is.

I heard yo like some Gasai Yuno in your Gasai Yuno..

So, the songs of "Mirai Nikki" are pretty damn bad ass. Yes, all of them, even the endings, this is MY type of show with MY type of songs. "Kūsō Mesorogiwi" is the first opening song, and well up to date it is one of my favorite Yousei Teikoku songs. It just captures the spirit of the anime and the band itself so damn well, it sounds so dark, intense and in a way, hardcore. The first ending is "Blood teller" by Faylan, and f**k it, I have recently been listening to a lot of Faylan songs, and this is one of them. It has an incredibly bad ass start and rocks off to become an overall intense track.


Yousei Teikoku and Faylan switch places for round 2, with Faylan handling the second opening song, "Dead End". Needless to say it sounds f**king awesome, and ended up surpassing the first opening in my opinion, with a edgier approach to make the song sound more bad ass. "Filament" by Yousei Teikoku was rather good as well, though I still do prefer "Blood teller". Looks like Faylan wins this time.



Rating:8.5/10



Yes "Mirai Nikki" is awesome, worthy enough to become one of my recommendations to the general public. Of course, blood, violence and adult content beware, light hearted viewers be advised. Everything about "Mirai Nikki" screams awesomeness, the theme of a survival game combined with a ton of interesting characters and an overall unique plot just drives it to succeed so well. And with such a refined heroine, how can anybody not be entertained (whether you view her positively or negatively is entirely up to the viewer)? "Mirai Nikki" is just too much awesomeness rolled into one package.

BAM! SLASH! Another kill!

Amano Yukiterru is a f**king PUSSY of a kid! He is your regular school kid who is just an overall pussy. He regards himself as a bystander and records everyday life happening around him in his cell phone, a "Diary" of sorts. Every time something happens, he refuses to be part of it and instead just records it in his diary and gets on with his life. He is so socially awkward that he even sees a god of another realm known as Deus in his dreams. He thought everything was fake, until one day Deus gathers 11 other individuals into his imaginary realm and gives them all future diaries, explaining about how they must kill each other to find the last man standing. Yuki is attacked by a serial killer with such a diary, and is saved by an awkward girl, Gasai Yuno, a fellow diary holder. Now the survival game begins!


"Mirai Nikki" is just something everyone will love. Its a different kind of anime, plus, blood and violence will always appeal to the general audience. Still though, if you're not good with blood and stuff you should just skip this, like "Higurashi" and "Another".  Just make sure you don't get dragged into a survival game, look after your cellphones.

Peace.

Get out of my way you insect!

Gamespot Score:n/a

My Score:8.5


(+)Pros: - Bleak and dark atmosphere, - Interesting and likable characters that make you choose between them, - Some genuinely scary moments,  - Multiple endings featuring each character, - Great story and experience overall, - Puzzles are well thought out, - Its free, dammit. 

(-)Cons: - Short, - There is no "PERFECT" ending.

Gameplay time:Less than 5 hours

Anime Festival Asia aka AFA post coming soon, though I must say I took a pathetic amount of pictures this time round.


"Ib" is probably a game I would have never heard of. I saw this game on a YouTube channel known as "PewdiePie" (I'm sure you all know who he is, bro fist to all you fellow bros)  and well, I instantly fell in love because of the similarities it bore to "Corpse Party", one my favorite PSP games. After watching 1 part of the lets play I went to download the game and I finished it in one day. It was an epic game, with so much to like. It's free, and you shouldn't refuse a free game, one that's so damn enjoyable at that. Here's what made "Ib" one of the best experiences I had.


First off, the story. Its simple, but it works, and it works pretty damn well at that. You play as a little girl known as Ib (Eve), as she goes to a museum with her parents to attend an exhibition by a popular artist. Of course everything is nice and well as Ib spends her day with her parents admiring the various artworks, until Ib herself went to inspect a piece of artwork known as "The world". Immediately after that, things started to go terribly wrong. The entire museum went empty, and Ib found herself all alone. A pathway to an unknown area of the museum opened up, and with no other choice, she ventured into the great unknown.....

The game has a nice 8-bit style going on that reminds me of "Corpse Party".

"Ib" is a game similar to "Corpse Party", not just in the visual style, most of the elements of the game share a lot of similarities with "Corpse Party". For one, its an adventure/horror game hybrid, which means you will spend most of your time running around exploring the unknown areas of the museum, whilst encountering jump scares and well, generally just things that scare you and want a piece of your throat. The game portrays the atmosphere PERFECTLY. For a haunted museum, the lack of people, obscure paintings hanging on the side, and exhibits that stare at you as you walk by just makes everything creepy. 


The atmosphere is definitely present, you feel like you're being watched by the paintings and walls themselves all the time. Every time you walk past a painting you fear that it might spring to life and jump at you to take a bite off your head. You constantly feel that way throughout the game, and well, its great. Additionally, Ib isn't alone throughout the game, there are other characters which you meet later on. A gentleman trying to act brave called Gary, and an cheerful yet enigmatic girl named Mary. These 2 are full of personality and make up for Ib's silent treatment throughout the whole game. They are both likable, and how you respond to them will determine your ending.

Yeah! Better stay away from that chair.....

Speaking of endings, there are quite a few of them, and as I mentioned, how you react to your other friends will determine which ending you get. The endings are mostly good, and it pays to replay the game to get new endings, since the game is so short anyways, it helps with re playability. And getting each different ending for each character just further connects you with the story and background of the characters, showing off how well the story is done. At that point its no longer just getting out of the museum alive, its the connection you have with the characters. That's just beautiful, considering how there are only 2 major characters.


Other than that, I can say that the puzzles are also very well done. You will be traversing through this accursed museum for the entire game, and its only fitting that the game provides us with some great puzzles. While most aren't particularly TOO hard, the later ones can have you backtracking and walking around quite a fair bit to figure out what to do. None of the game feels like annoying busywork, as each new puzzle feels fresh, whether its navigating through short mazes, solving short mathematical equations or playing a game of deductions (the liar's game was one of my personal favorite puzzles).

Run Gary! Also notice how Ib doesn't give a f**k.

There isn't much to complain about in the game, other than its relatively short length (you can finish it in a good couple of hours or so if you're good with these kinds of games). Still, for a free game this is already too much to ask for. Also, little bit of spoilers here, but the game's many endings are rather bittersweet. There is no PERFECT ending. I don't want to dive too deep into this, but it kind of lacks an ending where everybody just lives happily ever after. A man can dream, I actually liked all the characters.


Bullshit. If you ever turn down this game, you're either a fool or a fool. "Ib", despite being free, is worthy of countless praises. Its great atmosphere, awesome story, likable characters and well thought out puzzles make it a complete STEAL for a free game. You'd be dumb not to get it, its free anyway. Plus, its so short, just play it once and you'll see the brilliant content the game has to offer. Just be prepared to be left off with a bittersweet ending, not that its a bad thing.




Happy gaming! Yandere Mary FTW!

Opening songs
OP 1- Futakotome (Chiwa Saito)
OP 2- Marshmallow justice (Eri Kiramura)
OP 3- Platinum Disco (Yuka Iguchi)

Ending songs
ED 1- Naisho no Hanashi (ClariS)

Genre: Comedy, Psychological, Supernatural

Episodes:11



Here's a short post for today, "Anime Festival Asia 2012" is tomorrow and I have to prepare for it. Time really flies and thanks to all of you who are old time readers and still stick to this blog of mine. Can't believe another year has just gone by.


Anyways, "Nisemonogatari". Its the sequel to "Bakemonogatari" a pretty well received anime by the general public. Ghost stories revolving around mythical animals and forces that involve teenage school girls is definitely something guys would like to see. I was pretty cool with the original "Bakemonogatari", since it has interesting concepts and whatnot, but ended up being a little bit too boring for me at times. "Nisemonogatari" actually is a lot less boring! That much I can assure you, and instead of spreading the anime into 5 arcs for 5 girls over such a short period of 15 episodes, we have 2 arcs for 2 girls this time. Since there's a lot of focus on to this 2 girls in "Nisemonogatari", its easily way more interesting and really kicks up to become something awesome.

The main focus this time round, Aragagi's two little sisters.

Like with "Bakemonogatari", "Nisemonogatari" has opening songs sang by each seiyuu of each girl. Since this time there are only two girls in focus, there are only two opening songs sang other than Chiwa Saito's "Futakotome". Since she IS still THE Senjougahara Hitagi, it makes sense. "Futakotome" is a rather good song, better than "Staple Stable" actually, and makes for a good stand in opening.


"Marshmallow Justice" is sang by Eri Kitamura, seiyuu of Karen. Its an upbeat song, and its a little catchy, but I don't really like its overall direction. I know it fits Karen and all, being all jumpy and energetic, but its just not a song that I'd listen to a lot. "Platinum Disco" by Yuka Iguchi, seiyuu of Tsuhiki, is just so adorable XD. Yuka Iguchi already has a cute ass voice (Index, Maria, Konoe Subaru to name a few), and the cute style of "Platinum Disco" really just got to me. Its not a spam type song, but its not too shabby either. Ending song is "Naisho no Hanashi" by ClariS. Its ClariS, there's no need for any hesitation, its great.



Rating:8.0/10


I really enjoyed this sequel, a lot more than the original actually. They actually spent a lot less time explaining about oddities and just went around dealing with them instead, since there were only 2 cases this time around. And seriously, even then, they really spent more time on actually solving the problems, rather than just beating around the bush. This alone already made it less confusing and more appealing to watch. Karen and Tsuhiki, Aragagi's sisters, are just as interesting as the original "Bakemonogatari" cast, and they fit right in! We still see girls from the original, but if anything they just serve as convenient cameos other than Hanekawa and Hitagi, who both still appear now and then.

Hey, Aragagi! It's already a crime to have such a hot sister! It's a bigger crime to rape her!

So we step back into the shoes of Aragagi Koyomi, the vampire teenage boy whom has had TONS of troubles with girls back in season 1. Tons of girls with problems regarding the occult started to gather around him and he helped them with the assistance of a man named Oshino Meme. Following the events of season 1, Oshino has left, and now Aragagi's sister Karen has a problem. He has to solve her problem himself now, without the help of Oshino, this can prove to be quite a problem. But he has friends that he gained from season 1, so things will definitely change. Also, with the sudden rise of Shinobu, who has been hiding in his shadow all this time, he will have far more assistance than he thinks!



"Nisemonogatari" is actually a great sequel. Its rare that a sequel is actually better than the original when it comes to an anime, and this is one special case. Needless to say if you liked the original this should already have been on your radar a long time ago. Its nice to have great sequels, and the "-monogatari" series is one I'd like to see succeed, ESPECIALLY after getting such a sequel. Can't wait to see more....if they are planning for more.


Peace.

Sorry for the lack of "Greatest boss fights" posts, I just didn't really had the motivation to really do these -_-. Maybe that's the signal to move on. These posts are coming in so slowly, and they may come even slower unless I find boss fights worthy of my time and attention. There are so many games with wonderful boss fights recently, can't really expect to do them ALL.....


Well guys meet Gawain and Leo from "Fate/Extra", the master and servant combo you have to battle during the final selection no matter which path you followed. I've always played "Fate/Extra' for the bosses myself, because they are so f**king well done and brilliantly made. The fight with Gawain and Leo was just amazing. It was probably the hardest and most challenging fight in the game, the boss that I died to the most (Savior was a f**king joke) other than freaking Lu bu the berserker.

Gawain is a f**king bitch.

Gawain can hit like a truck, and that's just a bunch of bullshit. Because of "Fate/Extra"'s battle system, you're going to depend on luck a lot, and you can see that its going to hurt you hard in this boss fight. Not just Gawain, every fight after the story branches into 2 paths becomes pretty difficulty, its like the difficulty just decided to spike up 5 fold or something. Gawain is tough, and he shows it off by having a tough servant as well. As a Caster player, I could die if he landed 3 successful normal attacks, a blade of the devoted plus a normal attack, OR just a full blown noble phantasm.


There was just little I could do to him. Even with a fully analyzed information matrix, this still proved to be a hard fight, because he really didn't need much to kill you. Leo can use bomb to stun your servant, and if Gawain was planning for a blade of the devoted, you will pretty much eat about 1200 damage or more. He has more than 30000 HP, and that is just crazy, considering the fact that he can boost his guard to stun you. Its not much of an issue since Caster can do about 4500 damage or more with her magic boost skill, but she eventually runs out of mana and my Caster had to finish his final couple of thousand hit points with normal attacks.

Leo and Gawain make for a great duo of pretty boys and douche bags.

Basically if you slip up for even 1 turn, there's a good chance that you might go down. His attacks hurt quite a bit (if you're running Saber or Archer you might be able to take a few more hits), and his skills are just madness. Diving aegis increased his luck for some easy critical hits (trust me, with this on he will crit 1 time in 3 attacks), and Leo can remove buffs off your servant if you try to buff them for an easier fight with Gawain. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way, and if you do not debuff Gawain you're going to receiving a lot of hurt.


I was about 38 when I fought these guys, and I already got SICK of grinding by then. When he reaches low healths he will use numeral of the saint to greatly increase his defense (making me blow a good deal of mana as a result), and his noble phantasm Excalibur gelatine, can one shot my caster if I do not guard. This is just dumb, as I said I already got f**king sick of grinding and I refused to grind any further just to tank this one hit. If you don't get a lucky guard or lucky stun on him, this will freaking hurt like a bitch and probably one shot you if you aren't well grinded.


It will take a lot to bring him down, but when you finally do, its a satisfying victory you will have. Other than Shiki Ryougi, I think Gawain is the hardest boss in the game, and it was the first time I felt so tensed up when playing "Fate/Extra". The game has tons of fantastic bosses, but this stands out the most to me. The defeat cut scene for Leo and Gawain was also pretty emotional to watch, you will definitely feel for the young king and his knight.


Difficulty:7/10 (Hard to rate because of the game's luck based battle system)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PThlj64WAng&feature=player_embedded (Saber)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQTAd-bAVzc&feature=player_embedded  (Archer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyXgZ2-3IHc&feature=player_embedded (Caster)


Credited to Cirnopoly, could not have finished the game without his guide.

Alright time for a new kind of post. I don't know why I didn't do this before since I'm such a huge RPG fan and have played TONS of RPGs ever since I started gaming on the PS1 (especially JRPGs). Parties in RPGs will be a type of post where I select a certain RPG and take its party members into account. I will give all of these part members rating based on my opinion, taking their character and mostly their combat prowess into account.


And for today, the game will be the awesome "Shin megami tensei:Devil Survivor 2"! It has a shitload of party members, so prepared so a long post.

*SPOILERS*

All Atlus Protagonists are cool, face it.

Name:Hero
Traits:Versatility 
Rating:10/10


Well, nothing much to say here. He's YOU, he's everything YOU want him to be. Because you can add whatever the hell stats you want to every time you level up, he is the ideal character. You can max out magic ASAP and one shot bosses by level 30, or go into some hybrid defensive/offensive build, anything works when you're the hero. You can give him the best demons, best stats and he kicks ass, because YOU'RE the one driving him giving him all the stats YOU want to prioritize. 

Every great guy's got to have his best friend.

Name:Daichi
Traits:Agility, Magic
Rating:6/10


Ugh, I don't know about you guys, but I really hate agility type characters. They are really weak until they get certain multi hitting skills later on, but even then they still pale in comparison to other types. A full on magic character with Megidola or a full on strength character with assassinate can one shot anybody.


 Daichi is an agility type with a little bit into magic as well. He kind of sucks early on and even later I don't see his worth. He doesn't do enough damage when compared to other characters. Plus, he's like a Yuzu in personality until MUCH later (I love Yuzu cause she's so sexy, but I know she can be quite a bitch in personality). He's not worth the training or prioritization, but his route can be worth going for if you're into the "SAVE EVERYBODY" thing.

Along with many others, Io brings the sexy to DS 2.

Name:Io
Traits:Magic, Strenght
Rating:8/10


If there's anybody who shines early on in your party, it's gotta be Io. She packs in some good strength stats early on along with her high abundance on magic. She can dish out a lot of hurt and later on while she kind of scales downward, she can still put out the pain with her high magic stats, leaving a lot of room and opportunity for her.


Early on she is a really big asset and you probably won't be removing her anytime soon. Because of her slightly higher strength stat, you can assign her some early auto spells that are really useful, like Blitz for example. Not many characters can use Blitz early on. Also, if you want a magic hard hitter later in the game, Io fits the bill along with some others.

He's the guy whom I want to hear voiced the most!

Name:Joe
Traits:Magic, Agility
Rating:5/10


Just like Daichi, Joe is pretty half assed, even more so than Daichi even. I think he might actually be the worst character in the game. He has like equal stats and agility, honestly, both do NOT mix well together. I mean, he's so cool as a character! But when it comes to battle, he just screams meh everywhere.....


You have to put Joe in when you first get him as one of your main part members, and you can already tell how useless he is. His damage output is pathetic when compared to other characters, and I bet everybody would have wanted to just switch him out when they got Hinako or Keita, because I did. Joe just isn't the guy for me.

I wish she was my secretary...

Name:Makoto
Traits:Strength, Magic
Rating:7/10


Makoto is so sexy, she's probably the hottest of all the freaking girls in "Devil Survivor 2". She is just perfect! However, she really doesn't need to be in a battle. She's average, she may be hot, but she gets outclassed. She can have some neat passives and autos, but when it comes down to dishing out damage in battle, she can have variety, but her damage is isn't as good as others.


This is the weakness of having a hybrid of strength and magic. In my opinion these are the two most important stat types in the game, and with them you can do some sick damage. But I'd take a character with full on strength or full on magic at the end of the day, not someone with both. Makoto has equal standing in both of those types, and because of this she can use multiple strong magic or physical attacks, but in the end her damage output isn't as great.

Punk.

Name:Keita
Traits:Strength, Agility
Rating:9/10


Yo, Keita is like, godly. If you need a strength character in your team, both Jungo and Keita fit the bill very nicely, and while Keita has an overall lower strength growth than Jungo, he will f**king destroy people with his agility. Combine agility and strength is like combining fire and oil together, he will wreck people's faces in with the right skills.


Keita's assassinate is probably a one shotter, and he can equip a ton of multi hit skills as well because of his edge in agility. If you have him in your party and he goes against any enemy team without invulnerability to physical attacks, prepare to see them drop, FAST. Keita can beat people down, and you can't stop him.

No bra? The hell?!

Name:Hinako
Traits:Agility, Strength
Rating:6/10


I hate overly slutty characters overall, and that's just Hinako in a nutshell. It's okay if you dress like a slut in a game or anime, but acting like one just sets them less appealing in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of Hinako, and that's okay, because she doesn't do well in battle. She's an agility type, and as you know, I hate those types. She's a complete reverse of Keita.


She has good agility throughout the game, but to be honest, she doesn't have the damage to back it up. Make no mistake, I've seen her do TONS of damage, but that is like, towards the very end of the game, when I've already grown attached to my original team. Hinako can shine, but its far too late when she can. She does almost NO damage early on.

Points for style!

Name:Jungo
Traits:Strength, Vitality
Rating:9/10


Jungo is another type of Keita. He excels in strength growth as well, and that just means he's going to f**king MURDER things, with his BARE HANDS! He actually maxes out strength much earlier than Keita, and because of this, his early and mid game damage is just ABSURD. He can one shot enemies like no tomorrow. Put him together with an early maxed out magic hero, and you get the perfect duo.


Jungo's growth is incredibly quick, and he gets insane amounts of damage early. Later on his vitality grows instead, making more of a tanky damage dealer than anything else. Later in the game he might get killed before he can act because of his lack of speed, but when he gets to move, a quick assassination will do the job. Giving him those heavy hitting skills will quickly put enemies to sleep.

Miss sexy number 2!

Name:Fumi
Traits:Magic
Rating:9/10


Fumi is the magic version of Jungo, and because of this, she bears a lot of similarities with him. She will f**king DESTROY enemies as well. Early on putting her and Jungo in a team is like setting the game to easy mode, because the both of them, one magic and one strength, can easily wipe the floor with the entire enemy team. She's a complete monster when it comes to killing off enemies, and she's a freaking big busty lady wearing a chiongsam. Sexy.


Fumi gains magic really quickly, and like Jungo, when she maxes it out early, she can really pick up your clear speeds. She will destroy enemies in one spell, and that's that. Give her an elemental dance spell, or holy dance, or anything of that sort, and enemies will drop, like flies. She is definitely worth putting into your party. Oh, and dem labtops bro. She is probably my second favorite character in the game (second sexiest, and second favorite).

The one and only loli in the game! We need them!

Name:Airi
Traits:Magic, Agility
Rating:8/10


Airi is good to have around. She isn't as good as the battle gods like Fumi and Jungo, but she can hold her own pretty well. She has good stats, mostly on the magic side, but her agility growth is pretty good too. She can set up some pretty good combos with her agility and magic, like autos or passives. And because of her high magic growth, she can still wipe the floor pretty damn well.


You will have to take Airi early on, because she's probably one of the best characters during the time which you get her. Its not a bad thing by any means, because you will quickly grow to love her damage and good speed. She is an option you can consider by the end of the game, alongside Io and Otome.

NURSE! HEAL ME!!!!

Name:Otome
Traits:Magic, Vitality
Rating:8/10


Otome is deceptively tanky. She's a great asset to any team because of her insane magic growth. Just like Keita is compared to Jungo, Otome is compared to Fumi. Her magic growth is slightly lower and because of that she does less damage, but Otome has better vitality. Later on in the game she can equip those vitality based skills and actually become a tanky caster, scary.


Otome is really good when you first get her, and because she deal some nasty damage with her really strong magic stats, she is easily a great choice to have in your party. Later in the game you can just build her as a tanky caster/healer supportish kind of thing, and have her stand back to revive your characters as they get killed, because you can be sure that your enemies can't kill Otome if you play her right. Plus, she's a nurse, fits the bill doesn't she?

JPs don't get as stylish and bad ass as this.

Name:Yamato
Traits:Strength, Magic
Rating:7/10


Unfortunately for my favorite character, Yamato just doesn't fit into a team. His growth is similar to Makoto, and take this to heart. While he has more stats points than other characters, his growth is just not something you will want in your team (unless you are looking for hybrid type characters). Hybrid growth characters may have versatility, but they just don't deal enough damage when it boils down to it, that's the case with Yamato.


Yamato can do some nice damage, but just like Makoto, he does not fit the bill. He is certainly better than other characters, but when it boils down to it, characters that scale with one type of stat all the way, or at least in priority, are just better overall. Yamato may look like he's doing a lot of damage with many powerful skills, but face it, other characters can do better. They should have just made him a full strength character, *sigh*.

Not a fan of hobo designs..

Name:Ronaldo
Traits:Strength, Vitality
Rating:7/10


Ronaldo's a character that I never did like, all that justice crap and shit. He can hold his own in a battle, but again, he cannot compare to the battle gods that the game already has to offer. He has strength, but its not as high or overpowered as the likes of Jungo and Keita. He has vitality, but in a way, that really isn't something to boast about. 


He's a weaker Jungo with some extra stats here and there. That's not bad per se, but like Yamato, he doesn't really fit in a party unless you want him for character loyalty. He definitely isn't as bad as some other characters, but when it boils down to it, there are better damage dealers. If you want to put Ronaldo in, I'd rather Jungo or Keita.

His route is a pain.

Name:Al Saiduq
Traits:Magic
Rating:7/10


Al Saiduq here is a f**king douche bag. His route compromises of only you and him at the start, and because of that things get really difficult really quickly. Still, he's a cool guy, but I'd rather other characters in battle. Al Saiduq is another one of those guys with a little bit of everything, with a slight overabundance in magic.


Like the other characters with 7s, Al Saiduq really isn't a bad pick, but there are just better characters that do more damage. If you want someone that can really dish out the pain, why not Fumi? Or Otome, Io, Airi for that matter. Sure Al Saiduq can equip some autos that they can't because of stat issues, but when it comes down to overall usefulness, the others just win in that aspect.



Here's my final evaluation of the "Devil Survivor 2" cast.


My party
 -------------------------------------------------------

Hero
Jungo
Fumi
Otome

 -------------------------------------------------------


The rest in ranking
 -------------------------------------------------------

Keita
Io
Airi
Yamato
Al Saiduq
Makoto
Ronaldo
Hinako
Daichi
Joe

 -------------------------------------------------------



Peace out for now, more RPG patrties to come in the future!

Gamespot Score:8.5 (Great)

My score:7.7


(+)Pros: - Hell is a wonderful world to explore (yes, the irony), - Tons of different gameplay mechanics give a little bit of variation, - Great boss fights, - Mini games and puzzles help change up the pace a little bit.


(-)Cons: - Feels a little repetitive towards the end, - Only 3 weapon types, - Stiff movement controls.


Gameplay time: 10-20 hours

As you all should now, I'm not too big on the shooter games. However, "Shadows of the Damned" looked like one HELL of a game when I saw the game play trailers. It has demons zombies, crying baby gates and freaky goat heads that emit light! Its a strange game all on its own, and that was actually the true appeal of this game. Because of all these "weird" elements,  "Shadows of the Damned" separates itself from most other shooters, even those with zombies or demons in them. Exploring hell has never been this fun, and if you don't believe me, go ahead and try this game. However, be prepared for a few issues that will hinder your enjoyment.




The story for "Shadows of the Damned" is pretty straight forward. Guy has girl, girl gets killed and taken to hell for eternal suffering, and guy wants to save girl. He goes to hell for that. Well its not a wonderful story, but it works for the game at least. Garcia Hotspur is our main man, and he is one BAD ASS DEMON HUNTER (may consider him for a best game character post). One day he's just doing his job as usual, and when he gets back to his hotel he sees demons harassing and killing his girlfriend Paula. He fights back of course, but things aren't so easy. The demon king appears and personally takes Paula away, telling Garcia that he will make her suffer for eternity. No boyfriend wants that, so he jumps into hell to save his girlfriend.

Shoot dem demons, shoot them like they killed your mother!

Well as a shooting game, you've got to have good shooting mechanics. The game's shooting mechanics are similar to that of the RE games, where you play as a third person Garcia and fire away at demons coming your way. This isn't bad per say, but the one thing that should be praised about "Shadows of the Damned" is the world that it engulfs you with. In this case, Hell is one weird place where ANYTHING can happen. You travel through markets, housing streets , cathedrals, churches, castles and many more. All where zombies, alligator faced demons and gigantic one eyed robot freaks lurk around to take your head as the renowned demon hunter. 


You fight all sorts of enemies in all sorts of places, and while this may seem very weird (which it is), you will have a great time exploring all of hell. Defeating enemies will net you gems to buy items from Christopher, a friendly demon that gobbles up gems and vomits out items of use that can aid you in your journey. To further tread the lands of hell you have to proceed through locked baby doors, in which you have to feed them fruits or brains before they open up to you. You will also be hindered by darkness, an aura which emits from hell that renders Garcia weak and makes the denizens of hell invulnerable. To get rid of darkness, you either destroy a light emitting goat head or give a hand job to a fireworks machine. Sounds crazy right, I know, even your transforming weapon is a floating skull by the name of Johnson.

Shoot the zombies! Die mother f**kers!

The darkness mechanic along with the other stuff that I mentioned are just part of the many other awesome ones that the game has to offer. These include lighting a sushi fish lamp demon that can help light your way through dark passageways, or blasting open huge unbreakable walls with your aligning bombs. Along with these are the puzzles and mini games that do well in changing up the pace. At some points of the game, you will actually have to think on how to proceed past a door, by either shooting bombs over walls or to bounce shots until it hits something you have to. There are even puzzles where you have to shift and turn paths until you can actually move forward.


Of course, lets not forget that 2D side scrolling section that totally makes everything look silly, that was fun too. These small little tidbits is what makes the game a little less repetitive. Boss fights too, they're great. In "Shadows of the Damned", boss fights are all lords of the underworld, those guys who really did something bad when they were alive. These boss fights are challenging, and all of them require a certain method to defeat them. Of course, you need to think to figure out their weak points and weaknesses. Another cool little tidbit is that before you fight a boss, you get to read books on their lives and how they came to be, I always found these really intriguing.

Explode like you've never done before!

"Shadows of the Damned", no matter how fun it is at the start, begins to drag and get repetitive towards the end. For a shooting game, it is rather long, as you can clock in an easy 10 hours if you don't rush through. However, with the stiff movement controls and simplistic shooting, you will get bored of it if you play for extended hours. Also, you only have 3 weapons, and while these get upgraded and get very different abilities, its still just 3 weapons. Even with the new abilities, they feel the same. A pistol is still a pistol, a machine gun is still a machine gun, and alas, a shotgun is a shotgun. A pity they didn't invest in stuff like snipers and rocket launchers.



"Shadows of the Damned" is a blast to play if you don't plan on doing it excessively. It has a low variety of weapons and has some stiff movement, but your exploration in hell is mostly an enjoyable one. Funky game mechanics assure that your journey never falls short of being weird. You will never look at hell the same way again, and this is probably a good thing.




Happy gaming.