In the news: Animes to look into

By: Robert Murphy

Link to Attack on Titan here

Link to Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet here

So recently some new animes have come out and caught my attention and as a Scully Nerd Reviews writer I felt it was rude of me not to tell you all about these fine new additions to a world we all love so much, these two new shows are “Attack on Titan” and “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet.” Both shows have started fairly recently and we’re only a few episodes in but so far I have to say I am deeply enjoying what both have brought to the table.

Let’s start with “Attack on Titan,” the show tells the story of how for years humanity has fought against the monstrous and human like creatures known as Titans that plagued the land. Humanity could do nothing to stop these beings and retreated behind giant walls to protect them from being devoured and while humanity still tries to strike back against the Titans, they have no success against them. I would like to take a minute also to explain just how humanity is trying to fight against the Titans because frankly it’s awesome, being that these creatures are monolithic in size humanity needs a way to strike hard, high and fast against them and they find the perfect way. Using a gas propelled zip line machines humanity soars through the air, provided there is something to grapple onto that is, moving swiftly as the machines allow fighters to get high up as they try to take down Titans. The setting for the show focuses on our protagonist Eren Yeager as he and his family lives in peace behind Wall Maria and all seems well until he witnesses a Titan like no other towers over the wall and destroys it, this sets the pace for our story as everything Eren knows is taken from him, he makes a vow to kill every last Titan no matter what it takes. The story so far has completely grabbed my attention since the first episode and features something unlike what I’ve seen from the anime world thus far with giant lumbering creatures, a unique story, exciting combat and amazing animation there is a lot to love about “Attack on Titan” and it’s only just started.

Moving onto “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet” a story that takes a long step away from “Attack on Titan,” we follow along with Ledo who is a solider for the Galactic Alliance of Humankind and is fighting the battle against the plant-like alien species known as the Hideauze. And while the initial battle isn’t over the top as robot mechs fight it out against the Hideauze, we lead into the hook of the show as Ledo is separated from his squad and ends up stranded on an unknown planet. Coming out of unconsciousness six months later Ledo is surrounded by the inhabitants of the planet who do not speak his language and are trying to break into his mech. And despite their best efforts, which were essentially pounding on the side of it, they couldn’t open it and finally give in and when they do Ledo tries to escape. However as he escapes and explores the planet he realizes that he is on Earth which hasn’t been seen by anyone in years and the shear site of it is awe inspiring for him and we watch as it all unfolds.

Now, do my bidding and go to the links above to watch these awesome shows, haha just kidding but seriously the shows are very enjoyable and I hope you all take the opportunity to watch the shows and watch to see what happens for Eren and Ledo. 

Bravest Warriors

By: Robert Murphy

Watch Bravest Warriors here

Hey Scully nerd reviews fans, as it has been in the past we here at the site have come across various items across the internet that we think would bring you a laugh or find some awesome AMV or other videos for you all to enjoy. What I’ve got for you all this time though would definitely fall under the laughs category, “Bravest Warriors” is a YouTube series that was written and directed by Breehn Burns and created by Pendleton Ward. For those of you who have seen “Adventure Time” you will see a similar world and character design as well as the out of this world craziness that it is known for, all the while adding a bit of PG-13 humor to the equation and you get what “Bravest Warriors” is all about. But don’t mistake my comparison of the shows design and its kookiness to “Adventure Time” as making the impression that it is some knock off or wanna be version of the show, oh no this show is something of its own.

 Catbug is incredibly awesome and hilarious

“Bravest Warriors” follows a team of young fighters in the year 3085, their names are Chris, Wallow, Beth and Danny and they take over protecting the universe from danger after their parents, who were the former defenders of the universe until they were sucked into another dimension and got stuck there. These four travel the universe defending little alien life forms from danger using the power of their emotions as weapons as well as spending time hanging out in their invisible lair and just being regular teens in this irregular world. There are numerous of alien races, creatures and people that a part of the “Bravest Warrior” universe and each episode comes jam packed with laughs and how could it not with creatures like Impossibear, Catbug and many more. At the moment the show only has one season with 12 episodes each but another season is already being worked on and is set for some time during Fall of this year. And really if all that I have told you didn’t convince you to watch then just take a look at the link above and watch an episode or two because it is a good show and is definitely great for a laugh and hey if you read my stuff on the site you must like my opinion to some degree so watch and enjoy, Murphy out. 

Desert Punk

By: Robert Murphy

In the wake of a post-apocalyptic Japan, people are struggling to get by in their day to day lives in the giant desert ruins of what was once Japan’s peaceful tamed landscape and as it is to be expected with any dramatized apocalyptic world, lawlessness and criminal activity are a common occurrence. On the opposite side of this, many people have taken up arms in a good way or I guess you could say “better” way by becoming bounty hunters and taking out some of the world’s more dangerous criminals. Here enters our main protagonist, Sunabouzu, although many refer to him only as The Desert Punk who is a bounty hunter with somewhat of a reputation for himself, which mainly come from his perverted nature and short stature more or less. However, he is also known for the fact that he always gets his target and makes his bounty, having never once lost one of them due to his incredible craftiness and mischievous way of going about his job, unless there are a pair of breasts involved that is.

 The man behind the mask

Desert Punk follows the story of Sunabouzu as he travels from on job to another just trying to make his way like anyone else and as you can already tell by my description of him, he is not really a noble person or the hero of this tale. Pretty much all that interests him is making money, that and being a little bit of a pervert….okay a giant breast groping pervert if you want to get technical and it comes quite frequently in the show. The running theme behind “Desert Punk” seems to be to try and create another anti-hero for fans to love while he cheats, lies and generally tries to act like a big shot bounty hunter each episode and it almost works for about two episodes. The first episode you find yourself laughing at the ridiculous antics and perversion as he takes down some thugs in the desert but then you realize that’s pretty much the whole show as it starts all over again next time. And while I do enjoy a good mildly perverted/womanizing character in a show, it has to be done right and Sunabouzu doesn’t do it right at all as he more or less comes off as a little kid that you would find on the Internet thinking it’s cool to talk about boobies. This feeling is wholly shared by everyone that surrounds him in the show as well because he is universally hated by everyone in the show and you realize that anyone who doesn’t hasn’t known him very long.

 Dah hell's going on here?

Two things that I believe save the show however are one the guns and two the great level of design work that has been put forth in the show itself. Guns are an everyday thing in the “Desert Punk” world which you would find obvious since what is a post-apocalyptic world without gun touting bad guys and boy are there some enjoyable firearms to be seen. For instance, Desert Punk uses a very unique weapon a Winchester 1897 pump action 12-gauge shotgun which is his signature weapon throughout the series and modifies with an extended magazine tube later on. Alongside the impressive gun selection is the impressive level of design work that went into “Desert Punk”, characters are well put together and even background characters appear to be more than just blobs of the same generic faces. Although most of what you are left to see is desert, desert and oh hey look at that some destroyed buildings…..and more desert, it’s still visually well put together.

 Ba boing

“Desert Punk” does feature a good amount of guns for you anime gun lovers out there, alongside a well put together setting but you know that’s about that. Outside of Sunabouzu not many characters stick out and he does in fact take up most, if not all of the screen time and if you are like me and didn’t find his immaturity all that appealing. I'm not saying you need to find criminal activities or perverted antics appealing, but you should brace yourself for the main character acting like a complete jackass with no moral standards whatsoever and with a complete lack of control over his hormones but the good news is he usually gets what he deserves in the end.

Good:

-Enjoyable gun show/selection

-Graphically the show is well put together and enjoyable

Bad:

-Each episode features the same theme with no real progression in the story

-Perverted, childish, and all around jackass of a main character, which I normally like, but this time was boring with no real appeal

-Not many other characters to speak of and the ones that are there aren’t that appealing

Scully Rating: 5.0 out of 10 

Dead Island Riptide

By: Robert Murphy

We return once again to the zombie killing universe with “Dead Island Riptide”, a direct sequel to “Dead Island” and picks right up where players left on in the story after our four characters had escaped the former island paradise infested with the undead. The game features much of the same elements that the original game did with plenty of zombie dismemberment to enjoy but also features a new playable character that is picked up in the story along with new enemy zombie types and ability to drive boats which comes in handy in the new swamp like environment. Yes we’re definitely not on the pleasant or rather formerly pleasant island paradise and are deep in the jungles of Palanai in the South Pacific after the ship our players land on runs aground.

 Cue I’m on a Boat tunes

As I said before the story picks up right where we all left off in the last game and highly enjoyable aspect to the gameplay was that players who played the previous game can load their old characters and start right where they left up and continue to level up their characters even further. Continuing from there we begin to follow the same lines as the old “Dead Island” which is loot the island and corpses, upgrade your weapons and level up your character by chopping the limbs off anything that stands in your way. The story itself is pretty unnecessary, as it was with the previous game, it was there but eh did it really matter to anybody else? Well if it did I apologize to those of you who followed along with the highly intellectual story telling of how mad scientist living in the jungle behind and island resort caused a zombie outbreak, that ones on me. Essentially though you are once again just trying to survive another island of zombies and looking for a way to escape without becoming and all you can eat buffet for the waves of hungry flesh eaters.

 Say hello to John Morgan, our new playable character

Once again players can jump on into the franchises gameplay with their friends in four player co-op with all the character from the original game along with our new addition to the game John Morgan, who is the cook on the ship that you land on. However, John isn’t an ordinary cook; he is in fact quite a gifted fighter/boxer type character who like the other characters in the game has an ability that accents his fighting skills. Like before players can activate a powerful attack once their meter fills from killing zombies and John’s is pretty funny, allowing him to get up close and personal to enemies and be them down. An enjoyable feature to the game is that when you do play with your friends and you choose to start over with a new character or your friends do, enemies in the game are set to your characters level not the level of the host of the game session which means if you are a level 15 and your friend is a level 50, you will face level 15 and 16 enemies and not level 50 enemies. Speaking of enemies, I believe I told you all that there are new zombies out there to contend with? Well I wasn’t lying; the game features the same unique zombie types as before but with two new additions to the fray, the screamer whose yell freezes players in place and the drowner who plays dead in the water waiting to attack you on foot or in a boat. Also in the regards to unique zombie types, “Riptide” features new Dead Zone areas with named bosses to fight against if you are up for the challenge that is.

 Is it dead? Or just playing dead? O.o

Now the game isn’t without its faults and being very similar to its predecessor is a double edged sword because with all the original “Dead Island’s” success’s comes with its problems as well. One problem is the fact that the graphics in the game tend to pop in and out, one moment you are walking along and things are crisp and clean and then next you could be looking at blurred surroundings. Outside of this the “Riptide” plays very much like you’d expect “Dead Island” to play, you search the island going through main story missions and picking up hundreds of side missions along the way from scared survivors who are doing what they can to stay alive. It would have been nice to see something new done though with the game, either create a more grabbing story or a new setting outside an island type area, I don’t know something. But again all the original enjoyable moments and themes that players like myself loved from the original game all return, the same gory dismemberment is still a lot of fun and the ability for you and your friends to join in on the zombie slaying just makes for some downright bloody fun.

Good:

-The zombie dismembering joy is back for more

-Carrying over your old character to continue leveling is a great feature that I’m glad was included

-Plenty of new features, zombie types and areas to explore

Bad:

-The main story falls flat once again

-The graphics still need some work

-A change of scenery would have been nice

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10 

√Bestamvsofalltime ▪ Revenge AMV

Creator - Evilspider

Song: Cells - The Servant

Today's AMV is based on the series Cowboy Bebop and is unique in the sense that it tries to set its own story.  It uses the existing scenes and characters in the series to make a different story from the one fans are familiar with.  This unique spin gives you a reason to actually sit down and watch the video, and gives you something besides the regular mash-up of scenes.  The song is really catchy too, fitting the overall tone that the original series had.  All in all, a solid AMV that takes a few bold moves; and while it could have used some better effects (altered scenes look clearly altered), I still think that this was a great AMV that does a great job of taking a few creative leaps of faith, and I think it paid off.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

By: Robert Murphy

Hey all you DC Universe fans out there, watch as the comic book characters and TV show heroes come to life on your gaming systems in “Injustice: Gods Among Us”. From the guys that brought you “Mortal Kombat” we are brought into a game that pits these super powered gods against one another living out some of our biggest what if scenario fights. But this isn’t a one trick pony we have on our hands, the game brings actual story to this classic style fighting game and that is what would happen if our protectors became our oppressors. Superman has gone sour after countless times saving the world and putting away the bad guys only to have them escape time and time again and hurt more people that he loves and so he decides to take matters into his own hands and pass judgment down as judge, jury and executioner. Though fans of shows and movies of the last few years have seen this alternate reality story before, this time around we are receiving some new tweaks and surprises which we are able to live it out first hand.

 What happens when you push Superman too far?

Now much of the game plays a lot similar to “Mortal Kombat” with the characters swip swop with DC characters but that is bound to happen with the creators of the two games being the same and all but despite the similar look and feel the game has certain level of differences. For instance combat features special abilities for each character that are similar to finishing moves but these can be activated at any time during a battle once the attack meter is filled in the lower left hand corner. These monumental attacks can quickly give you the advantage in your battles as they take away a large chunk of your enemy’s health and activate a very unique cut scene for each character that displays your super hero or villain’s power. The attack meter which you fill up through your battles can also be used to upgrade ground, air, and juggle combos during your battles making good use of your characters powers or skills that they are known for. Also a new feature to the game play is “clash” which occurs when two characters challenge each other’s super meters to gain the edge over the other and it happens very quickly so be players be prepared. The combat itself is a very straight forward affair and easy to get into and like any fighting game it becomes easy to gain mastery of each player’s moves and abilities.

 Superman and Solomon Grundy face off

The storyline itself is a little short but for a fighting game is pretty enjoyable all the same and while those of you unfamiliar with the DC Universe may have some trouble following along, the basic idea of the story is fairly straight forward and easy to follow along with. The topsy turvey world that our heroes are dragged into feature a story where our heroes other selves are villains and our villains are the good guys. Our heroes are dragged from their universe are dragged there by the other worlds Batman who means to put an end to Superman’s reign of terrine over humanity right as the Joker is about to set off a nuclear explosion which causes this alternate universe in the first place. And while it all actually sounds confusing, it becomes far less confusing once you are a part of the action and playing while it unfolds. Also “Injustice” features Battles and S.T.A.R. Labs missions. Battles, are themed-survivor type fights, fighting a team of opponents one after another—some with certain handicaps or modifiers applied. S.T.A.R. Labs is essentially the Challenge Tower in Mortal Kombat, providing 240 single-player challenges that force you to complete certain tasks with specific characters to continue and unlock them all. This adds some replay value to the game play and features rewards for completing these challenges by getting new character skins for your favorite super heroes.

Overkill much? A look at Joker’s finishing move

Jumping over to the multiplayer element of the game, the even pacing of the regular game play seamlessly transitions over to the online play as players can play 1 on 1 ranked and unranked matches with one another. Online players also have the option of playing in King of the Hill or Survivor mode, King of the Hill features an eight player ladder or tournament match up where players constantly try to move up to the King’s spot or be knocked down to the bottom and while anyone who is fighting can sit and spectate the matches. Survivor mode is essentially the same thing but the player in the King’s position cannot change his character after each match and their health doesn’t fully return but they simply gain a small level of health after winning a match making it harder to stay the king.

 FEAR MY LAZER FACE!!!!

“Injustice: Gods Among Us” features a great fighting game even for those of you who aren’t the biggest fans or even know too much about DC comic books and the heroes that are apart of them. The main issue that myself and others would have issue with is that while I pointed out the differences of the game to “Mortal Kombat”, the game is still in many ways similar and lacks enough differences for it to feel like something unique. But this isn’t a terrible thing because “Mortal Kombat” is not something terrible to be compared to. Fans will love this game though as it features many of your favorite super heroes and villains allowing you all to live out your favorite DC battles and your all time fantasy fights with you and your friends.

Good:

-Great and enjoyable combat even for those who don’t know the DC Universe

-Unique player moves for each character

-A long story for a fighting game and features close ups for many of your favorite characters

Bad:

-The similarity between the “Mortal Kombat” style gameplay is hard to over look

-The story has been done before and probably won’t feel as fresh to those who know all about the DC Universe

-The games graphics leave something to be desired

Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10

Naruto 628: Here and from now on

By: Robert Murphy

Link to the manga here

Well things are about to get real interesting in this weeks “Naruto” folks, as a brief recap of the chapter two weeks ago, Hashirama had just finished the story of how the Hidden Leaf was founded and how things between himself and Madara had finally unfolded. Sasuke had heard all of this and given his reply to the Hokage’s of the Hidden Leaf and the last image we are left with is the four Hokage standing proudly on their stone figures and preparing to join in on the 4^th Great Shinobi War. We are returning to the battlefield once again everybody for what looks like the climax to this final battle as Naruto will get to reunite with his father and Hashirama and Madara come face to face once again. Jump on in and watch what all unfolds and I’ll see you next week for the next chapter of “Naruto.”

Bleach 535: Everything but the Rain Op. 7 "Defenders"

Link: http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/535

***SPOILERS*** This week's chapter continues with the crisis that Masaki is going through.  With her forced hollowfication following her fight with Aizen's construct, she is in severe peril.  Ryuuken and Isshin are looking to save her however they can, and they may have found a way with the untimely arrival of Kisuke Urahara, who we all know has more than a little understanding of hollowfication.  However, the only way to save Masaki's soul from collapsing in on itself is to "tie" a soul that is "opposite" of her Quincy soul.  Ryuuken figures it out first, but Kisuke explains that she needs to be "tied" to a Shinigami, which means only Isshin can save her.  Will he go through with it? Well anyone who is familiar with the story will already know the answer, but if you are curious about the series, now is as good a place as any to start reading.  Stay tuned for news on manga releases right here at Scullynerdreviews.com!

Bleach AMV

By: Robert Murphy

Credit to Luciole and Bestamvsofalltime channel

I honestly don’t know where to begin with this one folks because I’m in absolute love with this AMV, cut to some of the most amazing battles and characters that “Bleach” has to offer us and set to "Burning Heart" by Silverstein. For those of you rock dwelling anime watchers out there, “Bleach” is a supernatural anime staring Ichigo Kurosaki: a human turned Soul Reaper and charged with protecting the world of the living from Hollows that want to feast upon innocent souls. The show features numerous battles throughout its span and the creator of this AMV has taken excerpts from all of them and given us a great gift and honestly it makes me want to watch the show every time I watch it and hopefully inspire anyone who hasn’t seen it to go watch it immediately. The song is incredibly catchy and the scenes transition flawlessly throughout and I hope you all enjoy the AMV as much as I did.  

In the news: Bethesda’s new game

By: Robert Murphy

Link to trailer release here

Hey everyone have I got some news for you, Bethesda the people that brought you “Skyrim” and the “Fallout” franchise are back with information on a new eerie project for gamers. This stand-alone game is known as “The Evil Within” and is a new survival horror game from the creators of “Resident Evil” and looks to be a game that you will want to leave a light on for. Bethesda spent the week teasing an unannounced project through its Vine account and gamers were left to make assumptions on the new title with ideas ranging from a new “Fallout” game or even a new “Wolfenstein” shooter. The Vines tease barbed wire, musical scores, and a dark and creepy environment that gave a very asylum like feel with plenty of scares and horrors hidden away behind its walls but you can watch the trailer above and see for yourself the scary atmosphere this game promises. We won’t being seeing “The Evil Within” this year but most likely sometime next year and is said to be set for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC and the next generation of consoles. In closing, I hope you all enjoy the trailer and hopefully it peeked your interest into this new game. 

Ga-Rei Zero

By: Robert Murphy

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has an anti-paranormal special forces group called the Paranormal Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters (PDCH). They are the ones responsible for protecting Japan and its people from supernatural events and monsters, however, things don't go so well on one of their missions, which leads to intervention by the Ministry of Environment's Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division (SDCD) after the PDCH had sustained large numbers of casualties battling demons. The SDCD being a small group of individuals who have special abilities to fight supernatural monsters, these select few people belong to exorcist families who have spent years battling these paranormal entities and have had countless generations trained to do so. This is where our two main characters come in; Yomi and Kagura are two daughters of two of the more prominent exorcist families and are both exorcists as parts of the SDCD. The two build a bond of sisterhood that is key in the story and in the single night where everything ends the question is asked; would you kill someone you love because of that love?

 Kagura on the left and Yomi on the right

“Ga-Rei Zero” starts out a little confusing as the beginning is essentially the end of the show itself and leaves you with so many questions right from the get go, questions that I found myself needed some answering. Initially the first characters you meet are a little uninspired and don’t have you on the edge of your seat but don’t worry they die……no joke; the first characters you meet are killed after taking down some paranormal entities and leaving you saying, “Uh what the fuck just happened?” As it turns out the anime isn’t even about these characters and the entire first episode turns into pretty much a giant mind screw to the audience as it reveals the story is about their killer, Yomi. The story is all about what happened leading up to this unfortunate night, as Yomi betrays her closest friends in the name of revenge and the bond she shares with Kagura, her sister, her friend and the person most precious to her.

Tsuchimiya family’s ancient spirit beast that aids them in their battles

After the first two episodes, we flashback to Yomi Isayama, who by day is your average high school student but by night she is probably the most prominent member of the Paranormal Disaster Countermeasure force. She is coming from a long line of Isayama’s who have been guardians of Japan from the evil spirits for years and she wields their most valuable treasure, a katana that houses the spirit of a giant beast. And then there is Kagura Tsuchimiya who is essentially a younger version of Yomi, she comes from a long line Tsuchimiya’s who have defended Japan and they also have a great spirit which they have used to help them in their fight against the evil spirits of Japan. She is the epitome of what a younger sister would be to Yomi in every sense and when her mother dies, her father sends her to his trusted friends, the Isayama’s, for more training and that’s where these two meet. And as the two fight alongside one another, Kagura and Yomi become very close and work together with a team of crackpot guardians under the supervision of the government to protect Japan.

 Just one of the evil spirits that plague Japan’s soil

But as you can already guess, the good times wouldn’t last forever, as corruption among the Isayama family and Japan’s government would quickly change everything. The story reveals that like Kagura, Yomi is an adopted part of the Isayama’s family and even though she is an extraordinarily gifted guardian, she has no true rights to her sword or to become head of the Isayama family, when the time comes. When Yomi’s uncle discovers this fact, he pushes her father to remove her from the Isayama’s inheritance in favor of his daughter, Mei, who is also a gifted guardian and acts incredibly cool and confident towards her adopted cousin but underneath the surface she is incredibly jealous of her and all that she will inherit. With all this bubbling under the surface, it would only take a small push in the wrong direction for everything to go wrong fast and that’s just what happens when the malevolent, power hungry spirit named Kazuhiro happily comes in to tear it all down around Kagura and Yomi.

Kazurhiro, our main enemy in the story and his pretty butterflies

Now I apologize right here and now for going into such deep explanation of the story; but once, or if, you watch “Ga-Rei Zero,” you will understand why the show needed so much explanation. Despite the initial start to the series leaving you with so many questions you quickly get wrapped up into the show when you want to know just what the hell is going on in the story. Now this is also a bad part to the show because even after the show is over there are many more questions you are left with and you feel the show either needs another season or should of done a better job of explaining a few things. For example even though the characters you meet at the beginning are immediately killed, you wonder about them because they appear in the story, very briefly but it leaves you with questions….or maybe not if you can just dismiss them after they are killed. The questions you ask yourself about the series aside, “Ga-Rei Zero” is an excellent show as it grabs you with its “good” questions of what is happening in the story. It is a very dark show, no doubt about that and even though the good guys win in the end it comes at a grave cost as all that Kagura and Yomi have is taken away from them and therein lies what makes the shows crucial impact, when you see all that these two had torn away from them.

Good:

-Great plot that hooks you with the massive twist

-Interesting story telling of end to beginning

-The bond between Kagura and Yomi’s bond are what make the story impact viewers

Bad:

-There are many questions left unanswered in the story that are simply overlooked and ignored

-The unanswered questions leave some plot holes

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10 

Bleach Chapter 534: "Everything but the Rain Op. 7: Hole of Reproach"

Link to Chapter: http://mangastream.com/read/bleach/85605977/1

*Spoilers* This week's Bleach chapter is mainly more downtime, but it continues to advance us towards what we already know happens in the story.  The only real twist has been that Masaki Kurosaki seems to have been infected with hollow powers after aiding Isshin in battle against Aizen's experiment.  This could lay the groundwork for how Ichigo was able to manifest fullbring and hollow powers to the extent that he could. While we already know Ichigo manifested his own hollow powers, they may in fact have been fueled by the powers that may have been passed down through these events.  The entire purpose of this chapter was Isshin telling Ichigo the story of "his roots," so this may in fact be fully outlining the exact nature of Ichigo's past and how his powers have come into being.  While I am definitely interested in where this story arc goes, especially now that Kisuke Urahara has made an appearance, I wonder how this will guide Ichigo when we return to the present story.  As usual, I guess we'll all have to wait for the next chapter in order to have just a bit more of the mystery surrounding this story unveiled.

“Defiance” Episode One

Well guys, it's Dibby here, and I just gotta say I LOVE DEFIANCE. There, I said it, I watched the first episode and instantly fell in love. I even recorded it so I could watch it again tomorrow. Defiance has instantly become one of my favorite science fiction shows I have ever seen. Now this doesn’t replace Firefly as my favorite, I mean only one episode has aired but I will be bringing my friends over to my house to watch this show. The plot is amazing, the cast is perfect getting Julie Benz to play a mayor of the town with the title as its name is awesome, the aliens OHHHH the aliens I promise you will love the look and feel that the creator gave them. One thing this show has going for it is the link between the show and game. Now the game takes place in the San Francisco area and the show in St. Louis but and without giving away anything from ether there are small little plot twists in the show that if you played the game you would be the only ones who understand them. For instance in the very beginning of the episode you see Nolan and Irsis use this cool little gadget to get this odd but cool looking sphere. If you didn’t play the game (mission is no longer available in game ether) you have no idea the pain these two went through getting that cool little gadget. Now I am hoping that there will be more links between the game and show but if they are only small and subtle like this one I will be ok with it, because I know whats going on and you don’t hahaha :P. Now I won't be doing a weekly thing about this show only because well I REFUSE TO GIVE AWAY ANY OF IT. But all I have to say no all I need to say is that if you want a good show to watch on Monday nights check out Defiance.

Olympus has Fallen

By Sean Dibble

“Olympus has Fallen” is a new film that has come out in March 2013 and stars Gerald Butler as a Secret Service agent. Now you may be thinking “oh wow great another action film…..woopdie flippin doo” well YOU'RE WRONG. This by far is not only the best action film I have seen in a long time but is also one of the most patriotic films EVER made (in my opinion). Now with that little bit said lets get to the actual review.

Secret Service agent Mike Banning is set on presidential detail, until an accident causes the death of the first lady. Though this accident was not his fault and the president even admits to that, he was forced to move to the treasury building and off of presidential detail. During a visit with the Prime Minister of South Korea something terribly wrong happens. Olympus is under attack, Banning an ex-ranger is the only one left alive on the white house grounds. That is not being held by the terrorist in the presidential bunker. Banning must use all of his training and all of his wit to save not only the president of the United States, but also his son.

Ok, so I am going to steal something one of my good friends said when talking about “Olympus has Fallen.”           He gives twelve reasons why this film works “Action superstar Gerard Butler (1) plays a former Army Ranger (2) who is in the Secret Service (3) assigned to the Presidential Detail (4) of the POTUS played by Aaron Eckhart (5) and the First Lady played by Ashley Judd (6). The White House (7) is captured with the POTUS inside, so Gerard Butler has to kill the shit out of North Korean (8) communist (9) terrorists (10) while being directly supervised via comms by the Acting POTUS, the Speaker of the House played by Morgan Freeman (11) and throughout the movie the only thing missing is Uncle Sam with a Bald Eagle and a minigun laying waste to the bad guys while eating a burger'n'fries to an electric guitar rendition of the National Anthem in the background because, by God, this is a 'Merican film(12)!” Thank you Mr. Vidny for saying this I could not have said it better myself. Yes, the cast of this film is amazing Gerald Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart and Ashley Judd you couldn’t ask for anyone else and if you do well you suck. The plot didn’t miss a beat, and the scary part is that who knows North Korea was probably thinking of doing this but then saw Butler and just was like “yeah forget that idea.” I truly have nothing bad to say about this film it makes up for Hollywoods inability to come up with what seems to be original ideas with all the remakes that have been coming out lately now not saying that those remakes are terrible but really Hollywood come up with an original idea…I mean “Red Dawn” the remake was a disgrace the original was amazing

So with all that said, if you are still unwilling to go out and watch “Olympus has Fallen,” you must be a communist, and I hate you. I am only kidding, we love all of our readers. But really, who could not love a Patriotic commie killing movie where the good guy and old glory win? I can't and I want to go see it again.

Good:

-Amazing Cast

-Amazingly Patriotic

-Plot…Amazing

-Action equally amazing

Bad:

-It ended

Scully Rating 9.5 out of 10

Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt (Borderlands 2 DLC)

By: Robert Murphy

Hello everyone, I know it is long overdue but oh well here it is, the review for the latest DLC to come to “Borderlands 2”, “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt”. That’s right we are delving deeper into Pandora and this time we’re heading to a more jungle like area with an Indiana Jones type of feel to it, ancient natives and all. But I don’t think Indie had to face the creatures you are about to face or had the kick ass weaponry you vault hunters are packing out there. After you download the DLC, players are given the option to go to a new area known as Aegrus where our resident cyborg gentlemen huntsman is looking to take up a bit of sporting good fun by hunting the areas exotic creatures. Not at all surprisingly though, things do not go according to plan and this “nice” get away turns ugly or uglier I should say, when  the evil doctor Nakayama, who's trying to create a clone of Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack aboard his massive downed ship starts to intervene. And so almost immediately we are taken away from the mustachioed antics of Sir Hammerlock and are sent after the mad doctor because who else is going to save Pandora…..again and even Sir Hammerlock himself says the same once you are taken away from the hunt.  

Vault hunters facing down a Witch Doctor

Dashed expectations are the words that come to mind when you play “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt”, if you are like me and you were looking forward to Sir Hammerlock getting his own unique tale of monster hunting exploits, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Despite the fact that the DLC is named after him Sir Hammerlock is barely seen or mentioned throughout the entire span of the story, you spend the first one or two missions with him and that’s it. Most of the story consists of players chasing after Dr. Nakayama and destroying his twisted Handsome Jack perversions and the local tribesman which can prove to be difficult. A new enemy that players will be facing is known as the Witch Doctor and he comes in many forms like slagged and electrified but in any form he proves to be a pain in the ass for the simple fact that they are able to heal other savages and blast away Vault Hunter shields with a single shot. Also they can turn into an elemental force of bats, tornadoes and other pain in the ass effects that will have you in last chance mode in a matter of seconds which frankly annoyed me to no end on many occasions.

Dr. Nakayama

The downloadable campaign takes place across three chapters, with a few side quests tossed in to pad things out but they are nothing new that we haven’t already seen. The DLC is fairly short, and where Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage was bolstered by some great voice overs and funny characters that distracted you from the tedious missions, “Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt” doesn't have the charisma of Mr. Torgue or Tina gave you in the last DLC to liven up what are ultimately a few switch-flipping and fetch quests. For those of you who may of noticed the DLC also doesn’t raise the level cap at all and there in laid my reason for waiting to play this DLC, because of my level 50 character I chose to wait until the level cap was raised. For those of you who waited like me, there is some good news as recently the game has had its level cap increased to 61 through a DLC offered through the game, adding some purpose to playing this the DLC.

Claptrap gets some worshipers this time around

In closing, “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt” is anything but what the title suggest, players unfortunately barely see our mustached cyborg and are instead made to ignore the enjoyable setting they are placed in. The new area is well put together and I would of loved hunting with Hammerlock across it but instead I had to face down the wanna-be Handsome Jack, Doctor Nakayama, and where Handsome Jack was a cool, swarmy and cocky bastard with a robot army to back it up, Dr. Nakayama has a second rate army and immediately regrets ever challenging you. All in all, there isn’t much that saves the DLC, not even “Borderlands” legendary humor, making for an unfortunately disappointing add on.

Good:

-The new area is well designed and nice to enjoy if you take the time to look around

-One or two chuckles to be had but not many

-Hey it’s still Borderlands and that’s good for something

Bad:

-Witch Doctors are very annoying enemies

-Dr. Nakayama is a second rate, Handsome Jack wanna-be that really worsens the DLC

-Sir Hammerlock’s barely involved in his own DLC

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10

  

Assassin’s Creed 3: Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal

By: Robert Murphy

Time once again everyone to take a look into the what-if world where the father of our country, George Washington is an evil dictator obsessed with power in the second episode of the “Assassin’s Creed 3’s”  DLC, “Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal”. Unlike the first episode of the DLC, “The Betrayal” takes players out of the frontier and puts them back into the hustle and bustle of early colonial life in Boston, not necessarily by your choice but that’s a minor bump in the road.

So close and yet so far, Connor and Washington face to face

Back in Boston and under lock and key we are introduce to the main man himself, George Washington and his partners Ben Franklin and Putnam who are on their way to solidifying control over America and taking it all for themselves. Players will see this new Washington in great form as the man who helped to found our nation shows of his skills but this time for his own personal gain in true evil genius fashion. And as Washington continues to ravage the land and showing true cruelty, Connor is left to suffer more heartache through the “The Betrayals” story and is introduced to new characters in the story along the way. Players will definitely start to see the story move in a faster pace this time around as well, missions and story are more to the point and you won’t spend your time wondering around doing meaningless missions and sitting through lengthy dialogue.

Your Eagle power in action

Connor also gains a new ability with this new DLC and oh boy is it a lot of fun to use, this new power allows Connor to take on the form of an eagle and fly around towns and buildings as well as working as a form of fast travel to use to get from city to city. Unlike your handy invisibility cloak that you gained in the first DLC, the eagle form takes up much less health and comes quite handy when taking on missions and generally one upping every enemy you face. Speaking of which your invisibility power makes for an excellent combination with your new found flying ability as there are many different ways in which you can combine the two making for some amazing assassinations and doing a pretty good job of making you feel like a badass. And how could you not when you are walking around in your Native American headdress and war paint, you feel ready to take on anything that gets thrown at you. However this does come off as a little weird as you are strutting around town with an animal pelt over your head, it makes you wonder why the hell Washington and his men can’t find and stop you I mean you’re kind of a sore thumb.

 Looks like Benjamin Franklin’s pissed that nobody invited him to the party

In conclusion, “The Betrayal” definitely helps players feel more grounded and interested in the story as the first episode had you on loose footing with its large amounts of dialogue and slow pacing that went along with it. However there is more work to be done on the story because it is far from perfect, players still find themselves on a few boring side missions but they now feel less monotonous. The characters that we are used to being great and inspiring men have been designed in a way that there complete change of personalities feels believable and it’s almost sad to see these once great men go so wrong. The story ends on a great cliff hanger although I won’t spoil anything I will just say that we are hopefully in for an amazing final episode to “The Tyranny of King Washington”

Good:

-New Eagle power is amazing and fun to use in combination with your previous abilities

-Pacing is much faster and more conclusive

-Washington and his men are well done in regards to their fall into terrene

Bad:

-Still some monotonous missions

-Walking around town in your headdress, while awesome, makes you question why the people aren’t freaking out around you

-Stories still not on completely solid ground but has definitely improved since the first DLC

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10  

Bioshock Infinite

By: Kyle Fee

I remember back in the September of 2007 I only had a few minutes to play the new game I had gotten before I got rushed to a football game.  In those few minutes of playing the original Bioshock I remember looking at the city of Rapture below the sea being awe-stricken by how different this setting was.  The idea of a city below the ocean and all the great ideas of plasmids and big daddies was what made it such an amazing game.  Now the sequel was good but lacked the same feeling you received when you initially set eyes on Rapture for the first time….lets fast forward to the now.  Here we are and Irrational games has created a fresh new game.  Just like entering Rapture, seeing the city of Columbia floating amongst the clouds was totally different and never before seen (Bespin in Star Wars games doesn’t count). and Irrational has again succeeded in making me dumbstruck by the imagery and graphics of the game.

The year is 1912 and we are immediately introduced to Brooker Dewitt.  The character you play as through the game.  He is sent to this city for one thing, find a girl and wipe away his debt.  This term or phrase will be heard a lot as you play through the game so to avoid any spoilers that’s all I will say about that.  Now the girl you’re off to find is Elizabeth, a young girl locked away in a massive tower.  Now almost like a Damsel in distress, you free her from her locked castle.  After that you will meet many more characters in an attempt to escape Columbia.  The main villain here is Zachary Hale Comstock.  The charismatic leader of Columbia.  His word is law and life for the people is perfect, that is if you’re not one of the hated groups of people in Comstock’s eyes.  The idea of racism and segregation is strong here, but it plays a key part of this game.  Going back to Elizabeth, she is one of the stronger female characters I have ever seen in a video game.  The way she is portrayed, and the voice acting for her is indeed great.  When she is beside you during the game, she doesn’t run for cover and does nothing but she seeks ammunition, health and salts for your vigor’s (I will discuss that in a minute).  She can open tears that allow weapon drops, allies and cover to spawn in game to help you during combat.  So as for that to you will be thankful for having Elizabeth around.  

            As for Combat in Bioshock, it’s great.  At first when I initially played I was not too impressed, but after a few more combat scenarios or fights broke out during the game I was hooked.  The weapons are all different and offer their own way of going about fighting, rather it be a simple machine gun or a shotgun blunderbuss or a RPG, the weapons will all play into the game in different ways and allow for different way to approach a fight.  The citizens of Columbia utilize Zeppelins, small hovering boat look alikes, and the skyline to travel across the city of Columbia.  Now why do I mention this? Well the skyline plays a key factor in movement in the game and also a awesome way to get around enemies and dive on them for a quick melee attack.  This was cool and once again allowed for quick tactical decisions for combat.  Now for Vigor’s, the equivalent of Plasmids from the original Bioshock.  Some similar to the older ones but some creative ones like my favorite Murder of crows which allows a swarm of crows to peck their way at enemies and help you attack them while they are being swarmed.   So with Vigor’s, aerial attacks, weapons and tear’s allow for combat to be solid and work amazingly in Bioshock Infinite. 

Bioshock Infinite has a different feel to it.  That’s what made me feel like the game was great.  You fight enemy’s that range from the common solider to the brutish Handy man (Equivalent to the big daddy from Bioshock).  It has a great story and though I didn’t divulge into as much (to avoid spoilers), that is also very good.  The story moves along and even though you expect a twist to come, you’re expecting it but you still won’t see it coming at all.  The combat works great and is still extremely different than what we come to expect from first person shooters and allows for the player to engage in combat from different angles.  Overall my time with Bioshock was great, I still had to complain about the small things but it was still a great experience. 

Good:

-Great visuals

-Great story

-Combat is different and Irrational was able to provide a different experience once more

-Great characters, especially Dewitt and Elizabeth

Bad:

-Visuals were great but lack a little on counsels, for best experience use on P.C if you have a good RIG

Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10