J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars

Zach Goodier

J.U.L.I.A. is a point-and-click adventure game that follows the character of Rachel Manners, who awakes from cryosleep aboard a damaged spaceship on an expedition to explore the cosmos for new worlds to explore. However, she awakes to find nobody else on board. Her only companions are the ships on-board AI,  J.U.L.I.A. , and the automated exploration robot, Mobot. Rachel soon discovers that J.U.L.I.A. has damaged memory cores, but she remembers that the rest of the crew awoke 60 years prior. She struggles to cope with the situation, as she tries to uncover the fate of the crew, and explore this new solar system.

Over the last 60 years, the environment hasn't been kind to the outposts your crew set up.

Now, I’m a lover of great sci-fi stories, and this game doesn’t disappoint in that regard. Rachel’s journey spans a solar system with a grand mystery hidden under the waves, buried in the sands, and hidden beyond the imagination. There are several worlds to explore, and each has its own secrets to uncover, often tied in to the expedition of your crew. As you uncover the fate of your crewmates, you also uncover bits of the history of the solar system, which hosts several habitable, or once habitable worlds.

Some mysterious creatures are as beautiful as they are dangerous.

Your crew’s story started 60 years ago, and spanned for some time as they ventured into the system to explore. However, they uncovered more than they bargained for, and panic, confusion, and treachery tore the crew apart. You have to sort through the remnants to figure out what transpired, which will set you on the path to discovering the secrets at the heart of millennia of history, and every step compels you to dig deeper, look hardly, and uncover every last hint you can. The tone is very solitary, making you feel alone, with your only companions being computers, with not another human being around for hundreds of light-years. It makes the entire game feel lonely, but in a good way that drives you forward in trying to piece everything together just to keep moving forward.

Moments like this serve little purpose to the story, but help engage the player in an alien environment and explore.

The only characters you really follow are the 3 main ones, the rest of the crew you learn about via log entries found on holopads and computer terminals, all of which help piece together what happened. Rachel is fairly straight-forward, with her curiosity and desperation driving her along, and J.U.L.I.A. is an intelligent force that helps guide you forward. Mobot is the medium for interacting with the worlds, as he goes planet-side and gives you a visual feed to guide him in interacting with the environment.

Environments are full of clues and items that will help you along your journey, you just have to sort it all out from the junk.

This game really impressed me with its sharp story, interesting environments, and use of mystery and lore to drive the player forward, like Rachel, almost desperate to piece together the larger puzzle. I loved this game for its elegant simplicity. The problem is that it’s a one-shot. The game is very linear, and once you beat it, there’s really no reason to go back. Also, the adventure itself can be completed in an afternoon, so don’t buy this for the long haul. That being said, it’s a great ride while it lasts, and it explores the themes that make science fiction such a great genre. Without spoiling it, the final choice at the end is the only real narrative freedom the player gets, but it also offers a difficult choice that makes it seem impossible to truly get it right. This was the cherry on the sundae for this game, and despite its faults, it does what it sets out to do with finesse, a rare feat in the sea of mediocre games out there today. 

Good:

- Great story.

- Fun adventure across multiple planets.

- Rich lore to uncover about the system you explore.

- Great choice at the end

Bad:

- No real replay value

- Relatively short

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

By: Robert Murphy

There is nothing more terrifying than being alone in the dark when you’re a kid, there could be monsters, demons and god knows what else lurking in those shadows or at least that’s their mind set. Well, for the unlucky child of Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 his nightmares have become all too real as he finds himself defending against nightmarish version of the already deadly animatronics animals of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. Yes, the classic tradition of playing a lowly security guard looking to make some quick cash has now been dropped. No long do you have security cameras to help you see what’s coming but rather you’re only armed with a simple flashlight, little legs and hopefully some expert listening skills. I have to say, the odds don’t look good for you.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 features more of a style that was present in the first the game where you are centered in a small room with doors on either side of you but you no longer feel so helpless, sort of. For the first time ever your character is allowed to move around the room which serves as a replacement for the ability to look around an entire building with the use of the security cameras. Movement is something that was a double edged sword however as the panic from moving between the two doors, your closet and looking behind you on the bed made things quite stressing. That being said, the camera system is not something I found myself missing as the tougher nights in previous games made it near impossible to look around the building for the animatronics in the first place as they were already charging towards you. This is one thing that definitely hasn’t changed as the famous electronic monsters have received a more frightening look and are ready to catch you at every opportunity if you are not listening carefully.

Sound and atmosphere is a key feature to this latest installment of Five Nights. While you are able to run up to all the doors and either flash your flashlight down the hall or slam the door tight for sweet protection, you have to be sure you’re doing both of these things correctly. The flashlight is honestly a very powerful weapon, as ridiculous as that sounds, and it was also a well done mechanic. Your character can use the flashlight to shine down either hall if you hear the thumping sounds of Bonnie, Chica, Foxy or any other of the later enemies that come up. You will also need it to shine on the bed when tiny demented Freddies appear there, let too many get up there and you will end up getting attacked by them.

While this is all well and good, you have to know when to use your handy dandy flashlight to ward off your enemies. Once at any of the doors you must be sure to listen carefully for breathing or the electronic noises that they all create because shining your flashlight at that moment will get you killed in a horrible jumpscare, leaving your heart racing and your pants wet. The solution for this to simply hold onto that door for dear life once you hear the breathing but as I said make sure that’s what you heard because closing the door when their isn’t anyone there will also land you in some hot water too. While this is the mechanic for most of the first few nights, things change up drastically later on with the addition of some other familiar and not so familiar faces. This is something which makes the challenges you face never too unappealing or monotonous as it started to feel in the previous installment.

Perhaps the best received addition though has to be the incorporation of a stronger story. After completing each night players are transferred to an Atari style world like the ones in the previous game but these tell more about what is happening this time around. As you delve further into each night you learn more and more about the child you’re currently playing as and perhaps why he is having these bad dreams in the first place. The specifics are still left slightly up in the air as is Scott Cawthon’s trademark way of presenting the story. However, I love this aspect to the story and the way it is presented as you never truly know what is happening in these games, you must decide that for yourself.

The final feature is a something entirely new where you are allowed to advance two hours into your next night if you are able to catch a new animatronics called Plushtrap (a smaller version of Springtrap) with your flashlight and place him on a white x. It is a small but cheeky addition to the game and one that led me to feel all to confident as I stumbled into another night with my head held high, only to be sent running from my screen.

I am entirely delighted by Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 as it makes a whole new interpretation to its nightmare fueled story. The animatronics of Fazbear’s Pizza have never looked scarier as their appearances get warped and exaggerated by the mind of your young character. Features such as a much more telling story also add to what was an all around enjoyable horror experience. I find myself being a kid again and checking the darkness while I hide under the blankets, hoping that no mechanized monsters coming stumbling out of the darkness for me.

Good:

- New nightmarish forms of the animatronics

- Terrifying atmosphere

- The sound center gaming experience will creep you right out

- A more in-depth story

Bad:

- Besides the fact that it cost me a new pair of boxers, I’ve got nothing

Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Bleach 637: Baby, Hold Your Hand

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/637

Pernida reveals his true form: the left arm of the Soul King. This raises a lot of questions, such as how the Soul King's left arm is serving the man who seeks to kill the Soul King, but more pressingly, how will Kurotsuchi handle this revelation? He feels instantly thrilled, because he's witnessing power from a being that few have even glimpsed before, and he revels at the thought of learning more about this creature, but first, he has to survive it. As Pernida begins to unleash his nerve attacks, and grow out to his full size, he lashes out to attack the mad scientist, who is holding his own, but how will he stop this force of nature, and what does Pernida's working for Juha Bach mean?

Game of Thrones: Episode 5 - A Nest of Vipers

By: Robert Murphy

Victory is all too sweet a thing for one to have in the world of Game of Thrones. As soon as I began to feel confident in the previous episode I knew that I was bound for some sort of fall in the next, especially where things were left off for House Forrester. Do not get me wrong though I would do it all over again and relish the sweet taste of minor victories even knowing what happens in “A Nest of Vipers.” Nonetheless, the struggles faced in this latest chapter will prove to test you in a number of ways as all the best plans for the Forrester’s feel less and less certain. It will however prove to make the final chapter for the series one that I will not want to miss out on playing.

The story picks things right back up where they left it off as you square off with Ramsay Snow as he revisits Ironrath when word of what you have been up to reaches his ear. There is plenty of his trademark brutality spread throughout this opening scene and it sets the stage for all the other difficult moments yet to come for the rest of the chapter. What did make Rodrik’s decisions lack luster during your interaction with Ramsay was the fact that you knew no good would come off it. It’s the issue you get with adding characters from the show and putting them against fictional characters that never actually did anything to any of the people we know (and hate) from the show. So all the prompts for dialogue that would lead me to making threats towards Ramsay were frankly disappointing and would make you feel rather empty after even attempting to use them. What’s worse is a small but significant choice you make between the two of you that you just knew would go nowhere as soon as it happens but you suffer through anyways. It’s a very Game of Thrones thing to do.

That being said, not everything was disappointing for Rodrik in this latest chapter. Not only does he rekindle a flame that I thought would never be lit again he also discovers the identity of the traitor that is reporting to the Whitehills on every move they make. It’s a crucial moment in the story as you can potentially end up betraying the trust of some of the people around you by administering justice upon this traitor but it also serves as a triumph for Rodrick who once again stands tall against his enemies. This comes none to soon considering the battles ready to come in the final chapter.

Mira’s part of the story once again feels rather shorter than many of the previous episodes but it is still a difficult one to say the least. Once again you are caught in Cersei’s line of sight and as we all know she does not let up easily. The dialogue between you two is perhaps the most sweat inducing moments I have experience throughout the entire series and that is saying something. Squaring off against her is no easy feat despite how easy Tyrion makes it look half the time but whatever the case you’re tasked with getting information from her brother about his upcoming trial. Tyrion is once again a delight to see and his part in the story is so easy going despite the circumstance and Peter Dinklage hits it out of the park with some spot on voice work.

As for things north of The Wall, nothing too exciting takes place for Gared and his team of deserters as they try to make it to the North Grove. There is some enjoyable action here and the big baddies that I wanted to see in the previous chapter have finally made their appearance. As for everything else, the dialogue was a bit bland as you try to figure out what to do about Cotter’s injuries and the fact his sister seems unwilling to go further north. There was also a particularly annoying hunting aspect to his story as you attempt to use a bow with barely enough of a prompt to allow for any accuracy but hey, who needs food in a snowy wasteland?

Far across the sea, things in Meereen lead you to a promising future. Daenery’s pulls a bit of a 180 on you as the events during the sacking of the city are revealed to her but nothing some more relationship ruining with Beshka couldn’t solve and despite everything you must find the fighters on your own. You are however given enough gold to pay for some fighters and Asher makes his return to Meereen for some good old fashion but kicking. His is a character that continues to shine and he also makes the combat feel quite enjoyable every time I cockily take down whatever is in my way.

What Telltale continues to get right is the fantastic story, just like in the show this second to last episode proves to set the stage for a massive and dramatic finale. The last choice you will make for the episode is a horribly difficult one and it something that George R.R. Martin would be proud to see I believe. If no other choice has made you feel the need to play the story over again then this one may certainly test you on that resolve. “A Nest of Vipers” is chocked full of more twists and turns as House Forrester gets ready for what may be their final hours.

Good:

- Some critical choice that will lead to a great ending

- Mira’s story and her interaction with Cersei and Tyrion

- The final choice at the end of the chapter

Bad:

- Ramsay Snow was far too untouchable

- Gared’s story goes nowhere slowly

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10

World of Warriors

Sean Dibble

Looking for a game to play while you use the rest room, or need to kill time while at a doctors office? World of Warriors is the game for you! This little gem from Mind Candy will suck all of your free time up, and the best part is it is absolutely free. Android and IOS users can download this game and start training and battling warriors and work though to save the Wildlands. 

The game is basically a fighting game where you go through fighting an evil force that is set on destroying the Wildlands and you play a noble hero is summoned to assist warriors in defeating said evildoers. What warriors will you use you ask? GREAT QUESTION! You get famous warriors like Attila, Hannibal, and Joan of Arc to name a few. Each warrior has a specific color assigned to it and the color system works just as it does in Pokemon where green is weak against red and strong against yellow and so on and so forth.



Graphically the game is great for a mobile game, the 3D graphics are toony but fun to look at and the movement of the characters and the moves they pull are great. The game system of winning battles gaining xp and training warriors is one we are all too familiar with though, and though it does differentiate itself just a little bit with gold being somewhat useless and elemental figurines/wildstones being far more important to level/get new warriors. The game does have a pay system that if you want to pay for stones/potions you can but why would you when it is easy to get them in the first place. 

World of Warriors has all the features that make a simple game for your mobile device, it has simple mechanics, decent graphics and nearly addicting gameplay. I suggest that anyone looking to kill a few minutes pick this game up. It is free at the app store and on the Google Play store. Go out and save the Wildlands my friends for Mind Candy has given you a great game to play!!

Good:

- Easy Gameplay

- Good Graphics

- FREE

Bad:

- Too similar to past games

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Ant-Man

Zach Goodier

Ant-Man stars Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Dr. Pym. Together, they attempt to stop the release of Pym’s research to Hydra by Pym’s former assistant: Daren Cross. Scott starts out as a former con who is desperate to get his life back on track and reconnect with his daughter. He tries to start an honest life, but his criminal record almost guarantees that nobody will hire him, forcing him to seek out other means of paying his bills. This is how Scott hears that a guy with a vault in his basement is leaving town for a week, and Lang and his friends decide to break in to steal the contents. It is in the vault that Scott finds a strange suit, the suit used by Ant-Man. It is soon revealed that Pym leaked the info on his own vault so Scott would steal it, and Pym could scout out his talent with the suit and determine if he can be the next Ant-Man.

You might not see a comic-book hero, but he'll surprise you.

The story is well done, with Scott’s story providing a tragic situation due to his criminal record and desperation to get back in his daughter’s life. This makes Scott a very relatable character right from the start, and you feel invested in where his story goes. Michael Douglas also does a fantastic job of Pym, with him coming across as very lonely, yet driven in his pursuit to stop his research from tearing the world apart with more super soldiers like him.

Hank Pym is the creator of all the shrinking tech, which his associates, and former understudy, are out to replicate.

Daren Cross feels like another great character, with his anger over Pym’s distant and secretive nature making him feel somewhat justified in his pursuits, even if you know they must be stopped. The Cross/Pym conflict that unfolds around Scott offers the chance for both characters to really come to life a lot more than they would have if they had be forced to take a backseat to Scott’s story, and it all really works out well, with everything being easy to follow despite these separate conflicts going on.

Pym's daugher, Hope, is skeptical of Scott's chances, but of course she eventually warms up to him... a lot.

The action is great, even if there isn’t a great deal of actual fighting taking place. There is a great fight between Ant-Man and Falcon, which unfolds as Scott is still learning about his powers, but it allows for a great cameo, and a nice tie-in to the rest of the Marvel universe. The fight between Scott and Daren Cross is great, when Cross puts on the Yellow Jacket suit and they fight in their shrunken forms. The comedy is great as the epic fight between these two is often put in perspective as their epic clash is only knocking over small objects like toys and such. But most of the movie is just a great CGI work with Ant-Man interacting with the world as a miniature man, almost always unnoticed by the rest of the world.

Choo choo!

Overall, this movie was excellent. I don’t know the source material well enough to do any sort of comparison, but this movie excels more than I thought it would on its own. Scott is a very relatable character who might not have the epic feel of Thor or Iron Man, but sometimes big things really do come in small packages, and Ant-Man is no exception. 

Yellowjacket might not be as thought at as the other characters, but he's meant to give the new Ant-Man that extra push.

I would highly recommend giving this movie a shot, because the great humor, excellent characters, and brilliant action make this movie a worthy addition to the Marvel franchise. The only issue I had was a couple of small details here and there that distracted me with questions about the nature of Ant-Man’s powers, and if you’re into the more action side of the Marvel franchise, this might not satisfy, since there are only a couple major fight scenes in the whole movie, and neither one really lasts all that long. Still, this movie is a very worthy addition to the Marvel universe, and definitely worth going to see.

Good:

- Great casting on all major roles.

- Two major plotlines, and both are excellently done.

- Great humor.

Bad:

- Doesn’t feel as action-packed as some of the other Marvel movies.

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10

Fairy Tail : The Land Abandoned by God

Sean Dibble

The Land Abandoned by God

Natsu and the group have found Master Makarov and learned of Zeref being Emperor Spriggan. At Makarov's request they all start to go home when Ajeel shows up ready to fight. A quick retreat has been ordered, though that doesn't seem to be any good as Ajeel has caught up quite quickly. Makarov fearing the worst for his children he demands they do not fight him. Grey and Lucy disobey with the greatest intentions in their heart. We finally see Greys' powers in full force as he releases his demon slayer form. Ajeel decides that he has had enough chasing of the fairies and uses his version of a gate to hell. He then declares that Ishgal is a land abandoned by gods. Thinking it is all over and he has finished the fairy tail wizards, but as all seems lost they break free and Natsu in his infamous glory punches Ajeel, the punch that starts the war against Spriggan.

Well, the war has started and I am both eager and hesitant about this upcoming arc. I think that this may be the final arc of the fairy tail story. Zeref has been the antagonist since very early on and I am not sure the story will continue if the war is won by Fairy Tail. Now with that said, I CAN NOT WAIT FOR NATSU to punch Zeref straight in the face. We will have many battles to look forward to though because all the wizards of Fairy Tail are extremely strong and they may are bringing Gildarts back for the war. Lets also not forget that Spriggans' shields and all 12 seem extremely strong. AHH I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU GUYS!!!!!!!

Un-Go

By: Robert Murphy

It’s always a bit of a daunting task to create a good mystery style show especially in anime as often times the main character is usually a world renowned detective who is the smartest person in the room. Un-Go has this about half right as Shinjurrou Yuuki works on many cases throughout a war torn Japan but sadly his nickname as the “Defeated Detective” has him seen in low regards. This does not deter him in the slightest however as it is not fame he is looking for but rather the truth behind every situation he comes across. This in turn ends up revealing some of the secrets that have no come from this nation under attack and even though the fighting is over there is still unrest throughout the land.

The first couple of episodes for Un-Go had me completely flabbergasted if I’m being honest, the core idea for the serious was obviously a mystery anime but it featured an odd supernatural element. The first few mysteries that Yuuki had to solve were nothing extraordinary but they were intriguing enough to a point that made me want to find more out about the series. This is because by the end of the first episode it is obvious that this “Defeated Detective” is obviously much more capable than people think he is but because of the way the world works, he is snubbed. What I mean by this is the post war society we find ourselves in has gone a little backwards and is now acting more in a restrict and confined way. Things such as social media, lewd behavior and other acts are looked on with strict scrutiny and there are even centers for dangerous thinkers and people who have behaved poorly in some way. And so much of what Yuuki ends up doing reveals this sort of nature of the world so rather than being right, which he often is, you get sucked up into the actual world around you.

The style in which the episodes are presented always revolves around some new mystery that Yuuki is either invited to join in on the case or people come to him for help because they know he is actually far more skilled than most people think. I do wish that this weren’t the case though as every episode didn’t need a brand new case to be solved every single time. The second half of the series sort of drops this mechanic to the story but that’s only because the cases need two or more episodes to be solved in the first place. That being said, this is where the show really starts to shine as the cases have more time to breathe and do not feel entirely rushed through to make the 22 minute run time. Although these last episodes delve further into the supernatural elements to the story they are nonetheless very interesting pieces to the overall world. Yuuki is able to solve the mysteries but he does stumble and make mistakes, which is what makes his character easier to watch than most genius type characters you come across.

Sometimes this factor is not even the show lengths part but rather the fault lies with Yuuki’s young/older sidekick, Inga. Inga has the appearance of a young boy most of the time but can transform into an older woman with the power and yearning to ask one question of the suspect that Yuuki chooses and they have no choice to answer it truthfully. So basically a detectives dream but the urge for her to devour the souls of the person Yuuki chooses often comes at inconvenient times and it makes certain episodes feel rather rushed. While other time her powers to create some intrigue I felt that Inga was just a bit of a detraction for a series that was already doing moderately well with out this supernatural lie detector.

I’m a bit torn once again, Un-Go presented an intrigue war torn style Japan, buildings were knocked over, government sanctions were enacted and a few other curious aspects to the overall world that had me wrapped up in it all as Yuuki unveiled more and more of it. On the other hand there is the supernatural aspects to the story that are never fully explained, the ending to the series is where Yuuki tells all about where he and Inga met and why they travel together but it still leaves too much unsaid. Perhaps if the series had a longer run time and things had more time to be explained then everything would have gone better but as it stands Un-Go is a show that lacks a certain something to be considered good.

Good:

- Yuuki and his role of “Defeated Detective”

- The cases were all intriguing even the supernatural ones

- The post war Japan environment

Bad:

- Inga and other supernatural beings aren’t explained well

- The supernatural angle itself detracts from the story

- Almost every episode had a new case which was sometimes rushed through

Scully Rating: 5.8 out of 10

Bleach 636: Sensitive Monster

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/636

Kenpachi lunges forward to strike Pernida, who manages to mangle Kenpachis arm as he lands the first strike. Seeming at a draw, with a clear wound on Pernida's head, and Kenpachi's arm broken beyond use, the tables soon turn again as Kenpachi lunges forward again, after a brief argument with Kurotsuchi. However, Kurotsuchi intervenes by stabbing Kenpachi with his zanpakuto, shutting down his nerves. It turns out, this was to save him, as Kurotsuchi has figured out Pernida's power: the ability expand the reishi in his veins to extend his bodily control to his opponents body, making it contort and twist itself into ruin. Basically, he uses his own nerves to hijack parts of an opponents body to make it harm itself from the inside. Kurotsuchi even uses some of his drugs on Pernida as his nerves are momentarily exposed to attack, and Pernida starts to "melt." Is this a result of the drug, or is Pernida starting to finally reveal his true form?

Rocket League

By: Robert Murphy

“This is utterly ridiculous” was the first thought that entered my mind when I set out to play the latest game on Steam I’d been hearing so much about and while my opinion did not change, my attitude towards its ridiculous nature sure did. Rocket League is a game that takes r/c styled cars brought life sized to play a game of soccer in monolithic and neon infused stadium. Sounds crazy I know and that’s the beauty of it all as rocket propelled cars zip across the field smashing into one another and trying to get gigantic metal ball into your opposing team’s goal. What adds to the fun is the gravity defying things your cars can do, think hydraulics but with boosters that can pop you up with one touch of a button and help you send the ball soaring into the goal for an explosive victory.

Matches are divided into modes of your choosing, the main one being a 3 v 3 match up of you and two other teammates going up against another team of three. However there is also 4 v 4, 2 v 2 and for the truly confident players out there 1 v 1. Whatever you choose things are presented in a very straight forward way that people can pick up fairly quickly. The rules are to simply get the ball in the goal any way possible as it goes up and down, left and right and all over the variety of fields you will find yourself playing in. Your car is able to keep up and go most anywhere the ball goes as well since gravity is a bit off for the fields but in a good way. Players can drive up the walls and perform aerial boosts to hit the ball wherever it may go, it is a bit tricky to do some of the stunts you will see but I found myself picking it all up rather easily as I went along. There also boost pads littered throughout the field to help you keep pace or prevent the ball from reaching your goal just in the nick of time.

While most of the time things may feel utterly chaotic, there is a bit of strategy to be had as you play along too. Getting right up into the thick of things is essential as you will need to get the ball lined up or get it far away from your own goal before the other team finds their moment to score. What helps with the finesse is the ability to do stunts and tricks. The boost feature allows players to not only pop up into the air but if done again and with the use of the directional pad you can perform bicycle hits, barrel roles and other moves to give the ball that final tap it needs to get into the goal. Most of the time the ball will find its way into the goal if your shot is true but this little feature helps out a great deal especially when you’re climbing up the wall and need to bat the ball back to the playing field.

When you finally manage to break away from the metallic madness of the main game, Rocket League features some small but enjoyable features to make your little death machine stand out. There is a progression system in place where players start off as “Rookies” and progress further as you earn experience from winning matches, special hits, goals and basically just about anything you do. This in turn unlocks items to personalize your own vehicle and also unlock other cars to try out as well. There are a number of fun decals, different jet streams to change your boost and items that give your car hats and antennas as well. And while these are only small cosmetic options they nonetheless add to the overall fun spirit that Rocket League was aiming for from its gameplay.

Everything isn’t all about multiplayer and online either, there happens to be exhibition matches and full seasons that players can do by themselves. This, however, points out a flaw for the usual easy going dynamic and that is with the games AI. In single play and online matches you will most likely come across AI players who don’t quite prove up to the ability of taking the place of a real player. It is reassuring to know that the teams remain even with the same amount of players but I found myself often getting sad when that final player isn’t found for a match and an AI takes its place. This proved to be especially true when facing tougher opponents but it did not stop my addiction for more rocket propelled action as the crowd around me cheered and I soared across the field in my spunky little racer.

Simplicity is never a bad thing as many of the games I’ve played over the years have proven that a simple concept can be insanely addictive and warrant a lot of replay value. This is something that Rocket League is in no short supply of as it pits players against each other with nothing but a car and an indestructible ball that you try to get into your opponents goal. In the near future I would love to be sitting in one of the many virtual crowds that are featured in the matches watching boosting cars do insane tricks that lead the explosive conclusion of a goal. A man can dream, right?

Good:

- Easy to learn concept and controls

- Insanely fast paced/crazy matches

- Vehicle customization is filled with cheeky items

- Surprising degree of strategy at subtly to the art of explosive car soccer

Bad:

- AI can be somewhat boring and unreliable

Scully Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Triage X

By: Robert Murphy

I think at one time or another all of us have taken a look at the news or have seen the ugliness of human nature when you hear about some of the things people do and wish someone would come and take care of them for good. Well, the doctors and nurses of Mochizuki General feel the same way and within their walls lay a secret group known as Black Label which works outside of the law to excise the malignant tumors and diseases of the world before they spread to the rest of society. This of course involves ridiculous exploits and a show of utter machismo as the team of busty woman and one local high school student named Arashi Mikami put out all the stops to take down their targets. This includes ridiculous masks, super fast motorcycles, giant gatling guns and oh I cannot forget the last factor, gigantic explosions.

What initially had me invested in Triage X, besides my baser male instincts, was the fact that the shows manga came from the creative mind of another ridiculously male audience focused anime, Highschool of the Dead. Given one look at the either show and you can see the obvious similarities but there are some drastic differences between the two shows. While I may sit down and laugh at the exploits of Highschool of the Dead and not so secretly enjoy the female characters throughout the story, I could also say that I actually enjoy the story and all of the characters that were featured throughout. This isn’t to say either show is over the top amazing with what it has to offer but Triage X takes a hit in a number of departments that the other does not.

The story centers around the secret Black Label team of doctors, nurses and characters who were all saved from life threatening diseases or attacks by the hospitals founder Masamune Mochizuki who used to be a world renowned surgeon and despite his age he probably has some skill left in him. The most prominent among the patients he has saved is Arashi who after a bombing is saved from death by Masamune by stitching together body parts from his own son to Arashi. This leaves Arashi with some deep seeded personal issues that include seeing the ghost of his dearly departed friend from time to time. Yes, this is the sort of stuff you can expect to see riddled throughout the story but like most everything else it leads nowhere. Arashi appears to be shows center one minute but takes a big back seat, the first few episodes we get into how he’s seeking some sort of purpose but then that fizzles out.

Perhaps the big over arcing story involves the other organization that appears and is simply dubbed Syringe. The groups purpose is the ultimately to spread chaos throughout the world through the use of a miracle drug that can be used to save lives but without the antidote it will kill you shortly after. Syringe though just appears out of nowhere one episode and all the characters never really get explained. Some feature super strength like one of the members of Black Label, the other is supposedly the evil mastermind and one can manipulate voices. If I sound vague on the details it’s because the show is just as vague on the exact details as well.

Our main characters from Black Label are just as unimpressive as the enemies that they’re fighting against. Arashi as I said has some issues after being stitched together with pieces of his former best friend and I honestly can say I do not blame him for that. But the story never develops his issues or his character to any sort of degree that I would have been interested to finding out more about him. He is a stone cold stoic who tries his best to act normal and content with his day to day life and even frequents a local restaurant that has a girl desperately infatuated with him working at it. This relationship also goes nowhere I’m sad to say and I questioned why the show even bothered to bring it up at all.

The rest of the characters can hardly be called as much as they rarely speak or give insights into their past and consist of one dominate feature that defines them. Mikoto is maybe the only redeemable member of the group because she is the only one you learn great detail about besides Arashi. The two work together and while she often spouts off about him being too reckless she secretly develops for him. As for the rest, Oriha is the youngest member of the group who loves explosives and is also a pop idol, Sayo is somehow super strong and wields a giant chain gun, Yuko is a watermelon breasted sword master and Miki is the expert sniper. Oriha and Sayo are the only two members who receive their own individual episodes but they were both exceedingly lake luster to say the least. At the end of Sayo’s story the show goes back to original premise of killing the “cancers” of society and leaves you with a look of disbelief at the fact that the show could end so abruptly.

Going in to Triage X I knew exactly what to expect but I did not see things going so far south so quickly. There is massive amounts of fanservice abound through the series between the giant breasted woman and the skimpy or skin tight outfits they all sport. The story also features about as much depth as the characters that are apart of it. I’m unsure what the goal for the series was but it is ultimately just a slapped together job to say the least.

Good:

- The premise was an interesting one, sadly what is presented amounts to little

Bad:

- The overall story is extremely weak and doesn’t even try and string itself together

- Characters are all flat and never develop into anything

- Syringe is virtually unknown and enters the story with no information about it

Scully Rating: 1.0 out of 10