Dragonball Xenoverse Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

You heard right folks; your wish has been granted here we are after quite the hiatus bringing you another video game video game review. Took a bit longer than normal for this one due to wanting to give the game a fair chance in a very crucial aspect of its experience which is linked to server connectivity. I'll be honest as say as well that I simply was just having too much of a blast playing so I put off doing this review for a while. With that being said come with me on a trip to the XenoVerse as we visit Toki Toki City and pave our path through the Dragonball universe.

Dragon Ball XenoVerse (officially abbreviated as Dragon Ball XV) is a video game based on the Dragon Ball media franchise.[3] It was released in February 2015 on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles and on the PC for Microsoft Windows via Steam. The game is set in full 3D destructible environments. Fighters can traverse the levels free-roaming in very large spaces and can be fighting on a platform, go in the air, and fight underwater. They run when on the ground, and swim while underwater. XenoVerse has dialogue while fights go on, and fighters show facial expressions when they strike an opponent or take damage. The players have some freedom to explore the planet Earth as it exists in the Dragon Ball universe along with a handful of other locations. The game's new character is confirmed to be a player created character. With the character customization, players will now be able to customize their character's race, gender, head, build, voice, and clothing. Players can create characters from multiple races, with the ones available being Namekians, Saiyans, Earthlings, Frieza's, and Majins race.

What’s Good:

Graphics: XenoVerse is the first Dragon Ball game released on eighth generation consoles. Built around the same graphics engine that powers other note worthy fighting games such as Street Fighter IV. The game gives an accurate representation of the intense Dragonball action we have all grown to know and love. Characters are an exact representation of their animated personas and move with the same familiar fluidity you are accustomed to.

Story-line: Unlike the previous games of the series that usually follow the original Dragon Ball canon, "XenoVerse" features an entirely new story, featuring the player's custom character. This adds an exciting new dynamic to the game that keeps things new and interesting. Effectively adding "what if" scenarios to the DBZ universe plot line.

Replay: With so many classes to choose from, upcoming DLC, character build variations and multiple wishes from Shenron there is undoubtedly enough content to keep you playing and coming back for more. At its core it is a MMORPG so there is much farming and grinding to be done to get the perfect build for your character.

Soundtrack: Pretty solid soundtrack and voice acting overall. Love the start up theme song for the game, very pumped up and action packed. 

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics: The online experience at times is not as smooth as one would like and you will find yourself experiencing lengthy loading times and lag when playing online with others based on Internet connectivity and speed.

What Should Have Been Added:

Without a doubt the one thing this game is missing is a dedicated training mode. Since at its core it is potentially comparable to a fighting game one would think a dedicated training mode to try out learning combos would have been included. Not to mention experimenting with various skill-sets as well as item assignment and assortment.

Final Thoughts:

This is without a doubt the quintessential Dragonball game to play. It encompasses all the good things we all know and love about the Dragonball Universe while giving the player the freedom and creativity to forge their own path and character through it all. It provides an all new immerse way of incorporating the player into the universe instead of letting them just experience it as an existing character from the series. Even though the game was plagued with server connectivity issues at the start i'm happy to say that now weeks later servers have stabilized just in time for the launch of their first bit of DLC. So far the experience has been acceptable and entertaining seeing the creative custom characters that people have come up with. As always feel free to check out some of our intro gameplay...

Watch live video from The_Ghost_Who_Walks on Twitch
more.

Dragons Crown Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

Hey y'all long time no see. I must apologize for the lack of content on the blog lately due to my overall stress and laziness alongside some in real life events. I hate when I feel like this because I feel you all deserve bright upbeat reviews and I don't want my dreariness to come across in my writing. However I feel even worse not trying at all and leaving you all high and dry so this week I tried my best to record some gameplay footage for you so we can review Dragon's Crown.

Dragon's Crown is an action role-playing game structured like traditional side-scrolling beat 'em up such as Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara or Sega's Golden Axe where players move their characters across the screen into the background or foreground while defeating the assailants that confront them from all angles. Set in a medieval world of swords and sorcery, the game sees up to four players travelling through dangerous dungeons and labyrinths in search of fortune and adventure. Cooperative options include both local multiplayer and four player drop in sessions over Sony's PlayStation Network service with data-sharing of save games and cross play between the Vita and PlayStation 3. Players may choose between one of six heroic character archetypes and travel through numerous environments alone or accompanied by computer controlled or other player characters defeating enemies using skills, combos, magic and collectable offensive weapons like bombs and crossbows recovered from chests or dropped by their foes. The plot revolves around a legendary relic, the titular Dragon's Crown, and the quest to retrieve it. A mysterious coven of magic-users with influence in even the highest levels of government seek the treasure and have used their sorcery to link long-forgotten ruins, dangerous labyrinths, and many other areas together in order to search for it.

What’s Good:

Graphics: The PSVITA does a great job of bringing across the truly crisp and visually engaging art style of this game. The level and character design  are well done and have a vivid presentation that takes full advantage of the PSVITA's OLED screen technology.

Story-line: The story is well written and puts forth a wide cast of characters and personas that keep you eager to see where the game progresses to. I also liked the fact that they gave you at times choices in varying story progression where you would have to choose from two courses of action. This helped add a small portion of depth to the overall flow of the story.

Game Mechanics: There are six different classes to choose from as such with each class having its own set of specialized moves and play-style it is a varied experience playing the game. Skill points allocation for moves and item selection based on the type of enemies you are going up against make for a very customized experience.

Replay: The game has 3 main level caps in correlation to the difficulty level. as you progress through the game on Normal , Hard, and Infernal difficulty you experience the level caps of level 35, 65 and 99 respectively. Add to that the appeal of multiplayer online co-op, competitively and locally and you have yourself quite the replay value for your money.

Soundtrack: The voice acting is available in Japanese and really good as well as English. On top of that the game not only comes with added DLC voice over content but also you can buy in game voice narration  based on the classes you use to beat the game with.

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics: The online experience at times is not as smooth as one would like and you will find yourself experiencing lengthy loading times when playing online with others.

What Should Have Been Added:

Only thing I can think of is possibly giving the player more control over their individual stat progression instead of the automated progression system they used. The cooking concept they implemented would have been nice if it permanently affected your stats instead of just between level transitions when questing.

Final Thoughts:

Overall its a great game and a wonderful addition to the PSN+ library. Anyone with a PSVITA should give this game a whirl cause its truly one of the PSVITA titles that goes a long way showcasing what the PSVITA has to offer as a portable gaming console. Compound that with its Cross Play feature and you truly have no reason to put this game down whether at home or on the go its at your beck and call. If you act quickly it should still be available on PSN+ for free if not then its worth the purchase on the Playstation Store. Tried capturing some gameplay for y'all as usual using this El Gato capture card I got loaned. Pardon the lack of an intro or outro or certain minor edits as this was a first time testing of sorts plus I was lazy to be quite honest.

more.

Cosplaying Like A Bawse!!!

Freaks, weirdos, geeks, nerds, otakus, weeaboos all these different labels and names that people find for us but none capture fully the true essence of what we are. Passionate! About a culture so refined and foreign to us that damn near everything about it pulls you in. The time honored history, values and culture that is passed on through not only the people but also the media that manages to leave its country and make its way overseas for us to partake in. It has been 50 long and noteworthy years since Jamaica first partnered with Japan as countries in arms and I am proud to see such an out pouring of support from so many for events such as Anime Nation. This will now be the 5th year since this event took Jamaica by storm and oddly it shows no signs of slowing down. Every year more and more people show up and every year the lovely people at JA Cosplayaz have to find a bigger and better venue to house all the passionate anime/manga lovers out there.

JaCosplayaz is primarily spearheaded by the above 3 individuals; from left  to right: Tetrice Afayah Prendergast, Zane Francis, & Fabian Pinkney. AS you can see clearly they have a strong passion for the culture and all it offers whether through gaming or animation. It was this passion that has led them into a long standing partnership with the Embassy Of Japan that has helped bring awareness of Japan in Jamaica to higher heights every year. From the various cultural exchange programs such as JET (The Japan Exchange And Teaching Programme) to more local based events such as Anime Nation, Japanese presence and impact is at an all time high in Jamaica. Just want to take this time to say kudos to the aforementioned people and all the countless hours and sacrifices they made to make this recurring event the success it is today. Also want to give a very honorable mention to the three main admins of the JACosplayaz Facebook page Tara Sham, Sherae Morrison & Stephen Brown.

Stephen & Sherae Spent The Night Terrifying Patron Young And Old

The event started off well and granted some items ran overtime somehow managed to progress smoothly into the night. The day started off with a one of a kind interview segment with one of Japans animators of legend Masami Suda. One of the main driving forces behind such classics as Gatchaman aka G-Force and Fist of the North Star. Not to mention all the cultural displays and merchandise on sale; and if that wasn't enough there was a wide variety of live performances on display for the patrons from musical to animated. Hell there was even a video game tournament played for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. The night culminated into an epic costume parade to showcase some of the cosplayers in attendance. Local cosplayer extraordinaire Steffi Singh made a clean sweep of Anime Nation 2014 by winning not only the award for cosplayer of the year but also best costume of the event. Kudos to you Steffi you made a lot of people proud, really wanted to get one of your water paintings but my outfit broke my piggy bank so sucks to be me.

Steffi Singh

All in all great event, great turnout and great people. I am very happy with my first experience cosplaying even though I was pretty nervous about my outfit and being around so many people. The highlights of my night would be all the lil kids I took pictures with, seeing all the Japanese people instantly recognize my cosplay and wanting to take pics and getting to snap a picture with a fellow Dragonball Z cosplayer who was cosplaying as Gohan. Can't wait for next years event to roll around definitely going to cosplay a character that isn't short so I don't have to crouch for all my pics to stay in character, its been two days and my legs are still jello and ache. Sorry to those that would have preferred to see video coverage footage but my camera has issues and dies super fast if I record video so I focused mainly on taking pictures so feel free to look through the 200+ pictures I managed to get and remember to like our Facebook page. This is your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo Cometh signing off...

more.

Muramasa Rebirth Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

Hey there gamers; your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo_Cometh is back with another PSVITA game review because we all know that portable gaming is serious business. Well we found ourselves in a bit of a predicament here, I was supposed to review Soul Sacrifice 2 as the next PSVITA game I choose to pump my lunch hours into but came across this wonderful little game for free on PSN+. So due to certain monetary constraints and overall brokedom we will dive into feudal Japan as we explore the world of "Muramasa Rebirth".

Muramasa follows the story of Kisuke, a fugitive who has lost his memory, including that of a crime that he committed; and Momohime, a lithe princess possessed by a dark spirit. The game allows players to use two different characters and features three difficulty levels. Graphically the game is the same hand-drawn 2D art style as its spiritual predecessor Odin Sphere, though inspiration was drawn from Japanese mythology and culture rather than Norse mythology. The game has over 30 different locales set in an expansive map spanning across Japan.

What’s Good:

Graphics: The PSVITA does a great job of bringing across the truly crisp and visually engaging art style of this game. From the flashy special arts moves of the swords to the outlandish boss fights that take place your eyes will not be disappointed. 

Story-line: Very deep characters, plots and character progression. This game universe is certainly filled with a vast array of characters both main and otherwise.

Game Mechanics: The game has a detailed and well thought out combat system that revolves around the various swords and the special arts that each utilizes.

Replay: Two main characters to play as with differing story-lines as well as three DLC installments that can be purchased as additional content. Given that this is a free game I picked up off PSN+ that is a great plus to replay value.

Soundtrack: The voice acting is pretty much primarily in Japanese and really good. You really connect with the characters and feel the emotion behind what is transpiring.

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics: I don't like the fact that items max limit are 9 and that the controls cannot be changed so that I can use the D-pad to move the character around.

What Should Have Been Added:

I would have liked to see more of a touchscreen interaction built into the game.

Final Thoughts:

Overall its a great game and a wonderful addition to the PSN+ library. Anyone with a PSVITA should give this game a whirl cause its truly one of the PSVITA titles that goes a long way showcasing what the PSVITA has to offer as a portable gaming console.

more.

It's A Lazy Monday

Hey y'all it's Monday; I know everyone hates Monday's but I hope my blog can be at least one good thing you can look forward to on a Monday. Today i'm going to switch things up a bit; some people close to me might have seen this already while to others this will be a new experience. Today I will be sharing a bit of myself with you as I let you read a story I wrote once upon a time ago. I'm hoping you like it and its something that will pull you in for an enjoyable ride; i'm thinking i'll let you have the first two pages and you can comment if you liked it or not and that will determine if I post another two pages or more. Honestly I was supposed to write about "changes" today but work has be run down and tired so I don't want to write something I don't put my all into for you guys.

Equivalent Exchange

It was the summer of 2009; if hell was the hottest place imaginable to the mind, then living through this heat was as close as one could get being alive. It was a blisteringly hot evening, as had become the norm during this summer heat wave that had taken hold of Japan. People walking, would randomly look up as if looking to see the sky open up and quench the earth with a shower of rain to take the intense heat away; but sadly the more they looked up, the hotter it seemed to get. From the school kids with the opened blazers and hiked up skirts, to the business men with unbuttoned collars, to the senior citizens with battery operated portable hand fans; everyone was doing their best to deal with the sweltering heat.

As Nika walked off the sidewalk and into the train station, the rousing aroma of fallen cherry blossoms scattered on the ground and being trampled upon by the heavy flow of pedestrians lingered on her olfactory system. She had grown accustomed to that sweet aroma, but the heat that accompanied it was not as pleasurable. It had been four years since she had moved to Japan; yet it all felt so foreign to her. As she stood there on the train platform waiting for the 4 p.m. train to Kyoto, she thought to undo the top two buttons of her blouse to help cool down a bit. She began to gently place her custom-made brown leather attaché down by her feet; but as she did so and began to unbutton her collar, she noticed a small group of men just coming from work; no doubt heading to a karaoke bar in Kyoto watching her and conversing amongst each other. This behavior in and of itself was nothing new to Nika; she had started maturing both mentally and physically at a very young age and as such began to inadvertently command the attention of the opposite sex. Normally she would go along and give a little show and tease them to wet their appetite but with all the heat and her day at work she just didn't feel like it, she just wanted to get on the Shinkansen to Kyoto and relax for a bit on her way home. As the Shinkansen rumbled into the station right on time, she just scoffed at the group of men as she took up her attaché; and proceeded to board the train.

Inside the train was air-conditioned; a perfect haven for those trying to get away from the hot summer heat wave that had Japan in its fiery grasp. Everywhere you looked, you could see people showing signs of fatigue from the relentless heat and a wide array of ways to try and cope with the heat. As Nika sat there in her seat on the crowded Shinkansen going into Kyoto; she couldn’t help but drift off into the depths of her mind. As she sat there seemingly staring out the window of the train admiring the rapidly passing foliage; no one could tell that this young lady was actually deep in thought, replaying the major events of the past eight years of her life  that had inevitably led her to the current path she had chosen to walk down. 

This was the only time that she had to herself; this daily train ride reflection was her ritualistic means of introspection after another boring day at work pretending to be something she was not. She longed for the day when she could be herself and not have to be something she was not; it was as if everyday a little piece of her died and was swept away with the hustle and bustle of the city. Always having to be alert and have a watchful eye for occurrences outside of the norm that might indicate they had gone back on the agreement. With a sudden jerk, the Shinkansen started to pull out of the station and begin its journey cross country to Kyoto; Nika placed her attaché underneath her seat and leaned back on the soft cushiony train seat. And so the ritual began; her dance with the past as she strolled down memory lane, wondering just what exactly had gotten her into this predicament.

Was it the fact that she had been an average girl but suddenly skyrocketed into the spotlight of popularity when she hit puberty, or maybe it was her parents who could never say no to her adorable little face growing up? Whatever it was, she had grown into a strong willed and manipulative woman that always knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She had always been that way since high school, she was head cheerleader, head of the science club and upon graduation school and district valedictorian. Nika in one form or another was always commanding the respect or attention of her peers around her, whether through academia or through envy.

As she sat there mulling over the endless possibilities that had gotten her to this stage in her life, she couldn’t help but dwindle on the memory of Brett Davis. His piercing blue eyes and beach blonde bowl cut hair, he was the intellectual type but somehow he had the body of an athlete. He was the type of man to always be punctual, whether for work or recreation, never to be seen slovenly dressed or displaying outlandish and boorish behavior. Brett held him-self accountable to high standards, he set for himself both in and out of the workplace. He stood at a whopping 6 feet 2 inches and you felt like a small plant in his presence. His charming and witty demeanor lifted you to his level so you never viewed him as overbearing or felt inferior to him. He was what many would call a man’s man, at first glance you would be wary if not intimidated by his demeanor as he commanded a high level of respect as soon as he entered any room, however once you engaged him in conversation it was easy to tell that he meant you no ill will and was an excellent conversationalist. Brett flipped her world eight years ago to the day; but its presence in her mind felt like it had just happened yesterday...

So what do you guys think of my story...?

(more to come possibly)

more.

Behold The Epicness Of Anime Nation 2012

*cue my epic intro music*

Welcome one and all to the gathering of freaking awesome people, also referred to as Anime Nation. Near and far alike many people assembled like the avengers to celebrate the merriment and wonder that is Anime and Japanese culture at its finest. We spoke a little about this event on Monday so I hope if you are a returning reader that you had the opportunity to come and see everything for yourself. If not then don't worry I got you back dude/dudette, not the greatest of video quality but I rep for my peoples so we got some video footage of the event to help you feel like you were a part of the action so to speak capturing some of the nights highlights. Not to mention the pictures that we snapped over the course of the night of varying cosplayers; I wonder if you can figure out who all these cosplayers are imitating? Well before I show you the main video I just want to say many a thanks to RETV who 'pass thru' through as promised via their shout-out on Twitter. Special thanks as well to the Japanese Embassy of Jamaica for helping spread their wonderfully rich culture with us. Last but not least the JACosplayers team along with all the anime fans that came out and showed supported to make this a grand success. So to quote a famous plumber; "Here We Go!"

So yeah, not the greatest of video quality of editing since i'm kinda working with limited resources and time at the moment but its at least an authentic and genuine experience into what the Anime Nation has to offer. Hopefully one day I will own my own professional camera and mic to shoot with but until such time or one of you kinda people donates to my worthy cause this will have to do ^_^. Anywhore got some other videos to show off as well along with the photo gallery of the event which will be on our facebook page so be sure to go and check those out along with all the other content we have their on Zalgo Cometh. Be sure to like the page and enjoy because it lets us know you care...

Sword Fighting and Caramelldansen Dance Performance

Highlights Of The Cosplay Costume Parade Contest

Well that about wraps up all our coverage for Anime Nation 2012 special thanks again to all the participants and extra special thanks to Stephanie for taking the time for that interview and all the work she put into her costume. Well I got some gaming to make up for so buh bye from In The Mind Of My Mind. Hope you enjoyed our little bit of coverage; definitely hope to see you out in full force supporting next time around. I would also like to point out that this was by no means a sausage-fest as many females were in attendance and people from all age demographics. Check out our full photo spread on the Zalgo Cometh Facebook Page; as well as the JACosplayaz photo album and Facebook page. So until next time, keep on gaming...

more.

Dress Up Isn't Just For Girls Anymore

There are three things in this world I feel blessed to have been introduced to; gaming, computers and anime. Today we are going to talk about something that I have been very excited about since I found out about it and that is:

Yup an anime convention, right here on my tiny island of Jamaica. I had always heard about this event but never had the good fortune to be in the city of Kingston or have a means seeing pictures of the event. This year that all changes; I WILL BE GOING to this event come hell or high water (no idea what that saying means just seems like it fit the moment). For those that don't know which really shouldn't be anyone Anime refers typically to animation that comes from Japan ideally dubbed in Japanese voices but subbed with the English translation of what is being said. As such an Anime convention is a gathering of like minded Anime fans typically dressed as their favorite character or something related to Japanese culture. Activities vary at Anime conventions from the sale and distribution of anime to the experiencing of many varying facets of what the Japanese culture has to offer. I implore you if you are Jamaican and in the area please come check it out and show some support; it will definitely be worth your time. Heres a little look at some of the awesomeness you can hope to see:

How freaking cool was that? Now imagine how awesome it will be in person and being able to snap pictures of some of your favorite anime characters in real life. Well that's all from me for now, you can check out the event's Facebook page; fair warning I might not be posting a video game review blog on Friday since I will be at the convention so might be doing that early on Thursday or late on Saturday. To close out this blog post I tried to get in touch with some of the people behind this wonder event to see if I could get them to answer some questions  however as of writing this I have not heard back from them as yet. I hope to update this blog when they respond; so until next time, keep on gaming...

more.