Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
This one had to come around eventually after a rather long list the first time round, so lets look at the Top Ten worst Opening Themes.
10. Lilium by Kumiko Noma
Elfen Lied Opening
While I find nothing wrong with the opening per say, it actually suits the anime really well, just every time I hear it I feel I've just walked in on a funeral.
9. Happy Material by Negima Cast
Negima Opening
I was never a fan of this theme song, especially when it was a victim of gratuitous Engrish, that made some verses sound like "Happy Lady Boy" instead of "Happy Ready Go". Plus you don't need several versions, one with the 2A Class is enough.
8. Anime Ja Nai by Masato Arai
Gundam ZZ 1st Opening
The opening isn't as horrible as I remember but it's still a stupid title, it translates as it's not anime, I'm not sure what the joke was but it's lost on me.
7. First Kiss by Ichiko
Familiar of Zero Opening
This opening implies that it's going to be an epic love story, that's the biggest lie ever, yeah there's romance but it's the Tsundere style one that nobody likes, not to mention it starts so loud it makes you jump.
6. Truth by Bluem of Youth
Twin Signal Opening
It's one of the most underrated openings of all time, except for one glaring fault, nothing that happens in the opening doesn't happen in the actual anime. It's one great big lie. Pity because I can sing this opening really well.
5. Shinryaku no Susume by ULTRA-PRISM with Ika Musume
Squid Girl Opening
I spend most of this opening hearing the word "Invade" spoken in Japanese. Not helped in the DVD when it's also the menu music.
4. Kinjirareta Asobi by Ali Project
Rozen Maiden Opening
This theme song sounds like someone is experiencing an epileptic fit while singing, not a pleasant description but it's true, the poor singers sound out of breath by the end.
3. Honki ni Shinai de by Mariko Kouda
Dirty Pair Flash OVA 3 Opening
Did I just wander into a different Anime? When I think Dirty Pair I think Sci-Fi space adventure, Loving Thrills and plenty of cheesy rock not an opening theme borrowed from a Magical Girl show, who thought that was a good idea?
2. Action by Toshihiko Sahashi
Burn Up Scramble Opening
Dude, where's my opening? All this is, is dialogue set to 70s music. In fact I'm willing to put every anime that doesn't bother with either an opening or just leaves it to dialogue in this number 2 spot.
1. Freckles by Sandy Fox
Rurouni Kenshin 1st Opening
Picture this, reformed samurai with a past stained by the blood of those he slayed marked by the cross shaped scar on his face, he is Battousai the Man Slayer; even in the peaceful era trouble still comes his way, so what epic theme song would tell the story of this epic samurai.
.....................................................................................I'm out.
And no it doesn't sound any better in Japanese.
With the appearance of Project X Zone the possibilities for huge character lineups was endless, I doubt there would be a sequel (Hush my mouth there is now a Sequel!!!!) unless you judge this game as a sequel to Namco X Capcom, but nevertheless, the addition of Sega created more mouthwatering prospects but there were still some characters & franchises missing from the lineup which would've suited the game perfectly so here are the top 10 characters needed for this game.
Rules are very strict with this one, I will be grouping each entry by franchise and character so some entries may have more than one character in them, also strictly human or human looking characters so don't expect me to name Sonic the Hedgehog and finally, and this rule is important, NO OTHER GAME COMPANIES!
Were sticking to Sega, Capcom & Namco. I've seen how much speculation Smash Brothers gets before releases, this is not one of those lists, so no Nintendo, no Konami and no Final Fantasy. With that out the way lets begin.
Honorable Mentions
Bionic Commander: Lacks a decent move set.
Nights: Just missed the list.
Other Tales of Characters: I wouldn't want to spoil it for the Vesperia team they're pretty good.
Bayonetta: Too powerful.
Sengoku Basara: As awesome as it sounds, they might break the game.
Ryo Hazuki: Not powerful enough. (Confirmed for Number 2
Phoenix Wright: No. Just no. (Confirmed for Number 2, God Damn it!)
Viewtiful Joe: Art Design doesn't work with the game.
Updated 09/12/15 with Information on who's appearing in Project X Zone 2, also this post will continue to update with new information as and when they come
10. Wonder Momo
Classic arcade heroine Momo made an appearance in Namco X Capcom, and would be well suited as a single unit character in Project X Zone, especially with the amount of fanservice characters around, and if you think that's too obscure remember that a Yumeria character made it into the roster.
9. Powerstone
The Powerstone cast have a very diverse range of abilities and with the likes of Edward Falcon & Rouge as a Pair Unit, we've got a decent package as well. It also helps that the Powerstone universe also has good levels.
8. Final Fight
You could argue that there are too many martial art pairs in this game but if they were willing to stop adding Street Fighter characters for a second then Final Fight makes for a great alternative, you have a pair unit in Guy & Cody, with a single unit in Hagger, failing that Hagger fits nicely with another Capcom character.
7. Breath of Fire
Fantasy characters fit just as well and reoccurring protagonists Ryu & Nina would fit nicely in the cast, as to which version, that will be left up to designers but Capcom couldn't do any harm in putting them in.
6. Jin Saotome
The Cyberbots protagonists machine Blodia is already in this game under Devilotte's control so why not add him as a solo unit or part of another team, better yet he could try and work with Devilotte.
5. Joe Musashi
Ninjas didn't get much coverage in this game, with Kogoro Tenzai filling in for the whole Ninja role in the game so a couple of others wouldn't hurt, Mr Shinobi himself, is a great solo unit choice or could easily fit with number four.
(A Character from Shinobi has been confirmed for Number 2)
4. Strider Hiryu
The other ninja Strider is making a comeback and would do his reputation good to see him in a high profile crossover, again as either a solo unit or part of a pair.
(Strider confirmed for Number 2)
3. Golden Axe
Between this one and one other franchise, Sega missed two major tricks as both of these have great characters and great levels, and even great enemies to fight. Gilius Thunderhead & Tyris Flare would certainly be welcome to this game along with Death Adder as a boss.
2. Soul Edge
They appeared in Namco X Capcom and were suspiciously missing from this game, Mitsurugi & Taki wouldn't need much explanation to return and the likes of Sophitia & Yoshimitsu are nice considerations as well. Voldo, Cervantes & Nightmare would make great enemy units.
(Natsu from Soul Calibur V has been confirmed for Number 2 but no other Soul Characters have been confirmed at this time)
1. Skies of Arcadia
But top of the tree is Skies of Arcadia, with the three main characters absolutely perfect for a pair unit & single unit, along with a great move range to exploit and equally powerful villain for an enemy unit and one of the best level designs from a Sega franchise, Sega were mad not to use Vyse, Aika & Fina, especially when Vyse was gaining momentum from two guest appearances in Valkyria Chronicles & Sega Allstars Racing Transformed. If a sequel was made then Skies of Arcadia needs to be in it before any other franchise.
Notes: Fire Emblem's Chrom & Lucina are confirmed for Number 2
Well Sonic Boom has been out for a while now and the overall verdict is overwhelmingly negative as many note it as Sonic's greatest failure since Sonic 06, but on my personal opinion, the game is nothing more than a half arsed Rayman game with numerous frustrating moments but at the very least functional game but being 28 Years old and older than the franchise itself I can think of ten moments that trump anything Sonic Boom ever came up with.
10. Early Sonic Concepts
Think about what Sonic could've been before Sonic 1. The idea was that he would have his own band and a human girlfriend looking like a strange fusion of Betty Boop and Jessica Rabbit. Other early concepts including those for the TV Series depicting Sonic as a bit more scrappy in design were also turned down and don't get me started on the headaches that the early Sonic Boom concepts caused. Speaking of human girlfriends.
9. Princess Elise
Sonic 06 could've been forgiven if not for the introduction of Princess Elise, a character so into the damsel in distress part that it would make Princess Peach slap her. However her creepiest moment is kissing Sonic back to life which the Sonic Shorts web series put into context by saying "I don't know what's creepier? The fact that she made out with an animal or a corpse". Speaking of humans again.
8. Chris Thorndyke
I get that humans have been in the Sonic Universe before but they don't need to be the main character. Sonic X, the only proper Sonic anime. (Wait Sonic OVA?) The only proper Sonic anime! Chris Thorndyke didn't need to happen, this even more jail bait Sora from Kingdom Hearts knockoff is annoying, obnoxious and a little too attached to Sonic.
7. Tails Sky Patrol
A poor Game Gear spinoff featuring Tails using a hook ring to navigate stages and fight bad guys using precise gameplay and harsh difficulty curves that really punish you if you make one mistake. One would hope for a dogfight game with a name like Sky Patrol but sadly Sega forgot that Tails is a pilot.
6. Sonic 3D
With all the complaints about Sonic being in 3D many overlook his first attempt; using an isometric view and painfully slow gameplay along with a mechanic that forces you to fight enemies is not a good start for a 3D series, even Sonic R was fully 3D which many consider a weaker game.
5. Sonic Lost World
I consider this worst than Sonic Boom. They used gameplay from a cancelled game called Sonic Xtreme, then most of the story is calling out Sonic on how much of an arsehole he is and finally the stages are so long that you need an hour just to get through the entire first level set and that doesn't include all the times you die.
4. Sonic Free Riders
Should never have been attempted. Sonic and extreme sports is a good thing but using an X-Box Kinect that has barely had time to get going isn't. Sonic Riders have always been a mixture of painfully hard to easy, then again going back to hard, there's never been consistency with the series and the dialogue is very painful.
3. Sonic Shuffle
In Mario Party you destroy friendships, in Sonic Shuffle you destroy Dreamcasts as the computer is programmed to troll you every single time you roll the dice, not to mention that it insists you watch the whole mini game even when you lose first.
2. Sonic Labyrinth
Another shoddy Game Gear game, this time supposedly based on the old Marble Run games, to this day this is the slowest Sonic game ever made.
1. Sonic 4
But this game was the ultimate betrayal to the fans. Sonic 4 was meant to be a true sequel to the classic games, but what we got was a polished Sonic Advance title. The fact that they went to so much trouble to try and convince us that Sonic is back to his former 2D glory only to pull the rug from underneath the fans and give us this. Other games have their problems, the Werehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Boom, Sonic Drift and every cartoon not SatAM and even the unmentionable Sonic OVA but we knew what to expect from those things, what we got from Sonic 4 was a lie, a betrayal of trust that has not sat well with the fans since and will never get back.
Bonus: Still the treatment given to Knuckles in Sonic Boom is still worst than everything I've just listed.
Wow, a second post in a row and it's a top ten list. Yes I'm feeling okay.
Now this list looks at those fighting game characters that just seem odd. To put into context when your fighting game is packed full of the deadly serious, there's always at least one character that reminds you it's just a game.
These are the Top Ten Strangest Fighting Game Characters.
Honorable Mentions
Necro from Street Fighter III
An escaped stretchy experiment that can sing some decent opera.
Kankichi Ryotsu from J-Stars Victory Vs
Apparently a regular 30 something Japanese Police Officer can fight alongside Goku, Naruto, Ichigo & Luffy and beat them.
Fat Princess from Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Because PaRappa the Rapper wasn't quite a joke character.
10. Meat from Mortal Kombat
While it may not seem all that shocking to fight a fleshy corpse in a game that defined fatalities, it's still hilarious what Mortal Kombat comes up with for fighting character ideas that isn't a palette swap ninja.
9. Arale from Dragonballz: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
First off Arale isn't really a Dragonballz character, although she's same artist and did appear in a couple of episodes she really shouldn't be there especially with such a lousy move pool which consists of blindly charging into things.
8. Duck Hunt Dog from Super Smash Bros Wii U & 3DS
You could make a hundred different predictions for characters in Smash Bros but I bet no one expected the Duck Hunt Dog. To describe Duck Hunt as a fighter, it's the dog alongside a duck backed up by gunman. In fact much of his move set is avoiding gun fire.
7. Voldo from Soul Calibur
He's been a staple of the series since Soul Edge, the ever loyal servant Voldo, still clads himself in bondage gear as he continues to belt up his mouth and eyes, even if you customize him with hair, he'll always have covered eyes and mouth. And his moveset is still creepy not helped by his heavy breathing.
6. Phoenix Wright from Marvel vs Capcom 3
He was pretty much placed in as a joke character but if used properly he can silence everyone by sneezing on them, sending in Maya Fey to flay her arms about and presenting hard evidence. Then again this game also has Rocket Raccoon and Deadpool so strange characters aren't unusual.
5. Akamaru from Naruto
Kiba's puppy from Naruto Pre Timeskip, fighting on it's own with nothing but it's own pee and literally just launching itself into the other ninjas, imagine the amount of characters overlooked to put this puppy in.
4. Roger Jr from Tekken
Tekken has lots of these but I went for Roger Jr as it offers two boxing kangeroos for the price of one as Jr fights inside his mother's pouch.
3. Eko from Arcana Heart
Eko is a kindergartener whose fighting partner is her own drawing that comes alive which can turn into many things including trains, castles and paddling pools. It's utterly adorable in a game packed with some lethal ladies.
2. Ushi from Fighters Destiny
Nintendo 64 game Fighters Destiny took a different approach to what Tekken tried with Roger by using a fighting cow named Ushi. Apart from being one of the best characters in the game, it has an awesome victory dance.
1. Pojo from Mace: The Dark Age
Midway worked on a weapon based fighting game called Mace: The Dark Age which had Mortal Kombat's violence crossed with Soul Edge weapon fighting set in medieval times. The character Pojo is a Chicken, not a giant chicken but a normal sized one, all it does is peck you to death, definitely the lowest a fighting game has ever sank but made slightly better when you realize that Pojo is small enough to avoid most of the other characters attacks and can pretty much win the game no problem. He's the Oddjob of the Fighting Game world.
