School is done for another year, but things haven't slowed down that much. My jobs, both paid and volunteer, keep me busy throughout the year especially in the summer. Speaking of work, you can check out my first published piece for Imprint, the University of Waterloo's student run newspaper. It is a review of Avengers: Age of Ultron. I hope you enjoy and share it with others.
On top of work, I have lots of things going on in the coming months. I have movies to watch (and possibly review), live wrestling shows to see, games to play, friends to visit and a vacation to take. It is going to a busy yet fun summer.
Don't worry though. Silver Bit won't be taking a backseat; in fact, it will be front and centre especially when it comes to E3 next month. I have a lot of things cooking regarding regular content for Silver Bit this summer so stay tuned.
Show of the Month
April has been a month to try new things for yours truly. I got a chance to feel the pain, frustration and ironic fun of From Software's Bloodbourne, determine for myself if Game of Thrones lives up to the hype and rabid praise (it's getting there), and got back into watching anime. My renewed interest in anime came all thanks to IGN's Anime Club podcast. I use to watch anime regularly when I was a teenager, but grew out of it due to my exhaustion with drawn-out plots and my preference for reading manga. Now, I am scouring used video stores and the Funimation app for shows both old and new in order to expand my horizons.
In expanding my horizons, I took a risk and spent 20 dollars on the Cowboy Bebop complete series DVD set. While I am still working my way through the series, I do not regret my purchase. In fact, I am loving it. Cowboy Bebop is unlike anything I have ever laid my eyes on. The innovation and stylishness of this anime makes it stand out above all the others.
Cowboy Bebop blends beautiful animations, always on-point humour and fully fleshed out characters. At first, the show may seem a little off-putting due to how different it is from most anime. Bebop never holds your hand; it just drops you in its world and lets you experience all its imperfections and quirks for yourself. Also Bebop's use of music is unbelievable as each episode has its own unique soundtrack that fits its story and tone. Plus, the opening for the show is thing of beauty.
Out of the 15 episodes I have watched so far, Cowboy Bebop is a really good show slowly becoming a great show. It does take a few episodes before it gets going and about a good dozen before it starts firing on all cylinders. Once it starts firing on all cylinders, Bebop is almost untouchable. Bebop is an incredible show that you should watch, anime fan or not.
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
My love for the The Witcher III: Wild Hunt has been well documented in the annals of Silver Bit. The game looks absolutely incredible. I have been looking forward to Witcher III ever since it graced the cover of Game Informer just over two years ago and we are less than a month away until its release.
Just recently, CD Projekt RED announced the expansion pass for the game. Before you get up in arms over another DLC pass like everybody did with the Arkham Knight season pass, Witcher's expansion pass is unlike other passes on the market. While most DLC for games nowadays adds a few hours of extra content, this expansion pass will add around 30 hours of content to the already expansive Witcher III. At 25 dollars, you are getting well over five times more content than the typical season pass. Plus, CD Projekt RED is offering 16 free pieces of DLC in the year following the game's release.
It may be a lot of money to drop on one game, but I trust the guys and gals at CD Projekt Red to deliver. I feel it is a worthwhile investment to get the most out of the grandest fantasy RPG ever created and help support these incredible developers create more great RPGs in the future.
Video of the Month
I have a problem. I just can't stop watching Honest Trailers, be it for video games or movies. They are just too funny. I devoured the older ones throughout late March and early April. Now, I impatiently wait for new ones to be posted.
To show you how great this YouTube series is (and maybe get you addicted as well), enjoy the newest Honest Game Trailer for Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.
Showing posts with label Funimation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Funimation. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Monday, March 31, 2014
Bit by Bit: March 2014
March has always been a hectic month in terms of both gaming and schooling. March is the month that game publishers love dumping all the games that were not ready for the holiday. It is also the month, universities love dumping projects, tests and presentations on students as the semester comes to an end. Much of this month has been spent studying for a test or working on a project in between classes and shifts at work for yours truly. Even with all the craziness, I have luckily made time to relax by playing a game or watching some television. Although, relaxation was sometimes mixed with school work as I would do my anthropology readings during commercial breaks. While March is almost over, April will be just as crazy for this writer as things ramp up for final exams. Before we move on to the next month, let us look back at the month that was March 2014.
TV Show of the Month
Well, I spent the majority of my game time playing Bravely Default this past month. As it took up the majority of my time, it is easily my Game of the Month yet again. Instead of repeating myself by talking about Bravely Default (I will save it for the review hopefully), I wanted to share another facet of my passions this month--television shows. As I have grown older, my time watching television has cut down to just the shows I want to watch such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Persons of Interest and Reviews on the Run. I barely spend time endlessly surfing through channels anymore. As I gravitate to the shows that interest me the most, there a few I do not get to watch when they first run or they never make it to television in the first place. One of those shows is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an anime which adapts the story of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga into glorious 2D animation. Brotherhood follows Edward and Alphonse Elric on their quest to acquire the legendary Philosopher's Stone in order to restore the bodies they lost when trying to resurrect their deceased mother. Ed and Al's journey is not an easy one as they get caught up in a conspiracy that engulfs the entire country of Amestris. I watched the first half of Brotherhood years ago when Funimation started releasing them as 13-episode DVD sets, but never got the second half of the series because how expensive each set was. Then I got the second season of the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series for Christmas. After watching that series over again, I got this huge urge to finish Brotherhood. When I found the Complete Collection Two for 30 dollars at The Beat Goes On, I did not hesitate to buy it. A week and a half later, I watched all the 31-episodes included in the set and it was well worth it. While I already knew the entire story of Fullmetal Alchemist from reading the manga, watching the same story play out in motion was just unbelievable. The mix of excellent voice acting, superb music composition and incredibly beautiful animation just made everything feel brand new. The devilish twists and turns of Fullmetal Alchemist's endgame were perfectly adapted for the animation. There were moments in the anime that just work better in motion than in the panels of the manga. I was literally blown away by Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. While I do not watch many animes, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is among the best I have ever seen and I highly recommend watching it.
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
I have shared my love for Mega Man here on Silver Bit on multiple occasions. Among the many Mega Man series Capcom has created over the years, the Mega Man Zero games are some of my favourites. Considering Capcom would rather keep the Mega Man franchise dormant than develop new titles starring the Blue Bomber, Mega Man fans have had to look elsewhere. In particular, they have gone to the Father of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune himself, to get their fix with Mighty No. 9, but it is not the only Mega Man-like title Inafune has in the works. Announced at the beginning of March, Azure Striker Gunvolt is a new 2D action-platformer from Comcept and Inti Creates coming to the 3DS Nintendo eShop this summer. Azure Striker Gunvolt looks very similar to the fast-paced action of Mega Man Zero just with a brand new character to control, psychic powers to acquire and crazy bosses to battle. As somebody who has fond memories of the Mega Man Zero series, I am really looking forward to what Comcept and Inti Creates has in store for Azure Striker Gunvolt.
Video of the Month
Ken Kutaragi was a dashing young man with a dream to revolutionize gaming. That dream was the PlayStation, but Kutaragi's dream was challenged by the corporate powers of Nintendo. The short film Kutaragi's Way from Mega64 chronicles the totally true personal story of Ken Kutaragi's trials and tribulations in becoming the Father of the PlayStation entirely filmed with classic 80s film grain. Enjoy.
TV Show of the Month
Well, I spent the majority of my game time playing Bravely Default this past month. As it took up the majority of my time, it is easily my Game of the Month yet again. Instead of repeating myself by talking about Bravely Default (I will save it for the review hopefully), I wanted to share another facet of my passions this month--television shows. As I have grown older, my time watching television has cut down to just the shows I want to watch such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Persons of Interest and Reviews on the Run. I barely spend time endlessly surfing through channels anymore. As I gravitate to the shows that interest me the most, there a few I do not get to watch when they first run or they never make it to television in the first place. One of those shows is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an anime which adapts the story of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga into glorious 2D animation. Brotherhood follows Edward and Alphonse Elric on their quest to acquire the legendary Philosopher's Stone in order to restore the bodies they lost when trying to resurrect their deceased mother. Ed and Al's journey is not an easy one as they get caught up in a conspiracy that engulfs the entire country of Amestris. I watched the first half of Brotherhood years ago when Funimation started releasing them as 13-episode DVD sets, but never got the second half of the series because how expensive each set was. Then I got the second season of the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series for Christmas. After watching that series over again, I got this huge urge to finish Brotherhood. When I found the Complete Collection Two for 30 dollars at The Beat Goes On, I did not hesitate to buy it. A week and a half later, I watched all the 31-episodes included in the set and it was well worth it. While I already knew the entire story of Fullmetal Alchemist from reading the manga, watching the same story play out in motion was just unbelievable. The mix of excellent voice acting, superb music composition and incredibly beautiful animation just made everything feel brand new. The devilish twists and turns of Fullmetal Alchemist's endgame were perfectly adapted for the animation. There were moments in the anime that just work better in motion than in the panels of the manga. I was literally blown away by Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. While I do not watch many animes, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is among the best I have ever seen and I highly recommend watching it.
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
I have shared my love for Mega Man here on Silver Bit on multiple occasions. Among the many Mega Man series Capcom has created over the years, the Mega Man Zero games are some of my favourites. Considering Capcom would rather keep the Mega Man franchise dormant than develop new titles starring the Blue Bomber, Mega Man fans have had to look elsewhere. In particular, they have gone to the Father of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune himself, to get their fix with Mighty No. 9, but it is not the only Mega Man-like title Inafune has in the works. Announced at the beginning of March, Azure Striker Gunvolt is a new 2D action-platformer from Comcept and Inti Creates coming to the 3DS Nintendo eShop this summer. Azure Striker Gunvolt looks very similar to the fast-paced action of Mega Man Zero just with a brand new character to control, psychic powers to acquire and crazy bosses to battle. As somebody who has fond memories of the Mega Man Zero series, I am really looking forward to what Comcept and Inti Creates has in store for Azure Striker Gunvolt.
Video of the Month
Ken Kutaragi was a dashing young man with a dream to revolutionize gaming. That dream was the PlayStation, but Kutaragi's dream was challenged by the corporate powers of Nintendo. The short film Kutaragi's Way from Mega64 chronicles the totally true personal story of Ken Kutaragi's trials and tribulations in becoming the Father of the PlayStation entirely filmed with classic 80s film grain. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)