Kingdom Hearts Game Rankings

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Karura

We all have to fill in the time until Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out one way or another. Whilst we’re waiting, let’s take another retrospective look over the series so far, and rank all the games – from worst to best. Continue reading →

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Macross Plus revisited

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Karura

Around ten years ago, I got my hands on a copy of Macross Plus: Ultimate edition DVD, and spent a couple of evenings watching the OVA and movie. This was my first exposure to one of Japan’s biggest mecha franchises, but also the only part that had made it across, unadulterated, to the UK. I knew that Macross was all about mecha and singing, but I was watching it out of context, with no other knowledge of that universe. And whilst it is meant to be a standalone story, it did suffer for being watched on its own. Who or what are the Zentradi? What are the importance of variable fighters? What even is the titular ‘Macross’? None of these are addressed in the OVA, so if you don’t already know, all of that is lost on you. As you can imagine, therefore, I didn’t rate Macross Plus very highly. Continue reading →

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Shadow of the Colossus: art or pain?

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Karura

Last winter, I finally got around the playing Shadow of the Colossus. In the time it took me to finally play the game, I had already upgraded my original PS2 copy to the PS3 HD remaster – and now there’s a PS4 remake on the way. The trailers for the remake soon attracted comments from people eager to buy yet another copy of the game, or even a PS4 upon which to play it. Clearly, Shadow of the Colossus has a keen fan following – but is it really such an amazing masterpiece? Continue reading →

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Why Tales of Zestiria was a disappointment

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Karura

Nothing improves a game quite like having all the characters wear cats on their heads.

As we count down towards the release of Tales of Berseria, I’ve been spending time with the previous game in the series – Tales of Zestiria. I had put Zestiria aside in 2015 after being underwhelmed with it, and upon returning to the game, it did little to acquit itself.

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Ten Worlds I’d Like to See in Kingdom Hearts

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Karura

45611_kingdom_hearts

Since 2002, Kingdom Hearts has transported us to a universe filled with different Disney worlds. Sora and his friends have travelled far and wide, but there are yet more places I really hope the series eventually visits one day. Continue reading →

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Seasonal Round-Up: Autumn 2016

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Karura

For the first time in a while, I’m actually watching a fair amount from an anime season. It remains to be seen whether I can keep it up, or what will go by the wayside, but for now, here’s my look at a select crop from the Autumn (or Fall, if you will) anime season. Continue reading →

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Five improvements I’d like to see in Ni No Kuni 2

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Karura

ni-no-kuni-town

I love Ni No Kuni. It’s a fantastic game, a fairytale story animated by Studio Ghibli that never fails to enchant from start to finish. It’s a game that I can spend tens of hours playing without really noticing the passage of time, and one that never fails to delight – all of which means I’m very much looking forward to Ni No Kuni 2. That being said, Ni No Kuni wasn’t without its flaws. If the sequel really wants to wow and amaze me, without having those same little niggles, these are the areas where it will really need to get its act together. Continue reading →

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Sibling Rivalry: Nohr vs Hoshido

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Karura

siblings

In Fire Emblem Fates, you can choose to ally yourself with either side: Hoshido, your birth family, and seemingly the obvious good guys; or Nohr, the family you grew up, and who aren’t as evil as their dark aesthetic would seem to suggest. Either way, you end up with four siblings – but which is better? There’s only one way to find out. Continue reading →

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Dark Side Gaming Rant: Nier

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Karura

nier

Nier and his pals – a talking book, a foul-mouthed warrior and Jack Skellington Jr.

I think I’m supposed to like Nier. Back when it was released, all the reviews seemed favourable, and in the intervening years, people still spoke positively about it. And when a sequel was announced, I thought I’d better finally take my copy off the shelf and give it a whirl.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Continue reading →

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Japanese Kit Kat Selection

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Karura

Japan is full of strange things. Even the Kit Kat, a fairly standard chocolate-covered wafer bar, has been embraced and transformed into many different weird and wonderful flavours. Armed with curiosity and a love of sweets, my friends and I decided to delve into this mini Kit Kat selection box. Here’s what we found.

Edit – Jun 2017: Over the past year, a good friend and I have both visited Japan and brought back/imported even more Kit Kats. I have updated the post accordingly.

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