Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 31 Review

Originally posted December 15th, 2015

Reflection and humble beginnings.

Last season, Team Four Star began with intensity and focus on the story they were going to tell. As Bulma blasted off towards Namek, there was a sense of determination she shared with her creators; while she was determined to gather the Dragonballs and bring her friends back to life, Team Four Star was determined to retell the Freeza saga with the appropriate weight such a story deserved.

They were burdened with a great task of satisfying the expectations of their fans, most of whom had already seen the original Freeza Saga and held it in high regard, and they let their viewers know that they were going to take that task seriously. Now, however, the Freeza saga is over, and it was pretty clearly a success. Imperfections aside, Team Four Star did an excellent job retelling this story, and that fact is something I’m sure they are keenly aware of.

It’s fitting then, that they choose to begin season three not with determination, but with reflection. While they tease at an ominous story to come with Garlic Jr., by the end of the episode they show that to be a red herring; the important story here is a simple but personal tale following Krillin and his new girlfriend, Maron.

Now, Krillin is not my favorite character in this series,1 but he is my fourth favorite character because, despite being constantly overwhelmed and afraid, he still persists and does his best to fight alongside people who are essentially gods. He’s also the most human character in this series, which is made incredibly clear in this episode as he struggles with whether or not Maron loves him because of who he is, or because of the money he obtained through insurance fraud.

This question keeps him up late into the night, and after having the most emotionally honest conversation of the series with a turtle, he decides that he’s going to tell Maron everything and see if she still loves him anyway. She never loved him at all, it turns out; she was investigating him for insurance fraud the entire time. Finding this out is heartbreaking, to be sure, but it’s also hilarious, and since Krillin’s wealth was obtained illegally, it feels like karmic justice as well.

The rest of the episode is also filled with small snippets of domesticity for the characters. Everyone attends a birthday party for Turtle, a talking turtle that everyone seems to care about and love for no apparent reason besides the fact that he seems pretty nice. Gohan and Chichi pound the tuna, in an attempt to take the place of Goku, and Piccolo chills on a mountaintop with Nail and Kami, talking about nothing particularly important. This is all incredibly refreshing, giving us a break from the intensity we just went through in the Freeza saga while still delivering a funny and entertaining episode.

Rating: 5/5

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Stray Observations

1My top three characters from Dragonball Z: Abridged are as follows: Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta in that order. Piccolo’s slightly too serious demeanor (which makes him feel perfectly out of place) and devotion to being Gohan’s father puts him at the top, Gohan’s bookishness combined with a will to fight (and anger/father issues) makes him second, and Vegeta’s superiority complex, devil-may-care attitude and excellent insults make him third.

Oh, Kanye, you always let us know when bitches be gold diggin’. (And then “American Woman” reminding us of that later.)

Kami: “Last time Mr. Popo had a booty call I found five corpses. He laughed when I said five.”

Bulma: “No one screws Yamcha but life.”

Krillin Owned: 29, because Maron isn’t just a gold digger, she’s a federal agent.

Maron: “I said I worked for the government, I never said I was a good person.”

Mr. Popo: “Oh don’t mind me Kami. I just had a bit of Italian for dinner.” Kami: “What does that-“ Mr. Popo: “’Cause it was nothing but Garlic!”

The worst part about reading in a genre where you have low expectations (in this case, Christian historical fiction) is that when a book impresses you, you have no idea if it's actually good or if you're just overly impressed because it was a fraction of a degree better than the usual garbage.

Feelings on Minish Cap?

Minish cap is a stellar game. Very much underappreciated and my top wish for what should get remade in HD. The soundtrack is marvelous and I wish I could listen to it all day but the ~bits~ of the good old gameboy just don't work well with my migraine prone head. I truly hope newer fans get to experience the game in all it's glory sooner than later and it get the attention it deserves!!

I think Minish cap has a very unique identity. It has a lot of familiar things yet many totally new and unexpected sights! It almost feels like a fan game, but in like the best way possible. It's got that indie pixel vibe of something made with love.

...asfjggsjkf sorry this is another love letter ramble. Minish cap has a special place in my heart. It was the first Zelda game I ever played, although at the time I didn't know any english and would just run around the few areas that are open before the first dungeon, and I'd slap grass for fun. I was easy to entertain back then.

Years later I found my old gameboy colour and finally actually played the game. It's a real solid entry in the top-down zelda game world, although it could be just a LITTLE bit tighter in gameplay. Link's awakening and Oracle of Ages just really keep you on the move in a way modern games don't seem to.

Also Minish cap just has the most iconic official art in the franchise.

Basically Minish cap to me is an image of childhood. We're currently in an era for the franchise that's openly pointing out the horror of it's lore. I think it's high time we remember the joy and whimsy of the series too. The games that bring back that feeling of being a kid in the backyard playing heroes! The hero trope exists as a tragedy, but also to inspire us.

PS. to clarify I think the game is incredibly solid as it exists right now and the reason I want it remade is not because the current version needs an overhaul, but because I know a remake would give more people easier access to a game that's marvelous and also I'd cry. If you have a way to play it right now like... Do it, yo. No need to wait for an imaginary product I invented in my brain.

Metal Gear Solid Mobile

Even in a series as prolific as Metal Gear, it is not immune to missing or lost releases, and there are blind spots in the series that many don’t know about or haven’t heard of. Metal Gear Solid Mobile is one such game. It is a ‘lost’ game in the series, released solely on mobile platforms & not widely publicized. It’s also unique in how advanced it was for a mobile game at the time. MGS Mobile reaches toward the level of the console games, despite a smaller screen & keypad controls, and it gets might close that lofty aim.

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After that metal gear boss fight, Ocelot says a bunch of shit. Raiden and Snake are bound and held captive on the deck of Arsenal Gear, scrambled by Emma’s virus and careening towards New York City. Solidus is there, Fortune is there, Solidus talks about all he really wanted was to find the Patriots and kill them, but Ocelot chimes in just in time to tell everyone that they’ve been played. He explains that the S3 plan did not refer to Raiden’s VR training, rather the entire Big Shell incident itself. All the similarities between this game and the last were deliberately arranged by Ocelot and the Patriots to train Raiden to be a replacement for Solid Snake. The way Ocelot frames it, it would seem that their motive is to create a new supersoldier in Snake’s image, but later details elaborate that it isn’t Snake’s skill and operational effectiveness that the Patriots seek to replicate--it’s his adherence to the chain of command. The Patriots wanted to test how easily they could control society by manipulating Raiden, using information, memories, and ideas as the tools to do so. We are made to question whether or not Raiden had any agency or individuality to him whatsoever--he is a stand in for either the player or for Snake. I will remind you all that this is the same game where this same player character does naked standing cartwheels and gets pissed on for no reason. What the fuck, right? Raiden does not say a word during these fifteen minutes of cutscenes, he does not express himself at all. Ocelot hops into the last Ray to escape, fires a bunch of missiles which Fortune deflects despite dying and having her protection field shut off, Liquid takes over Ocelot again, Snake breaks his own handcuffs and dives after him. Now, I suppose we should talk about 9/11.

love this review

James Spader playing Jack Lawson in his Broadway debut as the star of David Mamet's Race, which ran from December 2009 to August 2010

So, now that I finished the game (again) and the DLC chapters, I'm going to ramble about Crosscode C:

This game is really bizarre in the sense that, to be completely 100% honest, there isn't any particular part of the game that I think is all that mind-blowing. But all the individual elements (heh) of the game come together so well that the resulting product ends up being so much stronger and memorable than the sum of its parts.

Like, most indie games have one or several notable flaws or shortcomings (and understandably so) but this game is such an airtight experience that I can't help thinking about it and just being like "the how HECK is this game so GOOD?!"

...I am of course just getting started, I've got a wall of text of things I liked and thought her just "meh" under the 'keep reading' if you're interested (you've been warned (also spoilers obviously)):

The combat is definitely one of the strongest elements of the game and probably one of my personal favorites; its brutally difficult and sometimes feels like bullshit (and maybe there is one or two instances where it actually is just bullshit) but once you get the hang of it is really is flashy and satisfying and makes you feel badass to pull off. Plus its got the whole easy to learn, hard to master thing going on (like most of it is just charging SP and pressing the space bar, but knowing what moves to use and when def play into things).

I dunno how much of a hot take this is, but I really liked the puzzles in this game! I won't deny that they can sometimes drag on and interrupt the pacing of a temple, but personally I didn't mind. And just like the combat they're so well constructed that, while you'll spend minutes staring blankly reminded that you're a simple-minded creature and that the human mind wasn't made for this and you should be foraging for mushrooms in the woods and risking death over your next meal, they rarely feel impossible to solve without having to resort to a playthrough and are really satisfying to finally figure out (not to brag but there was exactly one puzzle in the game where I had to look up the solution and another where I did solve it on my own but then looked it up cause I thought I cheesed it by mistake). At first I wasn't a huge fan of how fast/precise you have to be for some puzzles on top of just finding out the solution in the first place, but after a while you kinda get used to it (and there is an option to slow things down which is really nice of the devs to include).

The story is... pretty alright. Yeah. I honestly don't have much to say about it. Bit of a slow pace, does the job, and has it's share of twists and emotional moments, but the narrative itself doesn't really do anything mind-blowing either so... you know. I definitely think it's the characters themselves that are memorable and prop up an otherwise average story. I mean every single one of them is just the hugest goober and even characters who initially seem forgettable or one-dimensional end up subverting your expectations and being super endearing/compelling/layered. Oh yeah, and Lea is a character that can only say like 10 words and SHE DESERVES THE WORLD I WOULD KILL FOR H-

Also, since the DLC is brand new to me I do wanna say that the ending was the tiniest bit underwhelming. Like you break into Vermillion Wasteland, fight a (surprisingly easy) boss, and that's... just it. Like 20 minutes top. I dunno, it feels like... something was missing. Still thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing and it is nice for the cast to get their happy ending (not quite as emotionally impactful as the base game's end imo, but still great and I'm glad they gave us more time with these dorks).

The platforming and navigating the overworld is tedious, which sucks a bit since that makes up a good chunk of the game. Idk man, having to scale different elevations of platforms is made frustrating by the fixed camera and the fact that the different "levels" of platforms aren't distinct from each other at all, so its easy to get duped by the perspective and jump to something you can't actually reach (yes you can use projectiles to check but it still isn't fun). Even without everything blending into each other visually, trying to find which obscure paths from four rooms ago will bring you to a chest just isn't all that enjoyable (some of the later maps like Sapphire Ridge were okay though, if only cause they started to have actually interesting puzzles to do). Basically they're just... there, between the actually fun stuff.

The trading system and farming for resources is confusing and kind of a chore. That's all I got.

Guess I'll touch on the art/music since I don't have too much to say about them. To be perfectly honest I'm not actually super crazy about the artstyle (blasphemy!), but I won't deny that the sprite-work and overall aesthetic are still super-well done, even if they aren't my personal taste (tl;dr I'm neutral on it). The soundtrack isn't something I'd put on my phone and listen to in the car, but like the art it's still well-made and perfectly suits the mood of/drives the emotional impact of the game, and there are still a handful of standout bangers (Lea's theme will live rent-free in my brain of course).

One last thing I'll say (that I mentioned before) is that as fun as this game is, it feels like a commitment to get through at times. Even when I first played it and had more free time, sometimes this game just felt "imposing" to pick back up after a break. Idk its hard to describe, but at least for me it was hard to play any other games alongside this (especially with my limited free time) which kinda sucked a bit.

To wrap things up, if I had to give the game an arbitrary number rating, I have to give Crosscode a 0/10 because its an indie game that doesn't have a fishing game (smh honestly how could they make such an obvious mistake 😔).

Sacklet had Raising Cane's for the first time! I was out with a couple of friends, and Sacklet had to tag along of course :3 little guy was so hungry, and it was so tastee, that he ate the whole basket for lunch <3

Brennan Lee Mulligan - Shirt Appreciation

Neverafter

Many men had offered her many things in the past, love and friendship, luxury and jewels, entertainment, dogs, amusements, homage--some she had accepted, some refused, but no man before had offered her work. Peter had offered her that, he had offered her a share of his--not noble or inspiring or fascinating work, just his work, what he had. He had offered it her, called her great energies into play, and set her to work beside himself in a furrow. And she was glad; for some reason she found it very good.

--Desire by Una Lucy Silberrad

"I'll find my own name...and my own life. I'll find something worth passing on."

Metal Gear Solid 2: De-Cyphered (Part 2) OUT NOW: https://youtu.be/7r49t0Ez0s8?si=Ert2xFl5ubNU5mDz

The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2

Video game history, like all history, is hard to record. The making of a game produces ephemera; design documents & pitches, early concept sketches, storyboards, research trips, discarded sprites & models, and ideas that just didn’t fit the final product. Tracking down a cart or that unlabeled DVD-R lying in a forgotten back room somewhere is often just the tip of the iceberg. It takes hard work to catalog all of that after the fact, let alone while it’s being made. Hideo Kojima and his team at Konami decided to do just that with the development of Metal Gear Solid 2. The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 is a rare, intimate look at the making of a video game, by people who were engaged in precisely that very act.

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Beating MGS1 for the first time

9/10

Bro it was so good. Fucking SO good. In my top 5. Very anti war and anti nuclear, changed my view on war a lot.

Well, why 9/10? Simply, it was too hard. I played it on normal, and holy shit the Ocelot torture scene, the Metal Gear Rex, the Vulcan Raven, Hell, even the MINI BOSSES were hard. I get it needed to be because it was a game in the 90s, but jeez.

But it made me question my life (which, I already do) and that was fun. Also the songs are absolute BANGERS. The best is yet to come, The world needs only one Big Boss, the battle theme, the alert theme, holy shitt. I got the Otacon ending, very sad Snake and Otagacon didn't kiss (joking). But the road off into the sunset, and that's enough. Also I got the code name elephant, so.

And Liquid was a complicated character. Like yeaaah, I understand him, sometimes I wish my brother was gone so my parents would love me more, but at the same time, that's not how genes work. Yeah, you got Big Boss's recessive genes, because...your hair is blonde. Your eyes are blue. Your genes don't make you a better solider.

Final thoughts, I'm sorry Meryl. And wait...if she thought Campell was her uncle...but his really her father then...NOW WAIT A DAMN MINUTE-

Well, now time to P̶i̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ MGS2! I can't wait to play as Snake again!