So this week's community blog theme is anime. Here's a link to my Top 5 Favorite Anime as well. Here's another link to the Top 3 Anime I recommend for newcomers. Anime is pretty awesome. You should all watch it. Here is a blog. Please enjoy.

As gamers, we all enjoy different types of games. We all look for different reasons to play games. There is one area where many fans of the medium seem to be divided. What's more important, a well-written narrative or addicting and well-made gameplay mechanics?

Have you ever played a game that had one hell of a terrible story, but the gameplay mechanics were so excellent you just had to continue? A game that defines itself by the gameplay, rather than the narrative? I've played several games like that, and one developer in particular that comes to mind is Platinum Games.

Let's be serious for a second, how many people remember the plot for Vanquish? Metal Gear Rising? Bayonetta? A few do, sure, but not me. What do I remember? I remember the amazing combat and gameplay mechanics in each of these games, I remember how addicting it was and the great number of hours I spend on them, trying to beat my scores. Pure gameplay is what Platinum Games are about and they pull it off perfectly. A lot of games happen to fall into that category.

Take a game like Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. That's a game with a very weak narrative. So weak it's forgettable. Killing thousands upon thousands of Orks with chain swords, axes, hammers, and unique weaponry is not forgettable. I put hours into Space Marine because of the great gameplay. Nintendo is often criticized for this as well, but a game like Smash Bros. has the replayability factor so many other games lack. In games like Uncharted and The Last of Us, I poured more hours into multiplayer than single player.

Some games offer something more than just gameplay. Some offer amazing tales and stories beyond your wildest imagination. Titles like Uncharted and The Last of Us live off that narrative. Many RPGs like Persona 4, The Witcher 2, and even Fire Emblem are driven by the fantastic characters that players grow attached to.

There are, in fact, games that exist with very little gameplay. So little, in fact, that it may be hard to define them as games. Plenty of these games have been popping up lately, and the community has come to define them as Press W or Walking Simulators. One game that is completely narrative focused, and is one of my favorite games, is The Stanley Parable.

The Stanley Parable is the definition of a Walking Simulator. You can't even jump (in fact they give you an achievement if you press the usual jump button on your keyboard too many times). However, the game was engaging, to the point where I explored every crevice and unlocked several of the different endings as I played through. It's hardly a game, but one experience I thought didn't need a high level of complexity when it came to the gameplay.

Of course, gameplay and narrative aren't the only two factors that need to be taken into account. Well designed characters, a well designed world and a well designed setting is necessary to make games the visual feasts that they are. In Metro: Last Light, the dark, eerie settings in the underground tunnels and the apocalyptic setting above ground make the game much more than just another first-person shooter. Games like Journey had beautiful golden colored deserts that defined how people would remember the game when it's over.

At the end of the day, it's of course, incredibly subjective. As for myself, I have always preferred gameplay over narrative, but when the narrative is good enough, I can ignore some weak aspects of the gameplay and push through, like I did with games like Bioshock Infinite. However, games like that won't ever be as memorable because it is held back by weak mechanics and that's what becomes the focus. In a perfect game, gameplay and narrative should perfectly compliment each other.

So what do you think? What are your arguments for this debate? Let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading!

BOO!

Did I scare you? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't mind me, it's Halloween! A time for maniacal laughter, the dead rising from the grave and pure, unadulterated terror. That's what you get with Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, or for the sake of this blog, When The Cicadas Cry. Let's gather around the campfire, kids. Uncle Blade is gonna tell you a scary story. Before I continue, this blog contains spoilers for the first five episodes of the series.

Look at that image above! You would never think she was a cold-blooded murderer!

When They Cry starts out sweet, as a nice average slice-of-life anime, or so you would think. Keiichi Maebara just moves to the pleasant little town of Hinamizawa. He meet four girls, Rena Ryuugu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Hojo, and Rika Furude and befriends them at his nearby school. A feeling of peace ensues, before he learns about a murder involving a dismemberment, however. One that occurred in this pleasant little town five years go, one where the girls won't tell him a thing about.

At a festival that occurs during the week, things spiral further. Keiichi learns about the curse of Oyashiro. A curse that caused many disappearances all throughout the town. The next day, the man who told Keiichi about the murder and the curse is found dead. He's said to have committed suicide by clawing out his own throat. Keichii's world seems to be spiraling as he notices Rena and Mion are hiding something from him. He gets into an argument with them and is also accused of hiding secrets about the man he's been speaking to.

As the story unfolds, Keiichi becomes more and more paranoid. Keichii soon finds about that a boy named Satoshi transferred out of Hinamizawa, displaying similar paranoid behavior. He calls in sick from school, later to be visited by Rena and Mion, who have a strange look on their faces. They bring him rice treats. However, when he takes a bite, he finds a needle in one of them. Now convinced that Rena and Mion are out to kill him, he starts arming himself with a baseball bat.

Rena comes by with dinner for Keiichi, but scared and confused, he starts hearing strange words from Rena, telling him to succumb to his paranoia. He slams the door on her hand. He runs away and is followed after Rena, who is carrying a machete. Rena tells him to succumb to Oyashiro, and that all the murders are the work of Oyashiro, the god of the town. He runs away, soon to be knocked out by men in black suits.

He wakes up and notices Rena and Mion are about to attack him with a needle, and frantically grabs his baseball bat...

And kills them.

He calls the police department. He tells them the murders were the work of Oyashiro. He then claws his own throat out.

The next day he wakes up. He goes to school. He talks to his friends and continues his normal life.

Is the story over?

Why not watch the series and found out?

I hope you enjoyed that little story. I'm here if you need holding. HAPPY HALLOWEEN, FOLKS!

LOOK AT THESE CUTE KITTENS!

LOOK AT THEM!

D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

I hope you enjoyed them.

Hello there folks. Recently a couple friends of mine, NaughtyOttsel22 (Dave) and neil_rev (Lien, who also reviewed it, btw, completely spoiler-free) decided to have a little spoilerchat about Danganronpa 2, our current Game of the Year for 2014. I thought I'd cut it down, edit it, splice it up and place it here for everyone to check out.

This will be Part 1. There are about 6000 words in the chat itself, so there will naturally be multiple parts. Needless to say, if you have not played the game, please turn around. Spoilers are literally EVERYWHERE. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This week, we'll have a rather general discussion, and next week and the weeks after, we'll move on to cases. I hope you this enjoy little chat. Without further delay, here we go:

Dave: So yeah. Danganronpa 2, GOTY. Only thing that has come close is the prequel.

Lien: And IGN still doesn't bother reviewing it... Baka IGN. NEBS. ARE YOU HERE?

Dave: Because IGN sucks and reviews crap Vita games while ignoring the good ones.

Lien: Like Sword Art Online? Ugh. Then there's that fanservice one.

Nabil: Alright, we doing this? How long you guys got?

Dave: We've been waitin'. I have all night.

Nabil: Works for me. And yes it is GOTY. Literally nothing comes close this year. Let's start with characters.

Dave: So character-wise, what characters did you really like, and what ones did you not?

Nabil: Fuyuhiko, Peko, Hajime, Chiaki, Mahiru and Ibuki. Those are definitely my favorites. Some like Teruteru were just awful.

Lien: Nagito, Chiaki, Ibuki, I kind of like Hajime and lastly, Fuyuhiko. I dislike Mikan, dislike Teruteru. Oh wait Nebs, Teru is also a perv.

Nabil: Yeah but I'm a classy perv. Teru just sucks.

Dave: My favorites are Mahiru, Chiaki, Hajime, Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi, and Ibuki. I didn't like Teruteru at all.

Nabil: I did feel bad for him when he was ultimately killed. He was just not a very good character though.

Dave: I felt bad for him solely because it was accidental. He meant to get Nagito.

Nabil: The only time I honestly felt nothing was Mikan. She was just an awful person. Hated her personality. That was also the hardest case in terms of bullet time.

Lien: I felt nothing for Teruteru. I actually had a love-hate relationship with Mikan after 3.

Dave: I liked Mikan until Chapter 3, but I stopped because it was down to me liking Ibuki. Ultimately it was probably because she killed Hiyoko. As much as I liked Ibuki, I didn't see her developing, while Hiyoko was and she got cut off before she could really change, which was depressing. Hiyoko's death depressed me the most followed by Mahiru.

Nabil: I think Peko's death depressed me the most by far.

Lien: Mine was Nekomaru. He just came back and the next thing you know he's dead.

Dave: I'm gonna get looks here, but I didn't feel much for Peko.

Nabil: You cold bastard.

Lien: I liked Peko's relationship relation ship with Fuyu, but overall I'm not really fond of her. She's okay.

Nabil: I felt bad for Fuyuhiko the most during that death.

Dave: Fuyuhiko shocked me. I went in hating him, and praying he would be killed but he became arguably my favorite character.

Nabil: I was completely indifferent, then he quickly became one of my favorites. I think he's definitely the most developed character.

Lien: Mine is Gundham. That last speech of his was touching.

Dave: So. Izuru Kamakura. Thoughts on him?

Nabil: That twist was just... DAMN.

Dave: Izuru is absolutely horrific, arguably more than Junko. Well maybe he's not quite there, but he's close.

Nabil: Junko did orchestrate everything. I was shocked she was still "alive."

Lien: I think Izuru is kind of bland... I love that twist at the end though. He's just very bored with everything and very contradictory.

Dave: Well yeah, he's everything wrong about a person, self, doesn't care about anyone but himself, etc. I think he works better behind the scenes.

Nabil: Which is why he brushed off Nagito during that scene on the boat and I agree, he wouldn't make an interesting main character. He's technically fallen so far into despair that nothing interests him.

Lien: "The Downfall of Izuru." I'd buy that XD

Dave: I hope Izuru isn't fully gone. I hope if Hajime returns in future games he still has issues with Izuru.

Nabil: I'd like that, esp. as a split personality.

Lien: Thoughts on Monokuma? Until Chapter 4 I thought he wasn't as good as the first. Then he turns out to be even more manipulative by hiding info and influencing the killing.

Nabil: Monomi made him seem so much less intimdating. He seemed like a cartoon character.

Dave: That was my issue with Monomi and Monokuma. I loved the banter between them and thought it was very funny, but it made Monokuma a tad jokey. Moving on, what setting did you guys prefer? Hopes Peak or Jabberwock Island?

Lien: Definitely Jabberwock. Hopes Peak feels... suffocating, but it suits the game really well.

Nabil: I liked the suffocating feeling honestly. It gave the game more ambiance. It was a closed space which I preferred. Made it even more intimidating.

Dave: I'll be honestly, I prefer Hopes Peaks solely because Junko was with them and it felt like a prison and was creepier.

Nabil: DR2's settings definitely made for more complicated cases though.

Lien: Definitely.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this small introduction. More will definitely be coming. If you have played the games, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

As gamers, we're all cursed. So many games are released each year and so many of us gamers just can't keep up. I'm guilty of this myself. I've played 20 games this year. I've beaten about 3. It's insanity, I tells ya. So here's a list of a few big games I have started, but unfortunately, I just never got around to completing, and probably never will.

1 - Demon's Souls

You know, I spent 25 hours on this game. I loved every second I played of it. I loved the feeling of killing bosses and fighting my way through every single nemesis on screen. It was empowering to finally beat a boss yet the game put you back in your place as soon as you moved on to the next area. This game was difficult, but addicting, because you had to show the game who exactly was the boss here. Unfortunately, in my case, the game won, and I just could never find the time to continue.

2 - Red Dead Redemption

I heard a few audible gasps. I still believe this to be the best game Rockstar ever made, and I've tried to beat it on two occasions and both times, work, school, and other things got in the way. I still want to comeback to it and I still want to finish it, and I may one day, because I know the adventures of John Marston aren't over just yet. Except for the ending because someone spoiled that for me around a year ago. Screw you, person who's name I can't remember.

3 - Ni No Kuni

Yeah... I feel really bad about this one, mostly because I absolutely loved this game. I poured 35 hours into it, but damn it if it isn't long. I don't know why, but I ultimately just grew very bored and moved on. More games were being released, ones I wanted to play, and this game was just left behind. It was a spectacular JPRG, one I loved to death and one that made me believe that JRPGs weren't completely dead, and I never finished it. A little ironic on my part.

4 - Sleeping Dogs

I loved Sleeping Dogs. The departure from open world games like GTA that take place solely in cities based in America was a breath of fresh air. I loved the setting of Hong Kong, and I loved the freedom and detail everywhere. Wei Shen was a brilliant character and one that was so fully developed. The combat system was also amazing. So what happened? Heck I hardly even remember. I still have it installed and still have 11 hours put into it. I really should beat this game.

Well there it is. A list of games I really regret not finishing. So how about you? What big games or smaller titles have you not finished? Let me know in the comments!

As a man, part of me is okay with the oversexualization of characters in games. Sure some people have an issue with it, but hey, most of the human population is interested in the sexual aspects of whatever gender they may be attracted to, and many of us enjoy a little of that aspect in our video games and movies. Nice butts only go so far though. The disinterested sets in quickly and games like Dead or Alive Xtreme don't really have the hook to keep gamers like me interested very long. What else is there to see? I'm not having fun, and a game just selling on sex appeal isn't nearly enough to keep your audience happy.

As a gamer, however, sometimes I do get tired of the oversexualization of females in gaming. Even strong females like Lara Croft and Bayonetta are given some rear ends. I would like this practice to somewhat end, and for gaming studios to start introducing some more interesting female characters that are not heavily oversexualized and have some strong back stories. Sure there are games you can name that are like this, but compared to the multitude of games that are quite the opposite, I find that argument to be a little shortsighted.

Why not have a female protagonist in a Grand Theft Auto game? That alone would be something I can definitely consider interesting. Sure there's creative freedom, but creative freedom and inclusiveness are not separate entities and easily can be exercised in tandem.

Ubisoft is a great example of fuck ups here. In their most recent of many controversies (and sometimes I think they purposely do this for PR), they stated that including a female model for the assassins in Unity would be "too expensive." That they had to cut these models out for expense purposes, when many developers such as Gearbox have stated that the cost is negligible, further pointing out the bullshit that Ubisoft has thrown on the table.

We go to forums on the internet and see arguments both ways, but I ask you, what is wrong with games becoming more inclusive of the different races, different sexual orientations and different genders? I personally believe that it is good for gaming. Sure, Gone Home wasn't a game I would ever recommend because I found it overly pretentious, but I would still commend it for trying to do something different. I applaud Bioware for including a gay character in their games, one that simply won't show interest if you're playing a female character. It's a step forward.

We can't ever get rid of the prejudice, we can't ever get rid of oversexualization for marketing purposes, but we can definitely be more open and allow gaming to grow as a medium, to become art and the first step is inclusiveness. The first step is for many different types of games that veer away from the norm. This allows gaming to grow, and I fully support it.

Listening to Still Alive, from Mirror's Edge, I suddenly had the inspiration to write a small blog. Please excuse the errors. It's very late.

I'm generally someone who's pretty happy nowadays. I try to light up every circle I'm in, I try to be funny and generally nice to everyone. People are generally surprised when I tell them I've dealt with anxiety and depression. Those nightmares of suicidal ideations that haunted me a few years ago that all cleared up with therapy are things I still occasionally think about. Dreams of killing myself were never fun, neither was waking up in a cold sweat and not being able to fall back asleep, wallowing in self-pity.

With a family history of heart attacks and stress, those are sometimes the least of my worries, sometimes what I worry about most. I'm generally a pretty healthy person, and I always take care of myself. My first panic attack led me to hospital visit that didn't really cure much. After that was an eternal struggle to fight off the panic. A feeling that I was losing control and I couldn't breathe. It was suffocating and uncomfortable. Thousands of voices ringing in my head, and a feeling that I was about to die at any time. Thirty minute panic drained me for days, with all my energy gone, where I would just lay in bed and pass the time.

Sometimes I end up worrying a little too much about what other people think about me. I generally always get the feeling that I don't belong anywhere, like I'm wandering a cold desert with no destination. It's frightening, and something I tend to avoid thinking about it. Sometimes you just can't get those thoughts out of your head. Not without help. Maybe that's where gaming came in. I was never an avid gamer until a few years back. Sure I would play all the general titles I loved, but I would never game on a daily basis. It was something that helped me escape.

A life full of worry is just never fun, and that's why therapy helped, and letting those emotions out was exactly what I needed. Sometimes you feel like you're being you're being pulled down into a neverending abyss and you can't find your way out, which is why your need to reach out for those who are willing to catch you, whether it's friendship, family, or therapy. Sometimes you need to find people that care and are willing to help, and climb out of that darkness. I urge everyone suffering with these feelings to find help. There's no need to live a life of nothing but fear. People are willing to help, as long as you're willing to reach out. It helped me. It can help you too.

Warning: There are story spoilers, but if you haven't played this by now, you probably never will.

In 1991, the sequel to the original classic Metroid was released for the Gameboy. It was the first portable Metroid game. Metroid II: Return of Samus was probably fantastic for its time, but having recently played it on the 3DS, there are several problems that it has that, when measured up to today's standards, just no longer hold up.

The story here is that Samus has been contracted to clear SR388, the Metroid home planet, of all the Metroids. After the planet is cleared at the end of the game, she ends up seeing a Metroid hatch from an egg, and the Metroid thinks Samus is the mother. Samus, thus, spares the Metroid's life, and they board the ship together and escape SR388.

Many fans of Metroid games and the Metroidvania genre in general expect great upgrades, great level design and awesome art. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Metroid II, from my perspective, doesn't really include much that allows it to compete with the Metroidvania series as it is today.

An example of a Gamma Metroid

An example of an Omega Metroid

The Metroid enemy design is great, the look menacing and are a threat in battle and there are several types of them. However, other enemies are designed very poorly and are just completely unmemorable. Level design in the entire game is very repetitive. It didn't help the game that it's in complete black and white, and it sure did not help to have such confusing level design. I wandered around for an hour or so before finally looking up a map online and pinpointing where I was. I may not be able to criticize it for not having a map back in 1991, but I can in comparison to today's standards. You need a map to play this game.

Art design is weak, with textures that are the same in almost every area of the game, making it even easier to get lost at times. The music is in a midi format, but besides one or two familiar tunes, the entire soundtrack is forgettable and is the worst soundtrack in the series. There are some standouts however, among the other unmemorable tunes.

Despite all these caveats, the game was rather enjoyable to an extent. I was frustrated many a time, but it didn't completely hinder my enjoyment of the game. I had fun finding my way around. Maybe I snapped under the frustration and just had to show the game who was really in control. Upgrades like the Space Jump (which allows for infinite jump) and different weapon upgrades like the Wave and Ice Beams allowed for variety. Ultimately, it felt good to kill the final boss and beat the game, and the ending credits theme is one of the better themes in the game as well.

Ultimately, this game is painfully average. It is in no way a bad game at all whatsoever, and gets better as you go along, but unless you are a diehard Metroid fan, skip this one. It's simply not worth the time.

A happy Halloween from Spike and the gang. Stay safe, you lot.

In honor of Nick (aka, SecondServing) beating me in Smash Bros., I have decided to write this blog, as per his request. Since his main is Little Mac, I thought this would be appropriate.

Big Mac.

It may give you a heart attack.

Thank you for your time.

What is anime without some of the fantastic music that is associated with it. Cowboy Bebop certainly wouldn't be the same with its heavily jazz infused soundtrack. Trigun certainly wouldn't be the same without the fantastic Wild West themed music you hear throughout the show. Certain opening and ending themes in anime are just as memorable as the shows themselves. Some are more than just songs. Some meld into the background at the end of the each episode so well that you can't help but remember them. Some have fantastic and unique animation. Here, I'd like to showcase some of my all-time favorite ending songs (in no particular order with no particular number! Just the standouts), which were almost impossible to pick.

Catchy J-pop is hard to come by, but that's not why this particular ending of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood resonates with me. Rather, it's the amazing and fantastic animation that comes with it that helps so much to capture the feel of the show. You can tell the animation team worked hard to give off a fantastic vibe each time an episode ended. It was fantastic and extremely well done.

You just can't shake this one off. Yoko Kanno is brilliant at her craft, and with every soundtrack she creates, she does it brilliantly. The Real Folk Blues is certainly no exception and is possibly one of the best ending songs to any anime ever created, capturing the entire essence and emotion of the show in one song.

The amazing thing about Honey and Clover was the emotion in each episode, and each ending only amplified that feeling, with the ending song melding in so perfectly with the background, leaving a mellow feeling, almost reflecting back to the episode that was just watched. It was masterfully done.

I love Yes. They are a fantastic classic rock band. When I first heard this song as the ending for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, I was grinning from ear to ear, think to myself that this was probably one of the best songs to choose for such an amazing and badass anime.

Maybe this one is cheating. It's a movie after all, but screw it. This song is that good. You'd think The Seatbelts would somehow lose their touch at some point, but they continue to deliver. This is one of the best ending credits songs in any anime film you'll ever see, so filled with emotion that it's palpable.

One of the catchiest and most appropriate ending songs I've ever heard is the one at the end of Bakuman. Not only does each episode end pretty much perfectly, with the ending song blending so well and so perfectly direction, it's also filled with amazing art direction. Possibly one of the most feel good songs you'll ever hear.

FLCL is absolutely insane. Being one of the first few anime I've scene, I was absolutely entranced at how absolute batshit crazy it ended up. The ending was also my introduction to The Pillows, now one of my all-time favorite Japanese bands. I had to include this one.

This song is catchy...... shut up.

So what are your favorite ending tracks? Why do you enjoy them? Let me know in the comments below!

I've blogged about how uninspiring Metroid II: Return of Samus is. What many of you may not be aware of, is a current fan project by the name of the AM2R: Another Metroid 2 Remake. The entire project is being done by a user named DoctorM64. Currently still in demo form, a full approximately 2 hours of the game is ready to play, with new areas, bosses, and one hell of a fantastic soundtrack compared to the original. The engine is similar to that of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission, and in some cases, plays even better. You can visit his blog here.

Starting this demo, I had no idea what to expect, but it eventually dug its nails into me. The entire game is so visceral, and so well done, with great secrets and additions like a log book, that familiar Metroid style map and more. It's just incredibly well done. I haven't played a 2D Metroid game this excellent since Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission. Enemies are redesigned and given color, and the entire planet of SR388 just feels so alive. Boss fights are challenging and rewarding, and each upgrade you receive just makes you feel more like a badass.

Upgrades also stack, unlike the originally. AI is perfectly done and the new bosses added are actually quite difficult and very fun to fight. The game is by no means easy. The only caveat I have is that your are still essentially clearing a large number of Metroids, and sometimes, it can feel a little tedious, and less like a game about exploration and upgrades and more like a cleanup job. But then again, the story of Metroid II is in fact a cleanup job, so that is somewhat understandable.

The music for the game was entirely redone as you can see above from the trailers, and it's absolutely phenomenal, and fits in completely with the Metroid universe. The backgrounds and bright visuals are fantastic and the game itself is crisp and clear. I highly recommend giving the demo a shot, and again, you can find DoctorM64's project here. You can even download the fantastic soundtrack. This game is well-made and deserves to be experience by any avid and hardcore fan of the Metroid series. The project is, of course, still ongoing, and hopefully will finished soon, so I can give a review before this blog series ends.

Anime is a large medium, and a lot of newcomers may not know where to begin. As someone who loves the medium and has watched anime for years now, I'd like to give my personal top 3 biggest recommendations for newcomers. These are perfect places to start if you are new to the world of anime. Now, before you ask the inevitable question of: Why didn't you include X? I'd like to just say:

Anyway, let's begin!

This is one of  those "just one more episode" type shows. One of those anime you really just need to force yourself to stop watching. The premise is simple. One day, a boy finds a book called the Death Note. Whatever name he writes in the book, that person will die, given that it's their real name, of course. You can probably see the potential just by reading that short summary. If you're looking for a great thrill ride, an anime that will keep you guessing and one you'll probably binge on for a weekend, give Death Note a try. It's one hell of a show.

Similar Anime To Try Afterwards: Monster, Code Geass, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, One Outs

Yeah, I mean, if you look at my avatar, you could have seen this recommendation coming a mile away. Cowboy Bebop is a very character driven series, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Everything from the music, to the setting, to the stories in the entire series scream perfection. Each character is incredibly well-made and well written. The show is brilliantly directed, and you really come to care about each and every one of the characters you meet along the way. Cowboy Bebop is an episodic series, which means that each episode tells it's own little story, but by the end, when the underlying plot comes together, and the ride ends, you're left wanting so much more.

Similar Anime To Try Afterwards: Samurai Champloo, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hellsing: Ultimate, Black Lagoon, Baccano!, Trigun, Gungrave

I've watched a lot of anime in the romance-comedy/drama genre. Most of them are just harems with bouncing breasts every other frame. Sure they can be good for a laugh or two, but they're nothing I would ever recommend to anyone. Toradora is the exact opposite of that. Never has a romance-comedy had such realistic and well-written characters with perfectly paced episodes. Taiga is probably one of the best written characters in the entire medium. The drama is incredibly realistic and believable, unlike most anime who make it very melodramatic and cheesy. If you're looking for a show to tug at your heartstrings with feel good moments, you will love Toradora. It's one of those shows that I didn't want to end.

Similar Anime To Try Afterwards: Rec, Lovely Complex, Clannad, Honey and Clover, Maison Ikkoku, Nodame Cantabile, Sakamichi no Apollon

Lately, I've been in a gaming slump, having a lot of trouble finding new games I want to play. Maybe it's overindulgence. Maybe I'm bored. All I've been wanting to play is lots and lots of Metroid games. It's feeling that came out of the blue. I love Bayonetta 2. I put in around 12 hours so far, but for some reason, I can't find the urge to pick it up again. For some reason, I've lost my focus. Maybe I'm just more interested in Metroid right now over any other series. I can't even seem to be excited for the release of Valkyria Chronicles and Halo: The Master Chief Collection this Tuesday.

I certainly love Halo and Valkyria Chronicles. I have more than 100 hours into Halo 2 on the original Xbox. Hell, I probably hit 1000, since I played it ad nauseam when it first released. Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best SRPGs I've ever played. I even bought Radiant Historia, a game not many have heard of, and has been compared to Chrono Trigger, my all-time favorite, and still can't find the drive to put the cartridge in my 3DS, turn it on and play it. I've been watching more anime lately, hoping to cure this slump, since I certainly don't know what to do.

So I thought I'd blog about it. I've never been in a gaming slump before. I've heard many different ways to cure it. You can overindulge in what you currently feel like playing, you can try brand new and weird different types of games, and many even suggest going back to old classics. For some reason I don't feel like doing any of that. So readers, and MyIGN community, have you ever felt tired of gaming? Maybe tired of everything except a certain franchise or a certain genre? Share your thoughts! Go on... do it.

Games age. They do. Polygons may have a certain charm to them but at a certain point, they may just start to look ugly. However, some games age better than others, and some end up standing the test of time much longer than others. These are five SNES games, that I feel, have stood that test, and then some.

Writer's Note: I have not played A Link to the Past, and I'm sure it deserves a spot on here, but since I haven't played it, I can't really say much about it.

There's a reason so many indie titles nowadays go the Metroidvania route. It's because Super Metroid was the pinnacle of 2D level design. Entire environments that created mazes and then some, passageways that confused you to no end, perfectly crafted hidden secrets and doorways. Super Metroid had all this more. The pixel artstyle hasn't ages a bit and the game still looks beautiful to this day. It has aged like absolute fine wine and even in comparison to many Metroidvania games today, can still very much compete. It is the pinnacle of 2D Metroidvania gaming, and will continue to be for a long time.

Music goes a long way in video games. Chrono Trigger, being by the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda, goes even farther. Music in games has become background noise, in my honest opinion, while the best soundtracks remain in by gone era of gaming. Soundtracks that screamed at you "NOTICE ME!" in game. Chrono Trigger's atmosphere also hasn't dulled one bit. Not only are the environments still beautifully detailed, they can still compete with other JRPGs to this day. Chrono Trigger is possibly the greatest JRPG ever made, the best aging JRPG ever made, and one so filled with heart and soul, that it will never ever be forgotten.

Remember when you turned on your SNES and placed the first level of Super Mario World? I'm sure many of us remember that first level jingle. It resonates with us to this very day. Not only has the unique art of Super Mario World aged well, it's still a competent Mario platformer, arguably better than the many Mario platformers that have been released since. Not only is the level design fantastic, it's filled with so much variety and so much love. Not only does the artstyle still look fantastic, you can play this and still have a great time. Super Mario World is timeless.

Rareware was one of those companies that came along and just made gems through the SNES era. Donkey Kong Country was no exception. Like Super Mario World, it has a very unique artstyle that hasn't been imitated to this day. Not only that, but some of the best tracks in gaming history exist in the original Donkey Kong trilogy, including the exceptional Stickerbrush Symphony and my absolute personal favorite, Jungle Japes. Donkey Kong Country is platforming perfection and arguably better than the Mario series, in that regard.

There was never another game to compare to. You'd be hard pressed to find one today. A collaboration by Square and Nintendo that created one of the best RPGs on the SNES, with an artstyle that I haven't seen used in another game since. Enemies joined forced, new characters were introduced, and the battle system was a masterful piece of gaming craftsmanship. Possibly Square's greatest contribution to gaming, Super Mario RPG is arguably a masterpiece.

THIS IS A BOSS BATTLE BLOG, SO THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE SPOILERS.

Halo came out this week, and so did Valkyria Chronicles so I'll be make this short, because I have to play those games. It's a matter of life and death!

This is God. In Bayonetta, the final boss is God. Bayonetta kills God. That makes Bayonetta the strongest character in gaming by default. Problem? I'll fight you. Come at me, bro.

My heart was racing when I fought this mofo. I finally beat him and I probably celebrated so much the neighbors heard me. Seriously fuck this guy.

I fought Bowser so many times in the course of all these awesome Mario games. I still haven't gotten tired of it.

So this is a creature that burrows deep underground like waaaaay back in the past, then comes out and destroys the Earth. Convoluted as hell, I know, but the boss battles with him were pretty epic. Especially those visuals.

Possibly the one boss battle where I had Geralt roll so many times that he probably is currently visiting the nearest chiropractor.

He's a giant fucking monster! What's not to love?!

Sony's PS Vita hasn't had the best of days. With them hinting that AAAs may be decreasing on the device, it may be doomed to stay very niche for a long time coming, with more of a focus on smaller games, ports, Japanese games and indie titles. Does anyone really expect the Vita to spike due to Freedom Wars and Tales of Hearts R? Many JPRGs have not sold increasing well on the Vita. The highest selling game is a AAA title at a little over 1 million copies, a well-known franchise known as Uncharted.

Is there proof of a turn-around? Not really. Even the 3DS looked bleak, until they dropped the price, which is why sales skyrocketed. They released more Nintendo games that are deemed popular, so sales spiked. The Vita hasn't been doing so. Unfortunately, new IP doesn't sell the best. Many seem to point over to a new title called Freedom Wars but I can point to Bravely Default, a new IP, that only sold 1 million on the 3DS, with 40 million of the damn device in circulation. That's not a very good ratio, honestly. Freedom Wars will help, and it will sell because Vita owners want more games, possibly more than Bravely Default considering the attach rate the Vita has, but not enough for a massive turnaround.

Well-known AAAs sell the most, usually, unless it's Minecraft. That's the market we live in. It sucks because many smaller titles get ignored in the process, however, that is still the market and if Sony wants a turn around, the device needs more well-known games. Luckily, Minecraft, an indie game, because of its popularity, will hopefully push more sales, if Sony decides to market it correctly. I love my Vita, but Sony hasn't really treated it as well as their last device, the PSP. Now that was a handheld worth owning. If you're not a JRPG fan, and unfortunately that genre has become niche, many will skip the device. They need to appeal more to a broader market if they want it to sell.

This is all just speculation of course, and a game like Freedom Wars could save the Vita entirely and sell 7 billion of them, so what do I know? Speaking for the device itself, it's a great one, and one I enjoy using quite a bit. I recommend it for fans of Japanese games and smaller indie titles, with some AAA games tossed in. It's a very underrated handheld and one of my favorites.

Sanic Bewm is 2014's best video game. Why? Because he gotta go fast. You could say Sanic team moved on from cocaine and onto crack! But Sanic delivers. It's a thrill!

So that's where all the budget went. Gotta love that party arty arty arty arty Sanic Bewm style.

Come on gaiz, Sanic and friends are just really strong! They can jump forever.

Now that's fast.

I give Sanic Bewm an 11/5. Buy this instead.