Yami Playing Monster Hunter Rise

  The main reason of my inactivity of past two weeks and i am really glad to be back into Monster Hunter verse once again with MHGU being my last MH Game in past few years. At first i didn't particularly care about this game, but being goaded by my old hunting buddies i had no choice but reciprocate the call. Being the truly new MH Title for Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise offers a solid new start for one of the best selling Capcom series to date. MH Rise begins with a very good first impression along with the best Questgiver waifus to date. In MHR, the Hunter starts in Kamura village which is pretty much improvised Yukumo village slapped with tons of Ninjas theme. There are so much to tell about the gameplay improvement mechanics but MHR, but notably those QoL enhancements from Monster Hunter World so no more stupid flexing pose when drinking potions! Also you get you own Dog companion called Palamute which you can ride to travel around the maps quickly which certainly make the Palicoes felt overshadowed.

 Overall Monster Hunter Rise provides a solid gameplay experience for Monster Hunter which sheds a lot of redundant baggage from previous generations. No doubt Monster Hunter as series is one of the few that managed to have consistent improvements throughout its iterations which is a great achievement for Japanese Console Gaming industry that has been slowly in deline. The only flaw for MHR would be its current limited roster especially on the low-mid range which is probably due to the game was rushed ahead 3-6 months ahead of its development, but at very least Capcom are still addressing this issue with constant update. While the G-Rank expansion will be coming eventually, MHRise content still worth more than its retail price despite its current roster is still about half of MHGU. At the moment i have cleared all village Quest and now slowly moving on the Hub Quests. Looking forward to get the Teostra set in this game once again!

Disgaea RPG

 While i thought my mobile game plate is quite full with 3 Gacha Game already, somehow i still managed to shove another one in, and this time it is Disgaea RPG based from Nippon Ichi's acclaimed SRPG series! I decided to give this game a try since my sister hyped about this game which got recent english port early this month. I remembered that Nippon Ichi back then was in dire strait when trying to release the Japanese version but fortunately made it through. If you are a fan of the console Disgaea series, you will find it right at home with Disgaea RPG as it still carry the spirit of Disgaea series despite its gacha format. The game is still a grindfest but still less then a chore for those who don't have time to grind in the console game anymore. I picked Valvatorez as my starter SSR since Disgaea 4 is my favorite among the title and waiting for Artina, Tyrant and Almaz eventual release.

While Disgaea is rather late getting into the Gacha mobile market, the gameplay has decent and its potential is sufficient enough to stay for a while. I don't really expect Disgaea RPG to be a top selling Gacha since the audience it caters is rather niche and the SSR rate are not particularly generous either dropping at 3% with no pity rate. At very least the game is quite dolphin friendly if you just want to spend a bit and not full on whale. 

The main reason i decided to throw some lot with Disgaea RPG lies with the potential it possess. The game has possibility to consolidate all of Nippon Ichi RPG series with Disgaea at its core, would love to see Makai Kingdom or Phantom Brave to make cameo appearance someday. Disgaea series remain to be one of the RPG series that has superb 2D sprite and this gacha game could make good reuse of the assets because a single game could only put in so much unit without getting bloated. From what i looked at the Japan version, Disgaea RPG managed to survive for two years so far so at very least i believe the english version will be around for a year.

Arknights Nendoroid 1598 Lappland

 As expected, the slightly crazy and obsessive Lupo Operator, Lappland chase after Texas after the latter get her Nendoroid treatment. With the Nendoroid Lappland release announcement you are now able to complete the Warehouse team consisting of Exusiai, Texas and Lappland. Scheduled for November release Nendoroid Lappland will be sold for 6300 Yen costing slightly more than Nendoroid Texas. Lappland's crazy expression will certainly complement Texas unamused expression faceplate.

 In Arknights, Lappland is a 5* Ranged Guard Operator who makes a good starter unit with the utility she brings into the field. While her sword design is rather weird, Lappland is one of the few melee unit capable of dealing arts damage with her skill and more importantly disable enemy ability with her strike which is a godsend when fighting against the pesky exploding spiders. In the storyline, Lappland is depicted to have unhealthy obsession toward Texas due to their times in crime family where they were at each others throat. What stands out from the Nendoroid version of Lappland is her Wolf Spirit accessory which is probably the reason why her Nendoroid cost 700 Yen more compared to Texas. While the pace is not quite as fast, we will still be seeing more Arknights Nendoroids in the future which likely be 6* operators which Angelina, Saria or Skadi comes to mind as the best candidate.
 

Space Runaway Ideon

 

 One of the infamous 80s mecha series made by Tomino that contributes to his moniker as "Kill em all" Tomino and Ideon no doubt serves as an important milestone for mecha series. My first exposure with Ideon was from SRW Alpha 3 where the GM God is the most powerful playable unit which had some nasty side effects if relying too much of its power. Space Runaway Ideon is easily one of the most depressing mecha anime out there as the main casts of the series tried to survive assaults by relentless enemy. 

 As a mecha series, Ideon is rather subpar with lackluster storyline, but the concept that it had is what makes Ideon noteworthy. Ideon's storyline is comparable to what happen if the story of Mobile Suit Gundam is just all about White Base getting chased by Zeons and nothing else. The concept that Ideon tried to convey however is interesting because it is about a destructive power that will consume everything in its path when two opposing sides endlessly fight in vicious cycle of hatred without giving a chance for peace. Evangelion and Shingeki no Kyojin is what comes to mind to series that had similar premise but each went with their own conclusions. As a mecha fans, Ideon is definitely worth a visit despite its weakness and personally i think it has some neat concept art that inevitably poorly executed. If you can't stomach the 38 Episodes slogfest, the movie should work i suppose but To Be Invoked definitely a must watch to see a proper conclusion of the mecha series that had GM God as its titular mecha.

Arknights 1/7 Exusiai Elite 2

 For once we are getting Arknights PVC figure distributed by GSC though this one falls on pricier side. The ever reliable pointman Sniper operator gets a 1/7 PVC treatment based on her Elite 2 Promotion illustration. The 1/7 Exusiai PVC Figure will be sold for 23000 Yen with November 2021 release schedule. I suppose the price range for this one is rather steep compared to the Arknights PVC Figure manufactured by APEX, but i suppose it has something to do with the products distributed by GSC Shanghai which cost extra compared to regular Japan release. In any case Exusiai Elite 2 PVC figure is a high end collectible for Arknights catered for those whale players and i will still wait POP UP Parade release for the series. As for Exusiai herself, she is a reliable Sniper operator who is belongs to the original Big 3 6* Operators but as of late, her performance is rather underwhelming due to prevalence of High armor enemies on later stages and the recent Rainbow 6 Collab Operator Ash seems to overshadow the Apple Pie Angel Sniper.

Shingeki no Kyojin manga finale

 One of the most popular shonen manga in the past few years has finally come to an end with its 139th chapter! I avoided Shingeki no Kyojin as the majority of the fandoms seems to be filled by edgy teens for otherwise a Shonen Manga series that had some good writing and particularly excel at emotional rollercoaster. The ending for Shingeki no Kyojin did not conclude with a high note, but it is still an acceptable one. Ultimately the atrocity that Eren carried upon himself as expected does not conclude the cycle of hatred between Eldian and the World, but it resets the playing field into a blank slate giving opportunity for both while the former still have an upper hand. At very least Eren's aim to save his friend's life still works.

 While the last chapter conclude majority of the plot, due to the rushed job nature it still leave some questions unanswered particularly Historia's baby father which is supposed to be a big deal. I think the finale was not in Isayama sensei full control as there many interests from all side and Kodansha definitely had a say on how the finale folded out. This is because Shingeki no Kyojin as a franchise are still worth milking and thus the conclusion are quite open-ended. I personally think one extra chapter could serve as good icing but i hope it won't lead to the same fate like Naruto with the Boruto debacle. In any case Shingeki no Kyojin still earn its place as a top tier shonen manga.