Starcraft (I, II)

This should have gone up a long time ago...

StarCraft (1998)
Genre: RTS
Platform: PC ( N64 version also out there)
Company: Blizzard

A legendary Real Time Strategy Game, released in 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows. StarCraft is a perfectly balanced game that incorporates 3 unique races, dozens of units and buildings, and a powerful game engine that allows for endless adaptability of gameplay. The game is fun, challenging and has an engaging back story behind the individual Campaigns. StarCraft has gone through various changes over they years, including two add-on packs of Campaigns and maps, and a Full Expansion, Brood War. StarCraft has been unofficially dubbed the "National Sport of Korea", and StarCraft Leagues, Tournaments and professional players have sprung from Korea in abundance. The game never stops evolving as players learn the various mechanics of the game. Techniques like Mutalisk-Stacking and Lurker-Holding have not been discovered until a few years ago, causing gameplay and strategies to change.

All in all, StarCraft is the stuff of Legends, having survived so long in such a harsh industry. The game is fun, engaging, and quite challenging at times.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (2010)
Genre: RTS
Platform: PC
Company: Blizzard

StarCraft II has some pretty big shoes to fill, with the Legacy left behind by StarCraft I, yet it seems to have no trouble doing so. As there is a 12 year difference between StarCraft and it's "younger sibling", StarCraft II's graphics can only be described as glorious. Several units from the Original return, some have disappeared, and some new variants have spawned from the creativity of Blizzard. The gameplay has been smoothed out (if that was even possible...) and the game now has a greater depth in both Macro and Micro-styled gameplay. Although the game is in closed Beta, Blizzard has officially announced that the game will be available on July 27, 2010.

Animes worth watching

So, like the game review section, I though this would be a good place to talk about which animes are good and why.



NOTE: ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A REASON FOR WHY YOU RECOMMEND IT.

UPDATED AS OF: August 17, 2010


Suggested Animes:

*Angel Beats!: Quite possibly one of the best animes (IMHO) ever made. Set in a special Purgatory for young people who died with regrets in their life, Angel Beats! follows the story of the Afterlife Battlefront ( Shinda Sekai Sesen, or SSS), who are rebelling against God for their unfair lives and fighting his agent in the world, the Angel. Brilliant storyline, tongue-in-cheek humor and very philosophically provoking. The voice actors/actresses are amazing, and the characters themselves are likable and relate-able. Plus, it made me cry.

Azumanga Daioh: Cute, funny, and a very laid-back anime. Very similar to Lucky Star, in the concept that all it does is follow the grossly exaggerated lives of Japanese High School Girls. Perfect for those you watch casual animes that don't really have much substance in terms of plotline and stuff. If you prefer stuff that is darker, or has more emphasis on plot and character development, you may find this one to be a bit pointless.

Chobits: Funny at times, and some amusing fanservice included. The concept is interesting, and Chi is just adorable.

Darker Than Black (Ryuusei no Gemini): Good action, plot and animation. Very good characters and a few good seiyuu

Elfen Lied: Amusing fanservice, good character development. Little girls get torn apart in this, so this is not for those of you who ONLY qualify for "G" rated stuff... (EL) The fanservice is full nudity, so it's not G-rated anyway.

Bakemonogatari: "(EL):Great plot, great character development, excellent seiyuu, great soundtrack, all-around very good anime". However, it is quite short (13 eps).

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Follows the Manga, but has fillers.) (EL) No, it does not have fillers. Only the first ep is a semi-filler and it's a necessary one.

*Galaxy Angel (A, S, X, Z and Specials): Warning: Not for those who like serious animes. This is quite possibly the most ridiculous anime I have ever watched. GA takes place in a future time, and tells the story of the five main heroines. This anime has absolutely NO continuity, meaning that the characters are very often left at the end of an episode either dead, missing or horribly disfigured, and yet return in the next episode as if NOTHING happened. This anime exists SOLELY for it's comedic value. I'm not going to lie; it amused me.

Gunslinger Girls: "(EL)Dark, exceptionally good animation, great character development, good seiyuu, decent plot, decent action"

Hayate no Gotoku: Comedy, with a thing for parodies. "(timbits1o1) Will make you laugh like there's no tomorrow"
(But if there's no tomorrow, why would I be laughing? D: (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) )

Hellsing OVA: Follows the Manga, and is better than the version that Anime Swim did. Apparently.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Kai, Rei):"(EL) Dark, good plot, good seiyuu (particularly Rika), good animation in Kai and Rei"

Ikkitousen: "(EL): Hilariously excessive fanservice: giant breasts, blades attracted to clothes...The action gets decent later on, though"

K-On!: Somewhat like Lucky Star, but with "light music" or Pop/Rock music involved. Quite funny, likeable characters and great music.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: "(EL): Hilariously repetitive, horrible fillers, and censored from the manga. Tsuna gets a hole through his shoulder and his jacket isn't even torn"

Last Exile (Because it's Cin's fave O-o)

*Love Hina: For those of you who love Harems, fanservice and girls of all shapes and sizes, REJOICE. This anime is for you. (I am now going to copy-paste the synopsis from Anime-planet.com because I can't for the life of me remember what happens in this. I watched this when it first came out in 2000 [Yes, I would have been about 9 then. Don't judge me.])
Keitaro Urashima is somewhat of a failure. In order to fulfill a promise he made to a girl fifteen years ago, he has tried time and again to get into Tokyo U but has never managed to pass the exam. However, fate smiles upon him and he ends up working for his aunt, managing an all-girls dorm! Living with the feral Kaolla, the timid Shinobu, the sake-loving Mitsune, the blade mistress Motoko and the punch-happy Naru, can Keitaro keep his focus and keep his promise? And will he ever end up meeting that girl from his past?

Lucky Star: ( I can't believe I forgot this one...) I nearly went into convulsions laughing at this one. The dead-pan humor is right up my alley. Quite silly, and characters that you can draw connections with.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: Lolicon fans who have a taste for magic, REJOICE! The main character of this anime is a third grader who is on an epic quest of searching for something (No spoilers will be given in these descriptions!). This anime has a decent storyline, with the DVDs peaking between 70 and 22 on the Oricon Animation DVD charts. Suggested by Mokona.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: (I decided not to watch it, since it's not really my thing... I have no interest in giant robots, so does anyone else want to offer their thoughts on this?)

Night Wizard (The Animation): Decent plot line, interesting concept. Action scenes are a bit repetitive: ( Heros are minding their business, they get ambushed, the get in a spot of trouble, then the heroine does something related to her unknown magical origin, and they win) but all in all, the concept of the story outweighs the cheesiness of it.

Noir: "(EL): Dark, beautiful action, great character development, sufficient plot with no filler, girls with guns" (That last one got me.) (EL) Then watch Gunslinger Girls.

Oban Star-Racers: This anime is actually a Co-production between Japan and France, and talks about a young girl entered in an intergalactic race, with the grand prize being having any wish granted-- even bringing back a lost loved one. This anime has won several international awards, including the Animeland Award of the Best non-Japanese Animation Series of 2006.

Prince of Tennis : Very, very, VERY bad. So much that it's actually funny. Extremely repetitive.

*Queens Blade (Gyokuza wo Tsugumono, and Rurou no Senshi): Fanservice. That's pretty much it. Hot girls, big breasts, clothes very often get completely cut up, thus revealing quite a bit of the girls' bodies. I'll give it this: good voice actresses and plot concept. I certainly enjoyed watching it.

Seitokai no Ichizon: Lit. "The Student Council's Discretion". According to timbits1o1, this is like Lucky Star on crack.WikiPage is provided, seeing as how I can't really describe this at all...

*Seitokai Yakuindomo: An anime adaptation of an existing manga, Seitokai Yakuindomo tells the story of the council of a recently-turned Co-Ed All-girls school. As one of the first males on the campus in 50 years, Takatoshi Tsuda finds himself impressed into the Student Council as "Male Representative". Personally, I find this anime absolutely hilarious. It's somewhat like Lucky Star in the way that it has no point whatsoever. Recommended for people who like really heavy sexually-oriented jokes.

Soul Eater: Great, dark storyline and concept. Excellent fight scenes and amazing character development. Fanservice and mildly amusing comedy relief every now and then.

Strike Witches: Girls with guns, neko-mimi galore, and an interesting storyline. Oh, and none of the girls wear pants. Fan-service all over the place (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu: Apparently everyone's seen this, and if you haven't, WATCH IT NOW.

Suzumiya Haruhi-chan no Yuutsu: A complete Chibi-fied parody of the original Haruhi. Simply hilarious.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu: The Haruhi Movie, only recently released in Japan (February, actually...), translated as "The Disappearance (Or Vanishment) of Haruhi Suzumiya". Absolutely freakin' amazing plot. Will mess with your head a little bit. Hardcore Suzumiya fans out there will not want to miss this one. OH! And...Fans of Nagato Yuki (Like me. I have fallen in love with her...) will love this one, as she is the central character to all of this.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Langann: Lit. "Heaven-Piercing Gurren Lagann". This is a Mecha Anime, and as such, I personally have not watched it. So, here's it's Wiki page. (I'm too lazy to paraphrase...)Tengen's Wiki

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun: (Will watch this after Index. Looking for a review of this before I watch it; otherwise, I'll provide my own. Or I'll just Wiki it...)( NOTE: Index comes before this one... so watch Toaru Majutsu no Index if you plan on watching this...)

Toaru Majutsu no Index: (Watching this now. If anyone wants to provide review of this before I release mine, I'll be happy to take it.)(NOTE: This is the parent storyline of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun. If you're planning on watching Index, you should watch Railgun, since it's a side-story/spin-off of Index.)

*Tsubasa Chronicle: (MORE copy-pasta from anime-planet.com. Sorry, I'm really lazy XD)
The power to cross over dimensions is one that is deeply coveted -- a lesson that childhood friends Sakura and Syaoran learn the hard way when an unknown enemy attacks an archaeological dig in their country. As a result, Sakura's memories are scattered to different dimensions, causing her to fall into a deep sleep. In order to save Sakura's life, she and Syaoran must journey to various worlds in search of her memories, with the help of fellow travelers, Fai and Kurogane. But finding Sakura's memories won't be easy, and the price for traveling through time and space is high...


( * indicates a new anime added to the list)
MORE TO COME (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

For now, I'll include a list of links for several anime streaming sites:
Anime Streaming Sites

AnimeSquish has been changed to :Dubbed-Scene
Anime Shippuuden
Anime Boy
Anime Venue ( I haven't personally visited this one myself...)
AnimeSeason

Most animes that anyone can think of will probably be on there...

The most annoying word in the English language...

So, today in English class out teacher began talking about how people these days are senselessly butchering the English language, and old words now take on new meanings.

For example, the word "like" is interjected into far too many sentences.

"It was, like, so awesome!"
"That was, like, the coolest thing ever, dude!"
"Like, what the hell are you on?!"

Et cet era.

As well, the word "y'know" or "ya know", and even "you know" are used often enough to cause us to grind our teeth when we hear it.
The Japan Times says:
"Several weeks ago a poll from the Marist Institute of Public Opinion — one that was slingshot quickly across the Internet — listed "whatever" as the most annoying of all English words."

I would have to agree. "Whatever" show a great amount of disrespect to the person on the receiving end of the word.

What about you guys? Which words drive you up the wall? Which ones make you pull your hair out; which words make you want to punch infants when you hear them?

Favourite...

ICECREAM FLAVOUR (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Cin got me thinking about icecream... so...
I wanted to know everyone's favourite, as well as colour and favourite character as well.
Mint chocolate gets my vote to start, as does blue.
As for characters, I've got to say Esis and Gely are my faves, 'cus they're both so awesome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)