Cooledtured Blog

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The Phantom Thieves Encore

Persona 5 is easily one of the most famous games out there. Even those who haven’t played it know just how popular it is. But for those who have played the game there is always one problem: it ended. Yes, this is a game so good that people will often stare at the tv afterwards, realizing that the game is over. So for those fans who need to scratch their Persona 5 itch, Persona 5 Scramble is the perfect game for you.

The Persona series usually focuses on turn-based combat with players controlling a party of four that they switch out to adjust to the enemies they face. Scramble shakes up this formula greatly with its combat being reworked basically from the ground-up. Scramble’s combat is more akin to hack-and-slash games like Dynasty Warriors and Hyrule Warriors with players fighting enemies in real-time. Players are still limited to four party members at a time, however, now they are able to freely change between who they can control and can even change out for other party members outside of combat. Having more manual control makes it easier to prevent characters from being overworked and thus able to stay longer in battles.

Even with these changes though, Scramble still shares a lot of things with its predecessor. For one thing the weakness system is still present in the game with attacks that enemies are weak to allowing other characters to follow-up. To add on to this hold-ups are swapped out for a showtime gauge which once filled up allows a character to perform an all-out attack. While this isn’t an instant kill like the original, it still does a significant amount of damage to all enemies on screen making it a great way to turn the tide of battle.

And to tie it all together, Scramble’s story does a great job of following up the original story. Set a few months after the ending of the first game, Scramble develops a lot from the original game and does a great job of showing how much the Phantom Thieves have grown both as people and friends. They’re even able to integrate new characters into the cast very well and flesh them out greatly. So if you're a fan of Persona 5 who’s not ready to let go of the game just yet, then I can’t recommend Scramble enough.

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Dystopia Vs Buddy Comedy

As things are adapted from one form to another, there will likely be some differences as a result. This is usually seen in movie/tv show adaptations of books and video games as well as when something is being translated from another language. However, the biggest show of this is in Power Rangers adaptations of Japan’s Super Sentai series. In order to appeal to their own audiences, they will usually make changes to show while still keeping some things in common. For example, Operation Overdrive still shared the same premise of treasure hunting despite having different reasons for it. But the biggest change and tonal shift in any of their adaptations is without a doubt Power Rangers RPM, the adaptation of Engine Sentai Go-Onger.

Power Rangers RPM is regarded as one of the best Power Rangers seasons, and for good reason to. Set in a dystopian world which has been taken over by a dangerous AI, the humans struggle to survive while also trying to find a way to reclaim their world. This show had a beloved cast of characters, a compelling world that you couldn’t help but want to learn more about and thrilling action that didn’t rely that much on its source material. What really sets apart though is its dark tone. RPM wasn’t afraid to go into themes such as death and sacrifice which allowed it to tell stories that you won’t see nowadays in kids shows. As a result, it became a show that people of all ages could enjoy.

Go-Onger though is basically the exact opposite of RPM. While RPM was a show about taking back what’s yours, Go-Onger was more like a buddy-comedy show. The main focus was on the engines (the zords) and the rangers’ bonds as they worked together to fight against the Gaiark Empire whose goal is to pollute the world. This simple premise allowed them to do typical monster of the week episodes without much depth. Though when Go-Onger did decide to get serious, it could at times rival RPM. At the end of the day though what mattered was showing how the humans and machines worked together as well as the bond they shared. While much more light-hearted, it is still a great show in its own right. So that begs the question: why the big change?

It simply boils down to differences in culture. While giant talking cars are par for the course with Japan, America might see it as too silly for live action. For a lot of Americans they’d probably see that as something for little kids and thus something to be put into a cartoon. It’s likely why when adapting Go-Onger they decided to go the dystopian route so as to be taken more seriously and instead of looked down upon. After all if Go-Onger was adapted one-to-one, there would likely have been a lot of people that made fun of it for its goofiness.

As a result of culture differences we ended up getting one of the best Power Rangers series to date. It’s just unfortunate that after RPM we got a significant nose-dive in quality. In the end, I guess that is truly the biggest difference between the two series as a whole: the respect that the studios show. While Go-Onger and Super Sentai in general is still beloved by studios and fans alike, Power Rangers has lost a lot of fans due to their studios not giving the proper care to keep its quality consistent. Finally, Go-Onger will always be remembered as another edition to a great legacy, while RPM will be remembered as the end of an era.

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Creating A Challenge

There are many things that go into creating a game. What genre do you want to do? What will your game look like? What can you do to make the game fun? However a question that is often overlooked is how do you make your game difficult? At first glance it seems easy enough to answer. However, as you continue to develop your game, it quickly becomes apparent just how difficult of a question it is to answer.

To begin, you need to think about the question within the context of the game you’re making. After all, a game that’s centered around platforming will have a radically different idea of difficulty in comparison to an overworld fighting game. It’s only once you fully understand the kind of game you’re making that you can even begin to earnestly answer the question. Then there’s the fact that some genres will be easier to adjust difficulty wise than others. With a platformer like Mario, you’ll likely either put in more jumps for a player to do or make it harder to jump from platform to platform. With a game like Elder Ring though you can simply just give your enemies more health and leave it that. However, this leads into another problem with game difficulty: is it still fun to play at a higher difficulty?

While simply increasing enemy health is a common way to increase difficulty, it is also an easy way for combat to feel repetitive and boring. After all, if the only thing that differs between easy and hard mode is that enemies have a bit more health, can you really call that fun? Now, I will admit that with some games simply increasing health is enough to change the game dramatically. In certain cases it will cause players to have to deal with a particularly hard phase of a boss fight for longer than they did originally and adjust accordingly. However, in most cases something more must be done in order to improve game difficulty besides simple health increases or more jumps.

In games that focus on combat trying adjusting enemy attack speeds or changing up their attack patterns. With platformers instead of just adding more jumps try changing up how players move so that they’re forced to be a bit more creative and tactical. But more importantly than anything, try putting yourself in the shoes of your players and thinking about what you’d want to see in a game. Sometimes all it takes is a different mindset to really make a difference.

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New Captain In Town

With a longer running anime series there will be a number of issues. The biggest issue though is catching up to the manga. Once an anime gets close enough to its manga then it will no longer have any source material which can lead to one of two things usually. The first is to simply put the show on hiatus until there’s enough time for the manga to progress. The second is to create filler, a method that most anime decide to go for with some even becoming notorious for it. And Bleach is no exception.

The New Captain Arc takes place a bit after Aizen and his group’s betrayal. With three open captain positions Soul Society is trying to figure out how to fill them up. Enter Amagai Shuusuke, the leader of Soul Society's expedition unit and new captain of the Third Division. While at first many are hesitant about this new captain, he’s able to quickly earn their trust and become accepted by them. At the same time Ichigo meets Kasumoji Rurichiyo, the leader of one of Soul Society's clans who is being targeted by assassins. After getting to know her Ichigo decides to help protect her from this threat. Is it just a coincidence that Shuusuke and Rurichiyo are both appearing now, or is there something more going on? And what is with this mysterious weapon that Shuusuke is wielding?

This arc is fairly good despite being filler. In fact, it’s the perfect example of filler being good enough to be considered canon. With an interesting villain and an engaging story, you’d be surprised to find out it was filler. Of course, it’s hard not to know since the show outright tells you it is. You see the problem with this arc isn’t its quality, but instead its placement in the show as a whole. Due to Bleach catching up to the manga it had no choice but to put this filler in at a climatic moment of the show, thus ruining its momentum. As a result fans now have a negative perception of the arc despite it being overall good.

If you look at the show as a whole, this arc would seem almost unnecessary as it derails from the overall story. However, I believe that because of its placement, its quality was heightened in order to make sure that fans wouldn’t be too upset about getting a filler arc when they did. That’s why I recommend skipping the arc for now in order to keep the main story consistent, but coming back to it later as it is an overall great watch.

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A Guide To Start Long Anime

One Piece is easily one of the biggest anime there. This is a show that is constantly praised for its amazing stories and characters and has even become known as one of the Big 3. However, many aren’t truly aware of why this is due to the fact that they’re put off by its length. And this isn’t just true about One Piece; there are many anime out there that people will never watch purely because people think they’re too long. However, I’m here to show that getting into long anime isn’t as daunting as it seems.

The easiest way is to start small and build up from there. There are plenty of 12 episode anime out there that you can find. For most people this isn’t a lot so it shouldn’t be too hard to watch the whole thing. After watching a few, try watching a 24 episode anime. Once you’ve done that watch a few more to show that it’s not that hard to do. Then trying to find a 50 episode anime. As you keep increasing the anime length it seems more and more possible to get into longer and longer anime.

If you instead want to just jump straight into a long anime, then you should try to pace it out. Long anime will have their shows broken up into either arcs in an ongoing anime or multiple seasons. So instead of trying to watch it all at once, you can instead watch them slowly by watching arcs one at a time. This will make it seem less like one long anime and instead like multiple smaller ones that just so happen to share the same story. Doing so will also help you better come back once you come back as you won’t be rejoining in the middle of the story.

However, the best advice I can give is to just start it. Many people are put off by long anime because they feel that it’s just too much for them and thus there’s no point in trying. This makes it harder and harder for them to actually start watching. Instead of giving reasons why you shouldn’t, you should instead start when you want to and see what happens. You might even be surprised by how much you’re able to watch. At the end of the day the mentality that you can’t do something will just stop you from figuring out what you can do.

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Understanding Filler In Anime

Anime filler is something that has become a bit notorious. While fans do understand that it’s important, they still can’t help but see it in a negative light as it takes us out from the main story. Even so without filler we likely wouldn't have many of the anime that we have today. With all of this being said, there are still some risks that putting in filler poses.

The main reason for anime filler is to give the manga/source material enough time to move on so that anime has more things to adapt. However, there’s no telling what can happen in this time. For one thing there’s the possibility of the anime being outright canceled after giving enough time for the manga to move on. Or even worse the manga itself ends right when the anime is about to rejoin with the main story leading to the anime either creating its own story or just ending with the filler it created. Either way makes it so the filler created was ultimately pointless.

One other issue is figuring out how much time is actually needed to let the manga move on or if there’s enough material at the time for the anime to adapt. Bleach is an anime so big that it’s become known as a member of the Big 3. However, every fan agrees that it suffers from the fact that it constantly put in filler at pivotal moments of the show. The Arrancar arc, easily one of the best, was unfortunately interrupted multiple times due to the fact that if the anime didn’t there wouldn’t be any else they could adapt. While nowadays you can just skip this filler, back then you had no choice but to either sit through the filler or take a break from the anime and come back later when the filler was finally done. This ended up ruining Bleach’s momentum leading to it after its next arc (though it did come back a few years ago to finish the story).

However, what’s easily the biggest risk is making it so the manga and anime can’t rejoin at all. When making filler you end up creating your own story with the characters. The problem this poses though is figuring out how much you want to change without taking away from the main story. If you aren’t careful then in the middle of the filler you might make a change that directly conflicts with something that happens later in the manga. In this instant it becomes no longer possible to rejoin with the manga as it will cause things to feel disjointed and make no sense. A good example of this is The Promised Neverland season 2, an anime which made so many changes that the second season became an entirely different show. However in rare cases the anime will try to force itself to rejoin the manga which will cause it to miss out on crucial lore in the manga, such as in the case of Tokyo Ghoul.

While anime filler does pose some risks, its benefits ultimately outweigh them. After all the only other way for an anime to catch up is to put it on hiatus which can lead to killing the anime. And it's not as if all filler is bad. One Piece and Naruto, two more series known for the filler, make sure that the filler they create is entertaining enough to keep viewers engaged and in some cases question if it is really filler. One Piece’s anime only G-8 arc is regarded as one of its best with fans considering it canon to the show. At the end of the day though, it’s up to the writers to decide how to best use filler in order to keep the anime - and in turn the manga - alive.

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A Tale of War, Friendship, and Evolution

Mobile Suit Gundam is an ever growing series. As such there are bound to be many themes that the show will go towards. However, at its core Gundam is a story about war and how powerful weapons can shape how the world works. And what’s easily one of the best seasons to showcase this is Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.

Gundam Seed takes place in a world divided by war. With the creation of Coordinators - people whose biological traits have been altered since birth - there was an immediate divide between them and people who were unaltered known as Naturals. As a result, Coordinators were pushed out into space while the Naturals would continue to live on Earth. Not accepting this the nation of ZAFT was created with the goal to reclaim Earth for themselves no matter what it took, even if it meant involving people who had nothing to do with this war.

Enter Kira Yamato, a college student and Coordinator who lives on the neutral space colony Heliopolis. For most of his life war was the farthest thing from his mind. However, this all changes when ZAFT decides to invade his home in search of the Gundam, powerful mechs that for whatever reason were stationed in Heliopolis. While ZAFT was able to claim four of them, Kira managed to take control of the final Gundam, the Strike. After fighting off these invaders Kira is now forced into a war he never wanted in order to protect his friends.

Gundam Seed is easily one of the best Gundam seasons. This story of prestigious and what can be accepted in the name of equality is very engaging. Not only that, but it also does a great job of showing how war can affect those both involved in and out of it. And tie it all up we get a multitude of great mecha battles and mechas in general. While this season is at the forefront a mecha show, it is also a space drama that really delves into what makes someone human. For those who are mecha fans or just love political and dramatic shows in general, this is the show for you.

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Navigating The Collector’s Dream

Japan, the home of manga and anime as well as many other things. While in the past people didn’t pay much attention to it, now it's become an almost mystical place. People are constantly going there in hopes of exploring the place to see the many beauties it has. However, what people are usually going there for is to visit the many shops available so that they can buy stuff that’s hard to get back where they’re from. And let me warn you now: if your goal is to buy stuff and you haven’t saved up a lot of money, then you should turn back now. Because once you step into this place, your money is as good as gone.

Due to various reasons the Japanese yen is at an all time low. This means that the exchange rate is very good for foreigners. For instance, every one yen equals about 0.0064 usd. To put this into perspective something that costs about 5,000 yen would instead cost $31.82. This however poses a bit of a problem. Why you ask? Well I mean, think about it. Whenever you find an item on sale, aren’t you always more willing to buy it? With the conversion rate every item is basically on sale, making it so you’re likely to buy up lots of things and in turn lose a lot of money. So to help you make sure you get everything you want before that happens, let me give you a few of my recommendations that you can find in Japan’s electric city Akihabara.

Radio Kaikan

One of the biggest places is Radio Kaikan, one of the city’s most iconic places. This is a multi story shopping mall that has all kinds of shops inside of it. Here you’re likely to find tons of things inside of it from many different series. This can range from trading cards (though keep in mind they’re in japanese), to figures, to books, to model kits and even airsoft guns. Honestly you could go here and likely find almost everything you’re looking for.

Mandrake store

If you somehow don’t find everything here though, then you can take a short walk over to the Mandrake store. This is a place similar to Radio Kaikan, however it focuses more on toys so you likely won’t find as many books here. The trade off though is that as a result they also have more older stuff available to them. So for tokusatsu fans who are looking for old mechas and changers, this place would be perfect for you. It also has more miscellaneous stuff in stock making it so you’re likely to find stuff that you never thought you’d find at all.

Second hand shops

And if even Mandrake doesn’t have what you’re looking for, then you should take a look at some of the second hand shops available throughout the city. While you’ll be less likely to find things that aren’t pre owned, the condition that the items are in on is actually very good and almost indistinguishable from being in mint condition. They’ll also allow you to see how the product looks beforehand so you won’t have to worry about being scammed if you don’t like how it looks. 

Hobby Off

One place I highly recommend is Hobby Off, a place that offers not only old toys, but also instruments and even games.

So if you ever come to Japan in hopes of collecting more things, then you should go to these three places first as there’s so many shops you’ll likely blow all of your money before finding what you actually want. And if you don’t find what you want, there are still plenty of shops in Akihabara and Japan in general. For example, if you’re someone looking to collect manga then bookstores like Melonbooks are perfect for you. One more piece of advice I’ll give is to take your passport with you when you go shopping. While this might seem dangerous, Japan actually has tax-free stores which will waive the tax should you give them your passport as long as the purchase is at least 5,000 yen. So prepare yourself before going on this journey as if you’re not careful this heavenly trip can quickly turn into financial hell.

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Linear Narrative Or Freedom Of Choice

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to gaming. Some prefer strategic battle games while others prefer first-person shooters. However, beyond these standard genres lies something else: player freedom. This can come in forms such as what places players can go to and even how restrictive character customization is. But what’s easily the best way to show player freedom is how choices in the game affect the game as a whole.

Linear stories allow writers to show their vision from start to finish. They don’t have to worry about what-if scenarios and can instead focus on making the best story possible. This also helps with gameplay as it makes it clear needs to happen in order to go from A to B. This however can at times seem stifling to the player. By restricting what the player can or can’t do there lies the risk of players feeling less invested as they don’t have a lot of agency in the game they're playing.

With choice based games players are able to be more involved with the game. They feel that their actions actually carry weight as the game around them changes based on their actions. This makes it feel like they’re no longer an outsider looking in, but instead an active participant in the game. This usually culminates in players getting different endings based off of these choices. Some feel though that this can detract from the story of these games. An argument can be made that by having multiple endings in the game, this makes it so there’s no real way to get invested in the story. While multiple endings does allow writers to explore more possibilities, it also means that they lose out on overall quality.

With all of this being said, what ultimately matters is giving the player the best experience possible. For some this means telling a compelling story that players can get invested in. With others it means it allowing players the freedom of changing the story how they see fit. In either case as long as players are able to have fun playing the game, then the creators have succeeded.

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God’s Newest Game

The battle royal is a concept that has essentially become a classic. Everyone has seen or at least knows what a battle royal is. As such it’s a bit of a hard thing to make anything that involves the concept. Writers are tasked with making whatever they create unique from other ones. That’s why oftentimes the people involved in the battle are given powers. And in the anime KamiErabi, these powers will be what helps these players create their ideal world.

Gorou Ono is your everyday highschooler with a bit of bad luck. He has desires like any other teenage boy does which leads to him making a perverted request on an app that appears on his phone. After this request is fulfilled however, he finds himself wrapped up in a crazy battle royal game. The prize: the role of God. Now with the demon imp Lall and the new powers he’s been given he must figure out a way to survive this royal to the very end. And with no idea who could be an enemy, he’s going to need to be on his toes or else face an untimely death.

KamiErabi isn’t the first to do the “fight for the place of God '' story. A recent example is the anime Platinum End that unfortunately failed to live up to its full potential. However, what’s interesting about the show is the fact that they’ve based each character's powers around their personality. In Gorou’s case he has the power to warp reality to the extent of him receiving backlash equivalent to what he changed, mirroring how he’s willing to do anything to help others at the extent of his own life. It’s this personality of his that draws in allies and puts a target on his back with enemies. Though in the end you have to wonder, what exactly is an enemy in this game?

While some people might be a bit put off by the artstyle, I feel that it helps with telling the story that they’re trying to give us. Their use of 3D animation helps with expressing characters’ feelings and is a great way to show off the various powers that each character has. And it all culminates in a finale that even now I’m struggling to process. So with a second season on its way I suggest catching up on this anime as soon as possible.