The newest Pokemon mobile game Pokemon Masters just came out for iOS and Android. In this game you play as a trainer with a Pikachu as you look for other trainers to join up with and compete in the Pokemon Masters League.

Let’s get the dirty, ugly stuff out of the way first; this game is a free-to-play mobile game with microtransactions and loot boxes. In order to find new Sync pairs you need to spend in-game currency called Gems for a random chance to get a particular Sync Pair(s). Gems can be obtained daily as part of the login bonus or by completing various stages and missions once, however this is a slow tedious process, not at all surprising as most games of this nature encourage players to purchase the in-game currency with real money and this game is no different. Gems can be bought in quantities of 100($0.99), 520($4.99), 1600($14.99), 3200($28.99), 6400($54.99) and 9800($79.99).

Getting one Sync Pair takes 300 gems while 10 costs 3,000. In addition there’s a daily discount where you can scout one sync pair with 100 paid gems (about 0.99),free gems can’t be used. You can see the offering rates for certain rarities. A random 5 star Sync Pair has 7% of appearing, a 4 star 20% and a 3 star 73%. In addition it’s possible to get a Sync Pair you already own, in which case they are converted into.

Battles in the new region of Pasio where the game takes place are done in 3v3 format with one trainer controlling one Pokemon in pairs called Sync Pairs. Battles take place in real time unlike the turn-based affairs of the main games. A gauge at the bottom of the screen fills up and attacks will use up parts of that gauge. As you use moves a counter goes down which marks when you can use a powerful sync move. While it does seem interesting at first, more often than not you’ll end up putting the game on auto with the speed set to max to ease the grind and repetition, especially for grinding missions where you can get items to boost your partner’s Pokemon or evolve some of them.

Another thing, there’s no Pokemon catching in the game. Your character will always be stuck with a Pikachu. And the other trainers won’t have other Pokemon with them either. The only collecting you’ll be doing is collecting classic Pokemon trainers, champions and gym leaders from the various games in the Pokemon franchise. If you were into Pokemon for catching every single Pokemon available.

Make no mistake, this game is no different than any other free-to-play gacha game out there. If you want to fully enjoy this game, be prepared to spend money to get more Sync Pairs else you spend months just grinding away to get the necessary gems.

What is Sword Art Online Progressive? Is it perhaps a Sword Art Online story promoting progressive values? Does it perhaps star an LGBT character? Is it the idea of diversity in a VRMMORPG?

Hahaha. No.

Sword Art Online Progressive is a retelling of the original Aincrad arc that aims to tell the story of Aincrad floor-by-floor without the timeskip present in the original series. As such things have been retconned, such as Kirito teaming up with Asuna from floor one to two and Aincrad is fleshed out more.

The first volume consists with two main stories with an interlude story in between. The first story ‘Aria of a Starless Night’ shows Kirito and Asuna’s first meeting up to the fight with the first floor boss shown in the second episode of the anime’s first season, though that too had been retconned and given more depth.

The second story ‘Rondo of the Fragile Blade’ is the real highlight of the volume. Here Kirito and Asuna encounter a player blacksmith and Asuna decides to have him upgrade her rapier. But when the upgrade causes her weapon to break, something that shouldn’t be possible according to the game’s mechanics Kirito decides to investigate.

The story presents a good mystery making clever use of game mechanics as Kirito tries to figure out how a player blacksmith, who would have a better chance of upgrading weapons than NPCs, could fail so many times and so devastatingly.

One of the criticisms the original anime had was Kirito’s characterization, or rather lack thereof. Here in the novel we are presented with his point of view in the first-person as we see how he thinks. His inner thoughts portray him as a self-conscious, nerdy 14-year who has difficulty socialising with others and especially with opposite sex. As a beta tester, he has in-depth knowledge of certain game mechanics but he also suffers from an ability to properly communicate with others due to his self-consciousness.

Just as much focus is put into Asuna. When they first met, Asuna was rather fatalistic, recklessly going into the dungeon with no regard to her own life, resolved to at least die fighting rather than stay huddled away in fear. But after meeting Kirito and experiencing good food and a warm bath begins to lighten up a bit. Kirito on the other hand is at awe at her sword skills and resolves to save her so she could be a shining beacon of hope to other players.

The side characters introduced in this novel are also quite memorable, though none more than the info-broker Argo the Rat. A beta tester like Kirito, she specialises in getting info and giving it out, for a price. She also created guides distributed for free to other players with all kinds of in game info. She even acts a messenger at times, using her agility acting as an intermediary for other players to send messages back and forth. She’s an incredibly crafty and cunning person, able to get Kirito to give her info that later sells to other players. But there’s some information she won’t sell, she won’t divulge the identities of other suspected beta testers or sell them out to angry players.

One such angry player is Kibaou. In the anime he was a rather minor character that didn’t really do anything after the second episode. Here however, he forms a group called the Aincrad Liberation Squad that takes a rather aggressive approach in recruiting members to beat the game, often clashing with another group the Dragon Knights during boss raids. He shows a strong disdain for beta testers, saying they are to blame for the deaths of over 300 players in one month, though he is willing to work with Kirito when necessary.

Since this is SAO there is fanservice, and there are two instances in the book where this is prominent. One is a scene where Asuna takes a bath in Kirito’s rented room on the first floor, complete with a graphic insert of her naked, soaking in the bathtub. And then there’s another in the second story where Kirito frantically searches for something in a pile of her underwear.

One thing this novel did not do was make me feel like playing a game like Sword Art Online. Disregarding the whole death-game shtick, several mechanics are incredibly dumb, such as the loot system for raids that causes in-party squabbles, or how certain UI elements can be blocked by your hair. Or how there are no ranged weapons apart from throwing knives and a special rare-drop chakram.

Lastly. let me talk briefly about the SAO Progressive manga drawn by Kiseki Himura. It has a much different tone from the novel, with certain scenes completely different from what is written from the source material. For example in the light novel Kirito encounters Asuna in the labyrinth after taking out a group of kobolds on her own without taking a hit but soon succumbs to fatigue as she overkills each enemy but in the manga she is saved by Kirito as they team up to kill a group of kobolds. The fanservice in the manga is also more ‘in your face’ and I swear the artist made Asuna’s breasts bigger in the manga compared to the light novel. The manga explores a bit more about Asuna’s motives and inner struggles but some of Kirito’s inner monologue and motives are dropped and some of the story beats are slightly different.

Overall the novel isn’t a bad read, it’s quite entertaining and Kirito and Asuna’s interactions with each other feel natural as they grow to trust each other. Reki Kawahara does try to flesh out the world of Sword Art Online and iron out the problems from the original. I am interested to see how this series handles things like Kirito’s meetings with Rika and Lisbeth, his involvement with the Moonlit Black Cats as well as Laughing Coffins role with this fleshed out environment, along with how it could potentially change the ending by giving Heathcliff more character.

Are you interested in checking this out? Do you think that SAO Progressive should get its own anime spinoff? Let me know what you think on Facebook or on the blog.

A spin-off of the Fast and Furious series Hobbs and Shaw stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s and Jason Statham’s characters Hobbs and Shaw as they try to retrieve a dangerous virus and save the world before an evil organisation gets the chance to use to wipe out the world.

It’s a really dumb action flick with tons of explosions, fight scenes and over-the-top testosterone and manliness complete with a cliche ‘Save the world’ plot and obviously evil secret organisation.

And I love it.

It’s action-packed, thrilling and the characters have such great chemistry with each other, you’ll be laughing and cheering as you watch the chaos on screen. The only real nitpick I have is that for a Fast and Furious movie, there isn’t a whole lot of driving or chase scenes. There is only one big chase scene that happens in London but it doesn’t have the same gear shifting, nitro boosting impact previous movies had. But when they do show it they’re not using expensive luxurious sports cars but trucks and humvees.

If you’re looking for an entertaining movie that’s just loads of fun and action then this is definitely the movie for you. I give it an 8 out of 10 personally. I had lots of fun watching and I was enjoying and laughing in the cinema as I watched the action scenes and the character interactions.

The Witcher 3 by CD Projeck Red is my favourite game this generation. It has incredibly rich characters, a strong narrative, tons of things to do, gorgeous environments and incredible attention to detail. I liked the Witcher 3 so much I bought both the Heart of Stone and the Blood and Wine expansion packs and finished them. The Heart of Stone expansion had a much stronger narrative but the Blood and Wine expansion had some much additional content in it, that it could’ve been a separate game all on its own.

Recently Netflix announced that the Witcher would be getting a live-action adaptation, to much fanfare. I was pretty excited about it as well. But then the trailer came out and it was revealed that the Netflix wouldn’t be based on the games but rather the original novels that the games were based on.

That’s right, The Witcher originally started as a series of dark fantasy novels written by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski starting in 1994 that has only been recently translated thanks to the popularity of the games. The first book released was the Blood of Elves but the book I’m going to be talking about and reviewing was originally released much later but chronologically takes place before it, The Last Wish.

An anthology of short stories, The Last Wish introduces readers to Geralt and the world he lives in as he recalls several adventures he had while he rests in a temple healing his wounds. Many of the stories in this book were referenced throughout the various Witcher games and each story while not connected to one another helps to flesh . The first story simply titled ‘The Witcher’ tells the story of Geralt hunting a striga and restoring her humanity. The fight between Geralt and the striga was used as the opening of the first Witcher game.

In the second story (and my least favourite one), ‘A Grain of Truth’ Geralt encounters a beast living in a sentient mansion that listens to every his command. Originally human, the beast regals his tale to the witcher. Geralt learns he was charmed by a vampire, a bruxa, and is slowly turning into her thrall. Geralt finds the bruxa and kills it, but not before the bruxa breaks the curse on the beast and restores his human form with power of true love.

The third story ‘The Lesser Evil’ tells the story of Geralt and an incident in Blaviken earning him one of his infamous monikers. In this story Geralt is forced to choose between killing a sorcerer or killing a cursed princess. Geralt

The fourth story ‘A Question of Price’ sees Geralt taking the alias of Ravix of Fourhorn, a name that Geralt would later use again in the Blood and Wine expansion in the region of Toussaint. Here he is tasked by Queen Calanthe, as a great feast is held in honor of her daughter Pavetta, and hoping to secure an alliance with a prominent clan from Skellige through marriage. After a little back and forth between Geralt and Calanthe a mysterious individual interrupts the party and demands the payment promised 15 years ago invoking something called the Law of Surprise.

In the fifth story ”The Edge of The World” Geralt and Dandelion travel to a remote village where they hear rumors of a mysterious monster, which piques Geralt’s curiosity. However, there is more to the monster that meets the eye and the duo will find themselves face to face with a great danger.

The final story (and my personal favourite), of which the name of the book comes from, details Geralt’s first encounter with the sorceress Yennefer of Vergerburg. When out fishing with Dandelion the duo manage to snag an object containing a djinn. The excited Dandelion frees it and makes 2 wishes, but before that could happen the djinn mortally wounds Dandelion’s throat, forcing Geralt to enlist the aid of a skilled magic user. It is at a nearby town that Geralt learns of a sorceress called Yennefer, and though he is warned about her he goes anyway as she might be the only one capable of healing Dandelion. She agrees but Geralt soon learns that she has other motives.

In between in each story is a framing chapter called ‘The Voice of Reason.’ In these chapters Geralt interacts with the other inhabitants of the temple he stays in, whether it’s the lord of the land wanting him to leave or confiding in a mute priestess about his doubts on the choices he has made, showing a more insightful yet vulnerable side.

One of the strong points of the novel is the dialogue. The dialogue helps to paint encounters that aren’t as clear cut as they look as often they are two sides of the conflict. Often times Geralt will initially refuse to take the job at first as they either clash with his witcher’s code or the client withholds information from him. The dialogue also helps to paint each characters’ personalities, traits and motives and inform the reader about the world of the Witcher. Some of my favorite dialogue come from Geralt and his banter with Dandelion, where they discuss about the future of witchers and how the ideal of witchers would mean their extinction.

If you’re a fan of the Witcher games and you’re eager to know about the lore of the Witcher then this is a good start to begin. This is also a good primer for the upcoming Netflix live-action show. This might a bit bias considering I’m a fan of the Witcher games but I give the The Last Wish a 9 out of 10.

Have you played any of the Witcher games? Are you excited for the live-action Netflix show? Let me know in the comments here or on Facebook.

What should’ve been a great Pokemon game has now been marred with controversy while a spinoff mobile game is getting more attention and hype. This is the situation we find ourselves in with the mainline game Pokemon Sword/Shield and mobile game Pokemon Masters.

Sword/Shield is the upcoming game coming out for the Nintendo Switch releasing later this year on November 15 worldwide ¹ and though there was excitement initially the game has now been marred with controversy when it was revealed that players would be unable to transfer certain Pokemon from previous games to this game. The reason they gave was that they wanted to focus on the graphics and the animation but in recent footage many fans noticed that they were reusing animations from previous generations. And then not too long afterwards there was footage of a Chinese Pokemon game for mobile that had far better battle animations in comparison.

Compared to when X and Y hit the 3DS way back in 2013 bringing the mainline Pokemon games to 3d on a handheld platform Sword and Shield seems like a downgrade in the graphics and animation department. It doesn’t nearly look as impressive as it could’ve been, especially since the Nintendo Switch can do much better with games like Breath of The Wild and Mario Odyssey.

Meanwhile Pokemon Masters has been heavily promoted, getting a summer release this year for Android and iOS. From the gameplay footage we’ve shown it looks incredibly exciting, as you collect not Pokemon but Pokemon Masters in a brand new region as you fight other Pokemon Masters in 3v3 fights that happen in real time and even a criminal team like in the mainline games, a huge departure from the turn-based fights of the main games. It even has a well-made animated trailer to promote it.

Now I’m sure Pokemon Sword and Shield will go on to sell like hotcakes but I have a feeling that Pokemon Masters will outperform it easily, especially since the last big mobile Pokemon game Pokemon GO made 1.8 billion dollars in just two years. ² Pokemon GO was easily accessible for anyone with a smartphone and a mobile connection as it encouraged players to walk around discovering different Pokemon and catching them all.

Although the hype surrounding has gone done since it first came out it still gets updates such as an upcoming one that promises to bring improvements to battles, an updated Pokemon appraisal system to better check how powerful a certain Pokemon is and being able to encounter Team Rocket grunts to get Shadow Pokemon. ³

Not helping matters is the fact the developers of the mainline games GameFreak is not really utilising all of their resources for the game. The company has started to prioritize original projects over Pokemon in an effort to branch out to other consoles, as one production team simply called Production Team 1 focuses on original titles under an initiative called the ‘Gear Project’ such as Town for the Nintendo Switch while the other simply called Production Team 2 develops Pokemon Sword and Shield.⁴

I’m still getting Pokemon Sword myself, I have no doubt it will be a fun experience regardless of the controversy and I think the Raid mechanic in the game where you team up with other players to take down wild Dynamax Pokemon is going to be interesting enough to warrant a Nintendo Online membership. The fact that not all Pokemon will be available or transferrable from previous games is a bummer but I have a feeling that they will definitely be made available… for a price.

But at the same time I’m definitely going to check out Pokemon Masters when it releases on iOS later this summer, it has an interesting take on Pokemon battles as they’re in real time now with a 3v3 format though I worry that the game will end up flooded with free-to-play microtransactions/ lootboxes plaguing many free-to-play mobile games that could potentially ruin the game competitively or cause the game to turn into a massive boring grind unless you spend some extra money on it.

But what are your thoughts ? Are you concerned with Pokemon Sword and Shield and the recent controversy surrounding it, or do you think it’s not a big deal and people are just making a big fuss over nothing? Would you check out Pokemon Masters when it comes out later this summer? Let me know here in the comments or on my Facebook page.

References:
1. Pokemon Sword & Shield Releases November 15 Worldwide – Screenrant
2. ‘Pokemon GO’ Has Made 1.8 Billion As It Turns Two Years Old – Forbes
3. ‘Pokemon Go’ adds Team Rocket, better battles and more in massive update – BGR
4. Game Freak Prioritizing Original Development: “We Are Always Trying to Create Something […] Equally Exciting, Or More Exciting Than Pokemon” – USGamer.net

Summer has started and with it comes new anime. Here are some of the highlights you should check out this season, in no particular order.

1. Vinland Saga

Probably the best anime this season this anime is a historical drama involving a young Viking named Thorfinn and his quest for revenge. I wrote an impressions review for the first three episodes you can check here in the blog. It’s a great story of tragedy, revenge, and growth with plenty of violence and intrigue. If there’s any anime you need to watch this season this is the one. This and…

2. Dr. Stone

This unique Shonen anime takes place in a world where most of humanity has turned into stone. After more than 3000 years 2 humans, brawny but dim-witted Taiju and genius man-of-science Senku finally break free from their petrification and afterwards they work together to recreate civilization and cure humanity from the mysterious petrification. It’s a very interesting story with great animation and characters. If you’re tired of mainstream shonen this is a good watch.

3. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files

This is a direct sequel to the acclaimed Fate/Zero anime/light novel that takes place ten years after Fate/Zero but before the Holy Grail War in Fate/Stay Night. The premise seems interesting enough so far. You have Waver Velvet from Fate/Zero working to pay off the debts of his teacher the former El-Melloi Kayneth Archibald as payment for inheriting the title of El-Melloi. To accomplish he and his assistant, this series’s Saberface Gray solve mysteries on behalf of various Magus families, while exploring different types of magic never seen before in the Fate franchise. If you’re looking for a good mystery anime with magical elements in it this might be it.

4. Fire Force

This is a more standard shonen show compared to Dr.Stone. Based on the manga written by the creator of Soul Eater, in this anime there is a phenomenon where people suddenly combust becoming Infernals. The characters are a group of fire fighters, some of whom have fire-based powers of their own, as they fight off the Infernals all the while trying to solve the mystery behind the whole phenomenon. The animation so far is pretty solid and you enjoy shonen shows you’ll enjoy this.

5. Cop Craft

One day a mysterious gate to another world with fairies and monster opened up. The story involves a detective and a fairy knight from this other as they work together to solve various crimes like smuggling or prostitution in the city of Saint Teresa where various races from the other world live together with humans. If you’re looking for a good detective story this might be a good watch.

So that’s some of the anime airing this season. Notable mentions go to:

1. Danmachi Season 2
2. Symphogear XV
3. Kanata no Astra
4. Machikado Mazoku
5. Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru

What are you watching this season? Did this list help you find something to watch this season? Is there anything I should be watching? Let me know either here or on Facebook.

The long awaited anime series by Wit Studio based on the manga of the same name, Vinland Saga tells the story of a young Viking boy by the name of Thorfinn, son of Thors. It’s a historical drama filled with tragedy and revenge as the characters try to survive in a harsh world on the brink of war fighting with their own goals in mind.

I’ve read the manga myself and seeing finally animated was a real treat. In the first episode we’re treated to a scene where we see Thors The Troll and at the end of the battle he deserts the battlefield. Years later he is living in a small Viking village in Iceland with his wife and two children, his son Thorfinn and elder daughter Yvla. He spends his time helping out people in the village and taking care of his family. One night they find a slave belonging to man named

In the next episode a warship arrives with Jomsvikings an elite group of Viking warriors. Their leader Floki has come to recruit his old friend Thors to fight in the war against the English. He threatens him by having his men surround the village, if Thors refuses the Jomsvikings will murder everyone. Left with no other choice Thors agrees much to the joy and excitement of the rest of the village particularly the young men eager to prove their worth in the battlefield and become heroes.

Trouble soon strikes its ugly head in the third episode when they are ambushed by mercenaries hired by Floki to kill Thors led by a cunning man named Akeladd. Thors rushes off to fight them as the third episode ends building up tension for the upcoming battle.

As a fan of the manga I can tell you that the story is going to get really dark and really bloody, and there will be some very violent imagery.This is easily one the best anime of the season so far and it’s only been 3 episodes. Fans of the manga will no doubt want to check this adaptation out.

Taking place after Endgame Spider Man Far From Home has Spider Man leaving Queens for Europe as he takes on a group of monsters known as the Elementals, aided by a man from another universe Quentin Beck aka Mysterio. Along the way Peter Parker struggles to tell the girl he loves MJ how he feels.

If you haven’t watched Endgame this movie spoils what happens at the end of that movie. Iron Man is now dead and the everyone that was killed off by Thano’s snap from the end of Infinity War has returned after 5 years looking no older than they did then. So basically everyone has to restart the school year even though some of them are 20 plus. But that’s not really important, what is however is the fact that Peter’s class is going on a trip around Europe.

He devises a plan to get closer to MJ but as one would expect trouble soon follows as a mysterious creature made of water appears in Venice. Peter tries his best to save his friends and just when things were looking grim the monster is subdued by a mysterious new hero. Soon after Peter gets into contact with Nick Fury as well as the new hero Quentin Beck whom the media calls Mysterio. Nick Fury tells Peter that Quentin comes from another Earth and that he came here to this Earth to stop the Elementals before they destroy this Earth like they did his original Earth. As Peter happens to be only hero available somehow that enlist him for help. Though initially reluctant Peter eventually agrees to help. Along the way Quentin becomes a confidant in Peter giving him advice in heroism and encouragement when Nick Fury puts him down.

It’s a interesting story that puts Peter Parker out of his comfort zone as he struggles to live up to people’s expectations and become a hero in this new world with no Iron Man. The movie does a good job making the mastermind behind the attacks an interesting and compelling character and Peter shows a lot of development as grows into his role as a hero though the classic Parker luck from the comics and other media always rears its ugly head.

I don’t really have anything negative to say about this movie and it’s a fitting epilogue to Phase 3 with the post-credit scenes changing the status quo as the MCU moves into Phase 4. I won’t spoil the post-credit scenes but yeah they bring in some interesting twists and open up a lot of mysteries.

I personally enjoyed the movie. I give a 9 out of 10. Have you watched Spider Man Far From Home? What are your thoughts on it? And what did you think of the post-credit scenes? Let me know here or on Facebook.

What should have been the greatest gaming Expo E3 short for Electronic Entertainment Expo was sadly very lacking this year, with Sony in particular opting out of the event. This year’s E3 showcased games but none of them were any particular surprise.

The event started with Bethesda and EA. Live gameplay of the long anticipated Star Wars Fallen Order was finally shown and though it looks fun enough only time will tell if EA will implement their usual predatory tactics in the form of microtransactions or lootboxes. Bethesda showcased a new Battle Royale mode for Fallout 76 and they announced Elder Scrolls Blades for the Nintendo Switch. Yay. Microsoft also showed off a teaser for the new Halo game Halo Infinite and a teaser for their new console codenamed Project Scarlett.

Nintendo had a much better showing showcasing a new Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion, more gameplay of Astral Chain and more Pokemon Sword and Shield info. It looked like Nintendo had it in the bag until it was revealed that Pokemon that do not appear in the new Galar region CANNOT be transferred into Sword and Shield, thus limiting the number of Pokemon you can catch in the game. This was heavily criticised by the Pokemon community as many hardcore fans look forward to transferring their favorites into each new entry and catching them all.

What really surprised me though was when CD Projekt Red announcing that the Witcher 3 Complete Edition will indeed be coming to the Nintendo Switch with all the DLC included. Naturally there will be some trade-off in the resolution department as the Nintendo Switch is not as powerful as the PS4 or XBOX ONE. It’s reported to run at 720p resolution docked and at 520p resolution in handheld mode. Just the idea of being able to play one of my favorite games this generation (albeit a slightly downgraded one graphics wise) brings a huge smile to my face and easily the best thing to come out of E3 this year. Oh and they also showed off a bit of Cyberpunk 2077 featuring Keanu Reeves.

Square Enix showed off a teaser for the new Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC coming out later this year as well as more footage of the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake coming out next year. They also showed the Collection of Mana which brings Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana and the once Japanese exclusive Seiken Densetsu 3 now renamed as Trials of Mana. Trials of Mana will also get a new 3d remake next year for all consoles.

The Google Stadia was also shown in its own conference in E3. Basically it’s Google’s cloud gaming service that will allow gamers to play their games on any device whether its their TV, PC or even smartphone. As exciting as it all sounds though its success remains to be seen.

In order to make full use of this service one must have a good internet connection. For instance in order to play games at 720p resolution with 60fps it is recommended to have an internet speed of 10 Mbps. If your internet connection isn’t very good you’re not going to have an optimal experience. In addition a lot of countries have data caps on their internet and Google Stadia can easily eat up all that data. In short while cloud gaming is revolutionary I don’t think many people can afford it at this moment.

Some other games were shown or revealed such as The Eldin Ring, a game from From Software with George R.R Martin writing the story. But no actual gameplay was shown just a brief teaser giving a glimpse at what could happen. This E3 was no doubt a downer but I have hope that next year will a big one as Sony and Microsoft could potentially unveil their next-gen consoles.

References:

Slashgear – Pokemon boss justifies Sword and Shield Pokedex limitations

IGN – The Witcher 3 developer is still ‘proud’ of the Switch port despite trade-offs

So overall how is Sword Art Online the anime? The first arc had an interesting premise that wasn’t fully utilised while the second arc was a garbage fire with little to no redeeming qualities. But the anime itself isn’t all bad

The character designs are visually appealing and when it wants to the anime can look really good like in the first episode of the first arc when the evening sky is covered by red warning icons that slowly bleed to form a mysterious red specter that greets the frightened players to the real Sword Art Online.

And of course the romance between Asuna and Kirito in the first arc was really well done and it was interesting seeing live their lives as best as they could inside their new reality. When they adopted Yui in the first arc they became an actual family and it was heartwarming to see (for just that one episode).

But the worst thing in the anime is the main character himself Kirito. In the first part I mentioned how the anime turned from being a dark tragedy to being an action harem power fantasy and its mostly because of Kirito.

When we are first introduced to him he was one of the 1000 players who managed to beta test Sword Art Online. As such he would have advanced knowledge of the game and its systems and he becomes one of the best players in the game. But the thing is he’s only one of 1000 beta testers. They were other beta testers in the game but Kirito is the strongest one by virtue of being the main character. Kirito can literally bend the rules of the game to his whims.

None of the battles have any real stakes especially when he pulls a Deus Ex Machina out of his butt. In one scene in episode 4 he literally tanks a group of other players simply because his health regenerates faster than they can deplete it (never mind the fact that none of them bother with using items to paralyse or debuff him) and in another episode he reveals that he has a hidden skill only he has; the ability to dual wield swords because he has the fastest reflexes of anyone in the game (how does that work I have no idea).

In another episode Kirito is able to turn Yui, an advanced AI into an item that was somehow transferred along with his stats from Sword Art Online to Alfheim Online with access to a developer’s console, nevermind that he could’ve gotten the logout button reimplemented. In one episode from the Fairy Dance arc he was somehow able to take Leafa’s sword (Leafa did not give him her sword) and dual-wielded it with his normal sword.

As for his personality, he doesn’t really have one. He’s a loner but somehow manages to attract a harem of women with his ‘awesome’ gaming skills and the fact that he’s a ‘nice guy’. He doesn’t really grow or develop as a character as most of the problems in the show he ends up solving himself with everyone being in awe of his skills. Kirito isn’t really a character; he’s a self-insert.

So how do I rate Sword Art Online? If I rate each arc individually the Aincrad arc gets a 6 out of 10 with Asuna being its saving grace. Fairy Dance would be a 2 out of 10 with its pacing issues, incest subplot and assassination of Asuna’s character. Overall however I would give this anime a 4 out of 10. While the character designs are good and the initial premise interesting the absurdity of the main character and all his ass-pulls brings the whole thing down.

It’s perfectly fine if you like the anime but its not perfect and I wouldn’t call it a timeless classic. I do however recommend watching the excellent Sword Art Online Abridged by Something Witty Entertainment. They Sword Art Online and completely redo the story and its incredible.