Strife's Sanctum

Back on the games from my childhood. I kinda realized as I was recording I sounded way more negative towards the game than I remember actually feeling. It was a weird vibe. Sonic 2 is great, but all I seemed to remember was being a bit annoyed at some of the difficulty spikes of the later levels coloring my recollection of playing the game. I do think that has more to do with how I play games now...

*Minds the weird edit in the middle: had to record the second part twice* This was a solid war anime focusing on the dichotomy of haves versus have nots, and the issues dealing with such. It succeeds due to the two main leads and the two story arcs at play. Upcoming Schedule February 24th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 March 2nd: Radiant Historia March 9th: Arte March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of...

Atlus has been on a high lately. However, their attempt to bring back the Soul Hackers spinoffs didn't work out how they hoped. The lack of sales did a disservice to a character that completely revolutionized what I hope SMT and Persona games do forward: Ringo is the best thing about it, and the one thing I would vouch for if you wanted to play this. Upcoming Schedule February 17th: 86 -Eighty...

Sometimes, you just want a nice show that does what it is supposed to do and doesn't screw up in any way. Snow White/Red Hair is about a girl who is smarter than she's given credit for, falling for a prince who respects her for being who she is. What happens in the show isn't groundbreaking, but the characters and scenarios are likeable and fun. Sometimes, that's all a show needs t...

Now with the game in the rear view mirror, it is time to take a look back on what Final Fantasy V did right (a lot), did wrong (fairly little), and what its place in gaming is considered. Upcoming Schedule February 3rd: Snow White with the Red Hair February 10th: Soul Hackers 2 February 17th: 86 -Eighty Six- February 24th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 March 2nd: Radiant Historia March 9th: Arte March 16th...

Everyone has to start somewhere. The first anime I ever watched was this mid 90s gem that still holds up, despite its age. I first watched Tenchi back in 2000 thanks to the Toonami block in the afternoons. While I wouldn't get the full on anime bug until a couple years later, I remember watching these first two adaptations (and Tokyo...meh) and loving them. It is a full-on harem show, with all...

This week's game review is an interesting title from Level-5. An underused genre for games like this, space opera stuff is only usually reserved for Star Ocean and sometimes Tales games (usually). Add in a colorful cast of pirates, and a host of cool minigames and upgrade mechanics, the game holds its own against much more well-known JRPGs. Upcoming Schedule January 20th: Tenchi Muyo/Universe...

This week's anime review centers around a dark retelling of one of the most enduring anime and manga franchises: Lupin the 3rd. Doubling down on the sexuality, both as a weapon and a power dynamic, the show centers around Fujiko, the main Lupin female lead, finding out her past and learning to deal with it. Obviously, the usual Lupin heist and subterfuge hijinx are at play, but this show revel...

What a lovely game, full stop. DKC2 takes everything the original did, and just made it better. Let's revel in the fun. Upcoming Schedule January 6th: Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine January 13th: Rogue Galaxy January 20th: Tenchi Muyo/Universe January 27th: Final Fantasy V February 3rd: Snow White with the Red Hair February 10th: Soul Hackers 2 February 17th: 86 -Eighty Six- Feb...

An adaptation of an adult visual novel of the same name, Rumbling Hearts is a melodramatic take on the effects of guilt, time lost, relationships torn apart, and what a person is meant to do when faced with grief they cause. While the visual novel explores some REALLY messed up scenarios, the anime adaptation sticks to the main two character routes. Much like Catherine, I think a lot of this show...

This week's review returns us to the Breath of Fire universe. While not as good as 3 or 4, 2 gives a solid experience, let down by a high encounter rate and some weird story beats. However, some character moments shine, and it is worth playing...if you have a SNES still. Upcoming Schedule December 23rd: Rumbling Hearts December 30th: Donkey Kong Country 2 January 6th: Lupin the Third: The Woma...

This week's anime review is simple, fun, and lighthearted. An overworked salaryman comes home to find a demigod fox who changes his life, teaching him the benefits of letting go of stress and worry. While yes, some of the criticisms COULD be seen if you have a certain political or social leaning, I would like to stress this show is just mindless fun and has a positive message. Just let the wor...

This week's game review is a new title from the makers of the Danganronpa series. Taking the meat of those games and trying a new style in a new setting, Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE crafts an intriguing set of circumstances to ply their trade. Much like Somnium Files, it feels similar enough to the series that spawned them, but with enough differences to chart its own journey into the...

This week's anime review is a quirky gothic comedy drama staring one hell of a butler and a vengeful noble. While the comedy can sometimes overwhelm the revenge narrative, there's enough dark stuff in the margins that it maintains a solid balance. Add in a rarely used Victorian London setting (for anime anyway), and you have an enduring show that will get even more stuff next year. Upcomin...

Decided to change it up by reviewing a movie I loved as a kid. This was my biggest exposure to the TMNT franchise, even more than the animated series and some of the early games. I am happy to say it still holds up as a solid 80s/90s film. The endless one-liners of the turtles can sometimes detract from the darker moments, but between the middle sequence on the farm and Shredder's fight, the m...

This week's anime review is about a show that much like Spice and Wolf, is a slow going, yet pleasant story that has some deeper moments when it counts. A girl thrown into another world tries to use her past knowledge to create books and other novelty items in a medieval setting, but quickly learns there's magic, religion, political intrigue, and her own family and well-being at stake. Upc...

This week's game review continues the journey of weirdness that is Hideo Kojima. Following the success of MGS1, Sons of Liberty improves the gameplay and visuals to a profound degree. However, the second game also introduces a few weird characters and...strange story choices. Game: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Year: 2001 Developer/Publisher: Konami *Community Tab for this channel is now...

This week's anime review takes us all the way back to 2002. A gothic sci-fi procedural drama, Witch Hunter Robin won't be anyone's perfect anime, but it has a striking style for its time, interesting power sets (both good and bad) for its witches, and a decent enough story to keep it a strong show. Anime: Witch Hunter Robin Year: 2002 Studio/License: Sunrise/Crunchyroll *Community Tab...

One of the more subdued yet intense shows I've ever seen, Magus' Bride takes the concept of magic and throws it on its head. Fey creatures, dragons, crazy alchemic and scientific experimentation, curses; all centered around a special girl and the "person" who took her as her bride. The show is currently in its second season, so I give a rundown of my thoughts to this point. Anime...

The majority of the playthrough is done, so I felt this worked as a good review of how things worked with Dragon Quest XI. DQ is comfort food personified. XI manages to keep the traditions alive, while exploring the margins of what the game franchise can be. It is up there with my favorites in the franchise (V and VIII). Part of it has to do with the strongest set of characters seen in the franchi...

First was a solo review of Kingdom Hearts, and now that Leigh has become a regular contributor to playthroughs and podcasts, it's time to get her side of the story, since she played it for Youtube. We look back on our playthrough, and I express a more favorable opinion of the franchise as a whole. What a difference a year makes. October 14th: Dragon Quest XI October 21st: Ancient Magus Bride O...

This week's anime caught me by surprise. A show with an understated romantic element bubbling underneath a racial/social commentary, plus some unique visual flair. This ended up becoming a sudden Top 10 anime for me, and I wouldn't have said that a few episodes in. However, it sticks the landing hard by sticking to its guns for the entire runtime. Podcast Schedule (Based on Saturday Upload...

Time to dig back into my childhood and talk about random stuff. This time, it's Sega's turn in the spotlight. Streets of Rage, Mutant League, Road Rash, god knows what else. I just talk and talk about the Genesis, the console that does what Nintendon't. Podcast Schedule (Based on Saturday Upload Dates) September 30th: A Lull In the Sea October 7th: Kingdom Hearts w/LeighClipse October...

I rarely talk about romance shows and harems. While I did have a fondness when starting my anime fandom (Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina), the genre tends to suffer mightly from formula and inappropriate jokes that get old from time to time. Rarely do I find things hold up to my satisfaction. So, color me shocked that watching this rekindled a fascination with the property that started with the manga a...

Time for more girl power. A few years ago, WayForward (makers of Shantae) developed a follow up to the River City/Kunio-kun franchise of beat em ups. This time, they turned the focus to female characters Misako and Kyoko, amped up the Japanese aesthetic, and added an amazing music style. Two games on, this franchise has emerged as a cult favorite of mine, and I want to talk about it. Podcast Sched...