Strife's Sanctum

This week's game review takes us back to the SNES era.  Several Ys veterans came together to create a new set of franchises.  One was Actraiser.  Another was the "Soul Blazer" Trilogy.  While the original game doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it features solid action RPG gameplay and enough story to get you going.  A solid start which would be expanded upon with Illusion...

This week's anime review centers on a show that works because all of its elements add up to be the perfect mix.  On their own, I don't think this show would have wowed me.  I'm not into romance, I'm not really into the Super Sentai/Power Rangers thing.  The characters and writing are kinda basic doofy comedy.  However, mixed all together, these ended up making a pleasant romcom...

This week's video game review is going to be fun.  Not only do I get to talk about one of the staples of early 90s gaming, I also get to rank different pieces of the game worst to first.  Sonic is a franchise with ups and downs.  While I don't think 1991 is the best example of its greatness, it ushered in a new era of gaming.  "Sega Does What Nintendon't" started here, with a f...

This week's anime review takes us back to the mid-2000s.  Adult Swim was riding high, and I was always up for new shows.  When the opening theme for this hit, and I saw how weird the opening video was, I knew I was in for some strange stuff.  A mystery thriller with some social commentary, Paranoia Agent certainly left an impression.  As with most mystery shows, the beginning a...

Today's game review is one of the staples of the old school era.  Link to the Past is my favorite Zelda game of all time, partly due to how well designed it was even way back in the early 90s, and also for the continued forays into the Randomizer scene.  There's so much to love about the third Zelda game.  It took everything the original did and expanded upon it, visuals and all. &n...

Today's anime review is about a subtle story, a child and "father" venturing into a lovely looking world.  If anyone enjoyed the esoteric visual style of Mushi-Shi, this could be right up your alley.   Tentative schedule (based on Monday Dates)   August 29th: The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past  Sep0tember 5th: Paranoia Agent  September 12th: Sonic The Hedgehog  Sep...

We venture back into the world of Tales of.  Arise had the potential to be the best of the franchise so far.  A complete graphical overhaul on the PS4/PS5 hardware and Unreal Engine gave Arise an unprecedented polish and quality for the franchise.  Some of the cities and overworld locations are beautiful.  The story and characters aren't as memorable as Velvet (who carried Bers...

Heh  Today's anime review is a special one.  Widely considered one of the best and most popular shows of recent season, Spy x Family did something I didn't think possible: unseat Cowboy Bebop as my favorite anime.  It achieved this by a unique premise played for laughs, three insanely strong characters with great chemistry, and a willingness to go all out with those elements.  ...

Today's game review is a double bill of some of Castlevania's best work: Aria and Dawn of Sorrow.  The tail end of the Gameboy Advance era saw the best of the post-SOTN crop.  The Souls mechanic added to Soma Cruz's arsenal.  A couple years later, a new coat of paint and audio polish lead to a direct sequel on the Nintendo DS.  Despite looking and sounding better, the game is l...

For the first time in a while, one of these podcasts appears on the main channel.  It's because one year ago, I decided to try my hand at reviewing video games and anime.  It isn't always perfect, but I feel comfortable with how I've done things.  I've changed things up and become way more loose and carefree (especially with certain episodes).  The channel itself has crossed 50...

This week's episode is an RPG institution: Final Fantasy IV.  Whenever anyone asks, "what is the best way to get into FF," this is the best answer for anyone looking for that full retro aesthetic.  The first to feature the Active Time Battle System, fully fleshed out characters (Rydia best girl), great dramatic moments, and a decent story, FFIV is my choice for the origin of the franchis...

This week's anime review follows on with my love of Cowboy Bebop, blazing down that trail of seedy bounter hunters, killing dudes, and saying lots of filthy language.  Black Lagoon is uncompromising, pulpy action, and I wouldn't want it any other way.  It is a show I always rewatch, cause there's always good fun in seeing bad people do bad things for money.   Tentative schedule (bas...

This week's video game review is a recent release of one the most beloved Nintendo Franchises, Kirby.  The little puff ball has been a staple for 30 years.  He took his first major foray into full 3D this year, and it paid off in spades. Kirby finds himself in a desolate world in the search of a rescuing several Waddle Dees alongside a new friend.  He even made time to learn how to...

This week's anime review is about a quirky show from a decade ago: Tiger & Bunny.  Netflix brought this out ten years ago, and reignited the franchise fairly recently with a new season and movie.  This details the major first season.  A major influx of superpowered beings exist in a future city.  To combat crime and give them a positive spin in the media, "HeroTV" is create...

This week's game review is about one of the all-time greatest platformers: Donkey Kong Country.  The visual style, musical wizardy, and tight controls make for a wondrous experience.  It is also a decent difficulty, not too easy like Mario or Kirby, but not too daunting like say Ninja Gaiden.  It also has plenty of unique stage gimmicks on display.  Rare hit this one out of the...

This week's anime centers around a Victorian setting with an intriguing premise: living dolls with the faces of masters who have been covered or fully composed with soot, meant to mimic and resemble their masters in every way.  While it isn't as dark as the premise's tone would suggest, it still has shining moments.  It has been tasked with a second season, so this will be an overview of...

This week's game is a lovely slice of PS1 nostalgia.  I replayed this a few month's ago on my main channel.  While Legend of Mana's battle system leaves a lot to be desired, the visuals, music, and main stories do enough to make it a solid addition to Square's 90s juggernaut lineup.     Tentative schedule (based on Tuesday Dates)   June 14th: Shadow's House (Season 1)...

This week's anime review tells the story of a simple, star-crossed romance due to classism.  A maid and noble falling for another despite all odds.  Emma was a manga I loved in my early 20s, and it was nice to finally see the anime version dubbed a couple years ago.  It doesn't do anything crazy, nor does it have to.  If you're in the mood for a Victorian England romance piece,...

This wa a second shot recording.  My voice might be a little bleh, because my first hour long run didn't work out.  However, I think I made a decent attempt at reviewing Metal Gear Solid.  A game that still holds up, even if the gameplay was long overhauled.  The voice acting for the time was superb, and the story was bonkers yet...somehow grounded by Kojima standards.   T...

Another comedy anime this week.  A simple slice of life "pseudo" harem show, Toradora is well-regarded in the anime community.  I liked re-watching it recently.  The characters are well written and their banter back and forth is great.  However, I argue that the show suffers due to its main characters, just as much as they elevate it. When you look past the comedic nature and t...

Uploading this the Monday night before usual because of working on Tuesday.  Today features the final stop on the .hack journey, a second stab at doing the "game" part right.  Taking the lessons learned form IMOQ, G.U. revamps the visuals, storytelling, and characters so much, it ends up becoming one of the best games the PS2 had to offer.  It's not without its faults, but whether y...

Part 3 of my look into project dot hack.  The World R:2 now exists, and it begins with a relaunched anime that focuses on events that transpire before G.U.  I think Roots is a decent attempt at recapturing SIGN's magic.  The main issue is its lead character, the concepts at play that surround him are never explored, and a good 12-13 episode premise gets over extended to the typical...

This week, we continue our foray into "The World" with the first video game tie-in project of project dot hack.  While the vibe, music, characters, voice acting all feel appropriate, the "game" part leaves a lot to be desired.  I suppose that is something you can't escape.  Even G.U. suffers from repetitiveness.  But for a title with so much promise, to be this let down by proc...

This week, we begun a four part journey through one of the first video game based anime/game cross projects.  Long before SAO or other isekai was a thing, project dot hack (.hack) set out to create both anime and video games based on an MMO called "The World."  Two versions of both projects were created to tie into each other (plus other spinoffs).  While it seems archaic now, the i...

So, if you know anything about me, you know I love me some Persona.  In 2006-2008, I was starting to feel burnout from Final Fantasy constantly changing and morphing into, whatever XII was.  So along came a little known cult classic.  Then another one, then another ten years go by and THIS game unseats FFVI as my favorite game of all time.  Persona isn't for everyone.  But...