Sean Akizuki's Fantasy Critic

Super Mario Bros. 2 widely differed from the very first Super Mario Bros. game which I can remember playing this game.  Instead of playing as Mario (Player 1) or Luigi (Player 2), this was a one player game which allowed you to choose between Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach each with different abilities.  Mario was the balanced one, Luigi had a very high jump, Toad can quickly pull out turnips and Princess had the ability to glide into the air. The story deviates from Super Mario Bros. considering the events happen in Dream World, where the Subcons were imprisoned.  The four must join to liberate the Dream World from the game's main antagonist Wart (a giant frog perhaps named after the misconception that frogs caused warts) who has plagued it. The gameplay was radically different as each character started out "fully grown" but they can shrink if they only have one heart left.  You can get "secret mushrooms" in some areas per level to get more hearts.  When dea...

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a loose adaptation of the original Greek myths such as that Hercules was legally the descendant of Perseus (who is technically his "half-brother" though Zeus did not have sexual contact with Danae compared with Alcmene) or that Zeus committed adultery with another man's wife.  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  has Hera got overly monsterized when Ares is much worse than she is. In fact, she even rejected her own son Ares for being too crude and rude. So how does Hera get overly monsterized in the TV series? Hera was mostly out of character considering that most of her hatred in the myths was merely focused on Hercules than the world. She does not plague the world and she does care about other mortals. It's just that Hercules ticks her off because his name in Greek (Heracles) is translated into "Hera's Glory". That deeply insults her as to why such a name is given to an illegitimate child of Zeus. While other renditio...

While I personally dislike (not hate) Johnny Cage and my dislike for Cassie Cage stems from her paternity (which I think Sonya was better as a character than her daughter).  Now moving on, we do have the "Rage Mode" of Johnny Cage and Cassie Cage which happened in Mortal Kombat X's rather not so impressive story mode.  Yeah I know, I'm a Liu Kang fanboy! In Mortal Kombat X, Johnny Cage knew of his heritage that he was a descendant of some Mediterranean cult that bred warriors for the gods.  IMO, I think Johnny Cage is a reincarnation of some Mediterranean warrior.  Maybe he may have Indian ancestry or he was an Indian warrior in his past life, what if he was really King Rama in his past life?  I even want to assume he might be the reincarnation of some Mediterranean warrior and maybe he wasn't a white man in his past life?  Now concerning Johnny Cage's powering up and defeating Shinnok, I would consider it a temporary power-up boost at best.  He ...

I was around 15-16 when I first figured out which show was based from which and Metalder was amogn them.  I started to think it was just originality then mixing Shaider right into VR Troopers but what I found out was that, VR Troopers' first season footage was based on Metalder and Spielban while the second season was based on Shaider.  So what's my thoughts on Metalder? The android Metalder is given a human identity as Ryusei Tsurugi, he was based on Dr. Koga's son Tatsuo.  After the bitterness of war, Dr. Koga thought it was best to fight any threat to world peace and as of late, the world peace is threatened by a robotic army that was threatening the world peace.  Dr. Koga dies and Ryusei's sense of justice awakens, allowing him to become the super robot Metalder.

Tekken itself is one of the games that underwent a lot of innovations. While Virtua Fighter was the first fighting game with 3D graphics, Tekken revolutionized the fighting game arena starting with 2.5 Dimesional gameplay (3D graphics with 2D gameplay) and later in 3 Dimensional gameplay. At first, the game felt like a hodge podge of ideas coming together because until now I can't stop comparing Kazuya's appearance to Vegeta, Nina Williams' appearance to Sarah Bryant, King to some Japanese wrestlers, Marshall Law was definitely another Bruce Lee inspired character and Heihachi looks like Dr. Wily on steroids. In fact, I joked that maybe Heihachi is Dr. Wily even if they are two separate characters or that I even thought maybe Heihachi would be cowardly enough to drive a skull tank against everyone. However the so-called hodge podge was really beautifully done. Tekken introduced a whole lot of delicious chopsuey in the world of fighting games. I personally feel fighting...

I always thought about how Liu Kang and Kitana were really met with the odds of their love story and that it was never meant to be. Liu Kang is probably still bound to celibacy and Kitana is from another realm. Liu Kang is champion of Mortal Kombat, Kitana is Princess of Edenia so it's understandable how the two of them have become an impossible romance right? In Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, we see Liu Kang officially split up with Kitana. Kitana offers him the chance to marry her and he refuses. In Deadly Alliance, he dies and Kitana wished Liu Kang took the offer. In the next life, Liu Kang saw Kitana die before his eyes and got mad with Raiden.  Liu Kang dies after Raiden accidentally electrocutes the former. Wow Raiden you must be very stupid. So Liu Kang became a Revenant warrior, no questions asked right? I was expecting him to return as a Revenant considering we saw all the dead heroes become Revenants with Liu Kang looking like an armored version of Evil Ryu from Street Figh...

If there's any licensed adaptation by Saban that was so stupid it was his version of Masked Rider.  I felt like the whole show is really that bad.  The whole series was first introduced through Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and later, it seemed to become a standalone show.  So what's the big deal with Saban's Masked Rider and why I really don't like it? Now I have nothing against lighter and softer if it's done properly but the way Saban's Masked Rider was carried out felt more like it was a bootleg fan film than a licensed adaptation.  Yes, Saban was able to secure the rights from Shotaro Ishinomori but the show went so bad that any possibility of Saban's staff securing Kamen Rider rights may be ruined.  Please note that Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is by Wang Brothers, not Saban.  I felt this show really ruined itself and the image of Kamen Rider to the American fans. Granted, Masked Rider Black RX (the show it was based from) didn't get so much of...

Shogo gets this picture right... and VR Trippers is best forgotten! While I can tolerate Power Rangers' existence but I'll also admit where I say Saban's production sucked was when they got the rights to adapt Metal Hero and Kamen Rider Black RX.  I would admit about how horrible Beetleborgs (garbage), Beetleborgs Metallix and this one... VR Trippers where they tried to mix Metalder (and later Shaider) with Spielban.  I'll admit I can't really get over how horrible VR Trippers is!  It's just like trying to mix oil and water... the show is horrible and ends up plotless! I've seen some episodes of Metalder and as of right now, I have watched seven subbed episodes and I have seen most of the episodes in raw (hoping to see more subs).... and I've seen the finale in raw.  All I can say is, Grimlord is nowhere close to his original counterpart known as Emperor Neros.  Even the name Grimlord isn't worthy of the joke that VR Troopers place as being gri...

What truly shocked me to think was that Power Rangers Wild Force is an unpopular season. I read various reasons and I can agree with a few of them. So what was really wrong with Wild Force? I really want to show about some issues that were addressed. Acting in Wild Force was really, really terrible for most audiences. I wouldn't say they were overacting, they were mostly underacting. I thought Princess Shayla was okay but she sounded more like a Disney princess. Tetomu was much better than she was. I don't think Rick Medina is a terrible actor considering he was still able to deliver his part but he's just... inadequate. What was worse is that Rick did a lot of stuff that ruined him... however looks like he's changed for the better now. If you ask me, Gaoranger's acting is much better than this show or its predecessor Time Force had a way better cast of actors. Time Force was praised for good acting and Wild Force was criticized for bad acting. In my own criticis...

So I'm using that picture of Cole topless and soaking in the rain to make a point. I'll admit I do have my unpopular opinions on Power Rangers which I want to share. Again these are just my opinions that I want to unleash right now. MMPR should have just ended after season one I thought MMPR should have just ended after forty episodes and then it's time to proceed to a new season. Yeah it was a monster hit but additional episodes practically ruined the show. I felt like the whole show went downhill after episode 40. I felt like Lord Zedd wasn't worth the addition either. The rest of MMPR was just there for ratings and not quality. Lord Zedd wasn't all that dangerous until he married Rita Lord Zedd was a fearsome villain but in the long run, before he married Rita he showed he was more brute force than real danger. So he did have a good start but come on, his Putty Patrollers were stronger but easier to defeat. He did drain the Green Ranger off but that wasn...

If there's anything that's really lacking in Mortal Kombat, it's the Story Mode.  I mean, I was WTFed THRICE with how Shinnok was defeated.  I mean, it's inconceivable that in the past life, Liu Kang defeated him.  In the next life, Johnny Cage then later Cassie Cage defeated him.  Again, I assume Johnny and Cassie were empowered by the Elder Gods behind the scenes with the "greened up" temporary power up which without it, the father and daughter team would have died.  Still, I wish Raiden and not any mortal defeated him in the final battle to settle their old Thor/Loki type of feud once and for all. I honestly thought that while Corrupted Shinnok looks badass but I wish the game actually used another design aspect namely one badass boss character in Tekken....

Sure I am a fan of Tekken but it doesn't mean that I don't criticize any mistakes that the franchise gets into. For example, I think Tekken 4 was a very weak entry compared to Tekken 5 due to irregular playing fields or too easy dodging. I always thought about how I ended up praising Mortal Kombat (2011) over this game even if I play more of Tekken against my peers. Now it's time to move on towards why I really hate the Scenario Campaign... ANGRY JOE STYLE! So I was excited about getting Tekken 6 hearing about the great gameplay but there's one really B.S. feature and it's the Scenario Campaign. You want to know why I hate the Scenario Campaign mode? That game is really bland, repetitive and not to mention while it does get interesting story-wise but come on, I have to play it to get the character's individual endings? I have to play through Arena mode, unlock everyone in Arena Mode just to see the endings? I really hate to admit it but that's really one...

I really had my thoughts on what if Apocalypse were Chinese and not Egyptian.  The most obvious change would be his name won't be En Sabah Nur but Dao Shu Guang, something similar to as En Sabah Nur means "the first morning" in earlier languages.  I always thought of Apocalypse' possible origins on what if he were reimagined as  Chinese, not Egyptian therefore the first discovered mutant appeared in China and not in Egypt although Selene is order than Apocalypse. Apocalypse might actually exist in the era of the first emperor, Shih Huang Ti.  Maybe Shih Huang Ti would be Kang the Conqueror instead of Rama Tut.  Maybe he would a master of Chinese sorcery or he would be raised by a Chinese tribe of warriors.  Maybe he would appear as China's first mutant of unparalleled power he would greatly be feared.  He would have a vision of the goddess Shengmu or Nuwa instead of Isis because he's in China.  Maybe he's seen China would be the ultimate te...

Well even if my memory is pretty bad but I am now triggered to remember the first Power Rangers movie, which was non-canon to the actual series.  Yes, the villain looks like Ivan Ooze and I would admit, a darker version of Ivan Ooze.  So what do I think went wrong in here?  Here's what I think should have happened. Only if they got Arnold Vosloo to play the part of Apocalypse.  I mean, I think that would be awesome to actually have the actor who played the traitorous high priest Imhotep to play the part of the ancient mutant menace who one day will awaken to shake the world.  They could actually have Apocalypse first coming out from being mummified alive.  Cursed but not destroyed, the ancient villain appears to wreck havoc as the time of testing had indeed come. It's too early for me to launch the criticism considering the movie is yet to be shown.

In Mortal Kombat X, Brutalities are finishing moves that require you to meet certain conditions like two-three stage interactions, amount of time left and if I'm not wrong, you have to unlock them.  So how does this game actually play beyond the bare minimum that Killer Instinct offers?  Actually you may end up mixing certain Brutalities (not all can be mixed) into combos like in the following exhibitions below... A brutality can start off as a simple final hit that kills the opponent without having to go through the fatality which gets executed like the No Mercy in Killer Instinct 2.  However other brutalities can indeed be used to end a combo and match together when all the requirements are met like two stage interactions and amount of health or life left which makes it a challenge.  You may see how Liu Kang here integrates two of his brutalities into a long chain combo instead of just performing it as a final hit.  However I'd be impressed if anybody can ...

While I would want to believe that Megaman Legends is just a spin-off and not related to the Classic Megaman/Megaman Legends timeline since their setting is hardly as hi-tech as that of the settings in Megaman X... I mean think most of the vehicles here are more typical to ours than to that of Megaman X.  But what if the world underwent drastic changes or two... like Megaman ZX there is hardly a distinction between Reploids and Humans.  Megaman ZX happens in the year 25XX as opposed to Megaman X which takes place in 21XX.  So we think of Megaman Legends 2 where there is the 3,000 year gap so when did things happen? In the Megaman Zero series, Megaman X had already become a Cyber Elf.  Maybe the Cyber-Elves have later become the Ancients.  So after Megaman Zero's events, maybe Zero became "The Master" or one of the Ancients.  Maybe after the disasters in Megaman Zero and Megaman ZX, where the Carbons had existed.  Along the line, Megaman X may have ...

I found these statement from the Reploid Lavatory to be pretty interesting. It says: The new “Rockman X” is, to put it simply, a game that is set in the same world as the “Rockman” that appears on the Famicom. Only, the “Rockman” time period is set in 20XX A.D., while “Rockman X” takes place in 21XX. That is, “X” is set in a slightly later era. Our protagonist this time is X, who is of course an entirely different person from Rockman. He’ll still have the Rockbuster on his left hand, the helmet, and everything that’s come to be associated with Rockman, but he is in fact a separate character . He is merely inheriting the world stage of the “Rockman” series, and that means the same familiar types of enemy characters will be around as well. Please think of this as new series set further along in the same universe. Looking at that statement from the development room, it looks like Megaman X and Megaman are not the same robot. It seems confirmed because unlike Megatron and Galvatro...

While playing both Classic Megaman and the Megaman X series, I felt one character was a bizarre combination of several characters. While Sigma is a much more cruel villain than Dr. Wily, Vile seems to be a composite version of several characters from Classic Megaman. So Megaman 7 came after Megaman X3 in an attempt to revive Classic Megaman. Let's take a look at the similarities that can be drawn. During the first game, the story of the first Megaman X game somewhat parallels the first Megaman game. Vile happens to be some kind of prototype Maverick Hunter that went defective. During Sigma's rebellion when most of Dr. Cain's robots rebelled no thanks to Sigma. Like Protoman, Vile joins the rebellion where he becomes an evil version of Protoman. I felt like he's meant to be a hybrid of both Protoman, the 3rd Darkman Robot and the 4th Darkman Robot. The third Darkman Robot somewhat fights like Vile and the fourth one was disguised as Protoman. Speaking of the Darkman ...

While thinking of Rito Revolto from Power Rangers in Space, he was not there because the suit was badly damaged. His Kakuranger counterpart had a human form that was played by Kenichi Endo aka the Master of Ham. I always thought that while Junior / Gasha Dokuro was a cold and ruthless creature, but he also had incredibly hammy moments one way or another. Too bad, Junior did not last long as I think Kenichi Endo had his reasons for leaving the set. So what's my hypothesis to what happened to Rito Revolto? If Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa became purified to become human beings, what if Rito Revolto suffered the same fate too? Hmmm I can imagine the shock Rita Repulsa might have seen to her brother's fate. Now my HUUUUGE JUMPING hypothesis. I could only imagine Rito Revolto's purified form would look like Kenichi Endo and in this video, Rito Revolto is now the current endorser of Pizza Black. I guess they would have recognized him when Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa both ate...

When I remembered Beast Wars, I always wanted to draw inspiration for the Beast Wars cartoon with the Transformers G1 cartoon. Although the Maximals and Predacons are a new generation of Transformers, not the original Transformers modified, you cannot deny how there's some inspiration of characters that were quite similar. Both Hotrod and Cheetor were pretty similar in terms of personality as both are young, boastful, and impulsive. If you remember the Transformers movie, the newbie character Hot Rod starts off as a newbie character. In the final scene, he becomes the new Autobot Commander, Rodimus Prime with the power of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. The very act also destroyed Unicron's body only leaving a living head. I always expected the same to happen to Cheetor... becoming Cheetorus Prime but I guess writers had learned from the mistakes of the original Transformers. It's unknown if Beast Wars is a sequel to Transformers (Hasbro) or the Japanese Animated s...