Author Archives: Punch Rockgroin

Robo Stomped

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Monolith’s mostly-fogotten, anime-inspired FPS is a needle full of nostalgia.

1998 was a big year for the first person shooter. Unreal was the start of a long-running series that would be most famous for its multiplayer-focused (with available single player campaign) Tournament games. Most notably, Half-Life was released, changing the landscape of the FPS for a long time to come. Though not revolutionary in its gameplay, it was nonetheless a polished and exciting experience, with a well-told story to boot. I played Half-Life until my eyes bled from ecstasy, especially once the modding scene was established.

In the same year, Monolith Productions dropped 2 FPSes that are not well known outside of those in the retro FPS community. Blood 2: The Chosen was a rushed (forced by GT Interactive while they were being bought out by Infogrames) mess. The levels are bland, enemy placement gets cheap and frustrating as the game goes on, and most weapons don’t have much impact. The other game was Shogo: Mobile Armor Division.

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The Moé is Love, The Moé is Fight!

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As Japan’s military expands, so too does the anime market
by Punch Rockgroin

srsitaly

Of course you can’t take this seriously, when did anyone think the Italians were a threat?

Japan’s armed forces have been a question lately. With China quickly building up their naval presence, there is reason to worry. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agrees that a strengthening China is a bad thing, and wants to build up Japan’s forces accordingly. But not everyone agrees, no sir. Others think this increase in military strength is just Abe wanting to return to the old (read: before WW2 was ended in nuclear fire for Japan) ways and take the country back to war. But… thinking so much about such a serious matter is so stressing. The average otaku doesn’t want to think about the consequences of provoking an army that’s tens of millions strong. They’d rather think about cute girls in tanks, or guns as cute girls, or what airsoft would be like if they and their friends were all attractive teenage girls. Considering the industry is made of people like this as well, the world of military moé really wasn’t that much of a stretch.

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A School Boy’s Life for Me

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by Punch Rockgroin

Anime clichés get smacked by reality in Daily Lives of High School Boys

High school girls in Japan live the life. Before them stretches a vast array of possibilities: They could be magical girls saving the world from evil, having other-worldly adventures surrounded by the most beautiful men in the universe, or even just starting a band and having a great time with their friends. With so many fun and exciting activities to choose from, it’s no wonder the anime industry has made it their duty to show the many teenage girls of Japan what they can do while in high school. Despite the myriad of options available to the Japanese high school girl, high school boys in Japan are only good at fighting or sports, and are thus much more limited in what they can accomplish during the golden years of their life.

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