Doctor Who in 2023 is a Breath of Life We Really Needed

Ever since I was a kid, I've remembered loving Doctor Who. Living in the UK, it became a real family tradition to sit down on an evening, throw on Doctor Who on BBC1 and watch for an hour ever since the reboot in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston. It remains one of the most treasured memories I have had with my family and provided a community I absolutely love. Unfortunately, the writing quality dipped at a point, and I lost interest for a while.

Now that Doctor Who is back, with an insane amount of marketing and a Disney+ release, we're going to go in-depth on whether the show is back to its prime or if the writers' room got replaced by evil aliens trying to destroy British television. I don't want to have to watch re-runs of My Name is Earl guys. I beg you!

The new but old Doctor from The Star Beast

First, the mini-sode, "Children In Need". The Doctor, newly regenerated into 10th Doctor actor David Tennant, arrives at the lab of one of his arch enemies, Davros, before his accident which leaves him disabled, The Doctor then comically removes a lethal implement from a Dalek prototype, replacing it with a plunger, and inspires the classic design, A very short but funny segment that shows the balance the show is aspiring to reach from my perspective. Entertaining, yes, but also indicative of purpose through showing rather than telling.

I enjoyed Julian's portrayal of Davros, being menacing and vindictive, almost rotten inside as though he causes his deformities through his own obsession. The lack of a wheelchair is a non-issue to me. If Lost taught me anything, then there's a great deal of story to be told about a radical man no longer afflicted with his disability, as an interview with Davies happened where he made it clear he wants to shift focus away from vilifying people with disabilities. This is a good stance to take, given that Doctor Who has always been a morality-driven show. Let's hope Davros enjoys being reintroduced to the fear of stepping on LEGO.

Now, onto the new episode that aired on the 25th of November on BBC1 in the UK, "The Star Beast".

This was an amazing first outing for the new Who era. I don't even know how this hour-long special managed to throw in so much stuff. Firstly, we had so many classic Who moments; spaceships falling on London, big lumbering aliens that look like they come straight from power rangers, UNIT being effectively useless all except the one person in charge, and high-speed sci-fi conversations that nobody understands. And while we don't see Bernard Cribbins, there's a lot of talk of Wilf, and Wilf is always a plus.

On top of that, we had a follow-up on old companion Donna Noble (My favorite). Her daughter Rose, who tackles some delicate social commentary, The Meep, a fuzzy white alien faking being innocent, who I am convinced is just the evil cat from Cats and Dogs trying to take over the world again. On top of that, we got the new Tardis design, complete with LED lighting and those little round things we loved so much in classic Who.

The new opening theme makes my heart feel warm; every season, they do a new arrangement on the classic. This one comes with piano accompaniment and a piercing melody that sounds similar to the show's infamous Sonic Screwdriver. It's a theme that gives gravitas with a sad undertone, and it's going to be in my head for a while again, isn't it?

Anyway, let's talk about the acting. David Tennant, as usual, brings an amazing performance, playing a far more emotionally vulnerable version of the Doctor. While his 10th Doctor quirks emerge sometimes, he gives off very feminine and empathetic vibes, far more than his often vengeful and unforgiving previous role in the show. In fact, I feel like this Doctor is one hallmark movie away from breaking down at any moment, which is great! Coupled with Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, the two interacting have the same dynamic and friendly energy it had back 15 years ago. It's enthralling, and I even found myself tearing up at a certain part. You'll know the one if you watched the episode… go watch the episode if you haven't.

The Doctor with his Sonic Screwdriver, a sort of science wand.

The rest of the cast also does really well. Tate is insanely emotive, managing to cover an insane range from overprotective mom to amnesiac super genius and back again. She's always just the right amount of sassy and bombastic. Her Mother is the same anxious wreck whose first response is to yell at everything. Her new husband plays the everyman who always seems to turn up at the wrong time, which is funny given that while his wife misses everything, he seems to stumble upon everything.

Her daughter Rose, a central part of the episode, is shown to have changed their gender, making her character more invested in looking out for the misunderstood and lonely. She's more proactive, and it seems to get her into trouble as much as her mom. It's quite fitting, and it matches the cultural zeitgeist, so it was pretty interesting to see good writing mixed with prominent gender discourse. Other characters comment on it and wonder how to approach the topic.. It's all done with respect, except from the Doctor, who actually never learns this because, to him, it doesn't matter. It's a really intelligent way of balancing prominent social issues with a good story, which is what Doctor Who has been celebrated for, usually. Yasmin Finney does a good job as a prominent part of the cast in this way. I think her line "I can finally be me" in the context of the episode is so damn clever. Again watch it; I'm not spoiling stuff here.

Rose inherits her Mothers sass quite well.

I can only begin to wonder how much they spent on the budget for this episode; it feels like they bought out most of London. With packed streets, a full street being used, and a massive spaceship. The CGI used for The Meep itself is also really impressive, although I do think it's hilarious that the first thing the show does on Disney+ is have its own Baby Yoda like creature. Finally, a huge steelworks, which they've definitely done before, but it never really gets old. Also, the new Tardis must have cost a fair bit of cash; it looks so clean and well-made. I can feel the production value hitting me over the head with a hammer. This is not to say this wasn't the case in the past but it suddenly feels far more visible.

The Sonic Screwdriver has also had a massive upgrade. Not only can it now conjure up a heads-up display, but it can also create raw fields of energy that the Doctor can use as a shield. It also comes with a diagnostic screen. It's always been a magic science wand, but to actually see a lot of the hand-waved science jargon on screen for once is a welcome sight.

Finally, the villains of this episode, this one takes some really deep cuts as the antagonist adopts some brainwashing technology to turn UNIT soldiers into its servants. The outfits they don are reminiscent of the 1966 Daleks invasion of Earth Robomen, right down to the black suits and tinted visors. Personally, I fanboyed out at this since that movie was one of my favorite Doctor Who stories growing up, and it was amazing to see an updated version. The crab soldiers have classic Who monster outfits, but they're backed up by their weapons having deadly-looking special effects, and parts of the claw move on their own as if the monster was breathing through it. Which, again, was insanely cool.

*Warning, skip this to avoid spoilers*

Miriam Margolyes as the Meep was such a good performance, going from being a sheltered E.T like alien into being a vicious galactic fugitive bent on destruction. It was a great parallel to the Doctor, being the last of his kind for so long, to come across another who was like that who is effectively pure evil was a delight. There's a bit earlier on where they speculate what its pronouns are, and it states they are simply "The Meep". Turns out this was in fact their dictator title, and was simply saying they identified as a tyrant. Beautiful.

Awww look at the cute little genocidal maniac.

*Spoilers over*

So, to summarize, Doctor Who is once again in safe hands. The fact I've been able to fanboy over this since last night is proof enough for me that the writing has taken a massive leap in quality back to its roots. While some of the previous showrunners' stories may still leave a shadow over the series canon, this was good clean fun. One that perfectly balances the story with the message. I am so glad to have the show back, and I now look forward to the future. Both to the remaining two episodes of Tennant's second run and the incoming arrival of new doctor Ncuti Gatwa. Doctor Who is back and here to stay.

Spike Chunsoft's Newest Sleuthing Masterpiece: Master Detective Archives: Raincode

A long time ago, I played a game called Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. The game became iconic as a detective fiction version of battle royale where you had to sleuth out who killed your fellow schoolmates and an evil teddy bear would punish the culprit. I bring this up due to the relevance of the art direction and story formula being used for this game being almost identical, as Master Detective Archives was made by the same publisher directly after the success of those games. The marketing gave out strong vibes of being a spiritual successor to Danganronpa and used that to its ultimate benefit. As an RPG and Visual Novel hybrid, this game has some seriously good integration of both genres. I would argue that it is better than its predecessor.

Detectives discuss needing more information — Hold on, I'm getting to it.

But make no mistake. This game is well aware of its production similarities, to the point that it will use these preconceptions against the player. As a consumer, you're being conditioned from the moment you watch the trailer. You're meant to think, "this is just like Danganronpa." The game bases some of its biggest twists around things you will already take for granted.

Yuma mentions there being no other wounds as a knife sticks out of a charcoal burned body. — This is pretty funny out of context

One of the worst points of detective games is figuring out what happened prematurely during the exploration stage. In this game, you have to brute force your way to the truth, being given a handful of evidence and having to piece it all together through very small details that you narrow down and inevitably use the mystical properties of a mechanic called the "Mystery Labyrinth" to determine if your deductions are sound. This Labyrinth is a spiritual realm conjured by unsolved mysteries, and getting through it is how you reach the truth of cases in this game.

The mystery dungeon, in all it's neon beauty is shown — Some of the colours in this game are insanely beautiful.

This game actively manages to keep you engaged throughout the entire process. That's the nature of this game. Sometimes, you have to make absurd leaps in logic to find the true path forward. You can't really use typical detective game tricks to make it to the end goal in this one.

Yuma wielding a sword has to fight off monsters who attack with opposing deductions — You have to defeat opposing viewpoints in debate battles within the labyrinth. Defend yourself, detective!

You play as Yuma Kokohead, an amnesiac short person with a cool hat. Confused and bewildered, you begin only with a note telling you to get on a train. From there, you become embroiled in the politics of the World Detective Agency, being commanded into scoping out various mysteries in one of the world's most secluded and high-security communities.

Yuma is accused of tricking detectives on a train — Suspicion, Logic, Solution, Detectives.

Local law enforcement hounds you at every turn, treating detectives like rats scurrying about their city. So, as good detectives, it's up to you to unravel the city's most intriguing mysteries, all while under the fear of being arrested, tortured, and quite possibly killed as a result of your sleuthing.

The peacekeepers discuss stopping the detectives in wacky outfits — The Peacekeepers, dressed up like you hit the random button on a Call of Duty game customization.

And then, once everything is over, you murder the culprit after working out who did it. This is one of the unique parts of this game. Your mascot companion, Shinigami, will kill the criminal at the end of the case. See, your character, Yuma, is only a detective trainee, and she's a death god you made a pact with in return for your lost memories. She acts as your apathetic guide, teaching you how to become a good detective and reaping the souls of those you catch.

Your character's relationship with her is an absolute highlight, going from your typical fanservice mascot to an unexpectedly deep and understanding character. Believe me, the ethical consequences of your actions are explored to their fullest.

The game takes place in Kanai ward, in what I can only describe as "Anime North Korea", you must find its "Ultimate secret". From the moment you step onto the train, you're forced into a train of ethical dilemmas while solving seemingly impossible murders. Other detectives will often show themselves as much more capable than your character during his growth, allowing for an amazing supporting cast who get their share of the limelight.

All detectives in this world have a signature ability, which can range from almost useless to absolutely insanely powerful. Let's compare talking with only small animals to being able to turn back time. The disparity is clear to see and fleshes out the world quite splendidly.

Kanai ward is shown to the player. — It's, So. Damn. Pretty!

The town has a unique and somber feel, being engulfed in eternal rainfall. The essence of the place screams noir detective stories while maintaining the neon but dismal appeal of a cyberpunk setting. A fully open and highly detailed world will come to have you both become increasingly skeptical but warmly attached to the people of this abnormal place. Upon finding kind citizens and understanding their daily lives, you realize that the corporation that owns and runs the place is the cause of all their troubles. Opening up to direct conflict between your detective pals and the peacekeeper's force who control most of the corporation after a long-running civil war within the company.

Amaterasu's corporation's main HQ looks like an evil empire building. — Amaterasu corporation, it's like if Amazon and SpaceX had a merger.

Your companions are mostly quiet, troubled souls with their own origins and reasons for being there with you. All detectives, in their own right, boast incredible powers that will help you through your investigations. The game also has a hidden collectibles system, which once found, you can view Yuma's conversations with each of them to reveal bonding and backstory should you wish to know them better.

I don't want to spoil any of the cases, given that I really want you all to play the game yourself, but the essence of the cases you'll solve in this game are strange but logical, deep but simple, and every case in this game has a gimmick. Whether it be ghosts from the past, intricate political reasoning, or even trying to get off a train. You will find this game has plenty to appreciate if you love detective games, and especially if you played the Danganronpa games, you will get a massive kick out of playing this game.

Detectives mention the article sounds exhausting and I comically try to argue against it. — It's not, the game is amazing I promise!

Behind the Bloodshed: Exploring the Compelling but Flawed Story of Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1 is a pretty good fighting game, but the true appeal of NetherRealm Studio's games is their excellent storytelling. Previously, I've talked about their constant need to reboot the franchise, and now, we get to see the fruits of that habit!

Chapter 1: A Whole New World

Let's start with world-building. This game occurs after the last, where Liu Kang became the de-facto God of time in the MK universe.

Previous titles were a bloody and hopeless fight for survival to protect our world. Now, we find that the realms of Mortal Kombat 1 are a fight to maintain peace and maintain Liu Kang's vision of a "better" world. However, the opening gives a fantastic insight into why character autonomy is crucial in this new setting. "It will be up to mortals to finish my work."

Liu Kang talks about changes he made to the world he believes were positives. — And Baraka wouldn't get things stuck in his teeth, Reptile would shower more and Johnny Cage wouldn't have a healthy marriage… Wait, what was that last one?

One of the story's most intriguing concepts is that no matter how much is manipulated, characters and the world itself will fight to re-assert their nature despite the new benign influence. The writers know how much to change and to not change characters beyond recognition. The tagline of this game, "It's in our blood," was an amazingly accurate marketing strategy, in my opinion.

These changes provide very earnest reasons for the characters to oppose Liu Kang. Despite all his competency, he cannot stop critical events or the violent nature of characters from reappearing. For instance, Kenshi is blinded once again. Because of this, you never know what will stick to your favorite characters. The stakes are very real and very entertaining as a result.

Every character's backstory tells us something new about Liu Kang's motives and hopes for this world. We can even see malice behind some of his actions in the fate of Shang Tsung, who is reduced to scamming peasants to survive as the world actively punishes him for his efforts.

Shang Tsung debates a life of evil after the promise of power is offered to him — Surprisingly, someone at the bottom of the barrel might just turn to evil.

Despite him being an unfeeling and psychopathic monster, you can't help but think this could have been avoided had he been given a better start. The God of this world is flawed, giving us a reason to root for villainous characters as a possible lesser of two evils. The morally gray nature of the storytelling makes you question what previous incarnations of this world have taught us. What is actually right for these characters?

This is the most powerful strength of the storyline: what happens when self-righteousness becomes all-encompassing and exploring that. The power of Mortal Kombat has always been the plucky Earthrealmers fighting against more powerful threats from beyond. Now, we find Earthrealm is given a sizable advantage instead.

I don't have much to say on the set pieces other than, holy moly, I love everything about how this game looks. The image below isn't even a stage, and they went crazy on the details. C'est magnifique!

A beautifully rendered outdoor dining area. — I don't know why the awkward dinner scene stuck in my head, it was short, and brief. But it was brilliant and expertly done. It's my most vivid memory of the story by far.

Chapter 2: It Builds Character.

While this is a rebooted universe, characters don't really get a new backstory. In fact, the story goes out of its way to re-establish previous character traits, such as Kuai Liang's scar and Ashrah's sword Kris, but almost every character, bar one, has additions to their previous characters. Let’s see if it's a positive change.

Firstly, we have wholly retconned characters such as Kuai Liang, originally the 2nd Sub-Zero, who now takes the place of Scorpion. The aim of this seems to be to have the two iconic ninjas be brothers. However, Hanzo Hasashi's backstory appears to have been stolen and given to Kuai Liang, causing a lot of confusion for me.

Scorpion kicks General Shao in the face. — New Scorpion, who dis?

I don't see the nuance to this, given that being attached to "Scorpion" now means you're attached to a completely different character with the same moniker. It will likely have Scorpion fans asking, "Where's Hanzo?" It was a very strange decision for the series' flagship character. Scorpion seems to me now to be branding like a can of Pepsi.

Raiden may not be a god anymore, but they give him a magic do-hickey, and he's firing lightning everywhere again. In fact, his status as the new Mortal Kombat champion seems hollow, given that his destiny is predetermined. He truly is the new Liu Kang, effortlessly winning, except this time not through plot armor, but his benefactors' hubris. A flaw with the story is that because of this, the character is sidelined despite being useful. Don't get me wrong, Raiden has some excellent snark and admirable humility in this game. He just never has a chance to grow on his own.

Raiden tries to assuage Liu Kangs worry that he cannot handle a new opponent. — Liu Kang worries Raiden cannot win without his instruction against an unexpected opponent. The facial expression is really good.

Next, characters that are slightly changed but essentially the same. I absolutely love the new Mileena plot. Originally a clone, she is now a legitimate sister to Kitana, whom she was cloned from. However, she is infected with the Tarkat disease, turning her into a hideous monster without constant treatment. All the outworld court politics concerning her transformation drive the story in unique ways. Mileena has desires and shows herself to be very capable throughout the story. It’s not bad for someone who used to growl and do scary flirting constantly.

The addition to backstories already established is one of this game's greatest strengths.
Villains like General Shao (Formerly Shao Khan) suffered from birth defects to explain the lack of strength they once had. This makes his relationship with Reiko far more respectful. While Shao remains a ruthless power chaser, he values his underlings more, noting Reiko also went through similar hardship in his introduction. Changes in hierarchy and attitude are vital reasons I enjoyed the story mode. The exploration of how a bloodthirsty tyrannical figure would behave without overwhelming strength is a very intriguing what-if scenario.

Sindel talks about General Shao's childhood post meddling. — Apparently Liu Kang's solution to Shao Khan was disease and infirmity. Tiny bit evil there.

Finally, we have characters who have not changed. Kitana, as Kang's ex-lover, is the same character, except in a happier family. An excellent example of a good change made by Liu.

Nitara is still a vampire lady. She's voiced by Megan Fox. Personally, I think this was perfect casting. However, it seems clear to me that they stuffed Megan in a booth for a day and made her read off a few lines, then kicked her out into the street before she bankrupted their voice-over budget. Her voice acting has not been given the care and attention it should have, and that's disappointing.

Oh, and Kung Lao is unchanged. He’s still trying to be the best but always in someone's shadow. Liu couldn't give his sworn brother a break. I feel so sorry for Kung Lao, give my boy the chance to be the hero, Netherrealm Studios!

Chapter 3: And Then That Happened

I've been trying to make this a non-spoiler review, so talking about how insane the ending is might be tricky. Consider skipping this part if you don't want to be spoiled.

The ending to this story mode might be the worst and best thing to come out of modern Mortal Kombat. Acts 3 and 4 disregard the current Outworld takeover plot in favor of an all-out timeline war. Is this out of nowhere? Well, not exactly. There have been hints. Is this an attempt to cash in on multiverse mania? Absolutely. Using timelines as different multiverses to have an homage to the MK: Armageddon game is fine, but did you have to interrupt the current story to start an inter-timeline free-for-all? It's incredibly jarring to go from exploration of the new status quo to the world ending seemingly out of the blue.

Titan Shang Tsung waxes about how he's going to destroy the timeline. — Remember when this franchise was about punching an old guy in a dungeon?

One of the best parts of this is that we finally forgo the formulaic mandate that every chapter's character has to be the main hero. You get to choose the fighter who defeats the evil "Titan" threatening the timeline. I picked Raiden because I felt like, as the destined hero, he should be the hero of this game. Only to be told this was an alternate Raiden... Well okay? I guess that's fine. Oh wait, Liu Kang steals the kill, then teleports me away. Making the whole ending segment kind of meaningless. I didn't like that, but this is Liu Kang's game. Every character in this game is linked to him, so it makes sense he should be the big hero here. I'm not complaining.

Liu Kang sends your character back to their timeline after defeating the final enemy. — Isn't this my timeline though? Oh boy, how drunk was I last night.

It was at this point, after finishing the story, that I understood. This game was about setting up the world. The ending resolves the last game's time travel shenanigans and fully cements this new world as The new Mortal Kombat timeline. In my opinion, the best thing the next game could do would be to remove Liu Kang entirely and let this fledgling world fly.

Epilogue

Mortal Kombat 1 is a story that does many things correctly. It shows the new world in its entirety, why characters have changed, and the new status quo. As a showcase, it performs admirably; the characters are likable and given the attention they wouldn't have gotten in the past. At the same time, things that are set in stone are visibly set in stone. Object and character permanence is a hard thing to establish in multiversal stories, and I believe they do that incredibly well here. What is it they say in Spider-verse? "It's a canon event".

Everything in this game looks phenomenal, right down to character design, backgrounds, set pieces, and even the characters’ facial expressions. I haven't talked about these much because there really isn't anything other than praise I can give them. It's a visual spectacle that may as well be movie quality.

The flaws that exist in this story are flaws that have always existed in Mortal Kombat. Underutilization of concepts, characters being robbed of deserved outcomes, and simple lack of substance that constantly raising the stakes brings with it.

My final note is that of admiration for the writers. Despite a character like Shang Tsung being an unredeemable monster, they convincingly portray him as a victim of a heroic figure like Liu Kang, effectively utilizing Liu Kang's vengeful tendencies to their full effect. A story like this that can convince you the hero is the villain and that the villain is completely justified in his murderous actions is one that I believe deserves a very high level of praise, and I would wholeheartedly recommend watching for yourself.

Liu Kang's big cheesy smile. — Glad to have watched this story? Absolutely!

I've Never Watched One Piece. Let's Watch the Netflix Live Action Version. Ep 1 REVIEW

I have never watched One Piece. Why? Because it's over 1000 episodes long and has so many characters and plotlines, it's a lot. To even begin this leviathan of an anime, you would have to quit your job, dump your partner, and possibly live in your bedroom for the better portion of a decade.

But hey… viewer… you can handle eight one-hour episodes, right? Netflix says with its salesmen charm and beckoning finger. Why yes, Netflix, I can.

This led me to watch the first episode of the Live Action One Piece, and what did I think of it?

Actually, it was really good, like surprisingly good. So much so that I wonder why I spent so long avoiding this series like the plague. So let's dig into Episode 1: Romance Dawn.

The episode begins with the execution of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger twenty-two years ago. The head of the World government takes time to gloat, leaving the Pirate King time to leave a parting message. "My treasure is out there. Whoever finds it gets it". I liked this beginning. The Pirate King seems more in control than the government and uses his last words to inspire anarchy in the masses. I like a guy who can willingly step into his own execution and use his last moments to inspire others. It's a trait that you see in Luffy later in the episode, which is pretty nice, already drawing parallels between Luffy and his role model.

Gold Roger is on his knees while two guards have spears pointed at his back. Behind them is an extravagant building. — But it's still not going to bring the green M&M back.

From this, we cut to the present to our protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, played by Iñaki Godoy, the stand-out actor in the show to me. His facial mannerisms, attention to detail, quirks and overall delivery are the best. While he can seem a bit childish at times, I can see that Luffy and Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean are very similar, both sailing in a rickety run-down dinghy that's slowly sinking and going on tangents. The more I see of this guy, the more I wonder who can actually physically stop him. His body is made of rubber, which to me would mean he has little to no injuries. Is he like a Stretch Armstrong? Can he, in fact, infinitely stretch? Does his body heal super well? All questions I hope the show answers later on.

Close-up of Luffy with the sun peaking through the wood behind him. — "I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" Will definitely be said at least 50 more times

The camera work, ship battle sequence and pirate wardrobe all seem heavily inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, but then the show changes inspirations. Once the character Koby comes across Luffy's barrel after it's mistakenly picked up in an act of piracy, the show starts to be inspired by Treasure Island. Koby himself shares many of the attributes of Jim Hawkins. Koby, to me, is a bit of a strange character.

Within the episode, he mostly stands still, paralyzed by his own perceived uselessness. It's not till the end of the episode that he becomes inspired by Luffy to stand up for himself. And when he does that, he straight up tells him, "I could be your enemy". Again, I see this as like a Long John Silver deal, but with Luffy playing the heroic role as the pirate and Koby playing a less heroic role siding with the seemingly vicious marines. However the show indicates all Pirates and Marines inhabit shades of gray, and perhaps there can still be common ground despite the adversarial nature of the two factions.

Luffy and Koby are on the deck of a ship at night. They are surrounded by pirates. Luffy has a joyful expression while Koby is terrified. — Luffy casually saying his new friend insulted his Pirate master, what japes.

The pirate Alvida shows up and is not pleased with Luffy and Koby. Luffy announces he is freeing her captive cabin boy. When attacked, Luffy comically punches her off the ship with his Reed Richards stretchy powers. Luffy screams his attack name to knock out the opposing pirate, which is the only thing jarring about this episode. In the real-world setting, it seems very out of place to me. The show tries to say Luffy's eccentricities are to blame by calling him out later in the episode, but it remains to be seen if this will turn out more fun and endearing than out of place for me. Gum gum pistol being the name for a stretchy punch is kind of sick, though.

After this, we get some character building, showing that Luffy is a guy who lives so in the moment that he'll willingly help Koby become a marine, the very people tasked with capturing him. This early character-defining moment is very important. Luffy is a free spirit who will do what he wants by his code, even to his detriment. But at the same time, when he notes he's "super stealthy", the ship in the background blows up, which he caused. This three-minute scene gives me everything I need to know about Luffy. The show's protagonist is a crazy wild card who will do whatever he wants when he wants, and I am 100% here for that.

Luffy goes to sleep on a small boat with a ship wreckage behind them — Anytime is snoozin time!

We then cut to Roronoa Zoro, a cool guy with swords. He wields three swords despite only having two arms. Later on, we see he carries one in his teeth. His actor is simply called Mackenyu. The action scenes with him in them are the best. His fight choreography is top-notch, and while Luffy generally uses more force, Zoro uses finesse in such a way that I can't help but be glued to the screen.

Earlier on, a background character's head got smushed off-screen by Alvira, so I was prepared for Pg-13 deaths, but nope! When Zoro fights, the dude gets cut in half! Saving the on-screen death for this guy was probably a smart move, as it really cements his status as a battle-hardened samurai. I also feel like this is the morally good character of the show, as in I really want to root for him despite his position as a pirate hunter. He dolls out his own form of vigilante justice, which, paired with Luffy, makes for an exciting dynamic.

Zoro is tied up on a cross in a courtyard. A large picture of Morgan can be seen on the wall behind him. — When I get down from here you're all gonna be sorry!

Finally, we are introduced to the third member of our ensemble cast, Nami. She's a tricky thief who wields a quarterstaff, played by Emily Rudd. I don't know whether it was because this episode gave all the cool stunts and scenes to Luffy and Zoro, but Nami doesn't really get to shine much.

Her whole deal is that she's supposed to be deceitful and sneaky, but every time she tries, her performance doesn't measure up. The actress can clearly do stunts and has good body language, but there's something a little off with this character's dialogue for now. Perhaps she'll be given more time to shine later in the series. I do find it funny that someone who supposedly hates pirates has to flee a marine base with pirates for doing piracy.

I wanna see her do some more cool stuff, things that actually seem like a good skill set. Right now I'm worried that she seems kind of combative with Luffy. I'm hoping we get to see her really just pull the wool over a vastly more powerful villain and see her get a win.

Close-up of Nami as she's holding onto the ropes of a ship's sail. — "You think that belongs to you? Na-mi."

When they get to the Marine port, it's funny just how militarized this world is. The port has traders and merchants lots of ships, and enormous Gondor-looking structure purely for the military. The fact the world has gotten so bad with pirates that even a tiny marine base has to be Fort Knox makes me giggle a bit.

The fight at the bar is really funny, with Nami in the background of Zoro's fight, mugging a marine for his uniform. Opportunist seem to be her defining character trait, which is quite pleasant. Zoro's ongoing feud with Captain Morgan's son is hilarious. With the Son giving Draco Malfoy vibes constantly, Zoro managing to intimate him tied up was one of those poking-the-bear moments that made me chuckle.

Captain Morgan is a guy with an axe for a hand and a metal face guard. I keep wanting to call him "first map Fire Emblem boss". He's built up as the top dog of the military and pretty much proves why he's the boss. He can take on three people at once, one of which is an incredibly skilled swordsman and another being a superpowered rubber man. I particularly liked the part where he attacked his own son for whining at him. He's ruthless, and if villains from the Marines follow this trend, it will be easy to see them as a credible threat. The best part in the episode with him was when he caught Luffy's stretchy fist, and Luffy gave an amazing "What the heck?" face before getting thrown.

Close up of Captain Morgan with the giant image of himself in the background — Morgan: How much does his dental cost?

The fight scene itself is great, with all three working to take him down, Nami dealing with additional marine soldiers, Zoro and Luffy going toe-to-toe with Morgan, with Luffy getting the last hit with a stretchy kick in the end, gotta have some variety right. They flee from the base quite quickly, leading to the real climax of the episode. Koby saves them and says he wants to stay and become a marine. Warning Luffy that they may be enemies next time they meet. Luffy just smiles and says, "We're friends right now, aren't we?" Giving a nice bookend to the episode.

I loved this ending, every character gets what they want. Zoro humiliates a foe, Nami gets the map, and Luffy has the beginning of a crew. The strength of this series has to be its very capable and funny cast, all of which have their own ideas and desires, some conflict, some don't. In the end, it's gonna be how Luffy navigates these conflicts that to me, will sell the rest of the series.

Zoro wields two swords. Marines are on the ground around him. — He must be feeling kinda sword after that.

Episode 1 of One Piece is, without a doubt, an amazing little mini-movie. The ongoing story of Luffy putting together his crew is established, and Koby's marine origin is tied up in the one-hour episode length. A cliffhanger of a marine going after them was established, leading me to want to know what happens next to this mismatched group. Especially with Luffy recruiting two people to his crew who hate pirates. I enjoyed this and will definitely be watching the entire series. This show has probably gotten me into One Piece, even if I can't feasibly watch the 1000-episode anime.

Nami, Luffy, and Zoro are standing in the courtyard with most of the marines defeated. — From the left: Nami, Luffy, Zoro; I cannot get over Luffy's smile, it's so good!

Retro-Spective: Digimon World

People always ask, "what was the difference between Digimon and Pokémon?" With both having a popular TV slot on something like Fox Kids, Jetix or Toasted TV in Australia, incorrectly asserting that Digimon ripped off Pokemon due to Digimon Adventure releasing in English two years after Pokémon's animated series. I believe this game can illustrate the core differences between the two franchises, and I invite you to join me.

Digimon World was the first utilization of Tamagotchi as a video game. You'd be given your partner, train them, take care of them, and try your best to get them to evolve into a new form and win battles. All the while going on expeditions around File Island to recruit new Digimon to live in your hometown. The more you upgrade the town, the more options and possibilities to power up your Digimon present themselves. Along with the prospect of more powerful items and shortcuts to reach places in the world faster for a small currency amount. As such, the gameplay loop for Digimon World went something like this:

- Power up Digimon through specific evolutions.

- Venture out into the world.

- Obtain a new Digimon for File City.

- Your Digimon dies of old age or from losing too many battles.

- Power up again further with increased stat limits and new capabilities.

- Repeat until the game ends.

It's time to save the world! With your tiny egg on legs…

However, it wasn't just this core gameplay you had to worry about because your Digimon behaved like a real pet, needing feeding, discipline, and toilet trips. One of the funniest punishments the game hands out is that should you let your Digimon foul the pavements too much, it will evolve into a useless poop-shaped Digimon, which you are now stuck with until it dies and becomes reborn. On top of this, having a poor discipline score could cause a Digimon to disobey your orders in battle or refuse food you may try to give. If Agumon starved to death because you couldn't bear to scold the cute little guy, that was a real possibility.

The game's combat design was akin to an Auto battler. You would train up your Digimon, set their attitude and strategy, and choose the moves they use, learnt from battling enemies who use them. Then the fight would play out,the only control you would have would be dictating when your Digimon could use their ultimate attack, which builds up during the battle. The game's difficulty would rely on you as a trainer being smart and luring enemy Digimon away from their friends, as multiple combatants could be on the field at the same time. Much like your training and raising of a Digimon, these games were all about preparation more than a battle-by-battle basis.

Which leads me to talk about replayability. The speedrunning for this game becomes quite unique, given the freedom to plan your route and to raise your Digimon extends to almost the entire game. You would be running around avoiding fights you had little hope of winning, but strategically implementing that hope in a way that optimizes your growth makes an amazing experience to see how fast you can finish the game. Digimon World speedruns, in particular, are still done to this day due to the pure buffet of choice available.

The story of Digimon World revolves around a human child being sucked into the digital world, as is the case with almost every entry in the Digimon property. This is the first major difference between Digimon and other monster-catching games. The environment is foreign, alien even. While the inhabitants speak perfect English/Japanese, the appeal of Digimon has always been the parallel between the digital world and the normal human world. I'm always reminded of that iconic vision of an electronic tram left abandoned in the middle of an environment it has no business being within. Almost like the digital world sucks in anything it believes may benefit it.

You'll find the story is something that reveals itself over time here, little snippets given as you help Digimon with their problems, convincing them that working together within the city is safer than braving it in the wild. Because, for some reason, Digimon throughout the world have started to lose their minds, becoming hostile and feral.

Sometimes you have to beat up your new friends first in games like this.

Jijimon, a small humanoid Digimon, tasks you with bringing all the Digimon that still have their minds back, as they've all left out of panic. The more the story continues, the more you're told something weird is happening at the volcano, and the more you progress, a drill-shaped Digimon opens a path for you. Eventually, you'll make your way into the final dungeon after recruiting enough Digimon, solving some problems, beating up some evil Digimon, and running a 7/11 carved into a cliff.

This shop minigame takes up a sizable amount of time.

The final dungeon of Digimon World is probably the best part of the game. A relentless and unforgiving journey to the top through a digital mire of chaos, flashing tech lights, and binary, like the world has started to unravel itself. Until you get to the top and find the real cause of the disturbance in the world, a human. An adult human just like you, planning to use the digital world for his own ends and damn all the creatures within it. And the kicker? Digimon typically have four evolutions, but this game only lets you evolve to the ultimate state (Perfect in Japan). The final boss is one of only two Digimon in the entire game who have reached the final state, Machinedramon.

Winning this fight is so difficult; his laser cannon special will one-shot you if you're not prepared, and you'll hemorrhage healing items in that fight like crazy. But once you win, you tie up all the island's problems in one nice little bow. This final boss is, in fact, the strongest thing in the game, which makes me happy. Too many games have super bosses, which completely undercut the power of the final boss nowadays.

No wonder, he's upset at the change to digital…

Finally, the music was pretty good. It was nothing amazing for the time except for the final boss fight, but it wasn't painful to listen to.

If you want to experience Digimon World in a modern setting, Digimon World: Next Order is the sequel to this game on Steam and Consoles. I would highly recommend trying this game and the newer entry out; they are very addictive little games.

Fury's Final Flop: Marvel's Secret Invasion Leaves Fans Furious and Frustrated!

If I had a penny for every time Emilia Clarke was the center of a mismanaged beloved franchise; I would have at least four pennies now. Secret Invasion is Marvel's attempt at a Television series based on the beloved comic book series, where it's revealed shapeshifting Skrulls live amongst us, silently replacing Earth's powerful figures and Super Heroes.

Heroes thought long dead were revealed to have been Skrulls in disguise allowing writers a chance to revive some of their most beloved characters who had been killed off, all the while providing intrigue on who might be a Skrull, who could suddenly betray their fellow Hero with the Skrulls using their technology to replicate super powers. In this story, Nick Fury leads a squad of his men in a heroic attempt to hold back and fight the invasion, being one of the key figures in finding undercover Skrulls.

Comic book Secret Invasion hits really hard.

All the different types of Super Skrulls

The last attempt to adapt this story was made by The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon, where a Skrull infiltrates thirteen episodes in advance, and the ongoing weakening of the Avengers takes place over the course of many episodes. The only human aware of the Skrull threat is Nick Fury, who has gone underground as a result.

Fury, in this series, is portrayed as the only man who knows. He has spent months not trusting anyone and only talking to those he knows he can trust, in this case, Iron Man. He is key to revealing the ploy due to his ingenuity and spy savvy.

Skrull Captain? Steve the Skrull? We won't ever see Chris Evans in this makeup for sure now.

So what does Nick Fury do in this new re-imagining?

Kind of nothing, really. Olivia Coleman's character seems far more capable. Fury spends most of the series clutching his head, being quite sick of everything.

And then the series ends, and he goes home with his Skrull wife… his home being in space. Retirement in space. Sounds kinda nice.

The trailers really sold the idea of this being Nick Fury's final mission, one last hurrah for the character as an old spy's last grab at glory. It's Fury against Gravik, a radicalized Skrull who he promised he'd find a home but never did. Tension, lies, betrayal! And wait, the villain is a marginalized refugee who blows stuff up again? Didn't we see this in Falcon and the Winter Soldier?

Well, let's go down the list of Fury's achievements in the series!

- In the past, Fury promises Skrull refugees that he will find them a new planet, and until then, they can help him with his spy work.

- Fury comes back to Earth to deal with the Skrull threat he started by not holding up his end of the bargain. Gravik is mad that Fury did not uphold his promise and wants to wipe out all of humanity now.

- Fury is told he's too old for this many times.

- Fury gets Maria Hill killed through a bad operation, along with a large number of civilian casualties through failing to stop Gravik, despite there being others he could have contacted to help even within the episode.

You deserved better than this Cobie Smulders.

- Fury spends time trying to convince his wife not to be mad. He abandoned her for five years, and his wife turns out to be a Skrull, possibly jeopardizing many things. Why this is a priority with the threat of nuclear war looming, I cannot say.

- Fury and Talos prevent a Skrull U.K Navy commander from firing a missile at a U.N aircraft. The only reason they can do so is because of G'iah. Fury and Talos are rendered mostly ineffective, but they do kill a Skrull, so…hooray?

- Fury gets fired and humiliated by Skrull Rhodey, the only Hero replaced by a Skrull. However, they do not use the Warmachine armor. Fury does not realize he is a Skrull from his behavior, something his senses should have picked up on, in my opinion.

~ I think I'm a Skrull now, there doesn't seem to be anyone around ~

- Fury convinces Talos that he needs him to help him, and an episode later, Talos is killed by Gravik.

- Fury saves the American President. The one good thing he does in this series.

- Fury has gathered up the DNA of many, many beings who died at the end of Avengers Endgame. He calls it Harvest. Why did he do this? What possible good reason could there be for having Thanos' DNA on file ripe for cloning?

-Fury allows Gravik access to the Harvest. Why? Because he believes G'iah can defeat Gravik even if he has it? Why not tell G'iah to murder him before letting him have the god power juice?

-Fury and his wife leave an incendiary planet Earth, who has begun a Skrull genocide like when the Silence invaded Earth in Doctor Who. Fury effectively breaks his promise, dooms innocent Skrulls to death for his mistakes, then goes, "Nah, I'm out, peace."

Let’s talk about the "Harvest" for a second. While I believe it is possible that Captain Marvel could have bled from being hit by the power stone, how in the heck does he have the blood of anyone who was snapped? Their entire being, even parts ripped from their body, should have been erased. Snapping doesn't leave any trace of them; that was the whole point?

So all of this creates two very deep and strong reasons why this series fails to live up to standards of quality. First, as an adaptation of a beloved comic book series, it fails in scope. It does not live up to the promises of subterfuge on a global scale. Gravik does not have the same presence as the Skrull Princess from the cartoons. And Fury himself does not embody his all-knowing spy presence, meandering around the series like a lost child.

The second is the promised Nick Fury adventure. Do we get Nick Fury at his best, cleverly outmaneuvering Skrulls left and right? No. In fact, this series' purpose in the wider scheme is to set G'iah up as a new hero, a sort of prototype Super Skrull ready for the Fantastic Four reboot, perhaps? There is no mention of Kl'rt, the comic book Super Skrull, so we have to assume G'iah is now the de facto character. Fury is not left to go out with a bang but with a small yawn. The marketing, presentation, and idea all fall short of what was promised.

I bet she can win all the arm wrestling competitions now.

Secret Invasion has one of the lowest ratings of any Marvel products, and in a time where the MCU is failing in many regards, we can't say that ignoring the source material is feasible anymore. Marvel has to start channeling the real heart and soul of their comics again, Endgame didn't have to be the end of the MCU, but as we march forward, it's becoming clearer that good storylines like Secret Invasion should never have been used as a stepping stone for future projects.

What's the Deal With Mortal Kombat's Reboot Addiction

Mortal Kombat is a game series known primarily for its overabundance of blood and graphic fatalities since its early conception in the 1990s. Originally based on a very grounded tale of humans against an otherworldly invading force in one-on-one combat, Mortal Kombat has been raising the mythological power base of its threats for many years. However, rarely do any of its characters stay in the same place or even in the same scenario for very long. In fact, the series, in general, hasn't had a stable and lasting storyline for many years.

Kitana has gone through so many design changes throughout the years, this is her MK 11 outfit.

Ed Boon has been in control of the main series for many years. Stiil, his higher-ups have constantly changed. From Midway games to Warner Brothers interactive, to Netherrealm studios, the series has changed hands a lot. All these studio changes have led to quite a few confusing titles. For instance, the rapidly approaching "Mortal Kombat 1" not to be confused with "Mortal Kombat" from 1992 or "Mortal Kombat" from 2011 (which later became Mortal Kombat 9 in popular use). Or the movie "Mortal Kombat" from 1995 or the movie "Mortal Kombat" from 2021… well you get the idea. This series has outdone the Halloween franchise for the number of times they've reused the same title for their content. Needless to say, all of the above pieces of content have their own timeline and telling of events.

Under Midway games, the series was no stranger to confusing Retcons, Sub-Zero becoming Noob Saibot while his brother becomes the new Sub-Zero. Scorpion becomes a champion of the elder gods despite being a vengeance-driven demon. Shang Tsung constantly swaps between being old and young like a yo-yo, and Shao Khan's flip-flopping strength depending on the game. One of the defining features of Mortal Kombat is that characters will never stay in the same place in any one game. The Midway era could be summarized by generally changing characters but not settings. The lore pretty much remained intact.

The first full world re-boot enacted via time travel message to Raiden's past self.

Once we move to NetherRealm Studios' era, we move past the simple act of changing characters every game. Now the entire world is shaken up every game. First, we reboot the whole franchise in Mortal Kombat (2011). Then we time-skip about 20 years in Mortal Kombat X (2015), establishing a new status quo. Finally, Mortal Kombat 11's storyline (2019) is about taking the past and time-skipped storylines, mushing them together and making them fight to see who gets to reboot next!

So, the world is technically rebooted again into this blender of characters' past and future selves. And I don't even want to talk about the absolute mess that was "Sindel was secretly evil the entire time". After two previous games of setup, she needed to be brainwashed to do evil. Like, really, Netherealm thought they had this big "Gotcha" twist, forgetting that it contradicts two timelines, another character's motivation and multiple previously established canons. All to state what is clearly an uncontrolled addiction to reboots. After which, Liu Kang just erases everything, including new nonsensical reboots.

Mortal Kombat kills so many characters off, maybe it's needed that they reboot everything every five minutes.

Currently, as of this article, Mortal Kombat 1 is releasing in a few months, taking a leaf from Microsoft and having a confusing name. Like how they called the third Xbox the Xbox One, it just confuses everyone. Or when you make a password, and they insist that you need to add a number. In reality, this is Mortal Kombat 12, and it's going to be great!

The gameplay looks fun, the characters look beautifully animated, and NetherRealm are proven storytellers in the short term, So you can understand me when I say that this confusing stuff has got to stop. I don't mind some changes, such as characters having significant growth but changing the entire world every second game just devalues your plot and characters' appeal. Mortal Kombat 11 specifically set it up that this new game's world would be forged by Liu Kang, who is now a "Time-keeper". A built-in universe retcon excuse!

In universe, it seems Ret-cons have been happening for ages.

For instance, Scorpion had two versions of himself in Mortal Kombat 11. His human version, Hanzo Hasashi, who was proven incredibly skilled. And his demon of vengeance version, who speed-ran his older counterparts' character growth due to time travel shenanigans. The older version dies, and seeing this spurns the younger Scorpion into turning over a new leaf.

Mortal Kombat 1's trailers have removed Hanzo Hasahi completely. Instead, giving the Scorpion name and title to Sub-Zero's brother Kuai Liang, who would normally be Sub-Zero. The first Sub-Zero Bi-han is now Sub-Zero again, not Noob Saibot as he has been for the past two games. These reboots want to take your character loyalty and slap you in the face with them.

We're brothers this time? What next? … Boyfriends?

To top it all off, we have the role reversal of Raiden and Liu Kang. Liu Kang is now a God, and Raiden is now a human… but he still has his godly lightning powers… I'm sure this will be explained somehow. I find it difficult to be a Mortal Kombat fan and have a main character I like to play, as Ed Boon's wacky funhouse may roll into town and turn them into a gerbil at any moment!

Mortal Kombat 1 releases in September, and if the story once again cannot maintain its status quo until the end of the game, I'm going to fatality my computer desk. What do you think about Mortal Kombat? Can you follow the story at all? Are you just as tired of reboots as I am? I'll be looking at the comments!

Sega Genesis Retro-Spective: Alisia Dragoon

Given that one of the games from my childhood made its way from the Genesis/Mega Drive mini console to Nintendo Switch Online last year, I couldn't think of a better time to talk about Alisia Dragoon. The very first platforming game I ever played outside of Sonic the Hedgehog, this game got my attention because of its Conan the Barbarian-esque cover style, where Alisia poses with a dragon firing freaking lightning from her fingertips. As a kid, there was something cool about it, but I couldn't work out why for a fair few years when I became a fan of medieval fantasy media like Game of Thrones.

However, this cover is far from the original intention. Alisia was supposed to be a Miyazaki-inspired anime girl, using elf-like magic powers with her friends being more like sprites than terrifying medieval, mythical beasts. Nor did the covers' promise of barbarians ever come to pass. This was a localization change to benefit Western audiences who, in 1992, had yet to experience the anime boom of later years. The game's end screen is the only hint any Western audiences may have gotten of the original art direction. It's strange to think that this would have been considered a crime today, but back then, it was expected.

Japanese release on the left, American release on the right.

So what is Alisia Dragoon about? Well, it's a 2d side-scrolling platformer where you must battle your way from your home to an evil space cult fortress in the sky to stop them from destroying the world. As Alisia, you have to make your way through hordes of annoying and resilient enemies while shooting them with your Sith-Lord lightning powers and rotating through your menagerie of magical pets who fight with you. It was a little more difficult than your modern-day experience, but at the same time, I can see the roots of many platforming tropes formed within this game, possibly inspired by Castlevania titles on the NES and the SNES.

The lightning starts as a straight stream, and as you find lighting power-ups throughout the levels, it changes color and starts to branch into more forked lightning, having an area of effect startup and adopting minor homing attributes. You hold it down and exhaust its energy, then have to let the button go to reset your power charge. This brief pause to recharge is a nice way to stop Alisiabecoming too powerful, allowing for more skillful gameplay.

The pets all have different methods of attacking, sort of like a Vampire survivor's weapon; all 4 have their own utility. The grasshopper for attacking enemies above you, the dragon for those ahead of you, the Hippogriff for behind you, and the spirit mote for homing onto tricky moving enemies. Each can be leveled up the same as Alisia's lightning, but only to three. They can also lose health and die, leaving them unavailable for the playthrough. In this way, micro-managing becomes incredibly important, as any stray bullet can relieve you of your favourite companion.

Let's talk about the level design for this game. The game has eight stages, all of which have a boss waiting at the end, with odd-numbered bosses being slightly easier, and even-numbered bosses are accompanied by a more intense musical track. The essential path you take is you go from a medieval magical forest, through swamps, then onto a magically corrupted airship, into a volcano, then into a crashed starship inhabited by cultists, and finally, a cinematic that leads you into a corrupted castle in the sky.

Distant locale, no shopping centers nearby, I'd say this house is pretty bad location wise.

Stage contents include brief environmental platforming, coupled with projectile-spewing enemies and secret power-ups such as stars or potions, hidden in hard-to-find places or within walls. Health items will be found in destructible items such as vials. The replay value of this game finds itself in memorizing the location and fastest route to gaining level eight lightning and level three pets. The design of the game as a whole would often have you putting in extra effort on each stage to make it further on each subsequent playthrough. After all, a Genesis game would typically last for one hour but maintain its long playtime through mastery of the game as a whole. As such, the game's unfair nature would be used to the advantage of the developers to artificially extend player game time.

Crashed alien spacecraft sure do have a lot of meat inside them.

The environments are really well animated. Special mention goes to the 6th stage's boss fight taking place in a starship's centrifuge, whirling at impressive speeds. The melding of space, religious imagery and magical aesthetics are both interesting and make the villains' otherworldly nature seem all the more intimidating. In stage one, the final boss steals a cocoon that your people guard, which seems to be the prison for an apocalyptic being; he taunts you and vanishes. This comes back in stage eight, where you fight the boss and the being in quick succession. The final battle is something players no doubt arrived at many times before clearing it after many attempts. At its heart, Alisia Dragoon is a game about dodging as much as it is attacking.

Finally, the music in this game is beautiful. While the 16-bit nature of the console limited the audio capabilities, it still came out sounding just beautiful. I personally found my favourites in this, this and this. It's a surprisingly stacked soundtrack that might have been lost to time. At the very least, consider it a trove of decent fantasy music, perhaps for a Dungeons and Dragons session?

If you've got a Nintendo Switch online subscription, I highly recommend sending an afternoon on this underappreciated Sega Genesis classic.

Honkai Star Rail: Ranking all 22 Launch Characters

Are turn-based games outdated? According to some, yes, they are. Honkai Star Rail may as well be the entire counterargument at this point. Launching as a Turn-based RPG "Gacha" game (Based on Gashapon in Japan), The official first-week installations lie at 27,992,472 players as of May 2nd, 2023. Riding off the success of Genshin Impact, we may consider this game as evidence that games like this are very much alive. But like any good Gacha, it thrives on its characters. Tom and I will be discussing every one of the beautifully made launch characters and letting you know which are the best in terms of story and useability.

Arlan

Ben's Thoughts: Arlan reminds me a lot of Pichu from Super Smash Brothers, his battle style involves him hurting himself to do damage, so he gets to abuse all those "Difference between max HP and current HP" effects you find in the simulated universe mode. I don't think he's anything special, and his story is kind of a generic self-improvement arc.

Ben's Rating: 5/10

Tom's Thoughts: He's got a lot of responsibility for such a little guy. Arlan has a lot on his shoulders as the head of security on the space station. This explains why he's part of the destruction path; he just needs to blow off some steam. He also helps out with the space station dog Peppy. He obviously likes Peppy because it's revealed that he has a picture of the furry friend on his I.D badge; how adorable.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Asta

Ben's Thoughts: Asta is a good boss slayer, and her skill is so much better than her ultimate, so I was using that a lot when I used her. She'd be invaluable on a speed team since her ult boosts speed quite a bit. There's a funny story about her infiltrating a social media chat that's badmouthing her, and her voice actor, Felecia Angelle, kills their performance throughout.

Ben's Rating: 7/10

Tom's Thoughts: This cinnamon role is just trying her best to be a good boss. She has to deal with Herta being the worst station boss ever, on top of making sure everyone on the space station is okay. She even has a whole quest trying to figure out if Arlan hates her, which ends with her giving the most heartfelt apology I've ever seen, even if she has nothing to apologize for. It was great.

Tom's Rating: 8/10

Bailu

Ben's Thoughts: The day that Bailu graced my party, it was the most important day of my Star Rail life. She's undoubtedly the best healer in the game. Scaling with Health and access to her special buff inspiration, which lets people heal on being hit. Her design is top-notch, and her story hasn't really been developed as of yet, but she's invaluable to my party. In the roguelike simulated universe mode, she's pretty much irreplaceable.

Ben's Rating: 9/10

Tom's Thoughts: This little dragon munchkin is adorable and useful. She's a top-notch healer, saving my ass more than once. Even if she doesn't deal crazy damage, having a good healer is always nice. I also lost it a bit when she flat-out said she didn't have a dad. There was no hesitation, and the awkward silence afterward was funny as hell.

Tom's Rating: 8/10

Bronya

Ben's Thoughts: Bronya has support abilities that make her beautifully paired with her Best friend forever, Selle. She increases both attacks and pushes someone's turn order forward, her ult being a massive attack boost, she pairs really well with any "The hunt" units, and she's a focal point of the first story arc. She's neat.

Ben's Rating: 8/10

Tom's Thoughts: The leader of the silvermane guards has one of the more depressing stories. She always tries to impress her mother, but being ignored can do numbers on someone. Through it all, Bronya comes out of it relatively okay (her mother is a bit creepy, though). The twist in her story left me shocked but intrigued to learn more. Oh, she's also a good support as well.

Tom's Rating: 8/10

Clara

Ben's Thoughts: Words cannot describe how broken Clara is. If she gets attacked, her bodyguard robot Svarog gets pissed off and attacks for her, getting considerably stronger with every attack. Her companion story is a deeply powerful exploration into machine sentience and shows how even at a young age, she's making choices even the most rational adults would find difficult to manage emotionally. She's like a fusion of the Little Sisters and Big Daddy pairing from Bioshock and Illyasviel from Fate/Stay Night. Absolutely brilliant character mechanics and design. All she needs now is some shoes.

Ben's Rating: 10/10

Tom's Thoughts: I don't know how I feel about Clara and Svarog. On the one hand, their story is one of the more touching ones. Finding a family when you've both been rejected is something that'll tug at everyone's heartstrings. On the other hand, even though she's broken, I didn't find her gameplay the best. By the time I got to try her out, I'd already had the novelty of constant revenge attack loops wear off. She's still a fun character and can be broken beyond all belief, just not for me.

Tom's Rating:7/10

Dan Heng

Ben's Thoughts: Dan Heng is one of the few wind shear characters and has a strong single-target attack. It's a pity he's stuck below the other hunt characters, who are both considerably stronger than him. Storywise, he hasn't been able to do very much precisely because Seele stole his thunder in the first story. He's pretty cool, though. As a companion for life type of unit, somewhere down the road, he will likely get an evolved form.

Ben's Rating: 6/10

Tom's Thoughts: The stoic, intelligent, reliable member of the star rail express, Dan Heng, is a great starter unit to help throughout the main story. Besides being a helpful damage dealer for people who don't want to spend money (me), his mysterious past is something that I'm excited to learn more about. I also appreciate how he never misses a chance to make fun of March 7th.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Gepard

Ben's Thoughts: Man, Gepard is too lawful neutral for my liking, his motivations are kinda milquetoast, and his haircut can go away. In battle, his shields are really strong, but as with most preservation characters, he does little to no damage. I just don't like these soldier characters who have no free will of their own. Gepard would do well arguing on Reddit because nobody can ever change his mind.

Ben's Rating: 4/10

Tom's Thoughts: Gepard may not have the most screen time, but there are enough little details throughout the world that let his personality shine. For instance, he drew by hand the wanted posters found throughout Belobog. Are they any good? Absolutely not, but at least he tried. I also love how he's Serval's number-one fan, always getting people to check out her shows. What a good brother he is.

Tom's Rating: 6/10

Herta

Ben's Thoughts: Oh boy, does Herta like to say, "Time to twirl!" As an elation character, she makes follow-up attacks on enemies at 50% HP, it’s great for dealing with waves of enemies, and terrible on bosses. Her addition to freeze builds is really good, though. I cannot really stand her personality, sadly. I hope her character gets more development.

Ben's Rating: 6/10

Tom's Thoughts: With all the spinning happening, I thought I was on the teacup ride at Disneyland. Herta is a fun enough character with skills and abilities that can help if your main goal is to freeze enemies in a constant attack loop. I'm more interested in her story, though. Creating multiple robot copies of yourself is cool but also a bit sad because maybe she only wanted a friend.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Himeko

Ben's Thoughts: Another Elation character, Himiko, is amazing at taking advantage of weakness breaks; her ability to burn with area-of-effect attacks makes her invaluable to anyone's grinding effort. Her design is definitely above most other units too. Also, the Satellite laser goes brrrrr.
In the story, she seems to play a leadership role, with her stoic and dependable attitude endearing her to everyone she meets. Her massive leadership qualities make her a quick favorite.

Ben's Rating: 8/10

Tom's Thoughts: Controlling a bunch of drones with the ability to shoot a laser from the sky is definitely a power move. Himeko can be extremely broken if paired with Herta, leading to an endless chain of drone attacks and twirling, which is always funny to watch. I was hoping to get her for my free five-star, but no luck. I only wanted her for her damage potential, though, no other reason.

Tom's Rating: 9/10

Hook

Ben's Thoughts: Hook is probably too good for a 4-star unit. Her ability in a battle for single target damage and synergy with, say, Sampo or Himeko leaves a lot of room for her on Damage over time teams. Her character is pretty much an independent kid who reminds me a heck of a lot of the Baker Street Boys with her group of problem-solving kids. I would say she has a really good story, and her personality always brings happiness to the player. Felecia is back again voicing her, and I quickly find I love whoever she voices.

Ben's Rating: 9/10

Tom's Thoughts: I do enjoy me some characters that love blowing stuff up. Also, going by Pitch-Dark Hook the Great, Hook brings the childlike wonder and destruction that every game needs. With her trusty diggertron, I laughed every time Hook made enemies explode in a symphony of fire. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are also amazing, even if her side-quest with her dad was a bit sad.

Tom's Rating: 8/10

Jing Yuan

Ben's Thoughts: Boy, they really pulled out the stops when it came to the first banner characters. This guy reminds me of Ansem from Kingdom Hearts 1, he has a bulky, godlike being he uses to smite enemies, and his damage goes through the roof. Add on to his grand strategist character type, and we really have a winner. If you have ever played Genshin Impact, here's your Zhong Li for this game.

Ben's Rating: 10/10

Tom's Thoughts: This man might make me spend actual money on this game. Not only is he broken as all hell if built right, but just look at how majestic he is. And his splash art has a FRICKEN LION! They're just chilling together, and it's immaculate. It helps that he's voiced by one of my favorite voice actors Alejandro Saab. Regardless, I'll end up spending more than I should to get this majestic man on my team.

Tom's Rating: 10/10

March 7th

Ben's Thoughts: March is the mascot character for this game. She's the character you spend most of your time conversing with right now. She's a solid character who can't stop moving and won't stop being reckless, meshing well with the Trailblazer’s aloof and random attitude. She's pretty much a sugar explosion. As a unit, she works well for freeze teams, and that's about it. Her story will probably give her an evolved form somewhere along the line, which I look forward to immensely.

Ben's Rating: 8/10

Tom's Thoughts: This ADHD-fueled Ice ball is a highlight of every interaction of Star Rails story. Her carefree attitude and obliviousness make any of her dialogue hilarious. Skyler Davenport did a fantastic job bringing March 7th to life. She's also super helpful during the story, being able to give other party members shields and keeping everyone alive a little bit longer.

Tom's Rating: 10/10

Natasha

Ben's Thoughts: Natasha is the underground resident doctor and substitute mom, it would seem. Her attitude is generally caring and thoughtful, and she does everything a doctor character would generally do. Allow me to poke the bear and say that she kinda sucks. Her outfit is all over the place. She loses out to Bailu by a wide margin. She's a healer with the destruction path, which baffles my brain. The only good thing about her is that you get her free, and she will support you through the early game. Ditch her for Bailu, Gepard, or preservation Trailblazer at the first chance.

Ben's Rating: 4/10

Tom's Thoughts: The underground doctor and Wildfire leader, Natasha, does it all. She's a useful free healer to help you through the story (especially if you didn't get Bailu). The fact that her weapon is basically a mini-gun that shoots explosions is also freakin dope. Her history with other undergrounders, such as Seele and Hook, is also nice, as she seems to be a mother figure, and her genuine care is touching.

Tom's Rating: 8/10

Pela

Ben's Thoughts: Why does Pela exist? Seriously, she does nothing. Her story is non-existent outside of being in Serval’s band. She has 0 impact on the Belobog story, she's 4-star, and her abilities are much like March, only used in a freeze team. Except that March actually exists, has utility, and Pela is simply just an NPC with animations. This is the character you do not want to pull, ever.

Ben's Rating: 2/10

Tom's Thoughts: I don't have much to say about Pela. She doesn't have that big of an impact on the current story and has yet to have time to shine. I will say her artistic talent far exceeds Gepard, as she can at least draw, even if it is a bit extravagant. I'm hoping we get to see more of her in the future. I feel like she and March 7th could be great friends.

Tom's Rating: 6/10

Qingque

Ben's Thoughts: This character is annoying. She's simply Yojimbo from Final Fantasy 10, inconsistent and kinda lame. While she's fun to try to get to work, I don't get her. In the story, she's pretty much fleecing people at gambling and then works as your second tour guide. Not much relevance as of yet, but oh boy. You get her for free, though, so that's okay, I guess. As she's the only quantum character, you're likely to get as a free-to-play user outside of spamming Selee's banner, she's kind of disappointing. For such a special type of element, this ain't it, chief.

Ben's Rating: 3/10

Tom's Thoughts: A character addicted to gambling in a gacha game, that's not ironic at all. Qingque has the most unique moveset out of anyone else on the roster. All her skills revolve around chance, so you'll either one-shot the enemy or do absolutely nothing. She is also always down to risk it for the biscuit; I respect that.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Sampo

Ben's Thoughts: Oh hey Sampo, your voice is grating, your haircut is stupid, and you're constantly dragging me into your bad salesman problems. You smell bad, and I should have left you in the snow where I found you. I had a great time listening to the entire cast of characters agreeing with me that this character is dislikeable and untrustworthy. In that regard, Star Rail did an excellent job. I'm not going to rate him low because I dislike him, because I'm supposed to dislike him. He is an amazing damage-over-time unit and will probably fill your wind damage slot if you don't like Dan Heng.

Ben's Rating: 8/10

Tom's Thoughts: This slime ball always seemed to show up at just the right time to make a deal. Initially, I thought Sampo would end up double-crossing one too many people and bite the dust, but that wasn't the case. He does have his moments of sincerity (even if they're few and far between). Gameplay-wise, if built right, he can be absolutely broken, so he has that going for him. He did make me laugh a few times, so he's not all bad.

Tom's Rating: 6/10

Seele

Ben's Thoughts: Seele is the best unit in the game. No doubt. Amazing damage coupled with a talent that lets her take multiple extra turns; she wipes out entire waves by herself, and she slays bosses the best of anyone except maybe Jing Yuan at this point. Her outfit is amazing, and her personality is amazing. I pulled her once and immediately hyper-focused on getting her second ability by pulling another, but failed. She is, without a doubt, the character to chase after in this game.

Ben's Rating: 10/10

Tom's Thoughts: God damn, Seele is cool. Everything from her outfit, to her weapon, to her ultimate, where she goes super speed and murders everything, it's great. She also plays a major part in the story, adding unexpected depth and agency to the plot (made even better thanks to the performance of Molly Zhang). I tried to get her from the event banner, but alas, my luck is absolutely horrendous. I'll definitely get her next time when her re-run happens in a decade (I joke, I hope).

Tom's Rating: 10/10

Serval

Ben's Thoughts: Serval is a character you can't help but love. Always trying to do what's best for everyone, not afraid to break the rules, and a rockstar in her own right. Serval was the shining star of the first storyline, being the only link to common sense you will find in the overworld there for a while. She uses shock and can be amazing if built correctly. Her inner struggle is beautifully written, and I would say she's worthy of the highest grade. The best 4-star unit, in my opinion.

Ben's Rating: 10/10

Tom's Thoughts: A rocker scientist with a guitar that shoots lightning, and voiced by Natalie Van Sistine, what's not to like? Serval has been a massive help to me during my story playthrough, using her electrical attacks to shock everyone to death. The fact that her song is also translated into every language is a huge bonus as well; love me some catchy tunes.

Tom's rating: 9/10

Sushang

Ben's Thoughts: Who is this again? She's in Dan Heng's paralogue; ah yeah, that's right. She's also a high-damage unit who is really good, in all honesty. Summoning the Kentucky Fried smackdown on her enemies is a good laugh too. She's cool, I appreciate that she exists.

Ben's Rating: 7/10

Tom's Thoughts: Another character who has yet to have much time in the spotlight is Sushang. While I haven't spent much time with her in the story, she's pretty fun in combat. Her ultimate is her summoning a giant chicken to rush towards the enemy and run them over, which never gets old. Again, another character I hope we get to see more of in the future.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Tingyun

Ben's Thoughts: Best harmony in the game, maybe? She's just good in almost any team. Buffs and damage increases are just great for utility. In the story, she's the first you meet in the third area. She's quirky, sells stuff a lot, and seems to have a mischievous side to her. I like her.

Ben's Rating: 7/10

Tom's Thoughts: Tingyun is one of the more helpful four stars you can pull. Her abilities help buff the rest of the team to keep them alive and deal more damage. Her role in the story of a silver-tongued merchant was also entertaining to watch. I hope in future story updates, she just appears, randomly selling something I've never heard of before.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Trailblazer (MC)

Ben's Thoughts: So your main character is made or captured and then gets a Star god implanted in their chest. From that moment on, they pretty much fire back playfully at anyone they meet and have dialogue similar to the Undertale protagonist. Even loving trash cans so much that they enter "The trash dimension," drawing hilariously from MMO players furiously clicking on everything they see. Also, assaulting hotel workers insisting they're demons. The trailblazer is a really odd protagonist fully capable of going on deranged bouts of localized insanity if you let them. Wielding a baseball bat and later other weapons, they seem to be along for the train ride, and boy, playing as them is a real treat.

Ben's Rating: Fell out of a plane and missed the ground/10

Tom's Thoughts: The trash-loving main character has become an internet meme overnight. They're also a very useful party member, regardless of where you're at in the game. The initial baseball bat weapon left me a bit confused at first, but when they started bonking people into oblivion, no confusion was left. The story behind them also has me curious. Who are they? Where did they come from? Why do they love trash so much? All these questions with no answers.

Tom's Rating: Trash Lover/10

Welt

Ben's Thoughts: Welt is the only current character with the Imaginary element. Welt is hard to figure out, Welt makes me confused, and Welt is probably far better than people give him credit for. Welt is from other Mihoyo games, apparently. Welt is probably going to be really cool in the future. I just love saying Welt.

Ben's Rating: 7/10

Tom's Thoughts: This spectacle marvel is the only character from the other Honkai games to be the same guy, reportedly. I guess he's seen some shit. Besides that fun fact, Welt is also the only character with the imaginary element, making him a valuable member of any party. He also has a cool cane and saves the main character from destroying a space station, so he gets extra points for that.

Tom's Rating: 7/10

Yanqing

Ben's Thoughts: Freeze teams run around this guy, and without him, there are no freeze teams, super cool that he puts his enemies on ice, and his potential will leave you frozen. His character appears to be Ice-olated, being young and under the wing of a general. Leaving him out in the cold when it comes to current events. But he's a master swordsman and can really sl-ice it when it comes to fights. Hopefully, he can bring just-ice later in the story.

Ben's Rating: 9 ice cubes/10

Tom's Thoughts: This ice sword surfing lieutenant is another unique character in the Star Rail line-up. I mean, did you ever think that sword surfing could be a thing? Besides his fun way of getting around, Yanqing can absolutely demolish enemies with a flurry of ice swords that will leave the enemy frozen, dead, or both. He's a fun character, and I hope I can pull him instead of just using someone else's.

Tom's Rating: 9/10

So there you have it. Who were your favorite units in Star Rail? What do you think of upcoming units? Come chat to us in the comments, and let us know who and why!

A Nintendo Amiibo Hunting Guide for 2023

I'm gonna be talking about something that might have skipped your mind over the past eight or so years, Nintendo's Amiibo models! Essentially physical DLC, these models can be used with Nintendo games on the WII U, 3DS and Nintendo Switch gaming systems, unlocking sometimes game-breaking benefits for games related to the model. With over 120 models being produced over time, some of gaming's most beloved franchises have been immortalized in these retail priced £13/$15 models, depending on when you bought them.

Oh no, wait, I mean, IF you could buy them. Amiibo were bought out quickly, and scalpers would gleefully purchase them to drive up sales. Because of this, some Amiibos quickly escalated to high price tags, especially those that weren't reprinted or only had one release window due to a licensing agreement. Popularity also played a huge factor in whether a model had a large batch made. That brings us to this year, 2023, when I decided it was finally time to acquire an Amiibo collection. This, my friends, is my experience.

So here's me, based in the U.K, with a modest budget looking for Amiibo. I quickly found a problem. Amiibo can be anything from £10/$12 to over £100/$120, depending on the Amiibo Here are what I found to be the most expensive models to acquire, boxed and sealed.

Expensive models

- Joker: Persona 5, Super Smash Brothers collection

Easily the most expensive singular model, Joker goes for anywhere between $80 and $120. I picked up two, one for £90/$100 and the second on a last-minute auction for £53/$73. It's funny to note this was the only model shipped in professional packaging both times. The only place I found him was eBay, nowhere else. You'll find him being a victim of scalpers quite frequently. Prices will often fluctuate based on how desperate the seller is for money.

- The Super Mario Odyssey collection

Consisting of Mario, Bowser and Peach in their wedding attires (That you may have seen in the new Super Mario Brothers movie). We're looking at £30/$35 - £35/$40 a model. There is a 3-pack containing all three Amiibo, which noticeably increased in value during my time hunting. This 3-pack will, at the time of writing, set you back a sweet £130/$150 on average. To obtain these, I used Facebook Marketplace and found a reputable seller to get Mario and Bowser. Then to acquire a Peach, I had to import a Japanese version from the site AliExpress.

- Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Smash Brothers collection

Sonic was difficult to find, He generally goes from £50/$60 to £70/$80, and he's old, so there's always the risk of damage. The one I bought was £50 and had a sizeable dent in the plastic. Be warned, box damage doesn't matter to some sellers who only count the model itself as important. Facebook marketplace had some, but I found nobody reputable selling it. Always practice caution on public marketplaces; they have far less security guarantees than a managed site or storefront.

- Rosalina: Super Smash Brothers collection and Super Mario collection

I don't know what it is about Rosalina, but she's always been challenging to find, even back in 2015.if you do find her, she's usually being sold by a scalper. The Rosalina I picked up was from eBay. I had no choice but to buy one with superficial damage. While I feel the Super Mario collection version looks better, I couldn't even find one at a reasonable price. Both of these models will set you back somewhere between £45/$52 - £60/$67 each.

- Shulk: Super Smash Brothers collection

Shulk wasn't so hard to find as it was hard to find someone who hasn't used his box as a punching bag. The one I acquired was heavily damaged, and I wasn't happy about that! Finding an undamaged Shulk still is a nightmare. £40 or $47 is what you're looking at for an undamaged model. And even then, It's not guaranteed. With his recent useability with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, his price keeps growing. I don't actually own this guy right now, as I had to return mine. Hopefully soon!

- Player 2 variants of Cloud, Corrin and Bayonetta

Someone at Nintendo decided it would be fun to make Player 2 models for a few months and never again! And in less quantity than their originals too. While easy to find, they're expensive. I saw the Nintendo store re-stocked them in October 2022. This is probably why they are everywhere, but nobody adjusted their prices. It's not likely to happen again, sadly.

- Pokemon Trainer (Red): Super Smash Brothers collection

I would like to think that as the only non-pokemon character from the franchise to get an Amiibo, this boosted the value up quite a fair deal. My experience in getting this guy was pleasant, and just happened to be one of the most expensive. And then, due to a bulk deal with another, I got a second for barely anything, whoops. £50/$60 is what you're looking at on eBay Other places seemed to always be out of stock with him, as it was with almost all Pokemon outside of Mewtwo, Pikachu and Lucario. Special shoutout to Incineroar, who defies all logic by being £40/$45 despite being in the second-worst region in Pokemon history!

These models are best gotten in deals with other models I find. People generally have this idea that a group of models averages out the price while singular models need to be milked. Anyway, onto the rare finds.

Elusive Models

Okay, so those were the most expensive in general. Now I want to talk about the most elusive. While generally not as expensive, they are rare, sometimes rarer than their cash cow counterparts. Most likely, you'll find these are niche characters with little to no useability in any games.

- Pac-Man: Super Smash Brothers collection

Poor Pac-man, he was tough to find, and the one I did find had undergone severe yellowing (Don't leave your models exposed to severe sunlight, or place them in a room with a frequent smoker). Perhaps his status as a Bandai Namco mascot left Nintendo disillusioned with this model.

- The entire Monster Hunter Stories 1 collection

I don't know what happened, but these amiibo aren't going anywhere outside of Japan. Even eBay only has extortionate pricing listings. They were not released globally, and it looks like very few people wanted them. Ergo they're very difficult to get your hands on. The second game's models sold globally but these? Not so much.

- Rockman/Megaman 11 Amiibo

I wish that Capcom would make Megaman Battle Network 7 already. Nothing to do with the Amiibo; I just want it. Anyway, this Amiibo came bundled with the collector's edition of Megaman 11, A game which had many digital releases, so physical copies were sparse, making this amiibo quite rare and hard to find. Mostly you'll only find it with complete copies of Megaman 11, Which go for anything between £105/$110 to £200/$200.

- Alm and Celica 2-pack, Fire Emblem collection

This one's a bit of an oddity in that you can find the Alm and Celica Amiibos easily on their own. But this special 2-pack is so ridiculously rare that it may as well be its own thing. eBay has prices of up to £160/$180, and you cannot find this in stores anymore, even second-hand. I also want to bring up the Mii Brawler/Swordfighter/Blaster 3-pack for the Smash Bros collection that's undergone a similar deal. Pyra and Mythra are an upcoming 2-pack too. Maybe that's a sign to be quick with that one.

- The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Collection 1st edition

Consisting of many different iterations of both Link and Zelda over the years, you may be wondering why this is here given the very recent restock. Well, dear reader, the point is because of a special 30th-anniversary symbol on the boxes that were only there for the year of the anniversary. This special mark is absent from subsequent re-releases making these forms of the Amiibos rare. Also, yet again, the 2-pack of the Wind Waker Duo is pretty rare. I think they should have the mark regardless, given the 2-pack was never re-released like the others.

- Detective Pikachu Amiibo

What is there to say? It came out for the game on the 3ds. It can't be used for anything except that game, it's double-sized, and the movie hadn't even come out by the time they decided to stop producing it. I got one, though, through a very nice seller on eBay who I jumped on to buy his whole collection for a tidy sum the moment I saw it. Never be afraid to send offers to people doing auctions. It sometimes works out in a really good way!

- Captain Falcon: Super Smash Brothers collection

I think people have a love for both Falcon and F-Zero. I don't think anyone wants to sell this model. Everyone who plays Smash Brothers knows the memes, and everyone who played it loved this character in general. It stuck in my mind of all the Amiibo listings that would come and go; Falcon just wouldn't show. An exceptional case, I would say. Perhaps he's just that beloved.

- Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: Super Smash Brothers Collection

Somehow, someway, Nintendo didn't reprint some of their most popular Amiibo characters in this set. They were re-made in the Super Mario Collection and got re-prints there, but not these 2. Making these models quite challenging to get a hold of. Recently Nintendo reprinted a few Mario amiibo for Mario Day. Is there a Donkey Kong day at all, I wonder?

Finally, I want to leave you with a good way to tell what region your amiibo are from. If you live in the North Americas, your Amiibo will have a Bold white name and nothing else. If your Amiibo is from the Europe region, it will have translations underneath the name in multiple languages. And the Japanese versions have Japanese Hiragana and Kanji respectively. All Amiibo have the same functionality and aren't region-locked, so if you need to import one, you won't be at a loss. However, if you want them for display purposes, check where your Amiibo is coming from for matching. Make sure you separate your Charizards from your Lizardons.

If you made it to the end of the article, I have to say I appreciate you. I put a lot of work into building my collection this year, and it makes me happy to be able to share this journey with all of you. Thank you!