A Way Out is an action-adventure, prison-break video game by Electronic Arts that is played strictly in online or local split screen co-op.

Without any single player gameplay, I found the game to be both interesting yet challenging with a fair bit of depth in terms of the game’s narrative.

The game follows Leo and Vincent, convicted felons who must work together to break out of prison in order to exact revenge on a mutual enemy. The narrative is relatively short but certainly interesting, keeping the reasonably short game fresh, exciting and leaving players wanting to learn more about the plot as well as reach a resolution. Narratively, A Way Out was very much like a typical cop show only this time, the story is told from the perspective of the convicts.

Unlike most action-adventure games I’m used to, A Way Out does not come with a single player mode. Instead, players are forced to play cooperatively and work together in order to progress in the game. This means that in order to play the game, players must have a partner to play with, either online or locally.

I had asked my partner, a rather competitive gamer, to play the game with me. At first, I thought that we’d struggle as he was the kind of gamer who enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny to discover secrets in a game, whereas I am the kind of gamer who is rather inpatient and prefers getting right to the point, often going in guns blazing without a thought about strategy.

However, when playing A Way Out, we both discovered that we worked incredibly well together when it came to common goals, which in this case, was to escape the prison and ensure both our characters progressed. There were definitely plenty of challenges to working together. Communication was key, as not talking and working out a plan together meant that one character would fall behind and the other wouldn’t be able to move forward.

Narratively speaking, this cooperative play helped us both be more invested in the game as well as the characters. Despite the entire game taking under ten hours to complete, there was enough of a plot to have us interested in each character’s motivations and driving force to escape the prison.

The visuals and soundtrack in the game were reasonable and fairly decent for a short and affordable game. There isn’t anything stand out or highly innovative but this wasn’t off putting and didn’t really affect gameplay. I doubt the game would have been any better with improved graphics.

There isn’t too much to A Way Out to critically analyse. A decent game which encourages co-op gaming and communication, the game is decent enough to provide several hours of enjoyment, albeit being relatively short. With a thrilling narrative and characters that players can easily identify with, A Way Out is definitely an affordable game to play with friends.

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The worldwide phenomenon that is Attack On Titan has seen its story shine through multiple platforms. From manga, anime and live-action adaptations to spinoffs and games, Attack On Titan (“AOT”) is leaving a mark in today’s world of pop culture.

Attack On Titan 2 (“AOT 2”) is a hack and slash, action video game based on the popular manga and anime series, Attack On Titan. Released across multiple platforms including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch, this game is the sequel to Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s original 2016 game, Attack On Titan: Wings of Freedom (“Wings of Freedom”).

Most adaptations, whether film or video game, often struggle with remaining factual and true to the original source material, the source from which fans are built around. Games based on popular manga and anime have certainly made its mark, though some more positive than others. These video game adaptations are generally at their best when the source material is followed to the letter, with as much passion as an obsessed ‘otaku’. Fortunately, AOT 2 manages to do the original justice by rigidly following the story of the first two seasons of the dystopian anime.

The first AOT game, Wings of Freedom, laid the groundwork for interesting gameplay, reasonable cell-shaded graphics and movement mechanics. It introduced us to the fast-paced and thrilling overhead battles against the terrifying, gargantuan Titans, using the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear (“OMD Gear”) that lets players zip around through various environments easily.

AOT 2 improves on the first game’s foundation, adding in an improved and more compact game interface, as well as interesting new tricks for taking down the hideous, giant naked Titans. However, be mindful that the bulk of the game is a retelling of the events in Season 1, with only a small part being dedicated to Season 2. For those who have played the first game, the initial few hours may feel tediously repetitive.

Cutscenes are aplenty in AOT 2, much like in Wings of Freedom, with several cutscenes being recycled from the first game. Though this certainly adds to the story element to the game, it can be rather trying to sit through each cutscene before being able to perform an action and actually play. This was by far one of the most challenging aspects of the game, for me personally, as I can be rather impatient at times.

Much of the missions in the game involve protecting certain areas from Titan attacks and, of course, saving comrades from being eaten. Though combat is much of the same, Omega Force managed to make combat feel much better in this sequel game, with movement feeling more fluid and at a faster pace. Considering I played the first game, I had to acclimatise myself to the controls as everything just felt a lot quicker, which made timing all the more important.

AOT 2 does include several new elements, though, which make for a much more unique experience to the first game. Rather than play as one of the main characters from the original source material, here, players take on the role of a nameless, player created character, known only as ‘Our Man’. Having been written into the story as a fellow cadet alongside the main cast, part of the game requires players to befriend other characters, with the game providing players with certain dialogue options.

One particular new addition to the game is called the ‘Friendship Level’, a system which rewards players who level up their friendships with others. Leveling up friendships unlocks new abilities and buffs, which is actually quite necessary if you’re wanting to maintain an edge over the Titans.

There is also a couple of new modes included in the game as well, including ‘Another Mode’ and ‘Annihilation Mode’. The former, allows players to complete missions outside of the main story, and play as a character from the show as opposed to a player created character. This mode also offers a different gameplay experience, allowing for team ups with other players to defeat Titans. The latter, adds a competitive element to the game, in which it pits two teams of up to four cadets against each other to determine who is able to kill the most Titans, as well as, score the most points before time expires.

Furthermore, in the sequel game, there is now an ability to utilise stealth attacks to instantly kill Titans from afar as well as a new a defensive maneuver, called the ‘Hook Drive’ that rewards well timed aerial evasion.

Visually, AOT 2 looks absolutely brilliant on the Xbox One X, though on the Nintendo Switch there were times it felt like I was playing a PlayStation 3 game. Regardless, the animation is top notch with graphics that just stood out. Omega Force did well to highlight the cell-shaded animation, bringing each character to life in a way that I’ve not seen other games in this genre do.

The thrilling and gratifying soundtrack which played throughout the game, added to the sense of wonder, intensity and adrenaline in the game.

AOT 2 is a welcome addition to the hack and slash genre of video games and is certainly an improvement on Wings of Freedom. For those who haven’t played the first game, read the manga or watched the anime, this sequel game is a perfect place to jump in as it provides enough backstory and content from Wings of Freedom (and therefore, season 1) for new players to get up to speed. For Attack On Titan fans, who have already played the first game, the sequel can be a bit tiresome due to the heavy repetition from the first game and long drawn out cutscenes. As much as I enjoyed the sequel, it would have been better off as a $30 DLC as opposed to a $90 full rehashing of its predecessor.

Nevertheless, Attack On Titan fans will surely get a kick out of the game.

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When the words “Spirited Away” are said, there is no doubt in most people’s minds that the words are in reference to Studio Ghibli’s Academy Award winning animated feature. The feature film, written and directed by famed Japanese film director, Hayao Miyazaki, is a remarkable piece of art with a moving and incredibly positive narrative.

Spirited Away tells the tale of Chihiro, a young and rather unenthused girl, who, while relocating with her parents to a new home, accidentally enters into the spirit world. Chihiro is forced to work in the bathhouse of Yubaba, the residing leader of the spirit world, in order to save her parents and escape back to the human realm.

The plot is light and illustrates the notion of earning your rewards and working hard to achieve what you want most, an idea that is portrayed in a rather positive and happy way, despite the fact that Chihiro and her parents were effectively prisoners of the spirit world. What I especially enjoyed in terms of plot and the way in which Chihiro’s character is portrayed is that despite never having worked a day in her life, she was consistently polite to everyone she met, including her captor, Yubaba, and kept giving it her all to succeed.

The characters in Spirited Away were especially lovely, each with their own unique personalities but in a way that made each one likeable. Despite their hostility toward humans, the beings living and working in the bathhouse all played an important role in Chihiro’s development throughout the film, especially that of Yubaba’s right hand man, Haku, with whom Chihiro becomes friends. Chihiro and Haku’s friendship and her caring for the young man is delightful to watch and is touching. While all of the characters are interesting, it is Chihiro that really got to me. For a ten year old girl, she was absolutely a darling and with a heart of pure gold. Watching the film, part of me wished I could be more like her as a person, consistently positive, helpful to anyone and everyone regardless of their background or treatment of her, and incredibly polite.

I suppose this is a testament to the Japanese people, who uphold those exact values in their daily lives. Chihiro’s character and personality essentially depicts childhood innocence, kindness, love and the incredible belief in the good within others. It was extremely difficult to find any kind of fault with such an incredible child and character. Of course, there was also the character of No Face, who I couldn’t quite figure out, but ended up being just another intriguing character added to the mix.

Halfway through watching the film, I came to the realisation that the film had some resemblances with the story of the Wizard of Oz, wherein a young girl becomes trapped in a new world ruled by a ‘wicked’ witch, with her sister and rival, the good witch residing nearby, keeping a watch on her. Chihiro, like Dorothy, meets an array of characters throughout her journey and picks up new friends who follow her on her quest to save Haku, one of which includes the spirit, No Face. Miyazaki may not have intended for his story to be similar to the Wizard of Oz, but I couldn’t help but see the minor similarities.

Visually, the film is without a doubt a masterpiece. Of course, most Ghibli films are incredibly artistic and aesthetically pleasing. The colours, brightness and art style all counted towards making Spirited Away an exceptional delight to watch and is one that anyone will be marvelled by, regardless of age.

While overall an incredible film, worthy of every accolade, I did feel that the film’s ending didn’t do it justice. The film built up an incredibly vast and interesting world and presented us with great plot and character development, however, ended up rushing towards a conclusion in a way that wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped. Perhaps the film spent far too much time building a magical world with interesting characters that it forgot that there was a time limit to adhere to. Whilst it does not hugely affect the film, a more well-thought out and satisfying ending would have been nice.

Regardless, Spirited Away is a fantastic film that is worth picking up, being a title that can be watched multiple times without getting bored. Studio Ghibli did fine work here and deserves every praise.

The post Spirited Away (Madman – DVD / Bluray 2018) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Super Lucky’s Tale first released in November 2017 as a launch title for Microsoft’s latest Xbox console, the Xbox One X and Windows 10 via Play Anywhere.

The bright, cheerful and colourful platformer game, which was popular with both adult and children alike, sadly was far from perfect, with odd camera angles, a challenging level design and poor jumping mechanisms. However, despite its average performance, 2018 brings with it brand new content for the game with the Gilly Island DLC.

For just a few dollars, the DLC comes with a brand new world to explore, three new levels and a boss to battle. The new content follows Lucky, the main character, as he attempts to restore some much needed peace and quiet to the island by breaking all the speakers after Lady Meowmalade, a rather terrible pop star, brings on noise pollution with her horrible singing and creates a racket for the islanders.

Where one would expect the DLC to bring with it a brand new gameplay experience, gameplay is much of the same, with nothing all that new being added apart from a new setting and some new characters. That being said, I enjoyed all three levels of gameplay. The reason for this is mostly due to the fact that I experienced the DLC as if it were a standalone, rather than lumping it in with the base game.

Each Level is slightly unique and different. The first requires Lucky to complete a series of tasks around the island. The second involves navigating through a maze to bring shade to the island’s inhabitants. The third and final Level is a side-scrolling adventure which involves avoiding cannon fire from a pirate ship. Completion of all three Levels will unlock a boss battle with Lady Meowmalade herself, which occurs in a disco room of sorts.

Much like the base game, the Gilly Island DLC can be challenging to those unfamiliar with platformer games. I found some parts rather difficult, especially the boss battle, but this is more to do with me as a ‘noob’ gamer than the game itself.

Visually, the DLC was fantastic and added a welcome touch of colour and joyfulness to the game, which will certainly be a hit with younger gamers.

The only downside when it came to gameplay was that it was rather short-lived. Considering the DLC costs $7.30NZD, I would have expected a bit more out of the content than what I received. That being said, it is only a DLC and not a full game so perhaps a short game is as expected. Either way, the Gilly Island DLC for Super Lucky’s Tale did bring with it some enjoyable moments and a brand new setting to explore, which is always nice.

If you’re looking to get more out of the Super Lucky’s Tale game, pick up the Gilly Island DLC.

The post Super Lucky’s Tale: Gilly Island DLC (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a Japanese animated fantasy film that is based on the novel, The Little Broomstick, by Mary Stewart. The feature film is a first for Studio Ponoc, a Japanese animation studio comprised of several animators who were formerly with Studio Ghibli.

The film follows the young British girl, Mary, who stumbles across a peculiar flower that bestows upon her magical powers which only lasts for one night.

Right from the get go, the film instantly reminded me of the old British cartoons that I used to watch as a child. The film’s setting and characters were very much typical of what I’d imagine the British countryside to look like. The Studio Ghibli-like animation was noticeable right away and added a sense of familiarity to the film.

With the film’s narrative being based on witchcraft and magic, the film had an ethereal tone and mystical feel to it. It was almost believable, watching a child fly around on a magic broomstick and for there to be a school for witches and warlocks. In fact, the narrative and tone of the film felt rather similar to Ghibli’s Spirited Away.

However, unlike Spirited Away, Mary and the Witch’s Flower didn’t manage to capture me emotionally. Due to the ‘magical’ and other-worldly nature of the film and the lack of any real attachments Mary has with the ‘real’ world, the film ultimately didn’t pull me in as much as I had expected it to. There was just something lacking emotionally, which was interesting as most anime films are often able to bring about some kind of feeling from me. Yet, I felt nothing, almost blank throughout watching Mary and the Witch’s Flower.

The animation is definitely what carried the film. The bright colours and intricate details in creating the world in the film is certainly notable, however, watching the film dubbed in English removed the ‘Japanese’ influence on the film for me. What I enjoyed about Studio Ghibli films didn’t seem to translate to this film, which was slightly disappointing. Even the soundtrack wasn’t all too memorable.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower was a film that was indeed watchable, however, perhaps it was tailored more toward young children rather than adults. The ‘magic’ of the film was just a tad lacking for me but I am sure, without a doubt, that young children will appreciate the bright colours, the cute animals and the all around cheerfulness of the film.

Good on Studio Ponoc for releasing its first feature film in New Zealand.

The post Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Madman – 2018) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Psycho-Pass: The Movie, is thematically similar to the anime series, in that it is still very much a science-fiction thriller about a dystopian society ruled by the artificially intelligent collective known as the Sibyl System.

Unlike the anime series, which is set in Tokyo, Japan, this film is set in the fictional superstate known as the Southeast Asian Union (SEAUn), which has begun to implement the Sybil System’s method of government. Main character and lead inspector, Akane Tsunemori, returns and once again challenges the methods of the Sybil System, as she makes her way to SEAUn after terrorist activity in Japan suggests that her former colleague, former enforcer Shinya Kogami, who played a prominent role in season 1 of the anime, has become a terrorist.

Akane’s investigation in the SEAUn ruffles some of the state heads’ feathers as she stumbles upon the local military’s plot to abuse the Sibyl System for their own gain. In addition, her reunion with Kogami is not at all what she had expected as she learns the truth about what has been happening at the SEAUn.

While similar in style to the anime series, the film’s plot isn’t as interesting as the series, or even the video game. In fact, while entertaining as something to watch, the film was rather lacklustre and was disappointing in that it didn’t highlight much of Akane’s brilliance as a detective nor the depths of Kogami’s character. That, and the villain of the film was nothing short of flat, unlike the twisted Makishima and intelligent Kamui, the villains of the anime series.

In addition to the characters being rather dull compared to their anime counterparts, the excitement of technology and use of dominators is done away with in the film, removing the notable cyberpunk theme of the anime series from the film. Not to mention that none of the supporting characters, such as Akane’s team of enforcers, are given their due. Ginoza, the former inspector turned enforcer, seems to be undergoing a slow character death throughout the progression of Psycho-Pass, from being a tight-ass inspector constantly on everyone’s case, to an enforcer who cared a bit too much about Akane and her recklessness, to a guy with a pony-tail trying hard to look ‘cool’.

One of the aspects of Psycho-Pass that I love is the soundtrack. Both seasons 1 and 2 of the anime series had soundtracks that were incredible. The film’s soundtrack however, didn’t quite do the series justice. Together with the lack of the core ingredients that makes Psycho-Pass great, such as brilliant futuristic themes, the film just doesn’t feel like a Psycho-Pass film.

Another aspect of the series that I really appreciate is the dynamic and futuristic visuals. While the visuals in the film were decent, I was disappointed at the lack of a more futuristic, thematic visuals that were more in line with the anime series.

Despite many of its flaws, the film did convey some important messages, which is the idea that sometimes you have to bend the rules, have faith in your team and look for the truth in order to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

Psycho-Pass: The Movie is definitely a film that is watchable and entertaining, however, viewers and fans of the Psycho-Pass series need to remember not to take this film too seriously and to appreciate it as a standalone film of sorts.

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The Mamoru Hosoda Collection is an anime box set filled with some of the best non Studio Ghibli anime films to date. Consisting of The Boy and the Beast, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and Summer Wars, below is a brief breakdown of what I thought of each film.

The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast is a film which is unexpectedly charming and entertaining. Set in two different realms, the wonderful and magical world of the Beast Kingdom, and our present day world, the film tells the tale of the young runaway, Ren, who is taken in and raised by anthropomorphic animals.

The film is a magnificent tale of bonds, friendships, strength and love that will tug at your heart and make you both laugh and cry as you become invested in the characters and their development. The Boy and the Beast is truly an animated film that brings to the forefront the core values that all creatures should possess and is a reminder to us all to appreciate those who are good to us and be kind to others.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

This film has an interesting premise, following the main character, Makoto, who gains the ability to go back in time. Being a typical teenager with no concept of there being consequences to her actions, Makoto continually uses her ability to prevent undesirable events from occurring, such as being late, or having one of her best friends confessing their love for her.

Her flippant attitude toward using her newfound ability inadvertently costs her as those who are close to her suffer the consequences of her childish antics. Her response is heartfelt and we truly come to feel for her as a character.

This film is light hearted and entertaining but still manages to teach us the important lesson of being generous and not wasting our precious time away with silly, childish pursuits, as time, once its gone, can never be regained.

Wolf Children

Wolf Children is a film that managed to leave me speechless and a little confused. The anime film follows Hana, a young woman who marries a ‘wolf-man’ and raises her two ‘wolf children’ out in the secluded countryside, after his death, in order to give her children the opportunity to be themselves.

While the film is focused on how Hana copes with raising children who are both human and animal, the film essentially explores the notion of coming of age, individuality and acceptance of one’s self.

Told in a feel-good manner, the film does have its warm and fuzzy moments, though as a whole, viewers are advised to take the film in with an open mind.

Summer Wars

Much like Hosoda’s previous films, Summer Wars involves an incredibly imaginative world where all things technology is controlled by the ‘cloud’, a place known as OZ. Everyday systems and processes from emails to managing traffic lights are all done via information being sent through this virtual artificial intelligence system. So what happens when an A.I hacker takes over control of OZ and begins reigning havoc on the world?

Through this time of strife, which puts the world literally in danger, the film manages to portray the power of familial bonds, teamwork, and of course, the strength of one’s conviction.

Despite being a little drawn out, with some rather unnecessary scenes, Summer Wars is a touching and heartfelt story about the importance of family and to an extent, community, as well as the dangers of A.I programmes, especially when left in the wrong hands.

The post The Mamoru Hosoda Collection (Madman – 2017) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Can a system of government truly be effective if it is unable to judge those who do not fit the norm of society?

Psycho Pass Season 2 is the sequel to the hit anime series, Psycho Pass, and is set nearly two years after the events of Season 1. This Season follows Inspector Akane Tsunemori, her junior Inspector and her new team of Enforces as the MWPSB (Public Safety Bureau) once again set out to hunt down a criminal mastermind whose aim is to bring down the Sybil System.

The Sybil System is a technologically advanced system of government that is made up of the brains of the criminally asymptomatic, those who possess no symptoms of being a criminal and who do not fathom their actions as morally wrong.  In Psycho Pass, this system pre-judges every citizen based on their ‘psycho pass’ hue, the level in which they are potentially capable to commit acts of violence and crime. This level is also referred to as the ‘crime coefficient’, and where this level is beyond the value of 300, the Sybil System orders the immediate execution of the person as a way to prevent any criminal act from occurring, in advance.

In Season 2 of Psycho Pass, Kirito Kamui is a criminal who cannot be judged by the Sybil System and goes about killing Inspectors and Enforcers as a way of judging those who the Sybil System deems to have a clear hue (i.e. a low crime coefficient), stealing their Dominators (the specialised guns that the MWPSB carry) in the process to further question the Sybil System’s judgement.

Despite Kamui being her biggest concern and priority, Akane is also dealt with two very different problems within her own team, her junior Inspector, Shimotsuki, who strongly disagrees with Akane’s methods and does everything in her power to have her superior’s authority questioned, and her Enforcer, Togane, who attaches himself to Akane and shows a great deal of interest in Akane’s hue.

Season 2 of Psycho Pass is much darker and twisted than Season 1. The psychology behind the plot is much more detailed and in depth compared to Season 1, with the reasons behind Kamui’s actions being difficult to comprehend initially. The violence he causes and inevitable executions that occur is unimaginable and cruel. The anime does well to make these violent scenes so horrific and gory that it is easy to feel sickened and mortified by Kamui’s wrongdoings. Whilst this is hard enough, what’s even worse is the nastiness of Shimotsuki and the way in which she goes about to undermine Akane’s authority. Her backstabbing and constant moaning about Akane’s outside the box thinking is irritating, but it is her treatment and superiority complex over Enforcers that had me disliking her instantly.

As for Togane, the depths of his character isn’t revealed until the last few episodes and while the character does well to try to be very much like Kougami (the Enforcer in Season 1) to Akane, he isn’t fooling anyone.

Season 2 had me questioning the Sybil System and the way in which the criminally asymptomatic are thought of as the perfect collective hub to judge citizens. Law comes about from morals and ethics, the determining factors behind what is right and wrong. How did the concept of right and wrong come about? It is my understanding that at some point in early civilisation, the concept of right and wrong would have been determined by the feelings of the majority. For example, a person would have committed an action that hurt and upset the majority of people. This would then have been depicted as an act that is wrong and goes against the peace and happiness of the majority. This action would then be forbidden and those who commit this action will be punished for hurting the majority. If the feelings of the majority are what morals are roughly built on, then those without feelings are not fit to judge. That would be my assumption.

In Psycho Pass, the Sybil System is made up of a collective of brains that are unable to comprehend feelings. That, and the fact that they are unable to judge the psycho passes of a collective group illustrate that the system is flawed and incapable of being effective in changing times. By Akane consistently pushing the boundaries, questioning what it means to live virtuous lives and ultimately proving that it is people who should govern people, the Sybil System is forced to adapt and change to keep up with modernisation.

With an intriguing, thrilling and thought-provoking plot, Season 2 had me on the edge of my seat. With just eleven episodes, I was hooked and completed the show in three days. The writing of this anime illustrates the creative team’s sheer brilliance. Along with stunning graphics, visuals and an epic, almost haunting soundtrack, Season 2 of Psycho Pass was every bit as exhilarating as Season 1. My only gripe was that the season was too short. I want more. If not more episodes, then another Season will do. I just can’t get enough of the story, the conspiracies and the way in which it makes me question the future of our society.

Both seasons of Psycho Pass are a fantastic watch. If you’re looking for gripping anime to delve into, I cannot recommend Psycho Pass more.

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How much are you willing to give up to live in a peaceful Utopia?

What if the cost of a crime-less society meant losing your freedom of choice? Can you really depend on a system without human monitoring or control?

The anime series Psycho Pass illustrates such a dilemma. With the complete collection of this anime series being recently released, I finally had the chance to immerse myself in the series, and what a series it was. This review is of the anime’s first season.

Taking place in a totalitarian and dystopian future, Psycho Pass’ story centers on the new world order, in which an omnipresent computerized system, known as the Sybil System, measures the ‘psycho passes’ (or rather, mental states) of each and every citizen, labeling those with values exceeding accepted norms as latent criminals. These latent criminals, despite having not committed a single crime are treated as criminals regardless by the police and are arrested, rehabilitated or simply executed purely based on their potential to be a threat to society. 

Akane Tsunemori, a new recruit to the MWPSB (the Public Safety Bureau), grew up naive and believed in the value and power of the Sybil System in keeping the peace. Her role as an inspector and encounters with enforcers (a group of latent criminals used by the authorities as hunting dogs, or rather, are the disposable muscle in criminal investigations), particularly that of Shinya Kougami, a former inspector turned enforcer, shakes that belief and leads her down the path of questioning the entire world in which she lives.

The series opens with an introduction to the Sybil System and the roles in which inspectors and enforcers play in dealing with criminal activity, as well as an explanation the power behind the MWPSB’s specialised weapon, the dominator, which is controlled by the Sybil System to only allow certain people to operate it and its different functions.

When criminal activities and serial murders threaten the peaceful utopia, Akane, Kougami and the rest of the Division 1 of the MWPSB investigate and come to the realisation that these heinous crimes have all been orchestrated by one, Shougo Makishima, a puppet master using his puppets to breakdown the entire Sybil System for his own diabolical reasons.  The mystery and intrigue that took place in trying to solve these crimes were tantalizing, reminding me much of anime such as Death Note, Future Diary and Terror in Resonance, where not much is known and given to the audience, creating intense suspense about who or what is about to be the next target.

In racing against the clock to prevent Makishima committing yet another murder through his ‘puppets’, major flaws in the Sybil System are revealed, thereby illustrating the danger that comes with psycho pass scans. Someone once said to me, “everyone is allowed to have a bad day”. If having a bad response to a bad day means your psycho pass hue gets raised (which then categorises you as a latent criminal) then each bad day will eventually label you as a criminal that needs execution. The Sybil System is most definitely a system with laws that impeaches on human rights.

Makishima embodies the very term of a psychopath with no feelings whatsoever about the evil deeds he commits. Rather he flourishes and revels in the chaos he creates within such an orderly and perfect system. The characterisation of each and every character is brilliant in season 1 of Psycho Pass. Where Makishima is obsessed with destroying the system, Kougami is obsessed with terminating the man who poses the greatest threat to society. We are able to watch on as each character undergoes a change in their viewpoints. We are privy to their deepest fears and emotions and watch as these characters, seemingly strong and content with their lives, essentially fall. This is exactly the kind of characterisation that builds a story and makes for a gripping and thrilling watch.

The graphics and soundtrack only add to the visually aesthetic experience we are graced with in Season One of Psycho Pass. With futuristic self-driving cars, transforming dual mode guns, and a completely computerised system powering the city, Psycho Pass’ world gives viewers an insight into the possibility of the future.

The story, the characters and essentially each and every element of this season of Psycho Pass finds a way to get inside a viewer’s head, providing little nuggets of thought about the way in which society works, and, the moral and ethical questions that arise around the idea of a computerised world governed by a system with no human control. These are certainly deep questions but are worth contemplating as the future will be upon us very soon. Should we live in a world governed by the Sybil System, that determines who we are, and our potentials right from birth? Is this the kind of society we want to live in? Can we really be governed and judged without any proper means of defence and no protections under our basic human rights?

The post Psycho Pass Season One (Madman – 2017) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Gangsta is an anime series which follows Worick and Nicholas, two mercenaries for hire, who call themselves the ‘Handymen’.

The pair take on unsavoury jobs that no one else can handle, working for both the right and wrong sides of the law.

The anime series is rather dark and twisted, with blood, violence and gore being depicted throughout the series. Watching the Handymen carry out their contracted jobs isn’t exactly the nicest thing to watch.

There’s certainly more to the story, with Worick and Nicholas sharing a long history together and working to withstand the coming war against the ‘Twilights’, humans with special abilities who are enslaved as bodyguards and used as weapons by the rich and powerful. These Twilights are being hunted down and with Nicholas being one of them, makes life a little challenging for the Handymen.

Visually speaking, the anime is striking, with graphics that seem appropriate for the R-rated content within the anime. As for story, the dark undertones and violence, as well as the long drawn out narrative, put me off the anime. Perhaps the shady world of the underground mob and corrupt police was just a bit much for me to handle.  

I even gave up on wanting to learn more about Worick and Nicholas’ past. Gangsta is a very different kind of anime, one that I usually wouldn’t watch. If violence, gore and corruption is your thing, then Gangsta has just what you need to be entertained. If not, steer clear.

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