Blog Posts

Killing False Hopes by Fending Off Referrer Spam

Blogging, Guides, Internet | 07 April 2015

This website is admittedly not even a tiny blip on the blogging radar (or at least not yet), but I’ve been finding ways to get there somehow. Perhaps being able to post daily content is the best solution to my current problems, but I’ve also encountered another problem recently that’s quite annoying on its own. It’s not bad enough that the website is trying to get more views, but also that the views from real people and not from referrer spam. The latter has become quite a pain in the neck for many websites lately, especially for the smaller ones like this one. (more…)

Shirobako Review

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Reviews | 01 April 2015

This is an anime series that I had to review due to its premise, although it did take a bit of brain-twisting to get a finger on its strengths and weaknesses. Shirobako seemed to be on a mission to show the animation industry in a more honest light, and it seems that P.A. Works succeeded there. It may have started slow and hard to follow, but it did finish strong. If you’re fascinated with art or animation and have some patience, you won’t regret watching this series. (more…)

POWER/RANGERS: On Darkness and Deconstruction

by: Sonny Go

Internet, Opinion, Television | 22 March 2015

Talk about being late to the party. However, I actually took quite a bit of time to sort my thoughts out on what I think about the short film in order to come up with this post. Perhaps it was good that I posted this only now as Henshincon — a celebration of the tokusatsu genre that had been a part of Filipino childhoods during the 90s — gets underway. I myself grew up with Power Rangers and tokusatsu shows imported from Japan (and translated into Filipino), so it seems apt for me to start off a tribute of sorts by looking into someone else’s tribute. (more…)

Commentary on the Progression of Western RPGs – Part 3

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 16 March 2015

As I worked to conclude this series that may or may not have been worth writing about, I did start thinking that this had been dragged on for too long. Perhaps I was thinking that while western RPGs were worth talking about at length, the things I’ve mentioned in this series aren’t exactly new information and may even be full of holes. I do admit to those doubts, but I still have to finish what I started. (more…)

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number [Impressions]

by: Sonny Go

Impressions, Video Games | 12 March 2015

It’s rare for me to await the release of a game right on day one; I’ve only done that for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm and Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- in recent years, as far as I can remember. This is one of the titles I was looking forward to this year because I love the first game, so I had to cover this game every step of the way. Therefore, here are my impressions of Hotline Miami 2 after playing it for around 3 hours or so. (more…)

Sunstone [Feature]

by: Sonny Go

Comics, Features, Internet, Reviews | 17 February 2015

With Valentine’s Day having passed by and Fifty Shades of Grey becoming this growing mutated mass made of leather whips and rope that has droves of women going to movie theaters and book stores to consume what looks more like a sad example of adult writing, I thought of recommending something more human and heartfelt that still involved whips and rope as part of intimate activities (whatever makes you happy). One of the great things about Sunstone is that you don’t need to shelf out hard-earned money for a ticket — it’s free. (more…)

The Dichotomy of Skill and Luck in Games

by: Sonny Go

Features, Tabletop Games, Video Games | 07 February 2015

In The Co-Optional Podcast Episode 56, the guest Babylonian (formerly of Rev3Games) discussed the relationship between skill and luck when Hearthstone was brought up, which piqued my interest in the subject. It touched upon the competitive aspects of games, whether tabletop or digital. This, along with having gone on a bit of a tirade about Five Nights at Freddy’s in a Facebook thread, pushed me to look deeper into this subject. (more…)

Puzzle Forge 2 Mobile Game Review

by: Sonny Go

Reviews, Video Games | 24 January 2015

Most of the games I ever play on mobile are either strategy or puzzle games in various forms. For the longest time, SpellTower was the only game on my phone, and I also liked Rymdkapsel. When I bought a new phone, it looked like I wasn’t installing a game on it anymore. But when I heard of Puzzle Forge 2 in a podcast, I had to try it out. From what I’ve seen, my time was certainly not wasted. (more…)

Commentary on the Progression of Western RPGs – Part 2

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 15 January 2015

Exactly a year ago, I posted the first part of a commentary on an old article I did for a gaming website (CheatMasters) called The Progression of the Western RPG. After all this time, I now continue my commentary with some new insight, which is perhaps my main excuse other than procrastination for taking so long to post this. (more…)

Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis [Review]

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Reviews | 05 January 2015

After twelve episodes, the anime based from the card game has now concluded, and here’s where I assess whether it lived up to my first impressions and had jumped the shark along the way. It’s a good thing that it didn’t do so for the most part, although there are a few parts that may induce some head-scratching, especially due to how short it turned out. It’s still pretty sweet though, which made it worth tuning in. (more…)

A Hadouken Too Far? More on Platform Exclusivity

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 13 December 2014

So this topic comes up again with what should be a bigger knee-jerk than the last time. Street Fighter is a bigger franchise due to its history and wider appeal, so there seemed to be more attention this time around compared to Rise of the Tomb Raider being announced as an Xbox One exclusive. With the announcement of Street Fighter V and its exclusion from the Xbox One, the waves of reactionary rage were more palpable, so much that I had to write this follow-up. (more…)

Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis [Impressions]

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Impressions, Reviews | 30 October 2014

It seems easy to dismiss an anime series with a name similar to the famous Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), but this is definitely no copycat. Shingeki no Bahamut has its own charm and flair, and it actually does do well to impress early on and promises to be a lot more later on. The name in English is “Rage of Bahamut: Genesis”, which is better to go with to avoid confusion with the other show. I’ll stick to the Japanese title though since it’s not one of those really long ones. (more…)