Winter 2016 Anime Preview: Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash)

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is beautiful. From the very first second, I knew, if nothing else, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar was going to be a feast for my eyes and, after watching the first five episodes, the splendid art and animation is, sadly, one of the few things Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has going for it. And, before I lasso my thoughts and put them into this preview, let me tell you right here and now that there will be spoilers, so, keep that in mind and don't act like I didn't warn y'all.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is based on a light novel and is yet another story about people waking up in an unknown world with no memory of how they got there--hints that they're in a video game, like Log Horizon or Sword Art Online are present. I may sound like I'm not a fan of this growing trope, but, being a gamer and all, I actually enjoy such stories when they're well done; the problem is, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has, in the first five episodes, revealed very little and, since it is only a 12-episode season, I expected more story development than barely any at all at this point. In the first five episodes, the party has killed some goblins, eaten some food, bought new clothes, and, oh yeah, the leader just died, and he was one of the more interesting, developed characters. Have there been any answers about what's actually going on? No. Have the characters themselves been asking questions about what's going on? Not really, not as much as they should be. As of right now, there has been little progress and nothing, story-wise, is drawing me in and making me want to watch more.

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When you're Mad Max and just can't even anymore...

PSP #276: Gallivanting With Anime Through a Gate to Escape...Da Yo!

Marc starts off the show with a hefty serving of anime, starting first with all the Fall anime they took a break from that continued on into the Winter season and then they follow all that with a few new shows which include murder, time traveling, winged cabbage monsters, and lots and lots of talking*. After completely exhausting their anime stamina bar, Marc returns, briefly, to the manga, Inside Mari, before hitting a handful of indie games and the wonderful, lovely, delightful, etc, TV show, Galavant. *All this nonsense is not in just one anime.

Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). Y'all can also support the site by shopping at Amazon if that's what ya like.

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Sometimes you just have to stick it to the man

How to deal with traffic in Mad Max

PSP #275: Witness Me Madly Play Pinball Strangely to the Max 'Cause Life...

Marc starts off the show a wee bit differently today and then jumps right into a story about how they're stupid, followed shortly by a story about how they're cheap--they are so very, very cheap. After story-time is over, Marc talks about a handful of games--including some new Star Wars Pinball tables and a game about some guy who is really mad because he's related to Just Cause 3--before ending with a smidgen of TV, anime, and manga.

Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). Y'all can also support the site by shopping at Amazon if that's what ya like.

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PSP #274: The Incredible Adventures of Reviewing This, That, and Who Gives a Crap

In today's show Marc hits a few different notes, making music to no one's ears, not even the deaf, dead, or deathly deaf, as they talk about how they feel about reviews and reviewing anything and everything before reviewing a few games and anime shorts. Now, if that somehow sounds appetizing to y'all, well, go get your bib and prepare yourself for one sloppy joe of an episode, an episode y'all might call episode #274 ('cause that's what it's called). (If y'all can't already tell, I have absolutely no idea what to put in this paragraph right now, so...)

Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). Y'all can also support the site by shopping at Amazon if that's what ya like.

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The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing review: not so incredible, eh

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing originally came out on PC in May of 2013 and, only a few months ago, has now found its way onto the Xbox One. Now, Van Helsing is a game I've always been interested in as a fan of isometric action-RPGs like Diablo; however, I've never played any of the games until now, but, in large part because the game was free for Xbox LIVE Gold members when it launched on December 1st, 2015, I have finally put some time into the game and, I must say, it's not so incredible.

I don't know what I was expecting when I jumped into the world of Van Helsing, but I was, at the very least, expecting to find a world filled with a slew of enemies asking to taste the edge of my blade--I played as a mage, so, technically they'd be asking to taste the lightning from my fingertips (or something like that)--and, while I had no trouble finding enemies, I never once enjoyed slaying any of them, and no, I don't mean I felt some deep, emotional connection to the werewolves and harpies I killed without question, but that I, never, not even once, found any of the action enjoyable. The problem with Van Helsing is that the combat lacks the weight and oomph I desire and the enemies lack the ability to attack in any way other than a constant barrage of small bunches, like moths to a bright light, removing any strategy or thought from the equation. That said, I could have probably lived with the monotonous nature of Van Helsing's combat if the rest of the game grabbed me in any way, but, sadly, the combat is one of the better parts of the game.

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PSP #273: The Order: 1886 vs. The Dentist and More from the Tales of Horr...or

What's this? The Pixelated Sausage Podcast is back (with no vengeance) on a Wednesday of all days (just like I said it was going to be) with a brand new episode full of highs and lows, all the while the host, Marc, is never high, their voice low, as they work on some art for y'all and the show. All that said, today's show covers many different things, from games to TV to movies and even the dentist and why the dentist is the worstest thing in a world where "worstest" is actually in the dictionary (with a picture of a dentist serving as the only definition, of course); and, the whole time, Marc is drawing a pretty picture (see below), so, enjoy the show and check out the list below if y'all want to see what bits o' nonsense were talked about on today's not-too-shabby show.

Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). Y'all can also support the site by shopping at Amazon if that's what ya like.

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PSP #272: Galavant / Mr. Robot / Infamous: Second Son / The Family...

In the first episode (of this podcast) of 2016, Marc talks about a few TV shows they really like--one way more than they ever could have expected--before moving onto Infamous: Second Son--which, if nothing else, still looks awfully pretty even compared to games that came out a month (or two) ago--and a random movie simply called The Family, starring Robert De Niro and Michele Pfeiffer (and some young lady from Glee). This episode is short, not very sweet, and a great listen when you have to pee, so don't buckle up, do unzip, and let 'er pee like the birds and the bees 'cause I don't know what I'm talking about anymore; though, we both know I never really did--which kind of, not really, almost rhymes with excrement. Cheers and happy new year.

Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). Y'all can also support the site by shopping at Amazon if that's what ya like.

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