The Training Continues X by Banagherlinks

Infinite Stratos Season One Reflection

Japan engineered an armed powered exoskeleton "Infinite Stratos" (IS) and it became the mainstream of weapons. Since only women can operate IS, women dominate the society over men. Orimura Ichika is a 15 year old boy and accidentally touches an IS placed in the IS pilot training school. He is found to be the only man who can operate IS and forced to enter the training school. Ichika's busy school life surrounded by girls has begun.

This series has been sitting untouched in my library since I expressed an interest in watching it back during Summer 2011: I was mostly interested in seeing mecha battles, but I suppose that the fact that "only women can operate IS" gave away the premise. While being somewhat similar to Strike Witches in concept, the fact that the protagonist, Ichika, can wield the equivalent of a Striker unit, changes up the dynamics and sends the story in a predictable direction. Moreover, the fact that the developement of the IS resulted in peace removes any conventional means of conflict: with no disputes between international powers and no politics, the IS act as a catalyst for yet another anime about courtship; only this time, there are no elections involved.

  • I'm a little late to the party: it's been two years sinceInfinite Stratos was released, and it was only the announcement of a second season that got my interest.Infinite Stratos doesn't particularly make sense, but then again, neither does a lot of fiction.

  • Mio Akiyama (left) and Banagher Links (right) share a conversation here. A lot of well-known voice actors, including Hikasa Youko (Houki), Yukana Nogami (Cecelia), Shimoda Asami (Rin), Hanazawa Kana (Charlotte), Inoue Marina (Laura), and Uchiyama Kouki (Ichika). Of note is the fact that Ichika andGundam Unicorn's Banagher Links share the same voice actor, thereby giving me a chance to crack jokes aboutK-On! andGundam Unicorn.

  • The IS are powered exoskeletons which possess advanced technology and combat capabilities. Originally designed for outer space exploration, it has now become the new mainstream weapon of the world. The IS are further divided into training and personal units, the latter of which can change to fit with the user's specifications. Originally harder to use in their default settings but once formatted to their users, they become like an extension of the users themselves. Personal IS units' abilities far surpass those of the Training IS units, boasting greater output in firepower, speed and maneuverability, etc. Personal IS units are currently divided into four generations, with each generation surpassing the previous in terms of overall specifications.

  • Even early on in the anime, it becomes apparent that the IS are not actually the core of the show:Infinite Stratos can thus be seen as a romance comedy. Here, Houki and Cecelia clash over Ichika: the girls' in-fighting is presented in a comedic manner.

  • The essential skills I learnt from high school include fundamentals of biology, physics and chemistry, introductory calculus methods and constructing coherent papers. I argue that a school that does not give instruction on these things, as evidenced by the IS Academy, puts its students at a severe disadvantage.

  • Houki Shinonono is Ichika Orimura's childhood friend; though they have not seen each other for six years, she still harbors strong feelings for Ichika and tends to get jealous when other girls are around him.

  • I've already introduced Houki (left), so here are two other contenders: Huang Lingyin (middle) is known as Rin and is an IS Cadet Representative of China. Having known Ichika since childhood, and fell in love with him ever since he protected her against four school bullies. Cecilia Alcott (right) is first year student at the IS Academy and is an IS Cadet Representative of the United Kingdom. She views Ichika as a true man and falls in love with him after she was nearly defeated by Ichika for the position of class representative.

  • Charlotte is a first year student at the IS Academy and is an IS Cadet Representative of France. Charlotte initially calls herself Charles Dunois ,posing as the second "male" IS pilot student to discover how Ichika is able to pilot an IS and acquire data from his IS. Upon learning that Charlotte's father and his corporation used her to spy on him, Ichika decides to help protect her. She later falls in love with Ichika due to his bravery.

  • Laura is a genetically-engineered super-soldier and an IS Cadet Representative of Germany. Upon learning Ichika's strength is his freedom to choose and helping those around him and Chifuyu's advice, Laura decides to become Ichika's bodyguard to protect him against the other girls by kissing him in front of his class and professes that he is her wife, a misunderstanding of her knowledge of Japanese culture, and she will not accept any objections.

  • The fact that all of the girls going for Ichika's heart have a personal IS, bringing to mind the whole notion that elite, special forces units are more glamorous relative to their standard counterparts and therefore more interesting to watch. This is not dissimilar to current trends in FPS gaming, where players are put in the role of a spec ops unit.

Infinite Stratos appears to lie well outside the realm of what I would consider watching, but my original motivations for checking this series out is actually a thrilling tale. Back in 2011, shortly after the Gundam 00 Awakening of the Trailblazer movie was released, I noticed a surge of individuals finding my site through searches for the term "Infinite Stratos". My website is titled Infinite Zenith, and the character Lockon Stratos is Gundam 00's resident sniper; I originally assumed that people were seeking that combination and was quite surprised to note it was actually an anime. Thus, I resolved to check the series out and write a reflection for my website to ensure that people would find what they sought, but that never materialised. However, two years after its original run, news of a second season has reached my ears, and I decided to go back and check out the anime, giving it a fair chance to shine.

  • Laura's characterisation progressed from being a cold super-soldier to someone who is infaturated with Ichika within the space of two episodes: after effortlessly thrashing Rin and Cecelia and putting up a reasonable fight against Ichika and Charlotte, her unit goes berserk until Ichika manages to free her.

  • Apparently, Laura's entire knowledge of Japan comes from her deputy commander, Clarissa Harfouch, whose experience is limited to anime and otaku culture, serving as a reminder to anime fans that Japan doesn't come close to resembling what is found in anime, and that it would be quite mistaken to believe that anime reflects present day Japanese culture. This reason is why continue to maintain that anime generally does not reflect on contemporary Japanese culture and thus, has next to no academic value.

  • The fact that anime is entertainment is something that one Elineas at Nihon Review fails to understand: he cites the series as "a marriage of typicality and inconsistency" with characters that are "premade constructions thrown into a world that simply doesn't make sense". Half of the Nihon Review staff seem to be under the delusion that anime should be as meaningful as Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment or other literary classics, and write with a pretentious manner wherever they encounter a series that doesn't suit their liking

  • Cecelia and Rin watch with yandere-like eyes as Ichika takes Charlotte swimsuit shopping. I read much of the Nihon Review's contents with similar disdain: while Infinite Stratos may not be as engaging as something like Gundam Unicorn, it certainly isn't horrible, either. The same can't be said for Elineas' "review", which sadly, reflects his incapacity to write a coherent passage without the compulsion to use Microsoft Word's built-in thesaurus every five words.

  • Houki later recieves the Akatsubaki, one of only two developed 4th generation IS and a short-range melee-class IS, armed with twin katanas and the One-Off ability that allows Houki to replenish both her own and other IS's energy when she comes in contact with them.

  • Chifuyu reacts to the antics of Tabane Shinonono, Houki's older sister and the creator of the IS: despite her intellect and age, she is eccentric and acts childishly. Her presence seems to evoke an unusual sense in me, reminding me strangely ofChobits, despite my never having seen the anime properly before.

  • Aside from the inter-school battles, the only major battle takes place between the individuals with personal IS and an unmanned IS known as the "Silver Gospel": fielding next-generation hardware, it puts up an impressive fight.

  • Instead of flanking their opponents and capitalising on their weapons capabilities to engage targets at long range and use covering fire to close distance for melee, the IS operators seem to prefer charging right in towards an opponent. Some, like Charlotte, are capable of quick thinking and perform well in teams, so the lack of strats isn't common to all of the IS operators per se.

  • IS is a difficult anime to gauge accurately: on one hand, the comedy and inter-character interactions are immensely satisfying to behold, as are some of the combat sequences. On the other hand, the IS themselves and their origins could have used more exposition and development. This is the hazard of the 12-episode anime approach, as everything needs to be condensed into a shorter time period.

  • The fact that a second season was announced will hopefully extend the story-side of things; 24 episodes of failing romance would probably be tiring to watch, even if it were interspersed with combat sequences and free anatomy lessons.

Shine is something that Infinite Stratos does succeed in, despite lacking any sort of real story tied to the IS themselves (the backstory and flashbacks don't really contribute heavily). The superficial premise in Infinite Stratos means that there is no story to speak of: there are no politics, warfare, secret conspiracies or hidden treasure hunts. Where it lacks substance, it compensates for in style, featuring visually appealing combat sequences, and character interactions set appropriately for the setting. All of the archetypes are present, but the outlandish setting allows each of the girls' personalities to play off one another. This is especially apparent in Cecilia Alcott and Huang Lingyin's open competition for Ichika's heart), as well as the age-old "guy is actually a girl" device. While contributing nothing to the way things play out in the long run, the girls' interactions nonetheless add a substantial amount of comedy to the series. As a romance comedy with science fiction elements, Infinite Stratos manages to keep things entertaining: as for the recommended audience, I think that this series is suited for those seeking a wild romance comedy with mecha-like implements and don't mind the lack of development towards story side things. In other words, this is an anime for open minded viewers who seek something simple-minded, free of morals and social implications.

Battlefield 4 Requirements Announced

News has finally reached my ears concerning the system requirements surrounding DICE'sBattlefield 4; the minimum and recommended system requirements were released today for the next installment in the Battlefield series, certainly surprising me. Of course, now that we have some definitive details surrounding the requirements, players can decide whether or not they'll aim to upgrade their hardware to accommodate this game. As per the official chart supplied by the officialBattlefield Twitter account, the specifications at minimum make the game accessible to older systems, but likeMetro: Last Light andCrysis 3, the recommended requirements are quite steep.

  • The system requirements put my old XPS 420 below what can run Battlefield 4, but my current custom rig is mission capable, minus the fact that I've "only" got 2 GB of graphics memory. This struck me as a particularly strange requirement, but if this chart is representing the recommended settings as optimal settings, I'm going to be ready.

  • These screenshots come from the trailer "Angry Seas", released long ago and showcasing some of the different gameplay elements, including interchangeability between iron/red-dot sights and optics, as well as ocean-borne combat.

  • Even though these images aren't the sharpest in the world, having been taken from a 1080p version of the trailer, the lighting and details in the trailer are indicative of some incredible graphics exceeding what Battlefield 3 had. It appears the UI will remain an unobtrusive grey, and that the blue filter has been removed, giving the game more realistic lighting. On another note, I hope that 1) the water effects have been improved so that walking through water will cause splashes, and 2) the multiplayer looks as good as the campaign.

  • If the campaign proves to be satisfactory, I will definitely buy the game (well, maybe not at full price: I'll probably wait until the price is reduced to forty dollars). I typically watch YouTube videos of gameplay from people such as TheRadBrad, and then subsequently decide whether or not a game is worth buying. One of the exceptions is Halo 4 andSkyrim: the former, I couldn't buy despite getting good vibes from the game on the virtue that I've not an Xbox 360 (I'm a PC gamer through and through), and the latter, I bought because I wanted a high-fantasy open-world game and had my heart set on it.

  • Thanks to digital distribution, I am content to wait around for the price to drop. I realise that EA's Origin is the only service available for getting the game, but ifBattlefield 4 has a good enough campaign, I'm willing to use it. Yes, I would buy the game for the campaign alone (once the price drops).

The massive disparity between the minimum requirements and the recommended requirements suggest that Battlefield 4 should be playable on anything from entry-level machines (with an older-but-still-somewhat-decent video card like the 2006-era GT 8800) to top-of-the-line beasts fielding SLI GTX Titans. These minimum requirements are similar to those required by Battlefield 3, while the recommended settings are upwards of two to three times greater. Of note is the fact that the GTX 660 or Radeon 7870 HD is the recommended GPU; except for specialised versions, both cards come with 2 GB of video memory, which will lead to questions of how computers equipped with either one of these video cards will perform, as they have sufficient stream processors and enough memory bandwidth to do so, but lack the minimum of 3 GB of video memory. Naturally, top of the line cards and the present-generation GTX 700 series cards should perform just fine. I imagine that at 1080p, I should be able to achieve at least 40 FPS in high settings with my current video card.

Hanasaku Iroha Home Sweet Home DVD/BD Release Date Set for October 16

Folks, I do have a review and screenshots of the movie. Click here to read the post!

Somewhere back in July, the Hanasaku Iroha Home Sweet Home talk show announced that the Blu-Rays and DVDs to the movie would be released on October 16, 2013, and will also be sold as an exclusive at the Bonbori Festival on October 12 in Yuwaku Onsen (Kanazawa prefecture). The DVD will retail for 5250 yen (54 CAD), while the standard edition BD will retail for 7350 yen (76 CAD). The special edition BD will cost 9450 yen (97 CAD). Each release will feature cover art by character designer and chief animation director, Kanami Sekiguchi.

  • This movie should close things up in Hanasaku Iroha, an anime I watched two years ago. Assuming my coursework isn't going to be too heavy, I should have a review ready ahead of almost any other party out there, complete with screenshots and a discussion detailing my thoughts.

The special edition BD will naturally include a 1080p version of the movie, as well as the movie original soundtrack (composed by Shiroh Hamaguchi, this OST will feature some new compositions), a copy of the script to the movie, as well as the storyboards (drafted by Masahiro Ando) and a booklet that goes into details concerning the movie's production. With a release schedule not dissimilar to that of theStrike Witches Movie, I expect to give theHanasaku Iroha Home Sweet Home movie a review somewhere in mid-October or so, within a week of its release. Also similar to theStrike Witches Movie, discussions aboutHome Sweet Home have been surprisingly sparse, contrasting theK-On! Movie, which saw a near-ceaseless discussion even a half-year following its release.

Crysis- Reckoning

"There's something up here…something big." ―Admiral Morrison

On board the USS Constitution, Nomad meets up again with Psycho and is then debriefed by Admiral Richard Morrison who explains that a nuclear strike has been ordered against the ice sphere. Helena warns him that the aliens might absorb the energy, but the Admiral ignores her. Prophet flies a VTOL back to the island against orders. Despite Prophet's departure, the nuclear missile is launched at the ice sphere. The explosion causes the ice sphere to expand and prompts a massive alien counterattack. Nomad is ordered to repair one of the carrier's nuclear reactors, damaged during the counterattack. The Nanosuit is resistant to high levels of radiation, although prolonged exposure proves deadly. While Nomad is in the reactor room, Helena sends an experimental signal through Nomad's suit that causes several alien machines to absorb too much power and overload, destroying them. As Nomad returns to the flight deck, Admiral Morrison is killed and Nomad takes the prototype TAC-Cannon. On the flight deck, Nomad fights an alien exosuit similar to the one that killed Strickland. A massive alien warship then emerges from the sea, and Helena manages to deactivate its shields by sending a signal through Nomad's Nanosuit. Nomad then uses the TAC-Cannon to destroy the alien warship, which falls on the carrier and begins to sink it. Nomad runs across the flight deck and jumps off the carrier into the waiting VTOL, which is piloted by Psycho. As they fly away, Helena is nearly pulled out of the aircraft by the energy field created by the destroyed alien warship. Psycho then receives a transmission that there is another Carrier Strike Group en route to the island and suggests meeting them. Nomad protests, claiming that since they now know how to defeat the aliens, they need to continue fighting. A transmission from Prophet, who is inside the energy field on the island, is then received. The VTOL is then seen turning around and heading back to the island.

  • I was impressed three years ago by the level of detail found on the USS Constitution when I played Crysis at medium settings. At the highest settings possible, the game simply looks even better.

  • Navigating a real aircraft carrier doubtlessly requires training, skill and an innate familiarity with the vessel's layout. Fortunately, the Nanosuit is equipped with a mini-map, and this final mission is actually quite linear, so finding Admiral Morrison should be very straightforward. Afterwards, Nomad is directed to the armoury to obtain the information he acquired inside the Alien structure from his Nanosuit.

  • I've jumped ahead a ways, after the Admiral receives permission to launch a limited nuclear strike on the island. As is expected, the nuclear strike isn't particularly useful and causes more trouble for the US fleet, causing the aliens to attack and damage the carrier, causing the flooding seen here. The first time I was here, the movie2012 was playing upstairs.

  • Stablising the reactor is a simple enough task: rush in with strength mode and push a rod down, then exit the reactor core to allow the Nanosuit to recharge. Helena also establishes here that the Nanosuit can send a signal that disables the aliens: this tidbit will come in useful in a few moments. On my older review, things are written slightly differently; that difference represents the difference between how a first year and a graduate writes. The differences are minor, but I imagine that my current style is a little more polished.

  • The first time I played throughCrysis, I didn't even know the suit had a night vision setting. It's rather useful when things get really dark, such as in the bowels of the carrier, although there are places where the lighting is sufficient for one to see what is going on without using the night vision.

  • To get back to the flight deck, Nomad must pass through several aircraft hangers below-deck. Players may opt to blast their way through, but naturally, cloaking and sneaking through the hangers undetected is a far simpler solution. Ammunition ranges from scarce to plentiful at different points in the mission, so using cloak is a good means of conserving ammunition. Because the enemies encountered are aliens, the Gauss rifle and shotgun remain an ideal combination.

  • I think thatBattlefield 3 looks slightly better with regards to graphics detailing a naval fleet, although the fact thatCrysis looks nearly as good (despite being made four years earlier) bears testament to the effort that went into developing the latter.

  • The time has come to obtain the Tactical Assault Cannon: this weapon is a prototype grenade launcher and it fires low-yield nuclear projectiles. It cannot be fired until permission is given later on.

  • Helena's findings allow Nomad to take down the exosuit: there is an unlimited supply of missile launchers on the Constitution's deck. Once Helena transmits a signal to deactivate the exosuit's shields, it is a simple matter of hammering it with missiles until it goes down.

  • Players thinking that the exosuit was the final enemy are mistaken, but forgiven for doing so: the real final boss is the alien warship. Before it can be assaulted, there are four remote turrets that need to be destroyed. Missile launchers can be used to great effect here; players frozen by the beam can break free by rapidly pressing the movement keys to prevent a premature death. After the turrets are downed, Nomad relishes using the TAC: three shells later, the alien warship is defeated, and so ends the last of myCrysisposts. My next major project, as noted earlier, deals with the Anime no Chikara's Sora no Woto. I have intended, for a very long time, to turn my considerable but hitherto unknown knowledge ofSora no Woto towards pointing out some of the cooler aspects and dispel any misconceptions about the anime: roughly 15 posts are expected. After that is done, Imight begin my own talk about Valve'sHalf-Life 2, but only time will tell…

Reckoning is the final mission to Crysis and acts as a thrilling conclusion to the game. Of course, I couldn't help but notice that some of the graphical fidelity had been lost during Ascension, but thankfully, it makes a full return here in the finale. This mission marks the first time I had spent an entire mission on an aircraft carrier; it also has the most cutscenes of any of the missions in Crysis. During the first half of the mission, Nomad is running around between the bridge and armoury, but once things get started, and aliens attack the carrier, players are given what is essentially a virtual tour of a carrier. Players may have been wondering about the alien exosuit from earlier, having had no opportunity to challenge it, but it is in the game's final moments where one has the satisfaction of destroying it. Even so, the the TAC is not used, foreshadowing an even greater enemy to defeat before the game closes. While the final battle feels like a classic scene from a bullet-hell game, it remains entertaining. Naturally, firing the TAC gun is immensely gratifying. The game itself, however, ends with a hint of there being a sequel: I played the game in March 2010, and Crysis 2 released a year later. At the end of the day, Crysis is an immensely fun journey that represents what graphics technology and high-performance GPUs are capable of: despite having a less-than-stellar story, the fact that Crysis continues to compete with some modern titles as a benchmarking tool reflects on just how innovative the game was back when it was first released in 2007.

Crysis- Exodus and Ascension

"What in the name of General Patton is that fucking thing?" ―Major Strickland

After Nomad and Prophet cross the bridge, they join a convoy set to leave the island and and rescue Helena, whose VTOL has crashed. Prophet leaves with Helena on another VTOL. At the U.S. evacuation point, one of the last VTOLs rescues Nomad from an unstoppable quadrupedal alien exosuit. Just as the exosuit is about to destroy the VTOL, Major Strickland draws its attention by firing at it using a mounted machine gun and the exosuit kills Strickland instead. As they leave the island, the pilot is killed and the engines are damaged.

"Hold on to your hats, gentlemen. Weather forecast: shitstorm." ―VTOL pilot

Nomad flies the crippled VTOL back to the USS Constitution (CVN-80) carrier strike group while fighting off aliens along the way, providing ground support for the other units, who are leaving as well.

  • The first thing to do after entering the makeshift command centre is to switch off the MOAC and obtain the gauss rifle. The larger alien scouts can be downed with two well-placed shots from the gauss rifle, and the shotgun remains effective against the alien troopers. At the ranges they'll be encountered, the reflex sight is the best option.

  • The American LTVs mount the 5.80 x 42 mm Chinese machine gun rather than the trusty .50 caliber rounds, but nonetheless remains quite effective against the alien scouts. As per usual, increased accuracy is attained when firing down the sights, and the fact that this weapon will overheat after continuous use means it is wiser to fire in short, controlled bursts.

  • Helena's VTOL goes down after taking heavy fire from the aliens, and a fracture in the road precludes the possibility of driving the HTVs all the way to the extraction point. It's time to get out and leg it to Helena first.

  • The anti-air artillery that has plagued the US Forces in earlier missions now becomes a useful tool for providing some serious covering fire while Helena is being rescued. The four auto-cannons have an impressive rate of fire and do not overheat, allowing them to be fired continuously until the target goes down. Surface-to-air missiles may also be used: these have a longer reload time but cause a substantial amount of damage.

  • The alien exosuit is invulnerable: Nomad could empty the AAA's entire ammunition supply against it and it would continue on its scripted rampage sequence. Once Helena is saved, the best option is to get out of there quickly and reach the extraction point.

  • It's time to board a VTOL and leave here: because of the exosuit's shielding, nothing will work against it (even if one has cheats on for ammunition using the console). There is an opportunity to fight it later, but for now, leaving is the better option.

  • The MV-24 VTOL has made numerous appearances in previous missions, dropping supplies and providing transportation for Nomad. However, it isn't until now that Nomad is given the chance to pilot one. Its poor maneuverability and limited armaments reflect on the fact that the VTOL was designed for transporting soldiers rather than providing heavy firepower. Care must be taken in flying it, lest the VTOL hits the ground and detonates in a spectacular but painful fashion.

  • Despite not being designed for combat, the mounted machine gun and missiles give it enough firepower to shoot down the alien scouts.  The missiles have a limited capacity to home in on their targets: once the target is highlighted in white, fire a missile. It will find the scout and down it. It is imperative to provide cover for the other VTOLs, but a convoy of trucks won't be savable, so focus on getting to the ocean, where the USS Constitution is.

  • The video card I fielded for this playthrough was intended to be a test of its capabilities, although I daresay that this was hardly a sufficient test. Because it runs Metro: Last Light in high settings, and as mentioned previously, has no trouble runningSkyrim in ultra settings, my current GPU's capacities remain reasonable. I imagine said GPU should be capable of runningBattlefield 4 at high (but not very high or ultra) settings with the 1920 by 1080 resolution, as well, so the question of whether or not I actually get Battlefield 4 will depend largely on how good the campaign is, rather than whether or not my system can handle it (I haven't been able to say that for around five years now).

  • Back to talking aboutCrysis: the VTOL's hull integrity is capable of regenerating, albeit slowly.Ascension ends after Nomad reaches a stretch of open ocean and reports that they are around 10 minutes away from the USS Constitution. I have died here before after ice shrapnel from the alien scouts somehow hit the VTOL and totaled it, but thankfully, this hasn't happened here.

There is an undeniable appeal about these two missions: things have now gone really bad, and all of the US Forces are preparing to evacuate the Lingshan Islands. The gravity of the situation is immense, and there is a sense of urgency to leave before the situation worsens. However, the appeal in Exodus and Ascension comes from the way it is portrayed: as a gamer, I am given a visual representation of the evacuation in force, illustrating the mindset surrounding the participants. The convoy to the exfil site, the subsequent use of an anti-air battery to provide covering fire, and the piloting of a VTOL back to the USS Constitution, serves as a brilliant analogy for those transitioning away from a decaying online community such as TV Tropes. Naturally, the aliens represent the pseudo-intellectuals, whose increasing presence threaten stability. Having fought them to near-exhaustion, members of the original community have opted to leave before things deteriorate further. While leaving, other members might be able to get off a few retaliatory strikes, although some members are unceremoniously removed before being able to leave. The parallels between Exodus and Ascension are solidly reflected in some of the online communities out there, especially TV Tropes. By being able to really depict such a situation in an interactive, visual manner, these two missions stand out as being the more entertaining ones towards the end of Crysis.

granthistar.blogspot.com

Source: https://infinitemirai.wordpress.com/2013/09/page/3/

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