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P$4 and Ghost In The Shell


On 04/22/2017 at 05:01 PM by V4Viewtiful

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After saving, waiting, looking at myself in the mirror, begging the image of Julius Rock in my wallet for forgiveness and impatience, I finally Purchased a PS4 Pro.
I have Also watched the Ghost in the Shell Movie, the one at the center of the whitewashing controversy, I'll starts with this.

Ghost In The Shell


I am an anime fan and have watched all the GITS flicks, repeatedly. I briefly read the manga in my youth but I'm not too beholden to it as since the Animated Movie Directed by Mamoru Oshii, I've prefered the more contemplative than cheese cake portrayal. I'll decend into a rant but suffice it to say
It's Okay but has too many unnecessary deficiences.
Cast is Good, the relationship between Batou and The major is good, Aramaki the Director of Section 9 is (traditionally subtle) a Badass, the Music can be good but lakes a distinct sound/personality, Most of the Visual effects are good. The added theme of "consent", is good and interesting, Cinematography and shoot composition is all good. They used the song in the intro of the Original movie as an outro. It's nice.

Bad... ugh.

Yes the Whitewashing is real, utterly tonedeaf and barely matters to the plot making the fact The Major is in a western body even though she's japanses, not of her choice more than stupid.
The Plot is a Robocop rip off but with non of the comentary or charm of the Original, infact it's worse than the remake because it ruins The Majors character, she isn't special by her own merit, she's just made that way. A Marry Sue, if you will?
The Idea there are no full cyborgs already in this universe removes the existentiallism and ambiguity and uniqness of the series, Batou has always been full Cyborg, built for war but here, he loses that connection the 2 originally had and the movies Dynamic of his comfortability being a full cyborg and her contemplative and concerned. He was comfortable while she constantly questioned if her body wasn't her own at the very least she had her ghost, we do have that here but she has to be told it rather than have it her own path of self-discovery (but just as blunt as the original.)

 

The cast though good don't get a lot of (if no) development, they're just there and making The Major not the sole female in the section 9 group, I don't like.

The main bad guy/s, it boils down to a revenge plot, it's typical lazy Hollywood dumbed down writing, ruining the connection the character had to The Major in the second series (Watch 2nd GIG). There's almost no symbolism in this film, for a series more or less inspired by Blade Runner you'd think they'd try harder, I'm not counting the homages to the first GITS, as those are just callbacks to it and don't serve the plot like the original.

Batou, is traditionally the musle but here because he's not fully cyborg, you can't see how powerful he is, making certain action scenes more interesting.

Pet peeve, no cyborg food :/

 

In conclusion it's a rental film, serviceable but forgettable and it could have been soo much better, Watch the Original, even if you didn't like it, it's better than this. I was expected to hate it, but it doesn't cross the line hard enough.

 

Now The main event, My PS4 Pro

Before I bought this I wanted to prepare my library of games so I started with Persona 5 buying the Premium Edition because I knew it would be near impossible to get if I  hadn't pre-ordered it.

Worth Every Penny. I like the Art book the most, I  haven't trtied the CD yet, but I ilike the bag tey give you

The reason I even bothered was as of now I have played 3 in the series (including P5) but have only finished 1, P4. I liked that game well enough (quite a bit actualy) and the buzz and previews showed me it was worth the prepurchase. It Is. I'm not that far into it (I  haven't cleared the first Palace) but so far it's of the high standard P4 set. The style is already leaking out my console.

I was planning to wait till the PS4 became cheaper however because it was the holidays, it was Full price but now a free game included. My Impulse got the better of me and now I have Horizon: Zero Dawn. Though I suck at it, I  like it a lot, some of the environment is destrtuctible, the combat is responsive, I like the way you heal. The story is interesting, I find it interesting they still technically speak english

I haven't been spoiled on either games so i'm going into these games with a "clean slate", as it were.

So far, so good. I've recently finished the first Palace in P5 one of the things I find a problem is using SP, magic Attacks drain reeealy fast and recovering it is hard unless you leave the shadow world. And I hate other people telling me how tired I am, I want to go to bed when I want to, GODDAMMIT!

Not so far into Zero Dawn, I've only managed to defeat that saw tooth (after multiple deaths) and i'm about to start my adventure.

I've also bought Devil May Cry 4 because I've not completed any in the series before this, I'm not quite used to the rhythm yet, it feels awkward right now, but I'm getting used to it.

I hope everyone's chill,

This Is V saying "I hope we get a live-action Wolf's Rain"


 

Comments

mothman

04/22/2017 at 06:10 PM

All I'm playing right now is P5 and P4 Golden. I played P4 to death on the PS2 and I picked up the Vita version ages ago but never gave it the time.

P5 is definitely the best JRPG I've played in a long time. I'm about 18 hours in and just getting into it properly. So polished and so much fun to play.

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/22/2017 at 09:14 PM

I actually found the original anime a little dull and thought the new movie was awesome. Maybe bc i haven't seen matrix or blade runner so the effect of the visuals and story is still there for me and the original anime robot looked white as hell to me...  I haven't seen the original anime in FOREVER though, so going to watch it subbed hopefully (the majors dub in the one i saw was ... I dont know where ppl would get off saying scarjo was too wooden after seeing that version) and it might change my mind.

I honestly wanted to see it in imax 3d but by the time i coukd have fate of the furious hit and replaced it in the imax theaters in dallas. Still plan on owning it when it comes out. I can definitely understand folks saying it's a rental, as i coukd definitely see people getting a bit bored or not finding anything new to like (personally, my head ran wild w philosophy questions like is the major being the first "right" cyborg worth it similar to how we question if some of the great scientific advancements made by nazi fuckery worth it) , but 44% on rotten tomatoes is political trolling imo. It is doing much better in Asia I believe, though I'm sure it st

V4Viewtiful

04/23/2017 at 12:19 AM

I caught wind of the series young but it never did anything for me, but after years of staring at the half naked Robot chick with a gun I watched it as an adolecent and it was one of the only anime after Evangelion that actually made me think a little. I can understand why youu may have found it dull, it's a slow, procedural and methodical film.

But even if I i take off the nostagia googles for the Original film, this story has been done to death, I'm privy to questions like "how far is too far for scientific human advanced?" the problem is, it's reduced to "stealling random people, taking out their brains and creating new memories and bodies to be different people, duh!", the movie gave an over-simplified answer to what should be a complex question. 

I suppose i'm jaded from over exposure to everything that came before it, it didn't necessarily needed to say something new but it could have delievered it differently or better yet, not at all.

You really, REALLY need to watch Blade Runner and and the Matrix, Blade Runner particularly handled this stuff far more effectively and for better or worse defined the Neo-futuristic dystopia troupes we know and love and handles the concept of what makes humanity far better, and it wisely doesn't give you a "happy ending".

I was personally fine with the stiltedness of either, it adds to the characters overall detachment, I feel. mind You even Transformers does well in Asia so... :P

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/23/2017 at 08:42 AM

Transformers performs  well in EVERY developed country box office, so I'm not seeing your point. Lol unless uk is some anomaly in that regard i wasnt aware of. I don't like them, but i think nerds forget how popular those movies are in the mainstream.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/23/2017 at 12:58 PM

I don't think nerds forget how popular they are, they just would rather watch 2 hours of exploding anuses than Michael Bay shit. 

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/23/2017 at 05:46 PM

The quality of those movies has nothing to do w their performance at the box office or the assumption among certain in-groups that everyone feels the same way about them. 

 

I hate those movies too, but they've become such an easy target that it honestly gets annoying when people act like they're somehow superior to others for not liking them. 

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/23/2017 at 07:42 PM

It's not that they're an easy target, the problem is it's a beloved property, which, I myself, grew up with an have deep sentimental value for. I don't care what other people think, all I know is I fucking love transformers, and as long as those movies are successful, we're never going to get a movie that's good.  

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/23/2017 at 07:43 PM

i don't complain about transformers cause it's easy, I complain because the reality of them makes me feel powerless, helpless, and pissed upon.  

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/23/2017 at 08:02 PM

I'm sorry. just really love transformers...  Cry

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/23/2017 at 11:41 PM

Well OK, but.. Yknow it's better if I just don't type anything else here. To each their own. Lol 

I do feel for you since power rangers of all things now has a decent rental worthy movie before transformers does and that's.... Unexpected. 

The bright side is the existence of Pacific rim. 

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/27/2017 at 05:39 PM

So I just got done watching the original series on hulu. 

I posted my thoughts to facebook:

"

Ok, so while the new Ghost in the Shell still has more going for it than Rotten Tomatoes is willing to admit, watching the original again reminds me it really is quite a bit better.

The Puppet Master is a more interesting villain, the questions about how we define humanity and sentience are more interesting than some of the philosophical questions brought up in the new movie, and while the presentation of the new movie is much more slick, I have to give it to the effectively creepy direction of the original.

I still like both, but I can see why big fans of the original may have been let down. I'd recommend watching GitS on hulu. Now onto the sequels and TV show."

Still really dig the new movie and plan to own it, regardless of what I consider a somewhat overblown controversy (still think Batou and the Major look white as hell, but can't blame folks who are tired of not seeing Asian-Americans represented on-screen), but I will admit the original is better.

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/22/2017 at 09:15 PM

Ill performed below expectations.

KnightDriver

04/22/2017 at 10:30 PM

The anime for Ghost was much better because it really focused on the problem of identity. Hollywood just wants to put up a clear hero vs villain story. BORING!

I am excited for Guardians though. I know exactly what I'm getting with that movie.

I've played about 8 hours of Persona 5 and am still in the Palace too. However, I've chosen other games to play so Mark and I can compete. I keep looking at my sleeping PS4 longingly though. 

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/23/2017 at 12:52 PM

congrats on your PS4 man!!!  Have fun with it!  I loved Ghost in the Shell when I was a kid, but its been a long time since I saw it. 

Halochief90

04/27/2017 at 07:27 AM

Been a huge fan of the original Ghost in the Shell movie since I was 15. I do not have high hopes for the new movie, though I do expect a decent popcorn flick. It could be worse as far as anime films go.

goaztecs

04/27/2017 at 12:06 PM

Congrats on the new PS4 Pro. Seems like you got it at the right time with a bundled game and you picked up the Limited Edition P5. Not a bad way to jump into a new console. 

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