Extinction Review (PS4)

Killing monsters, wall climbing, gliding, and super moves.  What's it all add up to?  It's time to dive into Extinction.

Extinction is a game where you run around a town, killing trolls and rescuing people.  There are man-sized trolls that are easily killed (for the most part).  You also fight giant troll that you kill by slicing them in the back of the neck.  It's like the manga Attack On Titan minus all the charismatic teenagers and Levi.

Speaking of characters, you take the role of Avil, a sword-wielding badass.  As mentioned before, Avil can really get around.  He's able to claim walls like Spiderman, glide like Knuckles the Echidna, tree hop like a ninja, and use a rope to get higher like the kids from Attack On Titan.  The act of maneuvering itself isn't a problem.  Controlling that maneuverability is a slight problem, though.

Our protagonist, Avil.

Avil feels floaty when running.  Also, when wall jumping, it's hard to get down and if you stuck between two buildings, forget it.  And on that note...the tree hopping.  Holy crap.  There are times when you want to just drop to the ground, but your idiot avatar won't let that happen.  He'll just keep tree hopping until he runs out of trees.  It's so...derpy.  It's almost like the game is trying to be more epic than it really is.

The combat is button-mashy when fighting smaller trolls, but not really.  If you just mash buttons, you will take cheap shots and learn how weak Avil really is as some monsters will kill you is three hits.  You can upgrade Avil, but the upgrades do NOTHING.  Those red monsters who can will kill you in three hits at your weakest will still kill you in three hits when you're at your strongest.  Avil simply doesn't feel like he's getting any more powerful.

The only thing upgrading is good for is looking at this cool screen.

Then, you have the battles against giants, which are ripped straight out of Attack On Titan.  You simply climb up the giant's back and decapitate him by slicing the back of his neck with your super move.  It can be tough to get up there with the giant running, jumping, and flailing around, but it can be done.  You can also slice off their arms to keep them from destroying stuff and their legs to keep them from moving around for a bit.  These limbs will grow back, so hurry and cut off the head.  Giants can wear armor, making things slightly more difficult (and a lot more annoying).  Oh yeah, try not to get hit or stepped on as this is usually (not always) instant death.

You can target arms or legs, but slicing off the head is the only way to kill giants.

You don't necessarily fail the mission when Avil dies.  But when the town dies, you fail.  That's right.  The town you fight in has a life bar which goes down when citizens are killed and when the giants destroy buildings.   You can think of it as a time limit of sorts.

When this number hits 0, you're screwed.

Saving to save citizens is a problem.  You find these idiots standing near crystals waiting to either be saved by you or killed by trolls.  Saving them requires you to stand completely still and charge crystals to "beam" them away.  This sucks if an enemy materializes nearby, because they can kill citizens before you can rescue them or attack you, forcing you to stop charging the crystal until you fight them off.  Also, citizens often get killed and you can't do anything about it.  Either you won't know where they are or you simply won't be able to get to them before they are killed.  You simply won't be able to save everyone.  Luckily, none of them are important, so fair enough.

When saving citizens, pray that a troll doesn't wander past and kill them and/or you.

Outside of the main campaign, you get three additional game modes; Daily Challenge, Extinction, and Skirmish.  These shake things up a little, but they are largely the same.  Kill monsters, save the town, and try not to get killed doing it.

Well, on to the little stuff.  The controls are good, but you can't change them.  All you can do is look at them.  The button layout is perfectly fine, but it would have been nice for players who don't like it to change it.

You may or may not like these controls, but you'd better get used to them.

The graphics are alright, just not what I was expecting.  Everything looks too bright for such a dark subject.  I expected something darker and grittier.  The enemies don't look threatening, but slightly silly.  The cutscenes remind me of Avatar the Last Airbender, which is nowhere near being a bad thing.

Big trolls don't look too intimidating, but they can one-hit KO you.

The cutscenes are pretty good.

The music is pretty forgettable.  I think there's music, but I really don't remember.  I can't tell you whether or not it's good or shitty.  Seriously the only song I remember is on the title screen, which sounds like any old trailer for a summer blockbuster.

And there's DLC, if you want it.

Ultimately, Extinction is one of those games best described as being good in theory, but bad in execution.  There are some cool ideas here and the presentation is nice, but the gameplay is trash.  It's sad, because there is a good game under there somewhere.  Pass if you can.

Senran Kagura Dream Teams

Senran Kagura a decent, girl-heavy series of games.  There is some good variety throughout the series.  There are multiple brawlers, as shooter in Peach Beach Splash, and even a cooking game in Bon Appetit.  There's a game to suit your tastes.

Of course, Senran Kagura is all about the girls.  Some are cool, some are cutesy, some are cringey.  It's quite the mix.  They are all divided into different factions, usually by school.  However, I have some factions of my own in mind.  These are some Senran Kagura factions, created by yours truly.

1.  Team Cringe

Roster: Katsuragi (captain), Ryona, Ayame, Kagura, Murakumo

With sexual harassment being her hobby, there's no way Katsuragi wasn't going to be the captain of this team.  Aspiring to be like Katsuragi was enough to get Ayame a spot right alongside her.  Ryona is here because...who gives a shit?  Murakumo wears that creepy mask.  As for Kagura...dem eyes.

2.  Team Cutesy

Roster:  Kafuru (captain), Mirai, Naraku, Minori, Hibari

The main trait of most of these girls is that they are all under five feet tall.  Hibari is the exception to this, but her star-shaped eyes and overall cutesy appearance helped her lock up a spot.

3.  Team Badass

Roster:  Daidoji (captain), Yagyu, Homura, Miyabi, Hikage

These girls just look like they'll whup somebody's ass.  A few of them even look like cute guys.  This series really does have a girl for everyone.

4.  Team Lame

Roster:  Haruka (captain), Asuka, Leo, Soji, Yuyaki

These are the girls I play ass the least.  Leo, Soji, and Yukaku have an extra element because Peach Beach Splash is the first time I've seen them.  Their contribution to the PBS story doesn't add up to jackshit, leading to me being initially intrigued, but ultimately not caring about them.  Haruka is the embodiment of lame.  I want to like Asuka but...just can't.

5.  Team MHCLB

Roster:  Rin (captain), Renka, Ikaruga, Imu, Yumi

MHCLB is an acronym for Mature, Hot, Cool, Loyal, Beautiful.  Rin is mature, being the eldest of the group.  Renka's hot because...she is.  Ikaruga is cool because she has the outfit, weapon, and personality.  Imu is loyal, but only to Miyabi, which could throw off team chemistry.  Finally, Yumi is beautiful because her ice-based attacks are pretty to look at.  So, why are these girls a team?  They are the cutest girls.

6. The Derp Duo

Roster:  Ryoki, Hanabi

When clumsy meets stupid, this team is the result.  OMFG, these girls are derpy.  At least Ryoki has some good things going for her, with her only real flaw being that she's DEAD!

7. Team Eyeful

Roster:  Kagura (captain), Hikage, Hibari, Ryobi, Ryona

Dem eyes, though.  These characters all have unusual eyes.  Kagura's eyes look like flowers or machine gears (I can't tell).  Hikage is a cat-eyed bitch.  Hibari has star eyes.  Ryobi and Ryona each have a green eye and a blue eye.  Also, Ryona...who gives a shit?

8.  The Alternators

Roster:  Yagyu, Mirai

They both wear eyepatches over the opposite eye, so the name fits.  Also, perhaps it's a huge coincidence, but both girls use umbrellas as weapons.

9.  Life And Death

Roster:  Jasmine, Ryoki

Jasmine is life, being a younger version of an 81-year old woman.  Ryoki is death, having died at 17.  It's pretty cringy to think of either of them as attractive, because one is 81 and the other is DEAD!

10.  The Old School Ass-Whuppin' Duo

Roster:  Rin, Daidoji

Two former students of Hanzo Academy in their mid-twenties.  Rin is hot, stealthy, and probably smart.  What Daidoji lacks in looks, she makes up for with her ass-whuppin' skills.  A good brains-and-braun duo.

11.  The Head Breakers

Roster:  Daidoji (captain), Ayame, Katsuragi, Hibari, Yozakura

These character only need their fist and feet to decimate enemies.  Katsuragi kicks them into submission, Yozakura punches them into oblivion, Hibari uses bitch-slaps to humiliate them, and Ayame finishes them off with punches and kicks, and Daidoji uppercuts them to the moon.  They'd better protect their breast around Katsuragi, though.  An interaction between Daidoji and Katsuragi could be funny.

12.  The Crackshots

Roster:  Ryoki (captain), Ryobi, Mirai, Kafuru, Ryona

These girls use some type of gun as their weapon.  Ryobi has a sniper rifle with built into axe in the bunt.  Mirai's umbrella shoots homing shots.  Kafuru uses water pistols to shoot water bullets that ricochet all over the place.  Ryona uses...who gives a shit?  Ryoki marches out there like a G, armed with a shotgun and shield.

13.  Team Ju-on

Roster:  Jasmine (captain), Kagura, Ikaruga, Mirai, Ryoki

The unifying feature of these characters is their long, black hair, just like the vengeful spirits from the Ju-on movie series.  The kicker here is that Ryoki actually could be one of those spirits on account of being DEAD!

14.  The Theme Team

Roster:  Ikaruga (captain), Murasaki, Ryoki, Yumi, Renka

These characters have the coolest themes in the series.  Ikaruga, in particular, has a badass theme, making her the captain.

15.  DJ Ryoki and Rapmaster Hikage

Roster:  Ryoki, Hikage

Ryoki rips it up on the turnstiles while Hikage busts out some sick lyrics.  Sadly, Ryoki actually does go by DJ Ryoki for a short time.  At least both gimmicks were kind of funny.

And these are a few teams I thought of at a glance.  Think Shiki was left out unfairly?  Think Ryoki is on too many?  Do you have any Senran Kagura dream teams?  Comment and make your voice heard.

Peach Beach Splash Water Guns

Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash is a shooter starring the girls of Senran Kagura.  Girls, swimsuits, and trading cards are all apart of the action.  Heck, even the girls' weapons are present, though they aren't nearly as important here as in other games in the series.

But make no mistake.  Peach Beach Splash is all about the water guns.  These guns determine how you run, how you jump, and obviously how you shoot.  More often than not, it's the gun you choose, not the girl or the cards, that will make or break your chances at victory.

There are a lot of guns.  Some are good, some suck, and others are highly situational.  Let's break them down by usefulness into the ten basic types.

1.  Assault Rifle

The perfect combination of range and power, the assault rifle is the king of the water guns in this game.  It shoots fast, shoots for a long time, reloads fast, and grants the ability of flight.  Depending on how good you are at reloading in the air, you can flying indefinitely.  Range, speed, mobility, this gun has it all.  The shots are kind of weak, but the 3-shot function makes up for it.  It's the perfect gun, especially for beginners.

2.  Twin Pistols

The award for funniest reload animation goes to the dual pistols.  The first time you reload, you will laugh and say, "WTF is that girl doing?"  Your girl goes crazy.  But the gun reloads so fast, it has virtually no reload time.  It can fire for a long time if you set it to the Extra Ammo setting.  Firepower is the default setting, but it doesn't seem worth it.  The Jump Boost you get is pretty shitty because it's so hard to control where your girl lands. You do get some early laughs with an over-the-top slide for the running animation

3.  Gatling Gun

The Gatling gun lights up foes nicely, able to mow down multiple foes or any of the main girls in seconds.  It also gives its user the ability to fly, enabling you to rain down death from the above.  It doesn't have the indefinite(?) flight like the assault rifle and the shotgun, but it CAN fly.  If the enemy has one of these, watch out.  It does have one crippling weakness, though.  It's reload time is a bitch and there seems to be a slight delay, especially when it's completely empty.  If you have to reload when an enemy is near, you're up shit creek.  If not for the reload time, this would be the best gun.

4.  Spray Gun

Extremely deadly at close range.  Only close range.  This gun has the shortest range and the shots are very weak, but you'll fire off so many, it won't matter.  You can use Set to set a trap, which works like a poison cloud, raping any enemy who gets close.  It's good if you can sneak up on the enemy or chase them down.  It also gives your girl a cool run animation, which resembles someone strumming a guitar.  Sadly, you're stuck with the Jump Boost special jump.

5.  Grenade Launcher

Sends a water balloon bouncing along the ground that explodes, sending anyone nearby flying, doing nice damage in the process.  You can also set it so the water balloons explode on impact, which is good at close range.  It features the worst special jump; the Float Down.

6.  Pistol

Easy to use, but runs out of water too fast.  Also, it has that Jump Boost I'm not a fan of.  On the other hand, the shots hurt quite a bit and bounce off walls, hurting any enemy they hit.  Overall, it doesn't feel very satisfying to use.

7.  Shower Gun

The award for most confusing gun goes to this "gem" of a weapon.  It has an unappealing appearance, looking like a garden hose.  Also, the game says this gun has the same range as the assault rifle, but that's bullshit as far as I can tell.  But it can fly and has an some homing ability, so there's some good.

8.  Shotgun

Powerful, but somewhat difficult to use.  You have to be fairly close to hit with it.  It fires slow, but it does have a homing function and can fly indefinitely with mid air reloading, like the assault rifle.  Flying makes everything better...mostly.  The sliding run animation returns with this gun.

9.  Rocket Launcher

The default setting is a hard-hitting water rocket.  The second setting fires multiple homing rockets that are weaker, but still hurt plenty, especially if all three hit.  It takes what's good about both the shotgun and sniper rifle and combines them into one glorious gun.  However, not all is good.  It has that lousy Float Down special jump.

10.  Sniper Rifle

Obviously, distance is your best friend with this gun.  The sniper rifle has insane range and power, allow you to pick off targets from a fair distance.  As you'd expect, though, it runs out of ammo fast.  You can only get off two or three shots, before you run out of water and have to reload.  Otherwise, it seems inaccurate or like it doesn't always hit, even when it clearly does.  It can hit stationary targets or targets moving directly at you just fine.  An a game like this, where targets fly and buzz around like flies, you simply aren't going to hit anything, especially not one of the main girls.  But when it does hit, the enemy will do some primetime hurting.  Honestly, it's pretty worthless against the main girls, unless you're some sort of Peach Beach Splash god.  On a good note, you can fly with it, so that adds to the usefulness.

And that's the ten different types of water guns you can use in Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash.  You can level the guns up or download guns that look like food, but they all fall into these categories.  Some are good, while others are shitty, but they all have their uses.  Hopefully, this post is helpful to someone.

Videogame Hotties: Rin/Suzune/Miss R

She's skilled.  She's mature (sort of).  She's got purple hair.  It's Rin/Suzune/Miss R of Senran Kagura.

Senran Kagura is a series filled to the brim with girls.  Sadly, there's a shortages of adult females.  That's where Rin/Suzune/Miss R comes in.  Finally, a grown woman to drool over.  She's not just some barely legal thot like Renka or Yumi (begs Renka and Yumi for forgiveness).  No.  She's in her mid-20s.  In other words, a grown ass woman.  So, how does she stack up to her younger counterparts?

In a cast full of teenage girls, Rin is a breath of fresh air.

Well, she certainly does, in fact, stack up in the most obvious way.

She has a lot to offer in the "chest department".

Yet she's still intimidated by the youth of the others for some reason.

A hot woman in her mid-20s wants to look like a teenager?  Goodbye, logic.

Her lust for her perverted co-host doesn't help her insecurity.

Not sure what she sees in Kiriya, but she loves the man.

Her taste in men may suck, but she has good taste in clothes.

She can be a teacher...

...or a ninja, but...

She's not always good at keeping them intact, though.

...she can also be a half-naked teacher...

...or a half-naked ninja.

She cares for the environment.

Die, burning barrel, die!

She's not afraid to get her legs dirty.

She's going to feel this in the morning.

Or crying.

Even fetish ninja teachers have to cry.

She can still break out the swords when she needs to.

It takes some skill to pull this off.

She certainly isn't afraid of kissing.

Where's a VR headset when you need one.

And she can strike an intimidating pose.

Harassment will not be tolerated.

But, she isn't immune to being embarrassed.

Water makes people act strangely.

Nothing's more embarrassing than the dreaded "cat pose".

And after all that, she still knows how to relax.

Just a lazy day on the beach for Rin.

And that's Rin/Suzune/Miss R.  If you like teachers, women in glasses, or female ninjas, she's the woman for you.  Check her out in various Senran Kagura titles, including Peach Beach Splash.