RetroPokeFan's Corner (Reviews and other tat)

Your Name (anime film, CoMix Wave Films, 2016)
4/5

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Generally gorgeous to look at and simply charming with it's characters, Your Name is a masterpiece by Makoto Shinkai that easily ranks as one of the best films he's ever made (in my opinion of course). Top marks to the dub by NYAV Post as well as leads Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh whose chemistry between them is nothing short of superb and really makes the emotional scenes just that more emotional.
 
The Fight for the Fox-Box (animated special, 4Kids Entertainment, 2003)
3/5

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Barely makes a single lick of sense and consists entirely of footage from some 4Kids shows from said block edited in a very clumsy fashion but I definitely won't lie when I say that this was still pretty entertaining. This literally just feels like a weird fever dream of sorts, the kind of thing we hardly see much of these days.

"Don't be so hard-boiled Eggman!"
 
D.I.Y. Duck (animated short, Disney, 2024)
3/5
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Nice to see another Donald Duck short in the classic style after a long while complete with Clarence Nash's iconic sounds and even the ol' Oliver Wallace music though it's a little disappointing that it's only two minutes meaning most of the gags have barely enough time to land before it has to quickly move onto the next one.

Happy 90th anniversary you crazy foul tempered duck!
 
Stuart Little 2 (PS1)
3/5

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I haven't seen any of the Stuart Little films in dog years (only the first two although there's a third one that went straight to video and looks like a big pile of CG mouse droppings) so I can't really comment on if they've aged well or not but the PS1 game based off of the second isn't too bad for a licensed platformer.

It's very similar to the solid Toy Story 2 game in a sense in that you're playing a small character (the Michael J. Fox mouse) and exploring a big looking world and I like that sort of stuff.

It's nice and simple, not too frustrating and I could see this being a decent way to introducer younger players to platforming before they move onto their Marios and Crash Bandicoots.

You can also collect everything pretty easily and after completing this 100% I have now officially qualified as a Stuart Little master.

Not that anyone will care anyway.
 
Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2)
5/5
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The first two Burnout games set the stage for what's to come but this third entry is definitely where the franchise hits its all time high with what I consider an essential PS2 (or Xbox) game. The races are more thrilling than before and of course the crashes that the series is known for are just so much darn fun to watch and more impactful than ever.

It's incredibly entertaining and a fun time with friends too easily making this one of the best entries in this series to date.
 
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Nintendo DS)
Game: 2/5
Movie version: 4/5
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Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days isn't the most fun entry in the series around (in fact I found it to be quite annoying in a few occasions with some of those god-forsaken bosses) but if there's one thing the game did manage to deliver - it was the fantastic story involving the friendship between Roxas, Axel and Xion and how it all sadly fell apart eventually leading into Kingdom Hearts II.

This is a fairly decent attempt at turning the story into a feature film using cutscenes from the DS game and plenty of new bits to fill for those text-heavy parts although it does tend to drag at certain points. The ending though is still just as sad and gutting as it was when I saw it the first time, making me hope that Roxas and the other two would get their happy ending one day.

And speaking of the game itself... Ooof, this sadly was not fun to come back to despite the superb story. Tons of dull missions, the Disney side being incredibly irrelevant for the most part, worlds that are starting to get stale and the most annoying and terribly designed bosses in the series to date. I know things get frustrating for Roxas later on but it feels like the game's punishing me too.
 
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (animated film, 2014)
2/5

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Quick note: I have not played the video game on which this cutscene compilation is based off on. It's one that I do want to check out one day as the levelling up system does look like fun with it's varied amount of customization you can do. Until then though I'm stuck with this feature film version and well, this was dreadfully boring.

Taking place after Kingdom Hearts II, Mickey and crew look inside Jiminy Cricket's journal after he notices an odd message but then it gets a whole bunch of bugs and glitches so they send a data version of Sora to fix things and it's basically just an excuse to visit the same few worlds that we've already seen a million times before in this series.

It's not particularly interesting and the fact that the movie version goes on for a whole flippin' 3 hours doesn't do the story any favours either. There's a reason nobody ever talks about Re:coded's story because it's not good and also feels really inconsequential even though it's still canon to the series.
 
Kingdom Hearts III (PS4)
4.5/5
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Really enjoy Kingdom Hearts III especially in the combat which is just as good as KHII's combat system. Quite refreshing too to go back to the usual battle style after years of change-ups and Command Decks (not that there's anything wrong with them).

The worlds are very fun to traverse though with the Toy Story and Pirates of the Caribbean ones being my big favourites. Not all of them are winners though, I thought the Monsters Inc world was rather underwhelming and the Frozen one is absolute crap. Really does feel like Disney had Nomura and co's hands tied behind their backs for that one and having to constantly go up and down the mountain got really old fast.

The Keyblade Graveyard ending and boss fights are banging though with some truly stellar music and overall it's a nice little conclusion to this Dark Seeker arc... although in classic KH fashion there's still plenty of set-up for things to come and the ending for Xehanort is a bit questionable especially with all the shit he did to everyone.

Overall though I still had quite a lot of fun with KHIII and go back to it every now and then.


Kingdom Hearts III - ReMind (PS4)
3/5 for the story stuff
5/5 for the bosses
which evens out to a 4/5
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ReMind is a real mixed bag of sorts but a good mixed bag all the same featuring some extra story bits (and more teases of the future to come) plus plenty of great super bosses and one that would make even Terra himself tear up.

For the story side it's kinda not great during the first half. There's two cool cutscenes featuring the Master of Masters and some Organization XIII stuff but then after that you're confronted with a lot of re-used bosses for this section (for example you have to fight Anti-Aqua again and the battle is exactly the same as in the main game) and just a general sense of padding things out. On the one hand though once you make it to the final section where you face the Organization members again it is cool that you can play as Riku, Aqua and Roxas during their battles (Roxas, Xion and Axel for the win!).

Things manage to pick up with the second half where you're able to see more of Scala ad Caelum (in the main game it was just there to be background scenery for the final Xehanort battle) and that finale is just banging - everyone fighting off those goat guys and Kairi being playable for that true legitimate final boss. Definitely made up for that rather naff first half.

Also the audio quality for the voices isn't particularly great for some reason and Riku sounds really bored out of his mind.

If you're into your super bosses you're in for a real treat too because these are some hella good ones that really give you a challenge and of course the extra one after you've completed that section is just - chef's kiss.

So in terms of this DLC if you're getting this for the story then I don't think I would bother despite those cool little moments but if it's for those bosses then definitely get this. It would be 3 stars for the story stuff alone but it gets a four because of the other content.
 
Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
3/5
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This is still a Ratchet and Clank game by heart so the gameplay kicks ass just as it always as alongside being packed to the brim with memorable weapons from the franchise's past (the Pixelizer being a big MVP for me).... but plot wise because it's based off of a crap movie no one remembers nowadays (AKA a game based on a film based on a game) the humour is utterly wretched and the characters are still their flanderised (or really should that be blanderised?) selves. It's amazing just how little interaction both Ratchet and Clank have in this compared to the original (they're all buddy buddy the minute they first meet each other) and there's a hardly a single trace of the funny moments this series is normally reliable for.

On the plus side though the game looks solid and it's great to see some of the levels from the original again (although not every one of them makes the cut). Pretty decent but I would still recommend playing the original instead unless you wanna see some old levels redone for a more modern generation.

Ratchet & Clank (animated film, Rainmaker Entertainment, 2016)
2/5

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And speaking of the film which the game is based off of, yeah it's not very good isn't it? It's slightly better than most other video game adaptations but that's still not saying much because this barely has a trace of the humour and charm that the games are well renowned for. All the characters in this feel so bland and generic, just trimmed down to their most basic of traits much like the plot itself and the witless, scatter-brained jokes that fail to generate much laughs.

Even the celebrity filled voice cast is mediocre stuff - the regular VA's from the game (James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and the rest) are as great as always but the big name voices range from just okay if flat (Paul Giamatti) to generally phoned in crap that could have been cut entirely (Sylvester Stallone).

I'm not a fan of some of the plot changes either. Like poor Drek, the guy is everywhere in the posters and even the game cover but then he just gets kicked to the side in favour of a really shoved in Dr. Nefarious who's only here because... he's the most iconic villain I guess and they sure love to reuse him a lot.

You can safely skip this and just play any of the other games including the original.
 
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (PS2 but played on PS4 via the 1.5/2.5 collection as the original PS2 version was never released in Europe)
3/5

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Had previously abandoned this game due to not getting on with the card based system at first but decided to give it another chance.

Once you figure out the whole card based system it's actually not too bad. The deck customization is decent and it's pretty fun to get to bust out some Sleights and card break the opponent before they use theirs. Some of them are really powerful too so if you manage to make a good deck of them then you'll pretty much beat most of the game with ease if you know what you're doing. The worlds themselves are pretty boring though, all of them just samey short hallways that get repetitive after a while and none of the story stuff there is voiced either.

The main story though is superb stuff and what kept me going. We get the introduction to Organization XIII, there's double crossings and betrayals going on and Sora's getting his memory all messed up to the point where he has to go to sleep just in time for KHII.

You even get to play as Riku for the first time with his own story after you've beat the main game so that is pretty cool.

Still not my big favourite but not as bad as I thought it was either.
 
The Muppet Christmas Carol (film, 1992)
5/5
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Still up there as one of the defining Christmas films and cinematic adaptations of this classic story. The Muppets add a fun and charming flavour with plenty of their trademark humour and Michael Caine's just a perfect Scrooge all around. Still pulls plenty of emotional guts as well which isn't something you normally think of when it comes to the Muppets.

All the Scrooges in the world, bow down to your Muppet masters and Michael Caine!
 
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (animated film, Aardman, 2024)
4/5
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A real Christmas treat indeed. It's great to see Wallace and Gromit again (and Feathers McGraw too) in another entertaining entry full of the charm, humour and wit the series is known for. Plenty of funny and heartfelt moments and another great climatic chase (if not quite as iconic as The Wrong Trousers's train chase).

Gotta give a big shout-out to Ben Whitehead too who does a fantastic job filling the late great Peter Sallis's cheese-loving shoes as Wallace.

Cracking stuff as the inventor himself would say.
 
Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo (PS2)
3/5
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The other time that Wallace and Gromit encountered Feathers McGraw before Vengeance Most Fowl was even a thing.

Controls and camera can be a bit fuzzy which makes some sections of platforming a bit of a pain this side of Wensleydale cheese (but then again when isn't the camera a pain when it comes to platformers?) but that classic Wallace and Gromit charm we've come to expect from the franchise still manages to pull through and it's fun to get to traverse through the zoo saving the baby animals as Gromit.

Project Zoo may not be entirely cracking (Gromit) but it still manages to be a fun enough time if you're into this franchise like I am. Very curious to see how the Curse of the Were Rabbit game turned out and if it improves on some of the flaws here.
 
Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded (Nintendo DS)
3.5/5
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Who knew that the Kingdom Hearts game that's considered by many to have the worst story of the bunch would also be the most fun out of the two DS games?

358/2 Days definitely is the better game story wise but when it comes to game-play, I generally prefer the much more faster and flashier combat here compared to 358/2 as it's quite a lot of fun especially once you get some of the best Commands in the game (the Command Deck returning from Birth by Sleep) and Data Sora's whizzing about all over the place like an absolute badass. There's even a bit of variety thrown in every now and then to really mix things up such as a auto-scrolling platformer in Twilight Town or a turn based RPG in Olympus Coliseum (my favourite part of the game).

Sure, it may be the most skippable entry plot wise, it may not be the best game in the series and we're only visiting Disney worlds we've seen a million times before but I cannot lie when I say I had a blast with this game. Well worth checking out just for the gameplay alone.
 
Lazarus (anime series, MAPPA, 2025)
2/5
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Adult Swim's Toonami block really hasn't had the best track record when it comes to their original shows with Uzumaki really sinking their reputation to an incredible new low.

I was really hoping Lazarus would be the show to turn things around since it not only has both MAPPA and Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame at the helm but also Chad Stahelski who John Wick fans will easily recognise since he helped out with the action sequences.

Thankfully it doesn't completely nosedive in quality entirely unlike what happened to Uzumaki but the rest of this show sadly ended up being such an utter bore. The animation and action scenes are great and have tons of stylish flair to it but where this show completely falls down is in its story and characters. Try as they might Axel Gilberto and co just aren't interesting to watch in the slightest and they end up coming off as Tesco brand Spike Spiegel and co.

The English dub is also (for lack of a better word) very underwhelming. I'm not really much of a fan of Sentai's dubs especially with their dreadful mic quality which they still haven't fixed and it suffers from all the same problems with lacking voice direction and very dull and monotone performances. Needless to say this dub isn't likely to be renowned as the next Cowboy Bebop and neither is the show itself for that matter.

It definitely has some style to it but all that style and razzle-dazzle doesn't mean a thing when everything else just falls flat on its face. And to say the ending is a huge let-down would be an understatement. I don't really blame anyone for having no interest in anything original that Toonami does going forward because it really has just been flop after flop after flop with their originals and this sadly doesn't do much to buck the trend (and neither will two more seasons of Ninja Uzumaki to be quite frank). Jason DeMarco, you will not be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! (anime series, Yostar Studios, 2024)
2/5
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Sigh.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger is a series that I had been enjoying up until Season 2. I thought the animation was decent, the characters interesting, the dub superb across the board (though with NYAV Post involved that's pretty much expected) and was absolutely interested in what was going on with the Red Keeper. Sure, they spent a lot of time in that parking lot but it was still such an action packed thrill ride that I was more than excited for another season. It was an instant 4/5 without a doubt.

And then that season did come a year later and what the ever-loving crap happened to this show? The animation quality drops significantly (and doesn't get back up until the last few episodes) and once the middle half arrives the pacing just goes to absolute hell and back. I haven't read the manga but I can tell right off the bat that so much stuff is being skipped through at a rapid pace to the point that I no longer care about these characters or what's going on. There were even some moments that could have been cool or shocking had they been allowed to breathe but they just aren't. It's just rushing through every last little piece as if they've been told to just get the whole thing over and done with. Season 2 is an absolute mess, in fact so much so, it's made me wonder why I ever fell in love with this show to begin with and that's such a depressing thought.

Pains me to say it but I wouldn't bother with this and would suggest you read the manga instead. I know that's exactly what I'll be doing.
 
Who Killed Who? (animated short, MGM, 1943)
5/5
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Top tier classic Tex Avery. Always a gag a minute and every single one of them is funny including a hilarious ending I did not expect to happen.
 
The Thursday Murder Club (film, Chris Columbus, Netflix/Amblin, 2025)
2/5
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Richard Osman (best known for his work on Pointless as well as writing this series of novels) and Amblin (Steven Spielberg's company) sounded like it could have been a winning combination but rather disappointingly it doesn't seem to be the case with The Thursday Murder Club.

It's not a terrible film by any means and it has a nice cast (Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, David Tennant and Richard E. Grant so two doctors from Doctor Who) plus a good Thomas Newman score but it's not terribly funny and it feels like any edge or charm the book has has been watered down significantly. I'm also not a fan of just how digital and Netflix-like this film looks and the direction from Chris Columbus (of Home Alone and Goonies fame) is bland and pedestrian at best.

Still love ya Osman but this was pretty underwhelmingly meh all round.
 
Managed to find the Pokémon movie: The Power of Us on Blu-Ray today. Nice bargain especially since it's one of the last UK releases of anything from the anime before Manga stopped. There hasn't been any releases (movie, show or otherwise) since.

Good film too, love Billy Bob Thompson and Haven Paschall in this.
 
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Little on the late side but happy 60th anniversary to Thunderbirds, a big favourite of mine and the most recognisable Supermarionation series for Gerry/Sylvia Anderson.
 
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