Well, it's finally over. The ending... wasn't very satisfying, but I guess I can't complain too much. I think IBO is going to go down in history as a pretty polarizing show among Gundam fans. It's very different. That's not unusual for an AU show, but IBO really has a fundamentally different feel to it from even most other AUs, in terms of everything from mechanical design to tone of its story. Okada brought something very new to the franchise, and in the end I think that's a good thing.
After War Gundam X
I finish watching one Gundam, and promptly start up another. Coming from IBO I was very worried that older shows would suddenly feel very dated (even though I've already seen and enjoyed plenty of them), but X is hitting it off with me right away. I like Garrod, and I really like the overall set up of the show. "After War" turns out to have been a very apt timeline title, as the show takes place only a few years after humanity has already largely destroyed itself in an all-consuming war. It's the typical Earth vs. Colony feud, except this time nobody was around to stop both sides from going all the way. Now it's just scattered remnants trying to pick up the pieces in a Mad Max-esque world. As a result the show is weirdly dark sometimes. Like for example, there's a scene early on when a bunch of bandits are trying to steal Gundam X from Garrod, but they're not united at all and the moment one of them falls over or is defeated by Garrod, the rest dogpile him/her and finish them off, just to reduce competition.
I guess Gundam X is fresh in its own way just because how cynical it seems to be in its portrayal of humanity.
Amagi Brilliant Park
I ended up watching the 14th episode of this for reasons, and enjoyed it. So I decided to come back and give the actual series a try. I'm already having a blast with it. It goes without saying that it's a beautiful show (with lots of beautiful women, hue), but it's got a lot of character.
Black Lagoon
Another one of those well-known shows that I haven't seen. Let's fix that. I'm only a couple episodes in, but it's not bad. I think I might have a soft-spot for anime set in places in the southern hemisphere, in places like Malaysia and South America. Those are places that I know little about and don't have much interest in visiting, but there's an exoticism to them that I enjoy seeing portrayed in fiction. And if nothing else, it's a nice break from the endless stream of anime set in Japan or facsimiles of it.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Now that some of my Master Quartz are maxing out and I'm getting some really good slot quartz, combat's been kind of a breeze. I'm in Roer now, that's a cool place too.
Company of Heroes 2
So, the balance patch is out. Penal squads have anti-tank rifles now, which... Isn't totally strange I guess, but I didn't feel like Soviets were really hurting for extra AT options, and giving Penals PTRS rifles makes Guards less attractive. The fact that satchel charges can stick to vehicles now is hilarious, though.
The PIAT got a big buff too. Overall, I'm happy with the changes. The shots home now, which is silly in action, but makes the weapon much less frustrating. This is counterbalanced by a big reduction in range, which makes it easier for enemy armor to kite you.
And, well, right on the heels of this patch, it seems another one's cooking. This time Relic's finally giving in to the whiners and nerfing the Comet and Cromwell. Personally, I felt the Cromwell was in a great place, so it stings a ton to see it get nerfed. The Comet was a really good tank, so good that it rarely made sense to choose the Churchill over it, but the balance changes currently suggested seem way too harsh. Especially buffing the population cap up from 16 to 20. That's right in line with a King Tiger. It's one thing to make it cost more popcap, but they're also reducing its overall effectiveness at the same time, so we're getting a worse tank for higher popcap. I think the ride might really be over for me if this is the future of UKF.
Shadowverse
So a new expansion came out recently, Tempest of the Gods. For me, the most exciting cards came for Swordcraft, but it feels like almost every faction got some pretty scary new additions. Dragoncraft in particular got buffed like nuts. But what seems to really be shaking up the meta is Heavenly Aegis, a new Havencraft card. Heavenly Aegis is an extremely strong card just looking at its attack and defense, but the kicker is that almost nothing can kill it. It can't be damaged, it can't be banished, it can't be removed by spells. Theoretically, the only way to deal with it is to use a a card with Bane. It seems like with every expansion, Cygames pushes the boundary of what ought to be permissible for a balanced meta, and they're really stretching it this time. There are some factions that, as far as I'm aware simply do not have cards with Bane (like Havencraft, heh), so Heavenly Aegis becomes unstoppable.
Granted, Heavenly Aegis costs 10 points, so you're not going to see it until very late. This means you can realistically kill a Havencraft before they ever get a chance to play it, especially because Havencraft decks often have a slow start anyway. That said, I feel like if your strategy to defeat a card has to be "beat the player before they can play that card", that card might be a little too strong.
I'm not even sure what Cygames hoped to accomplish by introducing Heavenly Aegis, as it's not like Havencraft was a struggling faction. In fact, I've long considered Havencraft to be one of the strongest factions; even though it's not my favorite faction (that'd be Swordcraft or Forestcraft), it's the one I usually win the most with.
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