Magpie Gamer

The Legend of Vox Machina is an adult animated series based on campaign 1 of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role. Critical Role is a group of professionalvoice actors that get together to play D&D 5th edition. The cast own the intellectual property and have already produced a number of licensed works based on the show. A single Critical Role campaign will consist of a series of story arcs, played over multiple sessions. Between or sometimes within the major story arcs, the characters rest, resupply, or go on side quests. While each campaign centers on a different party of adventurers, the campaigns are all set on the various continents of Exandria, a world of Matt Mercer's creation. Campaign 1 ran from March 2015 to October 2017; totaling 115 episodes with an average runtime of 3 to 5 hours per episode. It follows the adventures of the Vox Machina party and is set primarily on the continent of Tal'Dorei in locations such as the metropolis of Emon and t...

Tales of Symphonia The Animation is a Japanese direct-to-video animated series made to promote the video game of the same name. It consists of three arcs, originally released as separate DVDs, and later as a complete Blu-ray collection in 2013. The series has never been dubbed in English and only recently become widely available via streaming services in 2021: Sylvarant Arc: Four 30 minute long episodes released in 2007. Opening Song: Almateria by Eri Kawai Credits Song: Negai ("Wish") by Kaori Hikita Episode 3 only: Uchi e Kaerou ("Let's Go Home") by Kaori Hikita Tethe'alla Arc: Four 40 minute long episodes released in 2010. Opening Song: Tenkuu no Canaria ("Canary in the Sky") by Nana Mizuki Credits Song: Inori no Kanata ("Beyond the Prayers") by Akiko Shikata Episode 8 only: Tsui no Kodomo-tachi by Akiko Shikata The United World Arc: Three 30 to 40 minute long episodes released in 2011. O...

I don't know much about musical theory, nor am I a musically inclined person. However, I do love to listen to video game soundtracks. They can be a powerful listening experiences in their own right, or be as evocative as the scores composed for film. Each of these posts will feature a sampling of music tracks from a single game title, or series/franchise in some rare cases. A complete list of these can be found on the Video Game Music page. Composer: Motoi Sakuraba (Berseria/Zestiria) and Go Shiina (Zestiria) Singer: Flow (Berseria), Superfly (Zestiria) North American Release Date: January 2015 (Zestiria) / January 2017 (Berseria) Berseria follows the Lord of Calamity - a demon named Velvet, and her attempts to destroy her brother-in-law, Artorius - the Shepard. The Shepard is a holy figure of sorts able to communicate with the spirits of the land. Zestiria is set one thousand years later and follows a new Shepard in his attempts to cleanse the land of demons, ...

  0:01 - Honoré de Balzac quote: In full: "La conviction est la volonté humaine arrivée à sa plus grande puissance. Tout à la fois effet et cause, elle impressionne les âmes les plus froides, elle est une sorte d'éloquence muette qui saisit les masses." Translated: "Conviction is the human will brought to its greatest power. Simultaneously effect and cause, it impresses the coldest souls, it is a sort of mute eloquence which grips the masses." 0:08 - Beast riding: A griffin with what seems to be two human riders. Is this something quest related or possibly the new fast travel system? 0:018 - the ruins of Bluemoon Tower are visible: The sea, unfamiliar red cliffs in the distance and bridges indicate this location is likley opposite of Gransys. 0:028 - Quina 2.0: An NPC (Ulrika, according to subtitles) indicates the protagonist does not remember saving her from the dragon, which is very reminiscent of DD1's Arisen and their start with Quina. The m...

Dragon Age: Absolution is a six episode anime by the streaming service Netflix. Mairghread Scott, Mae Catt, and Tim Sheridan wrote two episodes a piece under the supervision of BioWare (video game developer). Korean studio, Red Dog Culture House, animated the series. Opening Song: Main Theme (by Penka Kouneva) Credits Song: N/A Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.

Tales of Phantasia: The Animation is a 2004 Japanese direct-to-video animated series made to promote the video game of the same name. It consists of four 30 minute long episodes that were released as separate DVDs in Japan and as a complete collection in North America under the title "Heroes of Space and Time" . Opening Song: Yume no Hate ("The Ends of a Dream") by Masami Suzuki Credits Song: Priere by Masami Suzuki Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.

Monster Hunter is one of my favorite video game franchises. The biological creativity is restrained, which lends an air of legitimacy and plausibility to their existence. To keep things simple I will only be using the standard monster versions, no variants or sub-species.   #5: Astalos A spikey wyvern with insect-like wings that hails from any area with heavy vegetation. It can paralyze prey using currents of electricity and reacts aggressively towards any man or beast that enters its territory. #4: Legiana A slim and highly agile bird-like wyvern from the coral highlands, Legiana uses ice to slow its opponents. They are fast and intensely territorial towards anyone invading their airspace. #3: Mizutsune Mizu's flowery design was crafted with beauty in mind. This water-based monster can spray a jet of water from its mouth or produce bubbles that both speed movement and hinder movement when stacked. #2: Barroth This brute from the desert is the complete opposite of Mizu...