Anime

D&A’s Top 5 Anime Villain Groups/Factions!

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When it comes to anime, everyone has favorites. Their favorite main character, favorite side character, best boy, best girl, and so on. All that’s all good and well, but let’s not forget; we also have some of our favorite anime villains as well. Many of them possess traits and personalities that make us either love or hate them; from trying to fulfill a personal goal, to just getting rid of a thorn in their side – which is usually the main character. Some are a one-man band that work alone, but the five selections that we’ve got all travel in a group. (Strength in numbers, right?) Here are our Top 5 Anime Villain Groups/Factions.

Number 5: The Ginyu Force (Dragon Ball Z)

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Ginyu Force Rules!!

Yep, we had to do it. Coming in at number 5 on our Top 5 is the one and only Ginyu Force. Next to Zarbon and Didoria, Frieza’s trump card of lackeys is the five-member group of mercenaries known as the Ginyu Force. Captain Ginyu (power level-wise) is the strongest member on the team as well as the team leader. Do we consider these guys villains? Eh, maybe – but not seriously. Nevertheless these five men are great as a team, but they won’t last five seconds against Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku OR Blue Evolution Vegeta.

Number 4: The Seven Stars (Shikabane Hime: Corpse Princess)

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The Seven Stars…

This anime title’s kind of underrated (in our opinion), but this group of anime villains from the series Shikabane Hime, is lead by the Traitor Monk. These guys are the reason as to why Makina became what she is; a Shikabane Hime. Although it’s been awhile since we’ve seen the series (roughly 10 years), we can say that these guys are bad news to any and everyone that stands in their way.

Number 3: The League of Villains (My Hero Academia)

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Even anime superhero squads have supervillain syndicates!

You can’t have a superhero anime like My Hero Academia without a group – no, a league of supervillains trying to slow them down (or even kill them). Deku and the rest of the Hero Society has had their hands full with the Villain Alliance during the first couple seasons of My Hero, and we’re pretty sure they’re not done yet! If the fights weren’t indication enough as to how powerful these villains can be, then just watching the series!

Number 2: The Ten Commandments (The Seven Deadly Sins)

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You can watch these two go at it on Netflix!

We all know about the ones from the Bible, but these Ten Commandments are on a whole different level. This group of villains was hand picked by the Demon Lord himself, as each member possesses a commandment that they can impose on anyone (even the Seven Deadly Sins) at any time, as their commandment is immune to the other’s commandment. Needless to say, these guys are badass! (But not as badass as our #1!)

Number 1: The Akatsuki (Naruto Shippuden)

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Why are they #1? Isn’t it obvious?

And of course these guys were going to be the #1 spot. Every single anime convention you go to, you are going to run into one, or all of the members of the Akatsuki! Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Pain, Tobi, you name it – you’ve probably seen it! They’re not just number one on our list, their main goal is a simple one; get money to fund their organization, extend their services to people who will pay top dollar to use them, and take over the freakin’ world! Not to mention they’re powerful as hell. If these guys drop a dope rap album, we’ll be the first to pick it up! 😉

Honorable Mentions

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The Squirtle Squad, bay bay!

And who can forget these five guys? Any Pokemon fan who has seen the episode knows who the Squirtle Squad is! They’re five Squirtle who have been abandoned by their trainers, so they joined together and formed their own squad. #SquirtleSquadGoals! 😉

There are tons of other villain groups out there that are super powerful, super intelligent, and super badass! I wish we could fit them all on this post, but if you guys have your particular favorites, just list them in the comments below. That will do it for our Top 5 post, and until our next one, stay nerdy my friends! 🙂

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: Pre-Review!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, DBZ, Game Reviews

In 1989 a series…no, a franchise came about that would become one of the most ground-breaking anime titles to ever be created or produced. This legendary franchise has been a part of our lives since the 90’s, and now future generations are getting the chance to experience the action, the adventure, and the epic awesomeness that is Dragon Ball Z. Old school fans have watched Son Goku grow up and take on the Red Ribbon Army in Dragon Ball, go Super Saiyan on Frieza in Dragon Ball Z, put Baby in a corner in Dragon Ball GT (see what I did there?) and fight against the gods in Dragon Ball Super.

Who knows what the next saga for Goku and the gang will entail, but right now, fans get the chance to relive the early days of Goku’s battles in the newest game (that’s out in stores now); Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot!

After careful examination, sources confirm that the game’s sagas will only go from the Saiyan Arc to the Majin Buu Arc. (Sorry Super fans T.T) Nevertheless there’s quite enough content, action, and gameplay to go around. Right off the bat a lot of fans are saying that the game as a whole is a giant mashup of the Legacy of Goku series from Game Boy Advance – which from our personal experiences in playing the games ourselves is not too far off. (Being that this game is an open world Action RPG with real-time combat that’s not turn-based, we can see why fans may be making these comparisons.) For those stepping into the world of Dragon Ball for the first time, and you find yourselves wanting to get your hands on this game, we believe you’re in for quite a treat – although the final decision about how you feel and experience the game is up to you.

Despite the fact that there aren’t any Super characters that you fight against or play as (as far as we know), the game does offer some pretty sweet ‘things’ that might make your overall experience awesome either epic and awesome, or leave a lot to be desired. No matter how you slice it, if you’ve been a Dragon Ball fan since day one (or you’re just starting on the path to becoming one), and you own a PS4, X-Box One, or even a PC, then you must absolutely pick up a copy of this game! (And we probably will too, hopefully!)

Sorry this post was a little late, but as always we’ve got more content coming your way. So from us to you, stay nerdy my friends! 😉

D&A Anime Blog: Isekai Quartet: Season 1 Review!

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Sorry this one got delayed, but here we are with another anime review for Isekai Week from the crossover series Isekai Quartet! About a decade ago we were wondering if we were ever going to get an anime crossover series (and not the one with DBZ and One Piece or that other one that you guys might remember), and in 2019, the anime gods have blessed us with this four-way (soon to be five) school-life series simply known as Isekai Quartet. All of the dub VA’s from the original shows reprise their roles in this awesome project; which includes Re:Zero – Starting Life In Another World, Overlord, Saga Of Tanya, and Konosuba. As of right now there’s a second season in the works coming out this year, and it features newcomers from Shield Hero! (Hopefully Cautious Hero and Slime get added in the third season. Fingers crossed!)

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These three would never be in the same show…until now!

We stumbled upon this series just two months ago today, so if you haven’t gotten the chance to see just what this show is all about, we’ll give you a brief rundown:

Everything was peaceful (or something to that effect) in the worlds or lands of Re:Zero, Konosuba, Overlord, and finally Saga Of Tanya, until a magical button appears and all of the main characters press said button. They soon are transported to a parallel world where the magic of school life begins. That’s pretty much it!

Basically the whole first season takes all of those “what-if” moments that most of us have written fan fiction stories about, and packed them into a 12-episode isekai comedy about school life – with characters that you would never even imagine seen interacting with one another. Out of the four main series’ Tanya is the most serious and is a natural leader with an iron fist, but now out of her element in this new type of life she’s not accustomed to, she gels quite well with a couple of the Overlord cast; especially with Ainz Ooal Gown and Demiurge. There are all types of funny moments that happen in the series – some of which include Aqua, but not in the way that you’d think.

Overall as a whole, this series is a mix of school life, isekai (of course), and comedy. I’m looking forward to what season two will have in store; considering the main cast of Rising of the Shield Hero will be making their debut. Sorry this review couldn’t be a little bit longer, but the plot of the show is more along the lines of entertainment than it is complexity. That being said, you can now check this show out on Crunchyroll or FunimationNow.

That will do it for this post and review, and until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

Cautious Hero: Overview & Impression Review!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Filler Posts

Here we are in a brand new year as well as a brand new decade! For 2020 we’ve decided to do a few things differently in terms of posting content, so for this week (as we mentioned in our last post) we’re doing the ‘A-B’ method; with Week A being Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Week B being Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This week is Isekai Week and we’re kicking it off with an overview and impression review on the anime series Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious!

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They’re both at LVL. 1, but ‘his’ stats aren’t! XP

The Overview:

Check it! So the story revolves around Ristarte, a goddess who has been placed in charge of saving the world of Gaeabrande from a Demon Lord. To do this she has to summon a human hero, but not just any hero – one that will become strong enough to take on the Demon Lord, as well as survive the S-Class world of Gaeabrande. Ristarte (or Rista) finds the hero that she’s looking for; a man by the name of Seiya Ryuguin. Everything appears to be going well, but there’s just one small detail that Rista discovered about Seiya – he’s way too cautious about everything (especially her) to a somewhat unorthodox degree. Although this drives the goddess crazy, once Seiya reaches a level that he’s comfortable with and sets foot on the grounds of Gaeabrande, Rista sees that his methods and reasoning for being so cautious are well justified.

First Impression & (Brief) Review:

So we’ve gotten the chance to watch several episodes of this series, and as far as first impressions go, it’s a pretty entertaining series. Sometimes as I watch an episode or two, and Rista has one of her funny moments with Seiya, it slightly reminds me of the relationship that Aqua has with Kazuma in Konosuba. The Action RPG (or MMORPG) elements that are thrown into the mix with this series does add the feeling of you playing a video game. (Danmachi kind of has the same flow in terms of these elements as well.) With Seiya’s over cautious persona and Rista’s well…aloof yet inner infatuation with him, the two of them are a rather interesting and entertaining duo to watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up in the third season of Isekai Quartet (trust me, it’s gonna happen), but as far as this series goes, it’s one to definitely check out.

Well guys, that will do it for the first anime overview/review for 2020, and as always until next post, stay nerdy my friends! 😉

It’s Been A Long Day (Year)…

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Actually, it’s been a long year. It’s hard to believe that this is the final month of 2019, and in less than 30 days we’ll be looking at this year through the rear-view mirror. Has it been easy for us to get posts and content up on our blog on a consistent basis? Not at all. However, we’re holding our heads up high for the new year, as we’ll be stepping just a little bit out of our comfort zone. This includes new anime reviews on 2020 Winter/Spring titles, a new Discord channel, new music (which will actually be on its own blog/site but you can listen on our Sidebar Music Player), and new anime cons!

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Avidd Mindset Mindgames EP, coming early 2020!!

Looking back we feel that we’ve sort have come a long way since starting the blog back in the cold Winter of 2016. What was meant to be a page filled with convention cosplay photos has now turned into an interactive site where you can read anime, manga, and video game reviews, watch con videos, and (in early 2020) listen to music. In spite of the fact that our reach on the physical end is financially limited, we plan on pushing forward to deliver our best nerdy content that we two guys can possibly bring! With that in mind here are some candidates for our upcoming anime (and movie) reviews (so far):

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Welcome to the (Goddess) club, Rista!

Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious

There’s been a lot of Isekai anime titles that have come out this year, so to kick off the new year we’ll be reviewing a new favorite (next to Konosuba) known as Cautious Hero! Ever wonder what its like to have freakishly high stats (HP, MP, ATK, DEF, SPD, etc.) but a special trait that causes you to be, well…overly cautious about everything? Seiya does!

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Gotta go fast! (And get tickets!)

Sonic The Hedgehog Movie (2020)

After the backlash Paramount suffered at the hands of the NOT-dead Sonic fanbase, they finally got the design that we all know and love from our childhood right where it should be! Once the movie officially comes out, you better believe there will be a review! 😉

We’re not sure what will be in store in terms of anime for the 2020 year, but based on what we’re seeing already (and what may be over the horizon), we’re in for quite a treat! Well, that’s all we’ve got on this post for now, but in the meantime we’ll do our best to have some filler post content up. (Of course if you wanna see what we’ve been doing behind the scenes, head to our Instagram page!)

Until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

Get This! Cruchyroll and Webtoon Are Joining Forces!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Filler Posts, Uncategorized

While doing our usual check-up of our social media for updates and other things, we’ve stumbled upon some rather exciting news! Crunchyroll, one of our favorite anime streaming services, is joining forces with Webtoon, the digital comics website dedicated to webtoons. What does this mean? It means that Crunchyroll and Webtoon will be co-producing animated content from the webtoons that have been created. This is very exciting news because this means that Crunchyroll will have brand new original anime content and series coming out, and if you’re a webtoon creator, this is an opportunity to showcase your creation to the masses! That’s our 411, and until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

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Crunchyroll and Webtoon, UNITE!!

D&A Anime Convention Review: Zenkaikon!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Anime Conventions, Filler Posts

Hey guys, and welcome back for some more awesome content we’ve got right here on the blog! This time we’ve got another anime convention review to share with you, and its on our first ‘out-of-state’ anime convention which was only 90 minutes from us. Zenkaikon is a three-day anime convention held at the Lancaster Marriott in Penn Square in Lancaster, PA. This year was our second time going and of course being who we are, we had a blast!

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D&A Founder A. Goldman with Hestia cosplayer
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D&A Founder D.J. Lewis with Junko Enoshima cosplayer

So basically this convention is a sci-fi/anime convention, so you won’t just be seeing anime cosplay, you’ll also encounter some Star Wars and possibly Doctor Who, as well as anime characters from the sci-fi genre (mecha, anybody?). The con itself is set in a hotel/convention center, which means that the convention center is infused with the actual hotel itself – making it easier for travel when looking for places to eat both inside and out. Zenkaikon is a mid-sized convention; meaning that you’ll get the pros and cons of both a bigger and smaller convention, nevertheless the total attendance is around 3,600 or so. One cool thing about this convention is that fact that now that have specialized panels called ‘CON-fessionals’ where its kind of like a round-table panel set in a quiet setting where you have to sign your name on the guest list, and there’s a limited number of spots available.

The outside area of the hotel/convention center’s courtyard is amazing! There’s plenty of places to do a cosplay photoshoot, plus all the eateries are only a half-a-block away! Also at this con we’ve made TONS of friends and met some of our Twitter and Facebook fans as well, so if you plan on heading to Lancaster, PA next year for Zenkaikon 2020, stop by and say ‘hi’, we’ll be there! 🙂

That will do it for this post, but as always guys n’ girls, stay nerdy! 😉

 

There’s Something ‘Despairingly’ Special In Store For 2020…

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Blog Updates, Fanfiction

Within the past couple of weeks we’ve been on a bit of a Danganronpa kick as of late, and we said that we would be holding off on fanfiction for awhile. In a case such as this…we’ll be making a ‘slight’ exception. Since we’re pretty sure a good amount of you guys have already seen the anime and played the games, we’re also pretty sure you’ve got an inkling on what we might be getting at. In 2020 we’ve got some big plans for our fourth year being D&A, and somehow or another…’she’ just became part of them. So for all of you Ultimate Despair lovers out there, this one’s for you! We’ll be working on a 21-chapter fanfic dedicated to the ‘Harley Quinn’ of anime, Junko Enoshima, entitled Junko.

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Yep, she caused Armageddon!

What will the plot be about, you ask? Basically Junko (alongside her sister) trying to infect the whole world with despair – by any means necessary (and unnecessary). Unlike taking the whole ‘Brainwashing Video’ route as seen in Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc, Junko will be doing it the old fashion way; blackmail! (As well as other means…) It won’t be easy for her plan to follow through however, as multiple instances of interference, hilarity, and dark humor ensue. So far Junko and Muruko are the main villain protagonists of the story, with the supporting cast of Mikan, Kamakura, Mitarai, as well as the others from 77th Class (who come in later on). Finally the story takes place a little before the last episode of DR3’s Despair Arc, but with a few alternate twists.

We don’t have a post date yet for this fanfic, but we can say that it will happen sometime in either January or March 2020. That’s all we’ve got for now, but until our next post, stay gold! 😉

Filler Post: 7 Things You (May Not) Know About Piccolo!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, DBZ, Filler Posts

Since 1989 We’ve seen the mighty members of the DBZ troop become who they are today; from Goku’s adventures from when he was a child, to the friends and frienemies that he fights alongside with whenever the forces of evil strike his home planet of Earth. (By way of Planet Vegeta, of course.) For 30 years we’ve seen some of the greatest battles take fold and have gone down in the Dragon Ball Hall of Fame; such as Goku vs. Frieza, Gohan vs. Cell, and Piccolo vs. Android 17. While we’re on the subject of the green man from Namek, many of us old school fans know that he wasn’t always a good guy. In fact if he kept his original persona from back in the day (considering the level he’s at now), well…he’d be a problem. (However that possibility is pretty much dead now.)

Piccolo (or Piccolo Jr.) is the son of the late King Piccolo, who indeed was an evil Namek. His dream was to dominate the Earth and crush anyone who dare oppose him, but it wasn’t until that fateful day of the World Tournament, that he came across the Earth-bound saiyan we’ve come to know and love. There’s a lot of things we know since their fateful encounter, but to some there are a few things that you may not know about the villain-turned-hero Namekian. Here are seven things you may (not) know about Piccolo.

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We’re all familiar with this duo!

7. Originally, Piccolo Was Supposed To Be A Demon!

As a fan of the original Dragon Ball when it first came out, you’d think that after hearing the name ‘Demon King Piccolo’ that the one we know was supposed to be an actual demon. Yep, according to Toriyama, Piccolo’s current design wasn’t originally part of the plan. During Goku and King Piccolo’s first encounter, the part where he was considered a demon king held up, but during the Saiyan Saga, it was bright to his attention that Piccolo was in fact a race of green slug people known as Namekians.

6. He’s No Older Than Gohan!

Well, never saw this one coming. Just by looking at Piccolo’s stature, you’d never think that he was actually a child. He looks like an adult and certainly acts like one, but technically speaking, he was really only just a toddler when he was first introduced into the series. You’d never think that after Goku’s death that Piccolo would train up Gohan and (dare we say it) actually be a better teacher/mentor/father-figure than Goku – and BOTH of them are children!

5. He’s One Of Two People To Actually Kill Goku!

Every single villain after Piccolo tried it, and every single one of them failed to do so. However Piccolo was only one of two people (the second being Cell) to actually kill the main character of the show, Goku. All out of options on how to kill Raditz Piccolo charged up his super special move that we’ve seen all throughout the franchise; the Special Beam Cannon! Goku had to hold his brother in place so he couldn’t dodge, however he didn’t have enough time to dodge himself, so Piccolo happily killed them both. Sorry, Vegeta.

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“Finally…at long last…!”

4. Namekians Only Need Water To Survive!

This one’s tricky depending on whom you ask but with Piccolo’s abilities as well as all other Namekian abilities, it seems that they only need water to survive. Why is this? It could be the fact that since his race has the traits of plants (i.e. regrowing limbs after they get destroyed) you’ll only see them drinking water as part of their diet. At other times you may have seen him eating other foods, but that could all be the work of filler.

3. He’s Had Crossovers with One-Piece!

You know how we’ve dreamed of seeing an anime crossover when we first brought up the conversation in the past? Well our Piccolo has been a part of that great convo! (Him and the VA that voices him, Chris Sabat!) With One-Piece and Dragon Ball being two of the most popular franchises ever made (next to Naruto, but he came out later on), it would only make sense that both Piccolo and Zoro would cross paths with one another and even get a crossover called Cross Epoch.

2. He’s Sacrificed Himself For Gohan Numerous Times!

As much as he hated Goku back in the day, Piccolo found himself gaining a bit of a soft spot for Gohan – to the point where he would give his own life to save him. It was pretty clear that this would be somewhat of an on-going pattern since the fight with Nappa in DBZ; where Piccolo put himself in harms way in order for Gohan to live. In Super he did the same thing when Frieza was firing a blast at Gohan. After doing this many times over the franchise, it’s pretty clear who’s the most important person in the Namekian’s life.

1. James Masters Regrets Taking Piccolo’s Role Because His Son Loves Dragon Ball!

Everyone involved in the movie title that ‘Shall Remain Nameless’ we’re embarrassed to be a part of it due to the fact that they we’re really fans. (Even the director admitted that he was looking for a paycheck rather than put more passion into a title that has been our childhood.) The only person who was an actual fan of the franchise was James Masters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for you 90’s kids out there), and that was due to the fact that his son is a Dragon Ball fan. He says that playing Piccolo was something that his son was proud of him for, even though the title that ‘Shall Remain Nameless’ bombed.

And thus ends our post on the seven things you didn’t know (but now know) about Piccolo. Until next post, stay nerdy my friends! 😉

D&A Gaming Review: DBZ: Attack of the Saiyans! (Nintendo DS)

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, DBZ, Game Reviews

Hey guys! We got another gaming review for you! This time we’ll be reviewing a title from the classic-but-still-good Nintendo DS, and its a title from a franchise that we’re all familiar with. Yes guys n’ gals this one’s a DBZ post, as we’ll be reviewing the turn-based action-packed RPG that is Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans! The game itself is based on the hit anime and manga, as the story takes place from the 5th season of Dragon Ball, to the end of the 1st season of Dragon Ball Z.

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Yamcha and the Earthlings doin’ damage!

When it comes to turn-based RPG’s you kinda know what to expect; you go through a series of ‘Overworld’ stages while collecting items and equipment to help you in battle, you encounter (or auto-encounter) an enemy, you fight said enemy, you collect loot and EXP. The controls of the game itself are rather simple, as you’re given the following commands; attack, defend, special, item, switch, flee, and ultimate. You’re given a team of three people from the start of the game; Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien (all of which will be at Level 2 or Level 3) I like that fact that you’re given a huge chunk of HP upon starting the first Overworld level (between 200-350), as the enemies there will deal anywhere between 20-35 damage per hit (higher with bigger foes).

When you kill enough enemies and level up, there are six different stats that you have to choose from; power, defense, recovery, technique, speed, and luck. Each of the six Dragon Ball heroes have different results when it comes to stat growth; like say Goku after he levels up upon winning a battle, by the time he reaches Level 60 or higher, you can already tell that he’s the strongest character in the game based on his stats. The game does give you some great challenges and the boss fights are always fun, especially the Nappa one. (Turn on Kaio-Ken and drop that bastard for killing your friends!)

Once you reach a certain level of the game (say the one right before you fight Vegeta and Nappa) you’ll be able to go on a quest for the dragon balls. Collecting all seven of course will net you some goodies, though I’m not one to spoil the surprise but I will say that one wish in particular will allow you to face a nightmarish threat. It’s such a great game and you’ll have a lot of fun, especially once you’ve maxed out all six characters and try to deal 50,000 damage or more on a slew of enemies! (Seriously, the damage numbers are high in this game!) All-in-all I would give this game…

4.2 / 5 Stars

If you still have an original DS, DS Lite, or DSi, this game is only gonna cost you anywhere between 4-6 dollars on ebay or any other online store (its a DS game so they’re incredibly cheap). On that note that will do it for us on this post as well as review.

Until next time, stay nerdy! 😉