Sea of Stars is a triumph of independent spirit in most cases. For its amazing soundtrack and reverence to the conventions of old school JRPGs, it fails in a couple of major aspects that end up muddying the waters. A little more effort and care (and less an emphasis on one specific character) could have made what was looking like an amazing game not fall short when it was trying to reach the finish line.

Still, at least the music was great...

Upcoming Schedule

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

June 1st: The Apothecary Diaries Season 1

June 8th: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

June 15th: Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line

Game: Sea of Stars

Year: 2023

Developer/Publisher: Sabotage Studios

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Sea of Stars Logo

https://sabotagestudio.com/presskits/sea_of_stars_(Current)/images/logo.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems) (Previous Backer)

KonoSuba is one of my favorite anime. The chemistry between the main characters leads to a lot of comedy landing, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. However, take the most popular character, add in the most meek and downtrodden side character "rival," and force them to carry a show for 12 episodes...and you get a bit of a letdown.

Upcoming Schedule

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

June 1st: The Apothecary Diaries Season 1

June 8th: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Anime: KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!

Year: 2023

Studio/License: Drive/Crunchyroll

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Konosuba Spinoff Logo

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/voiceacting/images/a/a5/KonoSuba_An_Explosion_on_This_Wonderful_World%21.png/revision/latest?cb=20230601161354

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems) (Previous Backer)

*mind the rushed edit midway through*

Punch-Out is hard, but it was one of my go-tos in the early days as a gamer. I want to go down memory lane, at least until I remember how many times the later boxers punched me in the face.

Upcoming Schedule

March 30th: Konosuba: Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

Game: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!

Year: 1987

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo

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Punch-Out Logo

https://cdn2.steamgriddb.com/logo_thumb/ae5e5d97ec37b67fcd007bb1657f879b.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems) (Previous Backer)

Elaina is an interesting case study. It takes the weird city ideas at play in Kino's Journey, but does it in a more comedic way...save for one specific episode.

Upcoming Schedule

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba: Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

Anime: Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina

Year: 2020

Studio/License: C2C/Crunchyroll

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Elaina Logo

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/thumb/3/35/Wandering_Witch_logo.webp/500px-Wandering_Witch_logo.webp.png?20210809094338

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems) (Previous Backer)

Much like Snow White with the Red Hair, Arte is a show held together by its main female lead. It doesn't try to do anything amazing, but Arte has enough charm to be a solid short show to watch.

Upcoming Schedule

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba: Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

Anime: Arte

Year: 2020

Studio/License: Seven Arcs/Crunchyroll

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Arte Logo

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/1/1d/Arte_%28manga%29_Logo_original.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems) (Previous Backer)

When JRPGs migrated to mobile platformers in the mid-2000s to early 2010s, a new IP managed to evoke memories of Chrono Trigger to the point it has become one of the standard bearers for the entire genre. By mixing many strong JRPG elements, adding in its own take on time travel, and having a great set of main characters, Radiant Historia is one of the games I wish had a main console port.

Upcoming Schedule

March 9th: Arte

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba: Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

May 4th: Mega Man 2

May 11th: Mega Man 3

May 18th: Mega Man X3

May 25th: Mega Man Zero

Game: Radiant Historia

Year: 2010/2017

Developer/Publisher: Atlus

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Radiant Historia Logo

https://atlus.com/radianthistoria/img/common/game_logo_light.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems)

Back on the games from my childhood. I kinda realized as I was recording I sounded way more negative towards the game than I remember actually feeling. It was a weird vibe. Sonic 2 is great, but all I seemed to remember was being a bit annoyed at some of the difficulty spikes of the later levels coloring my recollection of playing the game. I do think that has more to do with how I play games now and what I look for, rather than what the game was at the time: a difficult but not TOO difficult platformer experience.

Still though, Sonic 2 features my favorite all time level (Casino Night) and a solid Oil Ocean Zone.

Upcoming Schedule

March 2nd: Radiant Historia

March 9th: Arte

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

April 27th: Speed Grapher

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Year: 1992

Developer/Publisher: SEGA

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Sonic 2 Logo

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_logo.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems)

*Minds the weird edit in the middle: had to record the second part twice*

This was a solid war anime focusing on the dichotomy of haves versus have nots, and the issues dealing with such. It succeeds due to the two main leads and the two story arcs at play.

Upcoming Schedule

February 24th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

March 2nd: Radiant Historia

March 9th: Arte

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

April 20th: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Anime: 86 -Eighty Six-

Year: 2021-2022

Studio/License: A-1 Pictures/Crunchyroll

Thumbnail Commissioned by Nekochin from Fiverr.com

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86 Logo

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Eighty_Six_logo.svg/1200px-Eighty_Six_logo.svg.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/Citizen_Strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems)

Atlus has been on a high lately. However, their attempt to bring back the Soul Hackers spinoffs didn't work out how they hoped. The lack of sales did a disservice to a character that completely revolutionized what I hope SMT and Persona games do forward: Ringo is the best thing about it, and the one thing I would vouch for if you wanted to play this.

Upcoming Schedule

February 17th: 86 -Eighty Six-

February 24th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

March 2nd: Radiant Historia

March 9th: Arte

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

April 13th: Goblin Slayer Season 2

Game: Soul Hackers 2

Year: 2022

Developer/Publisher: Atlus/SEGA

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Soul Hackers 2 Logo

https://soulhackers2.atlus.com/img/hero/sh2_logo.png

For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/Citizen_Strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems)

Sometimes, you just want a nice show that does what it is supposed to do and doesn't screw up in any way. Snow White/Red Hair is about a girl who is smarter than she's given credit for, falling for a prince who respects her for being who she is. What happens in the show isn't groundbreaking, but the characters and scenarios are likeable and fun. Sometimes, that's all a show needs to be.

Upcoming Schedule

February 10th: Soul Hackers 2

February 17th: 86 -Eighty Six-

February 24th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

March 2nd: Radiant Historia

March 9th: Arte

March 16th: The Wandering Watch: Journey of Elaina

March 23rd: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

March 30th: Konosuba Megumin Spinoff

April 6th: Sea of Stars

Anime: Snow White with the Red Hair

Year: 2015-2016

Studio/License: Bones/Funimation

*Community Tab for this channel is now open. Polls are open for the next reviews on the docket. Polls are open for two weeks.*

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For more Citizen Strife content, here is some socials

Gameplay Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQR4uewfRZttDxzUdkkZ2Lw

Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59ybzlsnruIOmVwUHirAjQ

Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/citizen_strife

Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/Citizen_Strife

Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/citizenstrife

Tenchi Logo

https://media.vgm.io/products/50/6005/6005-1593939544.pn

Patreon Backers

$5 Tier - John Buxton (Butch Weems)