Unfinished: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online 01/13/2016

glad austin didn't do this, he may have been a bit too biased.

If anyone is interesting in revisiting Ghost in the Shell, try and watch the original version. A 2.0 edition was released and it's pure BS. They replaced several scenes with really bad CGI for no real reason as well as adding a weird orange filter on top in some scenes.

@raszagal said:

Because Jeff said Ghosty Shell movie isn't so good?? That's all I remember in terms of anibashing, and it doesn't even count as that because Jeff just loves Naruto more than Ghosty Shell which is understandable. (No one is cooler than Sasuke after all.)

What level is your anibashing detector set to fellow Japanimenthusiast? I recommend lowering it to around 3.0.

I watched the Arise stuff on Netflix recently.. I thought it was pretty good? At least for the great action scenes and animation..

/shrug

The TV shows have aged a lot better than the movie.

OMG PRESS Q!!!

Arise is pretty boring, you should try the series if you haven't.

how did this anime talk turned into wrestling?

@please_love_me: Yeah I'm not expecting a great answer out of someone with an anime avatar.

I mean I get it, Giant Bomb does make fun of anime a lot but this video seemed pretty light on it. Hell the fact that Jeff even watched the movie fascinates me.

But I don't even watch much anime. Or any.

I'm getting a real Blacklight: Retribution vibe from this game.

I really like the UI in this game. It looks pretty slick.

Wrestling is anime. Anime is wrestling. I look forward to hearing Brad on the next Powerbombcast.

I don't much care for the original movie, but Stand Alone Complex is one of my favorite anime series. This game doesn't seem to really capture any of the things that made it any good, which is a pity because there's enough cool anime cyber cop shit in SAC to make a really good video game out of.

I'm not real versed in anime, but I watched most of this stuff about a year ago. I couldn't explain to you the season-long stories, but episode to episode it was really enjoyable.

@warpchy: They played it on UPF not too long ago. That's probably where you saw it before.

Jeff does get a few things wrong, here. but I don't necessarily think that's a big deal. As it stands there is no way to buy in-game currency aside from the bonus whichever pack you decide to buy in on if you want to join the early access stuff. You get 50k GP every time you level and 1000-2000 per match and even more depending on boosters you might have had 'drop' or things like that. As it is they JUST brought in the NX coin stuff and it's ONLY for cosmetics at the moment. This may be subject to change but there's not really a way to buy you way into winning if you fucking suck at shooters.

Unlocking weapon mods does take some time (depending on how far in you are through the upgrade system for the chosen weapon) and you have to buy them but for the ones that you unlock the price is negligable. I want to say about 3k for some? There are mods in the market you can buy with GP that do not unlock and can have some pretty good stats (usually there's a trade-off) but they cost closer toward 50k if you're buying those market-only ones. Operative licenses cost about 250k gp and you get a licenses for level 3 and 5 to unlock other characters and if you've gone in early access you will have a bit of extra GP if you want to unlock someone else as well.

Watchwatchwatch. Arise is another continuity and I personally don't really like it but I think it also has roots in just how much I loved SAC. The character designs are not my thing and I'm not sure about the english release but the Japanese VAs were completely recast and that shit sucks when Batou has had the same VA since the original movie and becomes iconic as that character and then it sounds weird when it's not that person doing the voice.

This game has about 80% of the English cast in it and it REALLY makes it more fun for SAC fans. The cyberbrain conversations and Aramaki barking at you really add a lot. But the heartbreaking thing is that if they had used GITS and just ripped off Syndicate's co-op 100% it would probably be a perfect GITS game.

I don't know what it is but I enjoy this game, it's nothing innovative but I'm a big fan of the series and it just feels really good. There are some shit maps and some balancing that needs to be done but it's fucking cool as hell if you're a fan. Every operative has a voice command menu so you don't just get incidental chatter like confirmation of syncing up with your skill or the like.

It's plain, it's meh, but it's seasoned with GITS and as a fan it entertains me. It's especially fun in Terminal mode when you have your Tachikoma spawn and it's rolling around and jumping up on shit firing rockets and machingeguns at enemy players. The movement for the Tachikoma is really good, it nails the look of the series and has the same VA to boot (which might be a bad thing for some).

PS I would like Austin to give his opinions on it, he seems to know the series well. Perhaps in one of his articles, someday.

Sheesh, is it possible for there to be one piece of Giant Bomb West content where wrestling isn't discussed?

This comment section is like Nas.

Half maaaan...half amazing.

God damn it why I can't have an awesome third person stealth action game staring a bad ass lady cyborg, that's all I fucking want. Instead I get this terrible generic shooter crap. Such a damn waste of a franchises potential in vidya game form.

I mean ffs the animes have brain hacking, body swapping, mech suits, talking adorable robots, commentary on android sentience/rights, political intrigue, cyber terrorism, all kinds of interesting cool shit they could pull from. But noooooope.

Then you missed the part where both Jeff and Brad agreed that the game needs more of the anime in it and then they both mentioned they are a little interested in checking out the series.

Hearing Brad get bored and deliberately steer the conversation into wrestling is my favorite thing on this site in a while.

So wait did @austin_walker just not want to be part of this because it was so terrible? I mean I was looking forward to hearing him cry in the background the entire time ...

If anime is illegal then only criminals will own anime.

Limited anime

Wrestling and anime are pretty much the same.
I'm surprised how popular wrestling is because it's so whacky.

@raszagal: Literally every one of your last 20 comments is a complaint about something. Maybe giant bomb isnt for you?

@thiefsie: Can you start an intellectual anime podcast? That was some of the most coherent explanation of an arguably difficult concept I have seen. Not completely sure I disagree as I believe there was an original laughing man in the first series (it has been a long time since I watched it so I may be wrong) but overall concept I think is correct.

@d_w:Man no just no the movie is wonderful and very much is about the power of the internet and what it means to be human. The idea that the movie is about nothing is ridiculous and shows a lack of thinking from both Jeff and you. Yes it is not an action show but that is why it is good. Much like the manga the ideas are the important part. This is why the second movie is arguably better than the first the silly action is removed and the ideas can take the center stage they should have taken to begin with ... sigh...

Perfect example of why we needed Austin on the quick look to stop crazy comments like this.

@yujinred everything you said yes!

I got into this for free but I can't play because Windows 10 ain't gonna play that.

I love Gits...but this seems kind of by the numbers.

All this made me want to do is play Ghost in the Shell on PlayStation.

i don't think austin cares if jeff has "wrong" opinions about anime tbh? that guy you were talking to shouldn't either lol

Why is this game using the StarCraft 2 bronze rank icon.

I actually really dig this game haha.

I do think if Austin had covered this then he'd at least say something like "Hey, this game is pretty basic and there isn't anything special about it.. which is a shame because the anime/manga deals with some deep shit and can have some nice action sequences.. Don't let this game deter you from trying the anime.. if you like "X", "X", or "X" concepts and stuff.. you might like the ghost in the shell anime.."

I'm not a particular fan of GitS. I just think this would be the appropriate way to handle something like this. The way most of the anime stuff goes over on this site, I'd compare it to someone saying "Hey this WWF15 game is a smoldering pile of wreckage.. But I watched it on TV for a little bit and it was also that?.. so. yea.."

In a weird twisted GB way, that is already what is said about wrestling, but in the same breath, Jeff and Dan continue to talk passionately about it because they understand that it isn't just something you spend a minute looking at and you've understood it all. /shrug I guess Jeff could've just asked on Twitter what GitS material he should watch to help inform the QL of this game and I'm sure a ton of people would have directed him to a specific series and apparently.. not the original movie as it isn't quite the source material for this game?

Thats my 2 more cents that no one asked for. When GB does a QL of driving sim games.. thats when I get frustrated like anime people do here haha

I'm a fan of GitS especially SAC and after playing this for an hour I completely agree with Jeff. It's just a typical FPS with a GitS skin and there's nothing that special about it. It has art and design problems that they won't change because they're too far in the dev cycle.

The best thing about this game is the menu music - something very etherial and calming. Aside from that dirty bomb is a better FTPFPS than this release.

Enjoying the mix of Anime and wrestling, this should be injected in to everything!

@brads_beard: just a taste. A bump of anime if you will.

Jeff will surely love the upcoming live-action adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson as Lucy Motoko.

@yujinred: I think the problem people have with Oshii's version of GITS is just how full of philosophy it is. The sequel more than the first film, but regardless, the whole thing is just a giant think piece. In that sense it is great and obviously one of the most influential films of all time. But I can easily see how someone would find it incredibly boring. Personally it is a favorite of mine, and I agree with everything you said, but someone like Jeff was never going to like an Oshii film. I bet he would enjoy the show, though. And the original manga which he somehow didn't know existed.

Re: why didn't Austin cover this...

Even though Austin is GB's new Anime Editor, Jeff is the shooter guy. He jumped through so many hoops to QL that Chinese F2P Call of Duty for example. This GitS:SAC game is totally in his wheelhouse. Jeff also played this game in an earlier live stream, so it's natural that he also did the QL.

Jeff isn't super knowledgeable about GitS (God bless him for watching the movie as research though), but his criticism of First Assault Online being a generic arena shooter with a franchise skin seems on the nose.

Premium anime podcast when.

GitS is pre-every-scene-must-be-action-packed-thrill-ride like alot of movies in the last 15-20 years worldwide. People are scared to have "downtime" when test audiences (read: the OCD in the crowd) got distracted for a few seconds before the next explosion, trumpet blare, or cuss word.

In the evil parallel version of our universe there is a Jeff that runs a site called tinybomb.com. It's a website. About anime. Every now and then I notice that this version of Jeff tries to use our Jeff to break through into our universe for evil anime purposes. I just thank our lucky stars that our Jeff is powerful to hold "Evil" Jeff back.

@chillicothe: Wait, I thought Jeff was trying to get across that the movie was mostly action, and not a lot happened in terms of story/plot.

Secret episode of Powerbombcast right here.

@atomicoldman: Anime is illegal! Time to turn yourself in Oldman!

@meauntienora: Why post a video of some sub-hackfraud who reduces wrastlin' to comic books? Have you no shame?

More like Min Landis amiright?

I'm a bit disappointed Dan isn't on this, since Metal Gear Solid never would have been made unless Ghost in the Shell blew the fuck up in 1995. The Matrix probably doesn't exist either, now that I think about it. Man, you could lose days of your life thinking about shit like this. Atari almost had the exclusive rights to distribute the Famicom in North America. Given that they managed to lose a console war with no real competition, we're about one handshake deal falling through from talking about pinball or card games right now. Instead, mediocre online shooters based on decent source material. Yay?

Man, why do all the dudes look hyper-generic? Like, they've had their faces remodeled or something to make them look less like the actual characters I remember from Stand Alone Complex back in my Adult Swim Anime days. Shit is unsettling. Especially when they show clips from the show of how they're supposed to look!

I'm always up for a totally mediocre free-to-play FPS, so this is precisely the sort of thing I want to give a shot.

Holy shit, Brad talking shop with Jeff....I like it!