The Annecy Animation Festival gives ?animators a stage to showcase their latest projects. There have already been many great revea?ls this year, but Cartoon Network has made one of the strongest showings by unveiling a series of upcoming spin-offs/revivals of some of the best shows the channel has ever aired.

All of Cartoon Network's announcements are blasts from the past

Warner Bros. Discovery has been vocal about its plans to pour most of its re??sources into its pre-existing IPs. While I'm a little frustrated to see yet another company take the safe route and fall back on its established brands rather than try something new, I’d be lying if I told you that I'm not excited by all of the proje?cts the company announced at Annecy.

I grew up watching Cartoon Network and its retro-themed sister channel, Boomerang, with my sister and parents. All of the reboots and spin-offs unveiled during Warner Bros. Discovery's showcases are continuations of shows that still hold a special place in my heart as an adult. I was even happier to hear that the show's original creators are in charge of these new projects.

Here are all the new Cartoon Network shows announced at Annecy. Information abo??ut these upcoming series is still trickling in, so some of the details I discuss here may change as the shows inch closer to their premieres.

Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends

Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends is a spin-off of Craig McCracken Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends that aims to appeal to pre-schoolers. Bloo, the original series' feckless protagonist, will be educating a group of young im??aginary friends, and as fans of the OG can imagine, chaos and hijinks ensue.

According to Variety, McCracken has promised that Funhouse will be as fast-paced as Home but will drop the cynical humor that crept into the sho??w'?s later seasons. As someone who watched the original show become more mean-spirited as it went on, I can't help but agree with that decision.

Adventure Time: Side Quests

Adventure Time: Side Quest is the latest spin-off of Pendelton Ward's comedy-fantasy epic Adventure Time. Nate Cash, who joined Adventure Time's production team as a creative director before being promoted to supervising director, will oversee Side Quests.

Unlike the more adult-leaning Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake spin-off and the serialized final seasons of Adventure Time, Side Quests sounds like it will return the franchise to its episodic roots, with Finn and Jake embarking on new, self-contained adventures every week. Familiar faces like the Ice King will return, apparently scrubbed of the character development they underwent in the original Adventure Time series.

Unnamed Regular Show Project

J.G. Quintel announced a continuation of the hit surreal comedy Regular Show. Festivalgoers reacted to this announcement with open applause, all of whom seemed happy to learn that Quintel had bounced back after the unexpected cancellation of his last show, Close Enough.

We don't know much about this new proje??ct, but since Quintel himself voices Mordecai, I'm willing to bet that our favorite slackers will show up somehow.

The clip show was a show-stopper

Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studio, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe also unveiled a clip show comprised of scenes from several in-production animated projects during Annecy. All of these clips were of shows that h??ad already been announced, but they confirmed that the shows are further along the production process, giving us some idea of when they'll be released.

Here are all of the shows that p?opped up during the clip show.

• Teen Titans Go
• Gremlins: the Wild Bunch
• Invincible Fight Girl
• Bat-Family
• The Amazing World of Gumball
• Watchman
• Batman: Caped Crusader
• Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

The greenlight district looked pretty good, too

Oth??er animated projects were unveiled, with the majority again being veteran Cartoon Network IPs continuations. However, a handful were entirely new series, all of which have the potential to become long-running series.

Here are all the new shows that got the green light durin?g Annecy.

• Go Go Mystery Machine
• Adventure Time: Heyo BMO
• Throws a Wobbler
• The Adventure Time Movie
• Bad Karma
• Lovey Dovey

Looking at this slate, I'm excit?ed about Cartoon Network's future. If these shows do well, Warner?? Bro. Discovery may be willing to give new, more experimental shows the go-ahead.

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History repeats itself

For the longest time, Sega's Shenmue series was renowned for being an incomplete saga �an epic tale that had no ending. It seems, ironically, that history is set to repeat itself, as it has been suggested that anime adaptation Shenmue: The Animation has been canceled, and will not receive a second s??eason.

The first inkling that the show would not be returning came from the Cartoon Network Schedules Twitter, which noted that the anime had been removed from the Adult Swim VOD? archive. This would then be followed by a mournful message from Cartoon Network Senior VP of Animation, Jason DeMarco, who confirmed on the soci??al media site that Ryo Hazuki would not be returning for further adventures.

"Sorry guys. This happened," wrote DeMarco. "And yes, it’s looking like no [season 2] of Shenmue, even though sadly �it did well enough that we were gearing up for [season 2??]. Maybe one day�/span>"

//twitter.com/Clarknova1/status/15749713634??53857792?s=20&t=KiMywArbYuExEOnWij9fTQ

It's disappointing to hear that the show was canned despite being, apparently, something of a success. Unfortunately, as TV/movie fans are fast becoming aware, streaming media has become a Wild West Show, with shows, characters, films, and IPs being shot down, binned, or canceled within the blink of an eye, or, more accurately, the swipe of s?ome suit's pen. We see you, Batgirl.

If you want to watch Shenmue: The Animation, then the entire first season is available on anime network Crunchyroll. It's a strange irony to see the Shenmue anime adaptation canceled and rendered incomplete in the same way the video game series was once rendered incomplete. Still, an ending �in a fashion �did eventually rear its head, (even if it took?? several decades). So keep the engine turning on that forklift truck. ??Stranger things have happened.

Shenmue: The Animation is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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Looking back over 25 years of the animation block's enduring reviews

Toonami celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. For many, it was a window into so many worlds; it was how you learned about Dragon Ball, Tenchi Muyo, and Outlaw Star. It was the after-school animation programm??ing with hype and lights, battles and a??rcs. And Toonami also had video game reviews.

Growing up, those ?reviews were unknowingly forming my basis for?? learning about video games. My best means for learning what games were cool was word of mouth and the occasional magazine or demo disc, but Toonami was a pipeline of video game information.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLwF_0Z2KHY

As I was nostalgically looking back on old Toonami promos today in light of the 25th anniversary, I stumbled across some of the reviews from my era of Toonami viewing. Between the adventures of my favorite anime protagonists, I'd hear about some cool new PlayStation 2 game that might?? be worth looking into.

To its credit, Toonami covered a surprising breadth of games. The animation block's Wiki is a great repository for all the scores and games covered over the many, many years. Many of the reviews, according to the Wiki, are written by Jason DeMarco or Gill Austin. At one point, Toonami even had written reviews. Yes, the Web Archive contains a full written review of Grandia for the PlayStation from Toonami.

There are novelties and oddities to behold, sure. Blue Stinger for the Dreamcast is the lowest-scored review from the team, at a 1 out of 5. Games like Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, and Soulcalibur earn full marks, while some dip lower. Someone at Toonami clearly loves the Hot Shots Golf series, and honestly, that's relatable.

There's also the time The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind earned an 8/10. Don't watch it for the score, though; watch it the excellent line delivery from TOM 2 voice actor Steve?? Blum.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad2gYL7iPOE

Jokes aside, I've been enthralled with revisiting these today. They really do mark the developing landscape of video game coverage, especia?lly as it grew into video formats. And the conversational tone feels ahead of its time. It's tough to pitch the game, sum up its many parts, and assess it in the span of?? a minute and a half. Toonami manages it pretty darn well.

And it's also worth noting that while I've gone over the older legacy reviews, Toonami game reviews are—much like the block itself—still rolling on. Its most recent score, via the Wiki, was an 8/10 for A Short Hike. And it looks like the block has made an effort to cover independent games too, including lesser-known games like Golf Club Wasteland, Ender Lilies, and Gris alongside the likes of Animal Crossing and Assassin's Creed.

So here's to Toonami, a block that got me into anime and also got me thinking about games at a very young age. They're not the sole reason I'm putting words on a page today, but it's hard not to look back fondly on these as some early sparks. Plus, they gave Beetle Adventure Racing the same score as Final Fantasy VII. That's just fantastic.

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Releasing summer 2020 for PC and consoles

We're long overdue a solid Samurai Jack video game. It's too early to say if Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time will be the series' shining star – bearded Jack is a good start! – but I'm at least listening. Another promi??sing sign: the hack-and-slash game's script is being penned by hea??d writer Darrick Bachman.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is in production at Soleil Ltd., the Tokyo-based studio behind Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker. The developer also contributed to Travis Strikes Again and Devil's Third.

The game "ties into the epic series finale," and it has allies like The Scotsman and Sir Rothchild (the lovable canine archeologist), but it's described as "an untold Samurai Jack adventure." The short gameplay clip in the announcement trai??ler shows a few weapons and enemies – nothing fancy.

We'll learn more about the project at PAX East, direct from Bachman and series creator Genndy Tartakovsky. If you're curious, the Adult Swim Games panel starts at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, February 28.

Battle Through Time is launching this summer on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. At the risk of being presumptuous, I wonder what sort of price point this ga??me will hit. $60? $40?

I'll always treasure Samurai Jack as being the animated show that befuddled my grandfather more than anything else in the early 2000s. I watched weirder things, and dumber things, but Samurai Jack was the one TV show that left him speechless on a conceptual level. He truly didn't know what to make of it.

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'Let's Meet Sonic' airs August 4

OK K.O! Let's Be Heroes is doing a crossover episode with Sonic the Hedgehog on August 4, and my goodness, just look at the little punk! I hope he channels some of that '90s TV series energy.

The wacky Cartoon Network show is jam-packed with loving nods to video games and gaming culture in general, so I can only imagine how many references the new episode, "Let's Meet Sonic," will manage to fit in. Even just this short first-look footage out of San Diego Comic-Con has a few no?stalgic riffs.

It's also been confirmed that Roger Craig Smith and Colleen O'Shaughnessey are lending their familiar voices. The OK K.O.! Sonic and Tails special will debut on Sunday, August 4 at 4:45pm Eastern on Cartoon Network. If you have access to the Cartoon Network video app on iOS or Android, that'll work too.

I don't watch OK K.O.! (or much TV at all these days), but every clip I've seen has made me chuckle. If I had kids, this would be?? one of those shows that I, the ancient adult, would not-so-sneakily love.

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New characters, mode and stage

During their E3 presentation today, it was revealed that character from hit Cartoon Ntwork series Adventure Time are coming to dinky fighter Brawlhalla today. Finn, Jake and Princess Bubblegum all hit the roster later toda??y.

Not only that, but also a new stage, Tree Fort, as well as a new Buddy mode will also be arriving in the new update. I can't tell you much about Adventure Time, but the kids like it, right? So jump ?into battle and let rip with your... umm... turtle power?

Brawlhalla is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One?? and Nintendo Swit??ch.

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Created by culosoman

"Enter at your own peril, past the bolted door, where impossible things may happen that the world's never seen before." Dexter's Laboratory was such a fantastic show, and I'm not just saying that bec??ause it taught me how to spell the word "laboratory" as a kid (but I appreciate that too, Genndy Tartakovsky).

Dexter's Lab is one of those cartoons with countless memorable lines, gags, and story beats that can just come to you out of nowhere. I couldn't give you a favorite episode. No way. Attempting to do so would put me on the fast-track to a full-series marathon. Maybe one day, but not now. It's far too nice outside. Instead, I'll gleefully enjoy this Dreams creation from a player by the name of culosoman.

I smiled the whole way through. They even went to the trouble of modeling Robo-Dexo 2000.

I would've been impressed with just the player-controlled Dexter puppet, so this goes above and beyond. The Dreams community consistently blows me away, whether it's wholly original concepts or tributes t?o pop culture. There a?re so many cool things to thumbs-up every time I browse.

As random as a Dexter's Laboratory level might see??m, I'm hopeful stuff like this will help the game reach folks who otherwise might not actively look for a video game about creative ex??pression. It exists!

If you have a PS4 and you relate to this mid-'90s mood, Dreams is available in Early Access form.

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The new time starts on March 11 at 12:30PM ET

As I've said several times in the past, Mega Man: Fully Charged isn't a bad show. It??'s decidedly aimed at a younger audience but some of the arcs are worth following and there's plenty of tasteful old school references tucked away in there without get?ting too cloying.

It doesn't seem to be a big hit for Cartoon Network though, which may or may not have a lot to do with how the network is deciding to air it. After a lengthy hiatus that was so mysterious that one of the writers had to sound off and clarify that the show wasn't dead; Fully Charged returns and will air on March 3 at 6:30AM ?ET before it catapults directly into its 12:30PM ET time slot on March 11. That's...exactly when kids will be at? school, well before summer break.

I've been catching up on it online myself (which has episodes through March 24 of the current airing schedule), bu??t a lot of the joy seems completely gone from routines like morning cartoons on any given day of the week.

Cartoon Network Revs Up the Girl Power in March [Animation Magazine via Rockman Corner]

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Good

As most Cartoon Network viewers know, they're all over the place with scheduling and mid-season breaks (heck, just breaks in general). Sometimes a show will be super-hyped for months and then burned off in weeks, only to pop up months later. So when concerns were shared that the network had pulled Mega Man: Fully Charged, it would ha?ve made sense if it was g??one for good.

It doesn't seem to be though, at least according to one member of its production staff. Writer Joe Kelly took to Twitter to note that they are "still very much in production," and that "new episodes" are coming. When? Well we don't really ?know, which is incredibly strange given that most TV networks provide that info ahead of time (even months-long season breaks get "will return in [x month]" promos, but based on Kelly's statements the show still exists.

As I've said many times Fully Charged is good at what it does within the age group it targets. It's not a show for everyone but it does a decent job at bringing new younger Mega Man fans into the fold without feeling mean-spirited and with subtly adding a few new dimensions to the ch??aracter (like Mega Man taking on the psyche of a Robot Master he steals powers from).

Joe Kelly [Twitter via Rockman Corner]

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The fight of the century folks!

Growing up in the early 2000's, Teen Titans was my jam. I distinctly remember watching it on Toonami on Saturday nights right alongside classics like Yu Yu Hakusho and Megas XLR. The action, plotlines, and comedy were all that my young, impressionable mind really needed for the show, and that was okay. It wasn't until earlier this year to prep for Teen Titans Go! to the Movies that I decided to rewatch the original series for the first time in over a decade. It still holds up, although it's definitely not as dark or mature as some fans have made it out to be. Think more Justice League Unlimited than Batman Beyond.

Still, trying to reconcile the differences between the original series and its sequel/reboot, Teen Titans Go!, is really damned hard. Both shows have completely unique target demographics, genres, and aesthetics to the point where they're essentially two different shows. One's a full-blown comedy aimed at young kids, while the other is a more teenage and action focused. How can you compare the two besides them using the same characters? There's a lot of layers and nuance that you need to be aware of when you criticize a show like Teen Titans Go! because it doesn't exist in a vacuum. Kids like it, fans of the original don't, but both sides aren't invalid in their opinion on the show, making it impossible to debate which show is the better Teen Titans series.

No, what we really need is to see the two teams duke it out to see which team is better! Coming sometime in 2019, it's the comic fight of the decade where both teams will duke it out for nerd supremacy! Is the original 2003 series with its darker themes and characters better, or is the new, mega-popular 2013 series the definitive Teen Titans show? No matter what, two teams enter, one team leaves! And hopefully we get a Teen Titans seaso?n 6 out of this somehow! LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLEE??EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

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It's still streaming though

It was made pretty clear that the new Mega Man cartoon, Fully Charged, was aiming for ??a young audience. Having watched the episodes available so far: yep, I can confirm that, and the show is actually a little better than I initially thought it would be. Sadly, there might not be any ro??om for growth as Cartoon Network has removed the series from its schedule.

As re??ported by the Cartoon Network Schedule Archive, it seems like the Sunday slot of doom (6:30AM ET), and early portent, is no more. Typically networks address these removals with bumpers stating that there's going to be a mid-season break, but nothing has been announced so far. A tipster over at The Mega Man Network that claims to have ties to DHX Media states that upcoming episodes are slated to re-appear on November 11 after the mystery one mo?nth break. 32 more episodes (at 10 minutes each) are currently planned.

Now this whole thing could be an oversight by Cartoon Network (it would be the first time), but the fact that Fully Charged doesn't seem? to have enough clout to warrant an announcement or reason for the break isn't great. We've reached out to Cartoon Network for clarification.

Schedule [Cartoon Network Schedule Archive via Mega Man Network]

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(Editor's Note: Please stop being so melodramatic)

Adventure Time ran for 9 years, 10 seasons and one Minecraft themed special. As nicest of guys Jonathan Holmes wrote, it influenced a whole heck of a lot of similar, brightly colored, emotionally complex shows in the coming years, substantially impacting the media landscape for a cartoon about a boy and his dog. I was a sophomore in high school when it first aired in 2010 and still vividly remember the ad campaign asking "WHAT TIME IS IT?!" So yeah, I'm bummed. Even though my watching habits tapered off after a few years, the end of Adventure Time is the final show of that phase of C?artoon Network's history.

That sentence probably makes no sense so I'll explain. As series get canceled and producers and executives get shuffled around a network's direction and style will change with it. For example, probably the most well-known "phase" of Cartoon Network was when shows like Dexter's Labratory, The PowerPuff Girls and Ed, Edd n Eddy aired (It also had that awesome city?? with all the characters living in it!) Yes, the shows had their own narratives, styles, and showrunners, but together they contributed to the channel's identity, something you could point to and say, "Yup, that's a Cartoon Network show."

So shows during the same time period on the same channel have similarities; not regulatory, but they sure did affect me mightily. As previously mentioned, Adventure Time premiered in 2010 around the same time other gems like Regular Show and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Additionally, a block of superhero shows called DC Nation floored comic book fans with the incredible Young Justice as well as the criminally underrated silver-age stylized Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I  remember recording all those shows, getting wings from my favourite local place, and having the best Friday nights an antisocial nerd cou??ld ask for.

And while that is a little sad (fine, a lot), those are some great memories for me. Those shows helped form my tastes in comedy and action. Those shows convinced me to minor in animation in college. Those shows helped shape my values as a ??person! Sure, I'm probably a more extreme case, but I don't think I'm overestimating the influence and impact shows like these can have if someone watches it at just the right time in their life. It's nostalgia to the max, but a good type of nostalgia, an appreciative and thankful one that I'm sure not only I have experienced.

However, understandably things change and the channel's identity changes with it. Sticking with Cartoon Network (because I am a manchild who still only watches cartoons), the era before my prized shows was headlined by some.... different types of shows, and that's totally okay! While I personally didn't enjoy Chowder or The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, plenty of my friends quo??te them and adopted their irreverent, often surreal humor.  Hell, I'm sure plenty of viewers watched it at just the right time in their lives had the same?? experience with those shows as I did with mine. To Cartoon Network, it was simply another phase of programming replacing the old shows that ended, but for viewers, it could be so much more.

That's bonkers! That's an immense impact on people during formative experiences in their lives, and I'm not talking solely about kids shows. That common identity a channel cultivates that viewers can identify with, cannot be understated. I realize this is common knowledge -- of course media you consume influences you -- but just think how different a person you could be if you hadn't discovered your favorite show or that one incredible episode you stumbled upon ??because the current slate of shows on a station happened to be up your alley. It's like hitting the jackpot to th??e "you" lottery you never knew you entered.

It's odd how certain shows stick with you; I didn't watch the Regular Show or Adventure Time finales. Heck, I've probably only seen 20% of Adventure Time episodes, but it hit me surprisingly hard when I found out it was ending. All the other shows are off the air now (Young Justice revival notwithstanding), fully solidif?ying those wonderful Friday nights in the past. However, I and plenty others can st??ill reflect and appreciate how that slate of shows affected us in such meaningful ways. Thanks for being so mathematical.

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Or not

Mega Man: Fully Charged is finally out in web form, after months of speculation and delays we can confirm that ??the show actually does ex??ist.

Yes it's for kid, and it takes the angle of "robot superhero son with adorable dad," which is ?a more endearing premise than I initially expected. It's also littere?d with various homages from retro visuals to musical cues (Fire Man's original theme playing while they battle in episode two is cute), and the idea of Mega Man also copying his enemy's mental states is interesting. I've only see a bit of it but the Dr. Light and Wily analogs are good enough, as is the overarching storyline of robots vs. humans. I don't think I'm going to rush out and recommend it to anyone outright, but kids should enjoy it.

Note that the first two episodes (a two-parter intro) are "unlocked," so anyone can view them freely. After that you'll need to log in with your cable provider that has access to Cart??oon Network. Episodes are roughly 11 minutes each so it will only take?? you a few hours to blast through the entire show.

Mega Man: Fully Charged [Cartoon Network]

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A bogus journey to the land of Ooo

Adventure Time is a pretty great cartoon. So, it's a damn sham??????????????????????????e that none of its many game adaptations have come close to doing its beautiful world and cleverly written characters justice.

Pirates of the Enchiridion ?comes close but falls short on the sort ?of depth you would want out of an RPG set in the land of Ooo. 

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Switch [reviewed])
Developer: Climax Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Released: July 17, 2018
MSRP: $39.99 (console), $29.99 (PC)

Our adventure opens with Finn and Jake waking up to find themselves floating on the newly created ocean of Ooo. It would seem something went all wonky with Ice King's crown and now all of the world has been flooded with the liquefied remains o??f what used to be the Ice Kingdom. Naturally, the guys set sail on a boat named Jeff with the intent of finding out what exactly is going down and restoring the land of Ooo to its for??mer glory. 

At first glance, your map of the ocean of Ooo seems vast, but it really just amounts to a whole lot of empty space. The setup gives the impression of a Wind Waker-style world of islands to explore, but you can only moor your boat at specific locations, and each of those islands offers a linear progression that might as well be broken out into separate level??s. There are also a few side quests you can find on the map, but they aren't much more than simple fetch quests.

Turn-based combat is straightforward. You have four characters each with unique abilities and styles. Finn, Jake, and eventually Marceline and BMO join your ranks. Each of the four fills a different role you would expect to find in the party of any rol??e-playing game. Finn functions as your main damage dealer while BMO focuses on healing ??the party. Each party member also has an ability they can use outside of combat to help traverse the world. Marceline can turn invisible, while Jake can use his shape-shifting powers to grow and lift the party up tall cliffs or across gaps. 

While the combat encounters are well designed and can be satisfying when you get into the flow of usin??g everyone's abilities and special attacks in tandem, they present little challenge, especially once you have access to the full party. There are even m?ultiple special attacks you can unlock for each character by completing side quests or exploring, but I saw little need to go out my way for new skills and stuck with the ones I stumbled across. 

Weirdly enough, Pirates of the Enchiridion even features an interrogation mini-game that might actually be less subtle than L.A. Noire. Essentially a b?rief d??ialogue exchange will let you know whether to coax the perp with kindness or aggression, leading to a good-cop-bad-cop dynamic between Finn and Jake.

You can upgrade your characters' stats and abilities using the currency you win in fights and find in breakable objects throughout the environment. Every time a character levels up, they get a new threshold for how much can be spent on increasing things like their attack strength and ??health pool. The same currency is used to ??????????????????????????purchase items from the shop. 

Visually speaking, the look of the cartoon is there, and for the most part the show's humor bleeds through, but most of the dialogue exchange?s are limited to brief bits of exposition save for the sea shanties the group sings while out looking to kick some pirate booty. 

On the technical end, the Nintendo Switch version of Pirates of the Enchiridion is sort of a mess. The frame rate would o?ften drop to a snail's pace when out on the open ocean, and the game crashed no less than seven times during my roughly eight-hour playthrough. A few of those instances happened toward the tail end of some rather lengthy boss fights. 

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion might be appealing to a younger audience that wants an RPG without too many advance systems to over-complicate things, but if you're? looking for a deep role-playing game set within the land of Ooo, you'll be sorely disappointed. On top of that, all of the performance issues with the Switch version make it incredibly difficult to recom??mend.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Cute

With roughly eight minutes of Mega Man: Fully Charged out into the wild as a res?ult of its official YouTube account, it's safe to decide whether or not it's your thing. Given that it's geared toward young ki??ds, it might not be.

One thing I do appreciate is that there will seemingly be some retro homages baked into the series, as evidenced most directly by the previews for the episodes "Throwing Shade" and "Drilling Deep." It's possible that they might overdo it (and rely too much on the villain of the week formula), but for now the concept and the accompanying music are cute at least (as is Drill Man's tragic backstory in the latter??).

Get a look at Mega Man battling Fire Man and Drill Man in the? videos b??elow.

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What makes a hero?

It's been more than a year since we first heard about Mega Man Fully Charged and now, after much speculation about what kind of animated series it will be, we're getting our first look at what Cartoon Network has up its sleeve for the Blue Bomber. The Comic-Con trailer for the new show has dropped and it looks like something my youngest nephew will absolutely eat up. After years of watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ad nauseam ??whenever I spend time with him, I'll take whatever this is over one more goddamn viewing of Donald Duck turning into that fucking frog.

Mega Man Fully Charged will ?debut on the Cartoon Network app on August?? 3 and will begin airing on Cartoon Network proper on August 5.

Mega Man Fully Charged trailer is a blast from the past [EW]

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It has to be better than the Ruby-Spears show, right?

Mega Man is back, and as part of a multimedia initiative to allow the Blue Bomber to re-enter the spotlight, Capcom is going all out on a new game, toys, and even a cartoon series. We've known about Mega Man: Fully Charged for a while, but thanks to some new info out of San Diego Comic-Con we finally have? a premiere date -- August 5.

Although we don't have the exact time it'll air on Cartoon Network, and until then producer DHX Media will be teasing the show with various clips and bits of information. Expect to hear a lot more once the official panel happens on July 20 at Comic-Con, which will guest star Capcom's Kazuhiro Tsuchiya of Mega Man 11 and Asura's Wrath fame. If you're attending you can pick up official art ??prints as swag.

Hopefully it'll do justice to Pharaoh ??Man, the best? Robot Master.

The post Mega M?an: Fully Charged will debut on Cartoon Network in August, pleas??e be good appeared first on Destructoid.

Impressions, ho

I'm not the kind of person to besmirch something because it looks "cartoony" or is geared for a certain age group. Often times kid programs transcend those boundaries with the right people behind them, and that might be the case for Mega Man: Fully Charged.

Capcom seems content with bringing back the Blue Bomber in a huge way this year -- but instead of just getting compilati?ons we're witnessing the release of a brand new game on top of a new cartoon, which hasn't been attempted in some time.

The jury is out on Fully Charged as Capc?om and Man of Action have been keeping the project close to the chest (despite several leaks that have given us deta??ils), but it's basically ready for public consumption as it was just announced as part of the San Diego Comic Con lineup.

It'll premiere on July 20 at 6PM PT during its own screening panel (footage, not a full episode it seems) alongside of a brief talk: "Celebrating the 30-year legacy of this iconic, game-based character, the panelists will discuss the background and creative evolution of?? the new series, followed by screeni??ng of never-before-seen footage from the show, coming soon to Cartoon Network."

Friday [Comic Con via Rockman Corner]

The post The new Mega Man cartoon will premiere ??t?his very month at Comic Con appeared first on Destructoid.

How to judge a show before it even airs

For the past couple of days, my newsfeed on Facebook has been ablaze with people talking about the new Thundercats TV show, Thundercats Roar, and none of it has been p?ositive. People have insulted the show for pissing on the legacy of the original series, how much worse modern kids shows are compared to the ones we grew up o??n, and how American animation has become nothing but garbage. Cartoon Network has pretty much gotten under the skin of anyone that had access to a keyboard that grew up watching the channel in the late '90s and early 2000s.

I've always been a big proponent of animation of what kind of shows/movies kids watch. I always advocate for animation and stories that challenge and teach kids valuable lessons as well as entertain them with goofy and dumb fun. There can be a balance between the styles of kids' shows. Not every show has to be a super serious show that challenges both adults and kids, just as not every show has to be a dumb comedy that kids can laugh and reference with other kids. The difference is how those products are marketed and whether or not they're even good for kids. A movie like The Secret Life of Pets may be a silly kids movie, but it at least is not as toxic to a child's development as The Emoji Movie is. They both are trying to appeal to the same demographics, but one is clearly not? as destructive as the other.? 

So when I'm talking about Thundercats Roar and the reaction to it, I'm taking it from the approach of someone that watches some kids cartoons without a kid, loves anime, goes to see kids movies, and is someone that has been around the block a few times with the modern Cartoon Network. And after a little time to think about it, I firmly believe that people need to calm the hell down about Thundercats Roar and its animation. It isn't the end of the world, it isn't the low point in Western animation, an?d this isn't the darkest timeline. 

First thing's first, we should probably address the elephant in the room. A bunch of animators and fans online have decried Thundercats Roar not just because it's a revival of Thundercats, but because it has an animation style referred to as the CalArts Style. Essentially, people are saying that a majority of cartoons nowadays looks like cookie cutter copies of each other because one of the biggest animation colleges in America, CalArts, teaches future animators one method of creating cartoons, then funnels them off to studios to homogenize the American animation industry into one singular style of animation. Most of the biggest cartoons sport the same character designs, facial animation, and are generally indistinguishable between one another. All you need to do is look at this picture just to get what people are talking about with ?the CalArts style. 

Couple things.

Do cartoons nowadays look very similar to each other? Yes they do. They share a lot of visual similarities and it's hard to deny that. Did cartoons on Cartoon Network a decade ago all sport different visual designs to separate themselves from each other? Again, yeah, they did. Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy all were big hits on Cartoon Network, but they had different visual designs to them. Does any of that matter for the overall quality of a ??show? Absolutely not. 

A ton of classic shows feature garbage animation when you actually break them down and look at them. Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones are shows that have really aged visually and never really sported the best animation. But they've endured to this day because those shows have great characters with some great writing to them. That applies even more to cartoons nowadays. To belittle Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil for having similar animation and character designs means that you're belittling them for their visuals rather than their content, and all three of those shows are a??stounding in terms of the narratives they tell.

Gravity Falls frequently features eldritch abominations that enter our reality and weaves together mysteries upon mysteries to entice their viewers. Star vs. the Forces of Evil has some truly great action scenes in a world that deals with historical revisionism and racism between magical humans and monsters. And Steven Universe? That sho??w plays with gender norms, forgiveness, legacy, growing up, responsibility, and a whole host of other importa??nt lessons that hit phenomenally well. To say that those shows are lesser because the animation is similar is doing all American cartoons a disservice. 

Are the similar visually? Yes, but if we're going to go through the train of thought that any shows that bear some visual similarity are redundant and lose value because of it, then why aren't people upset that Matt Groening's new Netflix series Disenchantment is a visual rip-off of Futurama, which is a visual rip-off of The Simpsons? Is it because it has the same creator that it g?ets a free pass? 

So let's just table the whole CalArts style discussion because it really doesn't hold a lot of weight here. What some people are really keen to throw out to bring down Roar is that it took away the seriousness and the legacy of the original series. Now I have never seen either the original Thundercats or the 2011 revival (we'll get to that later), but I can understand why the shift to comedy would be a problem for some. And honestly, that's a legitimate issue that people can take with the series... to a point. I will always give the benefit of the doubt to a show or movie that hasn't aired yet, but it looks like Thundercats Roar is trying to ape the success of Teen Titans Go! and how it differed incredibly from the original 20?03 series. 

So in a complete stroke of luck, I've actually been rewatching all of the 2003 Teen Titans when this whole scandal broke out. Comparing Teen Titans to Teen Titans Go! is hardly fair, seeing as how one show I grew up with and one show I saw only a single season of, but the quality between the two series is shocking. Teen Titans Go! is clearly aiming for a younger demographic and is focused on being a comedy, w??hile the original series has a bunch of comedic episodes, but comedy wasn't the focus of the original series. It was more focused on showing off the fun villains and using them to explore each of the core Titans and develop them into true heroes. 

But, and I can't believe I'm doing this, Teen Titans Go! isn't as horrible as people have made it out to be. I wouldn't call it good, but it has enough stupidity to make it enjoyable for young kids and has a few clever moments in it. And yes, because I just need to remind everyone of this, these shows are aimed at CHILDREN, not adults. Not only that, but it isn't great to compare Teen Titans Go! to Teen Titans really since they're both completely different shows in terms of themes and intents. It's more appropriate to compare it to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, a h??yperactive and often annoying kids show about a group of different creatures living together that I watched all the time growing up. 

Compared to other kid's cartoons that are meant to be annoying comedies, Teen Titans Go! isn't that bad and is actually pretty successful at being this generation's Foster's, so of course Thundercats Roar would try to emulate Teen Titans Go!. But television doesn't exist in a vacuum. Teen Titans Go! may be a comedy, but it will always be inferior to the original series to older fans because of how good that series was. Same with Thundercats Roar. Even if the show turns out to be a massive hit that gets a film adaptation and scores of fans, it's still going to be tonally at odds with the generation that grew up with the original series and the handful of fans that watched the 2011 reboot. It's not like the other shows, so it must be inferior. But you have to remember, this is the first exposure to the Thundercats for an entire generation, so there's no refer?ence point for them.

And speaking of the 2011 reboot, let's talk about that just for a quick minute. Another reason people have decried Roar is that visually, it's a massive downgrade from the 2011 series and that its anime-inspired visuals were infinitely superior to the goofy and loose animation of Roar. Fact of the matter is, if people actually watched the 2011 reboot as it aired, then we wouldn't be in this position. People didn't tune in to watch the 2011 reboot, so it was cancelled for low viewership. So when people wish that Thundercats Roar looked more like the 2011 reboot, it doesn't make a difference. People had the chance to watch the show, it didn't get the viewership it needed, it got cancelled, and now the property is trying a new approach to see if it works. You can't get mad for a studio trying something new when the last time they tried to innovate no one watched it. Arin Hanson said it best when he said that it ?was a great show that people didn't really watch, network bullcrap aside. 

All of these comments have been understandable to an extent and it's been fun just looking at them and seeing the points and counterpoints of each argument. However, the one argument that I just can't get behind is the direct comparison to anime and how visually Thundercats Roar is inferior to animation being produced in Japan today. One animator made this direct comparison between Violet Evergarden, an anime currently streaming on Netflix, to show off how visually repulsive Thundercats Roar is by comparison. 

First off, everything is going to look like crap compared to Violet Evergarden. Have you seen how gorgeous that show is? Second, trying to compare the anime business between American animation is opening up a whole can of worms and I will be the first to admit that I am not the best when it comes to behind-the-scenes info on animated shows. If you want to consult an expert, I highly recommend you read Justin Sevakis' Answerman articles over at Anime News Network.?? He knows may more about the production of anime and the business of it than I do and all I know about the subject comes direc??tly from him and his research. 

Suffice to say, Violet Evergarden is a series that was in development for, at the very least, a year and a half. When anime are bought in Japan to be produced, they're bought in cours of 12 or 13 episodes to make sure that the studio has a hit before they go all in on producing a future season. That's why shows like My Hero Academia and Attack on Titan take major breaks between seasons. The studio wants to make sure it's a hit, then go all in on producing the shows. Even then, studios take a long time to make a cour in order to make them look as well as they can, and even then the name of the game is time crunch when these shows make it to air. If a show is under a time crunch, the animation and proportion can be wonky and sometimes pathetically lazy. Last year's Berserk was notorious for its laz??y animation, but whether this was due to a mishandle??d budget or lack of time is unknown. 

Violet Evergarden had plenty of time to refine its visuals and make sure everything was on point. Kyoto Animation, also known as Kyo-Ani, is also legendary for making visually spectacular anime on a consistent basis. Contrast that with American animation, where most kids shows are aimed to be syndicated and shown on repeat. Usually, these shows come out with a new episode every week, so episodes are oftentimes under a significant crunch time to make it to air. In some rare cases shows like Gravity Falls are given extremely long breaks between episodes just to let the creators release each episode when they're perfect, but instances like that are few and far between. Kids shows need to release at a frequent pace ??because syndication will only support a sh??ow for so long, so more content needs to be produced at a faster pace, and if it just so happens that the designs and animation is simple, it can speed up the process incredibly. 

Comparing an anime, which usually are given time to breathe between cours, to an American cartoon, which needs to be produced quick and easy, is a bit unfair then. If you wanted to be fair, compare Thundercats Roar to One Piece, another weekly series that needs to be produced on a dime and pumped out as fast as possible. Can One Piece be visually?? amazing? It can be, but it can also be ugly as sin because it has a deadline to meet every week. The animators sacrifi??ce detail for looser and faster animation just to get it out on time. There's a method to the madness here. 

But if all of that still isn't enough, then there's an easy way to show your opinion about the series; don't watch it. Talking about it now isn't really going to change much since it's already in production and is going to come out in 2019. If you don't have kids, you don't have to watch it. If you do have kids, then try and watch different shows with them. Hell, even if you don't have kids, watch shows that look interesting and appealing to you and vote with your viewership. A cartoon called Infinity Train is coming to Cartoon Network in 2019 and I would adore existence if that show got a huge following and overshadowed Thundercats Roar. And if you have no idea what it is, just watch this pilot and be blown away by it. 

Personally, though, Thundercats Roar doesn't look harmful to kids. It's trying to ape Teen Titans Go! and be another silly cartoon for kids. It doesn't look insidious like The Emoji Movie and is clearly not aimed at the demographic that is complaining about the visuals. I can't guarantee it'll be a good show, but have faith in the animators and the team behind Thundercats Roar. They got paid to do this job for a reason and there are quality animators that are working on this project. Have faith in it. Just don't go and say that it's going to suck because you don't like the animation. You can be wary of its tone, how it treats the legacy of the Thundercats, or if it's giving off bad messages to kids, but we won't know that until it airs. Give the animators a chance to impress you wi??th their work. And remember, this show isn't aimed at us. It's aimed at a new generation of kids. 

And quit it w?ith the whole CalArts style thing. Just... stop it. No bueno.

The post The animation of Thundercats Roar doesn’t matter appeared first on Destructoid.

That should tickle fans' pickels

Rick and Morty, a polarizing show to say the least, has been given a massi??ve renewal by Adult Swim. The 70 episode deal will certainly span beyond the show's fourth season and keep the series in development for an untold number of years.

For reference, the flagship Adult Swim series The Venture Bros has 75 episodes to its entire run. Also, that series has been running since 2004, so we could feasibly have more than a decade of Rick and Morty ahead of us, dependin??g on how these episodes are released.

Thanks to the show's vehement, aggressive, and sometimes horrifying fanbase, Rick and Morty is a show that's been well-embedded into the public conciseness. When a one-off joke can turn into national chaos, you know you have a hit on your hands, and Adult Swim has felt its benefits. The season three finale scored the highest ratings Adult Swim's ever seen, and after waiting for a surprisingly long period to announce a renewal, they've made it clear that Rick and Morty is here to stay.

‘R??ick And Morty’ Gets Massive 70-Episode Renewal By Adult Swim; Creators Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland Ink Overall Deal [Deadline]

The post Rick and Morty scores 70?? ?episode deal with Adult Swim appeared first on Destructoid.

Insert guitar riffs and Vespas

Whenever a title finishes its run, there's a good chance that its story is complete. As FLCL's new seasons hit us with a cool trailer, I'm stil??l siding with those who think that the sequels aren't necessary.

Aside from the original show having a satisfying conclusion, the other reason behind my stance is that the first series was the result of Gainax wanting to make something happy after being sad from working on End of Evangelion, which likely played a role in the OVA's hyperactive over-the-top nature. Since the sequel's team is lacking the old one's mentality, the new FLCL might no?t be on a? similar level to its predecessor.

With the sequel being two new seasons, they're being called FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative. Just like the original, they'll be six episodes each. Seeing that they both feature different casts of characters, it looks like it's focusing on Medical Mechani??ca's effects on society. There also seems to be a new robot that may be the Canti of the series, so we'll see how it turns out.

FLCL Progressive hits the Toonami block on June 2 at 11:30 p.m. (EST and PST), and Adult Swim's Website will simulcast the series in Japanese. Then Alternative will air in September. If you're in Japan, they'll be shown in theaters on September 7 and 29, with Alternative being the first one to be screened. 

Depending on their quality, I might get to relive my high school senior year as I get to see FLCL on TV again. Either way, it won't stop me from jamming out to The Pillows' new opening songs, "Spikey Seeds" and "Star Overhead." If they lack the charm of the original, then we have Studio TRIGGER's Space Patrol Luluco as a wonderful spiritual successor. Fortunately, t?here are a couple people on the staff who worked with Gainax and TRIGGER, so there's a bit of hope in the s??equel not being a disappointment.

FLCL Progressive's Staff and Cast

• Chief Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro (Psycho-Pass and Atom the Beginning's Chief Director)
• Supervisor: Kazuya Tsurumaki (Wild Arms 3's Animated Opening Director, FLCL's Series Director)
• Directors: Kazuto Arai (Kill la Kill's In-Between Animation, Mob Psycho 100 episode 3's Key Animation), Toshihisa Kaiya (IGPX's Character Design, Outlaw Staropening's Key Animation), Yuki Ogawa (Pokémon XY's Assistant Episode Director, Hunter x Hunter 2011 episode 34's 2nd Key Animation), Yoshihide Ibata (Attack on Titan: Junior High's Director, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis episode 5's Episode Director), Kei Suezawa (Pokémon Generations and Kill la Kill episode 4's Key Animation), Hiroshi Ikehata (Robot Girls Z and Akiba's Trip: The Animation's Director)
• Script: Hideto Iwai (Last Dinner and Shuden Bye Bye's Script)
• Original Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (FLCL's Original Character Design, .hack//Infection through Quarantine's Character Design)
• Character Design: Chikashi Kubota (One Piece Movie 6 and One Punch Man'sCharacter Design)
• Mechanical Design: Kiyotaka Oshiyama (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos and Gurren Lagann episode 3's Key Animation)
• Theme Song: The Pillows
• Animation Production: Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'sAnimation, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings' Animation Production)
• Sub-Character Design: Mai Yoneyama (Kiznaiver's Character Design, Gurren Lagann Parallel Works 2's Kittan Zero Key Animation)
• Prop Design: Akiko Murayama (Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings and Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike's In-Between Animation), Yoko Kubara (Ace Attorney anime's Prop Design, Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers' Key Animation)
• Background Art Director: Kazuhiro Arai (Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo's Background Art)
• Color Design: Noriko Arisawa (Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199's Paint, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact's Color Key)
• Director of Photography: Koji Tanaka (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Batman: Gotham Knight episode 2's Director of Photography)
• CG Director: You Takayanagi (Red Ash: Magicicada's CG, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society's 3D Animation)
• Editor: Takeo Hamauzu (Tales of Symphonia animated cutscene's Editor, Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike's Editing Assistant)
• Music Director/Composer: R.O.N
• Sound Director: Toru Nakano (.hack//G.U. Vol. 1 through 3's Sound Effects, FLCL's Sound Producer)
• Haruha Raharu: Megumi Hayashibara (Final Fantasy XI's Shantotto, Slayers' Lina)
• Jinyu: Miyuki Sawashiro (Sword Art Online II's Sinon, Odin Sphere's Velvet)
• Hidomi: Inori Minase (Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Kasane, Re:ZERO's Rem)
• Yoshimi Ide: Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass' Lelouch, Ressha Sentai ToQger's Nero)
• Goro Mori: Tomo Muranaka (Final Fantasy XIV's Honoroit, Kirakira Precure a la Mode's Aoi/Cure Gelato)
• Nogata Maruko: Masatomo Nakazawa (Silver Spoon's Naoki, Sakura Quest's Nakayama)
• Aiko: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Tales of Berseria's Moana, Nights of Azure's Christophorus)
• Hinae: Kikuko Inoue (Guilty Gear series' I-No, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger's Insarn)
• Masurao: Kouji Ohkura (FLCL's Amarao, Hyouge Mono's Sasuke)
• Eyepatch: Takayuki Sugo (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's Boris, Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199's Captain Okita)
• Tonkichi: Jin Urayama (Soulcalibur V's Cervantes, Final Fantasy XV's Verstael)
• Tami Hanae: Reiko Suzuki (Bayonetta 2's Umbran Elder, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders' Enya)

FLCL Alternative's Staff and Cast

• Chief Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro
• Supervisor: Kazuya Tsurumaki
• Directors: Yutaka Uemura (Saga of Tanya the Evil's Director, Gunbuster 2: Diebuster's CG Production), Kiyotaka Suzuki (Evangelion 3.0's Chief Unit Director, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew's CGI Assistance)
• Script: Hideto Iwai
• Original Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
• Character Design: Yuichi Takahashi (Macross Frontier's Character Design, Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers' Key Animation)
• Mechanical Design: Kiyotaka Oshiyama
• Theme Song: The Pillows
• Animation Production: Production I.G., NUT (One Punch Man: Road to Hero's Production Cooperation, Saga of Tanya the Evil Witch's Animation Production), REVOROOT (Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis' Finish Animation, Made in Abyss' In-Between Animation)
• Costume Design: Hiromi Taniguchi (Psycho-Pass movie and Gurren Lagann's In-Between Animation
• Prop Design: Yuji Hosogoe (Afro Samurai: Resurrection and Berserk movie trilogy's Key Animation), Hiyori Denforword Akishino (Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and Death Parade's Prop Design)
• Background Art Director: Ayaka Fujii (Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia movie's Background Art)
• Color Design: Chiho Nakamura (Bodacious Space Pirates and Saber Marionette J to X's Color Key)
• Director of Photography: Shinji Tonsho (Gamers! and Saga of Tanya the Evil's Director of Photography)
• CG Director: Tsukasa Saito (Karas and Death Note's CG Animation) 
• Music Director/Composer: R.O.N
• Sound Director: Toru Nakano
• Haruhara Haruko: Mayumi Shintani (FLCL's Haruko, Kill la Kill's Nonon)
• Kana Kawamoto: Karen Miyama (Endride's Alicia, Kirakira Precure a la Mode's Ichika/Cure Whip)
• Tomomi Heta: Yuri Yoshida (Punch Line's Chiranosuke, Engaged to the Unidentified's Mashiro)
• Hijiri Yashima: Riho Iida (The Guided Fate Paradox's Minamo, Omega Quintet'sOtoha)
• Mitsuru Motoyama: Mutsumi Tamura (UNDER-NIGHT-IN-BIRTH's Byakuya, Darling in the FrankXX's Zorome)
• Kan Sudo: Katsuyuki Konishi (Gurren Lagann's Kamina, Tensou Sentai Goseiger's Gosei Knight)
• Kado Sasaki: Takuma Nagatsuka (Atelier Lydie and Suelle: Alchemists of the Mysterious Painting's Alt, My Hero Academia Season 2's Koji)
• Ben Sota: Ryota Suzuki (Junji Ito: Collection's Akiyama, Recovery of an MMO Junkie's Hayashi)
• Shizuka Kawamoto: Miki Itou (Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Work 2014's Taiga, Dragon Ball Z's Android 18/Cyborg 18)
• Bunta Kawamoto: Maho Masaka 
• Yoga Dennis: Katsuji Mori (Gatchaman's Ken the Eagle, Sailor Moon's Nephrite)
• Maki Kitaki: Kaya Matsutani (Sakura Wars: So Long My Love's Diana, Bleach's Rangiku)
• Tabata Kanda: Yutaka Aoyama (Yakuza 5's Kanji, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact's Django)

FLCL: Alternative/Progr?essive Anime Reveals Additional Staff (Update) [Anime News Network]

The post FLCL’s sequel brings out The Pillows goodness on June 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Powie zowie

As Cartoon Network begins losing the major cartoon shows that brought the network to the forefront of animation over the last decad?e, they're going to need to turn to shows with a great amount of promise and throw all of their support behind them. 

One such show is OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, a series as perfectly fitted to a video game as one can be. A charming, electrically charged show with an infectious energy I couldn't wait to see play out in a game. But despite its perfectly tailored premise and personality, OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes falls prey to the trapp????ings of every other tie-in beat-'em-up. 

OK K.O.! Lets Play Heroes (PC, Xbox One, PS4 [reviewed]) 
Developer: Capybara Games
Publisher: Cartoon Network Games
Release: January 23, 2018
MSRP: $19.99

OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes follows K.O., a boy working at a bodega in Lakewood Plaza Turbo with his friends Enid, who hates being there, and Radicles, who takes advantage of K.O. when he can. Everyone in town is a recognized hero, and have thus been awarded a special Hero Card. But when he finally gets a card himself, the evil Lord Boxman (their business competitor) buys the company that m?akes hero cards and brings everyone to Level 0. Now in order to raise everyone's levels, K.O. must make friends, complete quests for them, and fight in battles along the way. 

Using Lakewood Plaza Turbo as a hub, K.O. walks around to pick up quests and get into random battles (which must? be directly selected to enter, rather than have them pop up randomly). The main crux of the title involves picking up quests from other characters, so K.O. basically clocks in for work and sees how many quests he can accomplish before the end of his shift. Although more of the plaza opens up the further you get in, it's hard not to sense the tedium kicking in when you have to walk across the bodega again and again in order to talk to a specific character. Couple this with an unfortunate lack of mission variety (it's either going to be a fetch quest or set number of battles), and this tedium does kick in sooner than you'd hope. 

Set on a 2D plane, K.O. fights tons of Darrells and Shannons with a variety of moves. His set-up includes a standard punch, low kick, uppercut (which allows for a good amount of juggle opportunities), an attack that let's K.O. bounce on opponent, and a dodge roll. The main draw of battle, however, is the Hero Cards. As K.O. fulfills quests and gets hero cards from a vending machine, he eventually unlocks a hero's Powie Zowie. A Powie Zowie is a special move K.O. can use in battle that calls in his friend fo?r help when a meter is fully built up. You can equip any two of these, and the rate at which they fill doesn't feel sluggish. Though enemies can feel a bit like damage spong?es until you level up (via breaking a pinata, natch) and unlock stronger moves. 

Luckily Let's Play Heroes makes up for its lack of mission variety with a fantastic presentation. It's a game made with fans in mind first, and developer Capybara made sure to incorporate the series' voice as much as possible. The art style is incredibly fluid and adorable, the pause menu brings up K.O.'s card binder while beatboxing c?an be heard in the background, and each cutscene and character interaction is fully voice acted. That last detail is the most important, as a game like this could have easily fallen apart in the early hours if only some of the scenes featured voice acting from the series' wonderful cast. Not to mention that the full voice acting allows non-fans of the series to get to know the characters and form bonds with them. 

Though there is some variety in how battles can be fought and even boss fights to be had, it's hard to shake the monotony after playing OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes for more than a couple of hours. The difficulty is fair (and rewards players who effectively use the dodge roll), ??but its reliance on a rigid schedule of completing quest after quest in mostly the same ways does eventually feel like clocking into work every session. 

Fighting can be incredibly fluid and fun, but it's like Capybara took an idea they had for a side-scrolling beat-'em-up and stretched it beyond its limits into an ill-fitted action RPG. In that sa??me breath, you'll be hard pressed to find a game more faithful to its source material. 

_{[This review is base??d on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes appeared first on Destructoid.

A Cartoon Network collab

I've missed Capybara these past few years. With Below still indefinitely delayed, the next project we'll see out of the studio is OK K.O.!: Let's Play Heroes, a beat-'em-up based on Cartoon Network'??s video-game-inspired animated? show. It's coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on January 23.

I haven't watched the show itself but I'm digging the art here, for sure. The game also looks like it'll have some decent hooks with the whole card collecting and leveling asp?ect on top of the brawling.

The post Capybara’s new game OK K.O.! is out this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Maybe go out for pizzas instead

Steven Universe is a crazily popular Cartoon Network series, and it's one of the best cartoons in recent memory, so it was only a matter of time before it would make its way to gaming. Grumpyface Studios, the studio behind a number of mobile releases for Cartoon Network and Steven Universe: Attack the Light, has teamed with series creator Rebecca Sugar for Steven Universe's first big foray into the console scene. 

Just like the TV series, although Steven Universe: Save the Light is charming and full of incredible art design, it's got a fair share of problems that'll guarantee the full e?xperience is less enjoyable over time. 

Steven Universe: Save the Light (PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Grumpyface Studios
Publisher: Cartoon Network Games
Released: October 31, 2017
MSRP: $24.99

Save the Light is a follow-up to the mobile-exclusive Attack the Light, but no need to worry as the intro includes a quick, and ultra cute, summary of the events up to this point. After Steven and the Crystal Gems defeated an army of light monsters born from a mysterious prism ??with the power of love and friendship, Steven's peaceful Beach City life is interrupted once again by brand new villain, Hessonite (Christine Baranski!), who's come from the Gem Homeworld to reclaim the light prism and unleash yet another army of light monsters. But this time, Steven wants to save his new light prism friend and gets help from not only Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, but his best friend Connie, his dad Greg, and new Crystal Gem recruit Peridot.  

With 2D characters moving around a 3D plane, Save the Light pops immediately. Steven Universe's already gorgeous palette translates well to this and the character design lends itself to a less detailed, round look overall. The enemy monsters are a little unimpressive in comparison, but at least the new villain Hessonite is unique among the other characters. The focus on primary colors and pastels is pretty nea??t. The environments themselves can feel bl?and, but definitely fare better when visiting the series' famous spots like the Strawberry Battlefield and Lapis and Peridot's farm house.

Moving around, however, is less wholesome. Save the Light's deliberate pacing means there's a bit of a wait when getting from place to place. Taking more than a few cues from the Paper Mario series, the walking pace of the characters takes some time to get used?? to. It's somewhat grating at first given that the first area, Steven's home and Beach City, is wide open and took longer than I would've liked to traverse. Other areas alleviate this by being more linear and compact (with a few branching paths for collectible goodies), and the addition of warp pads adds fast-travel points between the areas (though walking to each one can be troublesome as well). Given the environments can be a little flat, as mentioned, walking is less atmospheric than it should be considering how good its soundtrack can be at moments.

But the real star of the show are Save the Light's battles. Blending both real-time and turn-based RPG elements, battles are activated by interacting with enemies on the map (either attacking or being attacked), spreading out the characters on a 2D plane in random spots with some even being placed behind enemies, and then there's a lot more waiting. Battles are in real time, but moves are set within a star meter with a cooldown period. The b?attle pauses when selecting a character's move, which all take a set number of star points, and restarts when the moves are selected. If an enemy is moving closer, for example, you can pause the battle by choosing a move, take a breath, and figure out what to do next. It's a nice little system, and you can't abuse it given the limited number of star points or the fact you can't pause when an enemy attacks. 

But when you're out of star points, you're waiting for it to refill again. During this time, enemies will take potshots at you, but given how slow they move around and how long it takes for their moves to launch, there's a ton of waiting around involved during each fight. There's an attempt to fix the waiting as each attack does more damage with timed button presses (and vice versa when blocking), and getting a "Perfect" rating fills your star meter a tad more. ?And the random placement of your party and the enemies can add an extra tactical layer, as both sides can utilize cliff damage for an extra oomph, but on??ly enemies can freely move around screen. It's a bit of a letdown to see certain enemies being able to move closer to you before attacking to only watch your character attack, then retreat back to their designated spot even if it places them precariously over a cliff edge.

There's an attempt here to liven things up beyond timed button presses, and they're quite a treat for fans. As characters help each other take out enemies or give kudos for perfect blocks, you build a relationship meter between the two of them. A full relationship meter (which can take more than one battle to build, if you're not constantly getting perfects) nets two characters a special move. Some give each other buffs, or have an attack that deals a good amount of damage, but you can also fuse two of the Gems into a powerful character with a new set of moves. But even with these nuances in battle, on more than one occasion per fight, nothing moves for an extended period of time and i??t deflates the excitement. 

I really wanted to have more fun with Steven Universe: Save the Light than I did. It's got a lot of interesting ideas in theory, but the longer I played, the m??ore I felt my feet drag. Making matters worse, it tends to have a bit of a loading problem. Getting a few hiccups before the adventure even begins is a bad sign for sure, but it really exacerbated the wait times I felt when playing. And I hope this isn't the experience for everyone, but it even froze on me during five battles when it couldn't load the multiple moves happenin??g on screen. 

To be honest, each time I reset and lost my progress I had to sit and wonder whether or not I wanted to go through those certain areas again. In the end, I only continued becau??se of professional courtes?y but I'm sure only the truly dedicated will put up with this in normal circumstances. 

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Steven Universe: Save the Light appeared first on Destructoid.

Aww jeez

Rick and Morty is a dense series. Not because of its content per se, but because of the discussions it brings to the table. It's a series constantly at odds with its predilection for toilet humor and the ov??erbearing cynicism of its delivery. The third season i?n particular had its central character explicitly stretching the limits of his nihilistic point of view, while battling to confine himself with the sitcom trappings he finds himself in.

As Rick and Morty posits the existential crises of characters stuck within an episodic (now) dramedy, that episodic nature is ultimately what renders its theories useless. This does make for a season ripe for fruitful criticism, but not one you'??d want to tune in to every week. 

Rick and Morty (Season 3)
Director: Various
Rating: TV-MA
Finale Air Date: October 1, 2017 (Adult Swim)

Loosely following the events of season two, where Rick ended up imprisoned, season three is all about the characters' struggles to return to a sitcom-necessary status quo after the complete shutdown of their nuclear family. With explicit mentions of the first season as a sort of meta-textual shout out to the creators' overall struggle with fan reactions, it's hard not to perceive Rick and Morty is searching for that ever elusive "reset button." The Rick of the third season is no longer the detached nihilist of series past (because he simply can't afford to be), but instead actively searching for a solution to their overall problem. It's an existential crisis where the series tends to experiment with different routes back to the beginning. For example, the now infamous McDonald's Szechuan sauce joke was a vehicle for milling about the idea of nostalgia putting Rick's family toge??ther.

The sauce could've been literally any random obscure object and the premise would've been the same: Rick was actively exploring whether or not his nostalgia for his halcyon days would provide an adequate solution to his exploding family problem. The humor here was mined ?from Rick's manic grasp at straws when faced with utter failure, a??nd this overall thematic structure held firm throughout the rest of the season. Rick clawing at the wall to get his family back to a sense of "normality," running from his emotional failures as he watches his family fall apart from a distance, and clinging to an increasingly hollow sense of academic worth as he moves down a checklist of sitcom standards. 

What kind of tropes does Rick and Morty explore to get to its status quo? Complete apocalypse in "Rickmancing the Stone," (which instead breeds a stronger sense of distaste with modern life when succumbed to it), contained plot episodes like in "Vindicators 3" (which falls apart once Rick's self-sabotage further puts a distance between him and Morty), the vacation episode in "Rest and Ricklaxation" (which falls apart when characters are forced to return to normal life post-vacation), the clip show in "Morty's Mind Blowers" (which axes the series' original idea of animation improv comedy), complete absurdity in "Pickle Rick" (with a harsh return to the real ?world to balance how much it steers in??to cartoonishness), and a forceful return to the status quo by season's end with multiple allusions to season finale episodes in general. 

My favorite episode of the season, "The Ricklantis Mixup," even explores what the series would look like with different formats (a la The Simpsons) while still hilariously clinging to genre tropes with the intention of delivering a grounded kicker in those wackier genre exploits. The real kicker, however, is this multi-story episode gives us the best impression overall of its main duo than we've had in years. We've seen what a version of Morty with power looks like (such as The Purge episode, and in this season with his dead guy arm) and "Ricklantis" pushes that to the extreme with Cop Morty. He's a self-hating power junkie who essentially acts like Rick with additional blanket platitudes. The season premiere teased the idea of Rick's idea of ultimate fulfillment (before being shut down under Rick's nihilism), but that comes to a head with "Simple Rick" who just loves? his daughter and is so happy, the other Ricks of the multiverse eat his endorphins to better themselves. 

But, because this is ultimately a sitcom, nothing matters. Characters develop in meaningful ways, but given the nature of Rick and Morty, it never quite settles. This too is a reflection of its struggles with?? its sitcom format, and it is?n't always enjoyable. 

Rick and Morty is now a program where the benefits of watching come from reflection of it, rather than enjoyment in the moment. Of course, I'm not knocking a series inspiring discussion but it's a far cry from being hilarious any more. Watching characters bicker and struggle is fine, but these moments clash with the series' juvenile humor at times. Although Rick and Morty is fully aware, an??d actively exploring, that it doesn't know what kind of show it is any more, at the end of the day I don't know what to think either. 

As the season finale starts positing the nature of intelligence and simplicity within extreme nihilism, being sure to not quite shun the ugly realities of life, I too thought I could be spending time elsewhere. It may be a well-crafted dramedy, and its open experimentation may be interesting to watch (in a way), but I'm not sure whether or not it's always worth the price of entry. But that's Rick and Morty's view on life, isn't it? 

The post Review: Rick and Morty (Season 3) appeared first on Destructoid.

Nice

Pocket Mortys is a fun little, if grindy Pokemon clone for mobile devices -- one that I gladly played for a bit before I put it out to pasture in my "legacy" iOS folder. But it's getting back in the limelight t??his week compliments of the creators of Rick and Morty, who are partnering up with the developer to help with hurricane relief for Puerto Rico.

All you have to do is buy any IAP within the (base free) game, and the p??roceeds will go to a relief fund. We've reached out to the parties involved for more information, but there's very little to be jaded about here. Puerto Rico is in a pretty tight spot at the moment, so any attention ??or help is a good thing.

Play @PocketMortys. Do good. Tomorrow all proceeds from #PocketMortys will go to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. //t.co/HaJSBRhOwU

— Rick (((and Morty))) (@RickandMorty) September 30, 2017

The post Play Pocket Mortys today, and the proceeds will go to P?uert??o Rican hurricane relief appeared first on Destructoid.

Right to Bear ARMS

Nintendo and Cartoon Network have teamed up to create a promotional advert for arena-brawler ARMS, featuring the stars of hit animated series We Bare Bears.

In the tie-in ad, Grizzly is seen struggling to defeat his brother Panda, before Ice finishes the housework and steps in to free him up. Git Gud Grizzly. The ad then awkwardly cuts to a standard ARMS commercial. It would have been much better to combine the footage, but there's probably some sill?y licensing reason why they couldn't.

Look, I'll level with you, I don't know what this show is, or if it's any good. Do people still watch Ren & Stimpy? I thought everything was all about Adventure Time now? And?? who's currently top of the hit parade? Is it One Direction?

There is an ARMS Global Testpunch happening this weekend, so don't forget to jump on that if y?ou fancy trying the game out. Apologies for video quality, it's the best complete version of the advert I found.

The post Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears star in ARMS commercial appeared first on Destructoid.

Save the Light hits PS4 and Xbox One this fall

Grumpyface Studios is back with another Steven Universe video game adaptation, and even if you only have a passing familiarity with the show, I think you'll be able to appreciate Save the Light's charming aesthetic. I sure do! As Nick noted before, it has this pleasant Paper Mario vibe in motion.

Here's a? fresh look at the turn-based RPG from San Diego Co?mic-Con:

So, Peridot is in as a party member, and Squaridot is a new-to-the-game gem. That'll do for now.

The post The new Steven Universe console game is?? easy on the eyes appeared first on Destructoid.

Virtual Rick-ality

Announced all the way back in July of last year, the Rick and Morty VR simulator is now ready. Appropriately launching on April 20, Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality, which was ?originally just coming to the HTC Vive, is now also Oculus-bound.

Although it has the potential to be fill??ed with plenty of great jokes and absurd situations like the show, don't expect a whole lot. The idea is that you're?? playing as a clone Morty wandering around various setpieces and screwing with Rick's stuff.

It sounds pretty limited in scope, but reminds me of those brilliant '90s experiences like Virtual Springfield and Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time, two of my favorite PC games.

The post Blaze it with a new Rick and Mort??y game on April 20 appeared first on Destructoid.

Console-bound sequel to 2015's Attack the Light

Another Steven Universe game from Grumpyface Studios? T??hat's sure to make some of you happy.

Steven Universe: Save the Light is an upcoming sequel to Grumpyface's well-regarded mobile RPG Attack the Light. This time??, though, they're targeting conso?les, not phones. Love when they do that!

Aside from the platform shift, fans can expect "an updated battle system with fully customizable character selection, more emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving in 3D environments, and an all-new story from the brilliant Rebecca Sugar and her Steven Universe show team."

More details to come at this weekend's PAX East. If you'll be in town for the convention (bundle up!), consider swinging by the Cartoon Network Games panel on Saturday, March 11 at 10:00am in the Dragonfly Theater. We're told attendees will get a code for Attack the Light on iOS and Android.

The post Look out for Steven Unive?rse: Save the Light this summer appeared first on Destructoid.