Kametsu Khronicle Issue #2

[† RazorDan]

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THE KAMETSU KHRONICLE!

Changes

Hello Kametsu! Time for issue #2! Anyway, I'd just like to take this chance to tell you about a few changes that have occurred within my superb team. Don't worry, there have been no sackings! No, we have added a few new members to the team. FlutterShy(Shazi), Mute Point and Hicks are all now part of the team! This brings our total amount of members to 8. I'd just like to tell all you good people that 8 is the maximum capacity.

Moving on, I'm delighted by your responses to issue #1. Honestly, those comments are what kept me motivated! A few of you commented that you would like to see more anime, gaming content but do not worry! The first issue was a one off and we plan to include all that stuff anyway!

OK, speech over, enjoy the Khronicle!

RazorDan- Head Editor

The Team

RazorDan- Head Editor

Iki- Vice Editor

Anras Rune- Literary + Gaming Chief

Krogothwolf- Chief of Staff

xxIrish- GFX Chief

Hicks- Anime Reviewer

FlutterShy- Creative Team

Mute Point- Creative Team

Feel free to contact any member of the team if you wish to make a recommendation or have a question about anything.

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Page 1- Main Story

Interview with Arrius(Ren)

By RazorDan

Now, Ren plays a massive role in the Kametsu community. In fact, he's a co-admin. Also, he's a great guy and is popular and well liked by all. Last week, Koby very graciously gave an interview and so this week, Ren has given one! Enjoy!

Thanks for agreeing to an interview Ren

1) what made you join kametsu and how did you find it?

i joined originally because i stumbled upon EDK. Then from there, I wanted some episode, i can't remember which, and went looking on the forum. From there i, met people, had fun, wanted to be a part of it and help it out also, thus im at where i am now, as co admin trying to help run this place and make it better for everyone.

2) You used to be quite active in the RP inn but you aren't any more. How would you feel if the inn was removed and why do you not post in there anymore?

i used to be active in there but my personal life has taken a turn lately that hasnt been for the best and because of that my concentration on plot is less than ideal as it usually involves a process of me daydreaming and i just havn't had the time or the inclination lately as a result of whats going on in my personal life. Rest assured im trying. I'll be getting into a better position soon but until then, yeah im offline for the count. Empathy is busy with college so once i get settled into my new place im going to see about reviving agarsia

As for losing it ill be sad but im sure it can be brought back if we make enough posts.

3) I asked Koby who he liked the most on Kametsu. Among current users, he said you're like a brother to him. Who do you like the most on Kametsu and how do you see Koby?

Who do i like the most? it would be koby and mae. Both are like brother and sister to me and as i just said earlier i see him as my little brother.

4) You are now a co-admin. Did you ever think you'd get this far when you first signed up?

Well, when I first joined, I just wanted to help out. I did aim for it, however, when i became an Smod. originally i guess I wanted to become an admin or mod to help out this site because its become like a home to me.

5) How do you think the forum can be improved? What additions would you like to see in the future?

to be honest with you Raz im not entirely sure at this point in time as far as additions go. The forum is going great. I think the spam needs to get under control but so far mae and the others are doing a great job at that. i think we need to start advertisement of some sort to pull in stronger regulars so that we get more posting but aside from that i cant think of anything to change.

6) Which members of Kametsu would you like to meet in real life?

well actually i can meet koby if i try. he only lives 9 hours away from me, also of course, id love to meet empathy and i would like to meet mae as well.

7) Your a co-admin, so in the future, how big do you want kametsu to be?

this one should be obvious Raz! Bigger then it was before the hacks and as big as it can go!

lol Ren, thanks!

Page 2: Background

Now, my team are a dedicated bunch. They really want the Khronicle to suceed and are all valuable members of Kametsu. So, this page provides an insight into them and tells us a bit about my wonderful team! Oh and myself of course!

RazorDan

About Me: I originally joined Kametsu because I saw some .mp4 anime. For a few months, all I did was download anime, post download links, and fill out requests. However, one day in September, I read some of Iki's story, A Curious String of Events, and thought that I could write stories too. Thus, I began The Organisation and it became a hit. I was really proud of my work, and so I've started many stories since. However, The Organisation remains my proudest work. I owe kametsu a lot. Due to Kametsu, I learnt about RPing, AMVs, GFX as well as a whole load of great anime. Eventually, I became a super moderator. Kametsu is an active and growing forum, and one day the idea for a newsletter just came to me. This led to the creation of the Khronicle, and the rest is history.

Iki

About myself : Well, I joined up about 10 months ago 'cause a friend of mine had gotten me hooked on Naruto and then had to change cities for college. I started surfing the web to get the episodes myself when i found this place. It was my first experience on a forum so i expected there to be staff who bullied the the rest of the members but surprisingly, when i made a posts, i actually got "replies" to them.

After that, I became a regular here and heard about even more anime. (Before coming here, my anime list was :- DBZ, Naruto + misc short series that i happened to watch on Animax occasionally) I've pissed off a couple guys, made some really good friends with others, but hey, that's life.

At the moment, I write stories here every now and then and help out Koby with English-Dub Kingdom

Anras Rune

About Myself: I'm a Scotsman who moved to Spain and have been on the site for over a year now. I originally joined cause I was looking for something to replace my constant reading (I'd re-read the same books at least three times a pop) and found EDK after a trolling incident on Animea (It wasn't meh...XP). Eventually I ventured onto the forum after downloading almost the entire EDK page and found my true calling. In the end I donated and settled right in...much to the dismay of many, I'm sure. I've made friends with many, and am proud to be part of the community that is Kametsu.

Now I'm an Upload Moderator, meaning i help with the indexes, I write too many stories to keep up with and have been called the Forum Pervert...XP

xxIrish

About Me: One of my Friends introduced me to the site a while back and I started coming here and posting and talking with some of the members. Found out that I could Download anime and enter in SoTW(Sig of the week) competitions and figured I would Frequent the site everyday. Since I'm a GFX artist I figured I would post some of my work and show it off and try to improve from the feed back that i got form other GFX people. Now I'm a GFX Team member and I help run the SoTW and also do requests of the members.

Krogothwolf

A little about me? Alright, I AM CANADIAN, and I do know Joe from Canada. He's my neighbour. I come to Kametsu due to the community, gotta love the people you chat with. You'll never find a more wacked out hive of Crazies and Insanity. You must be careful here. Other then that, not much to say about me other then I'm a Mecha Anime, RPG and Strategy game nut with delusion of grandeur. I also LOVE Hockey and Work in IT. I'm an odd individual to be honest.

FlutterShy

About myself : lets see, i joined up last june. i had been looking for replacements of some episodes in a torrent i got that were subbed when i wanted the dubbed version, when i came across EDK. was very excited with the amount of anime on there. was downloading card captors when one of the links was broken and i reported it. his response saying that it was fixed on the forum made me join. i soon became a regular and got into gfx, before i was put on the team. the rest is history

Mute Point

About me: Well, I joined back in august because I'd met Ren on a game, and he told me to come. I became a regular because of all of the fun CB conversations. Now when I have time I write stories, the first of which you'll be seeing shortly.

Hicks

About Me: Starting last year I put together a list of anime to watch, but I haven't really started writing reviews until this last summer. I'm going to post them on a daily basis in more or less alphabetical order. I haven't really gotten around to writing reviews for some of my favorites, but I hope to some day.

Page 3: Iki's Column

FAIRY TAIL – A ONE PIECE CLONE!?

Author of One Piece – Eiichiro Oda. Published 1997.

Author of Fairy Tail – Hiro Mashima. Published 2006.

Perhaps it was because Mashima started his career as a mangaka as an assistant to Oda that when he got serialized in Weekly Shounen Magazine, his drawing style and characters from the hit manga and anime - “Fairy Tail” strangely resembled those of Oda's “One Piece” characters.

Does this mean that Fairy Tail is no more than a clone of One Piece, preying on the popularity of the latter to rake in the big bucks? Let's observe ...

Similarities

• Both series stress heavily on the importance of “nakama” (friends/crew-mates/guild-mates) and feature the release of the main character's full potential only when his nakama are insulted or are in danger.
  
  
• Both have a very unique and similar “world”. One Piece is about pirates forming a crew to roam the seas in search of treasure while Fairy Tail is about mages forming guilds to do jobs.
  
  
• The relationship between characters is similar in both series. The way that Natsu and Gray behave with each other, insulting one another while having respect in each others finghting ability is similar to that between Sanji and Zoro.
  
  
• The main characters of both series have really funny weaknesses which provide great comic effect even in stressful situations – Luffy's inability to swim in water and Natsu's motion sickness.
  

This might be more of a “homage” than a similarity but there have been times in Fairy Tail when it's relation to One Piece have really stood out. For example,

While having not much relevance to the story, Natsu is shown assuming a similar position as Luffy at a certain point in the story. Again, this might be more of a homage than a rip-off.

Differences

• The most obvious difference – One Piece is about Pirates, Fairy Tail is about Mages.
  
  
• They both have different story arcs that cannot be linked to one another. Fairy Tail handles it's arcs in a much different way.
  
  
• Fanservice. For good or for worse, Fairy Tail has much more fanservice than One Piece.
  
  
• The most important difference between the series ... Each character has different goals, different reasons for fighting. While character design might be similar, there can be no doubt that each and every character, be it from One Piece or Fairy Tail has a very unique personality that makes it different from the rest of the manga.
  

So, perhaps the reason that One Piece and Fairy Tail are considered so alike is because they both have a “different” vibe from the rest of the series.

Rather ironic, but it would explain much.

As for the answer for “Is Fairy Tail a One Piece clone?” ... who cares? They're both really awesome anime/manga that'll entertain people for a long period of time.

Part II

THE WORLD OF ANIME

Code Geass Gaiden! (- Iki)

Remember Code Geass?

I don't know of many guys who haven't seen it and loved/hated it for being so creative/boring, and being one of the best/worst mecha anime around. (Take your picks depending on whether you hate it or love it.)

Well, without giving too many spoilers away, the franchise known as Code Geass recently had some new updates about it's latest release - Code Geass Gaiden: Boukoku no Akito (T/C : Code Geass Side-story : Akito of the Nation). The trailer that was recently shown gave this information :-

“In this broken world, we still dream.

a.t.b. 2017

The hellish European front.

A small squad infiltrates enemy territory to save their allies.

That squadron’s Knightmare Devicers are boys and girls from Area 11.

The mission’s chance of success is only 5%.

Why do they fight?”

Small, cryptic, in-understandable – typical Code Geass. Whether or not Lelouch vi Brittania makes a return in this anime/OVA/movie is unknown, but the trailer shows a new set of characters – Leila and Akito Hyuuga, who bears a striking resemblance to Lelouch.

Will this series finally end the long-continued debate about the end of R2? Only time will tell.

The World of Gaming

PSN Down for the Count?! (- Anras Rune)

It seems for the past week that the Playstation Network Servers have been down, and millions of people have been affected, and not just the gamers galore, who aren't too happy, but the online game developers. Sony has pledged to help many developers, such as Open Emotion Studios, whose game Mad Blocker Alpha was scheduled for release earlier this week. Paddy Murhy, CEO of Open Emotion said that,

"Sony will be helping us retain key focus [prominent placement on the PSN Store] for an extra few weeks as they understand how something like this can affect a small dev studio like ours"

This comes as good news for many smaller developers as this downed network has punched many where it hurts; the wallet. But many are more concerned about Sony handling of the PR side of things. Most feel that the vague daily updates on the Playstation Blog are left wanting, and many are worried at the obvious boycotting of certain questions. One such question posed was whether PSN members' credit card details were safe, as they are stored not only on you PS3, but on the network as well. The fact that Sony hasn't commented on this has all but put many into panic. I'll come back to the subject when we get more news.

Project Café: The Next Gen Console? (- Anras Rune)

This past week has been an eventful one to say the least, with PSN down, lawsuits left right and center (most of which are aimed at known members of Anonymous), and a few interesting announcements (Avengers game rumors, Mass Effect 2 Add'ons among other things for another issue) but the one that tops them all is Nintendo's recent announcement; Project Café, the successor of the Wii.

Dubbed Project Café, or by some unconfirmed sources, the Wii Stream, or Nintendo Stream, this console is set to be unveiled in the 2012 E3 event this June. The console will also utilize a new, tablet-shaped controller. Sources say it will have a 6-inch touch screen display, dual analog sticks, and has the ability to stream content directly from the console. This coupled with their goal to allow backwards compatibility and 3D tech makes it a welcome surprise from Nintendo.

OTAKU FEVER

It's the 10th anniversary of the “AMV Contest” and the creator – The Joker a.k.a. Randomguy666 has come up with a special way to celebrate the landmark occasion.

The theme for this one was decided by the creator himself to be - “Trailers!”

That's right, an inventive theme that would be sure to bring in some great entries.

So, this is a call-out to all the AMV makers on the forum. Put on your thinking caps and make something that'll blow the viewer's mind away. Complete freedom is allowed in this one so don't hold back. It's No Holds Barred!

http://forums.kametsu.com/showthread.php?t=16001

ANIME OF THE WEEK

ONE PIECE

No, this hasn't won because it's one of my favorite anime ever. The reason One Piece has taken the top spot this week is because the episode this week was truly one of the best in a while.

One Piece, known for it's slow and steady pace converted this manga chapter into an episode that reminds everyone why it's considered in the “Big Three Shounen”

Page 4- Creative Centre

This is the bit where we blind you with the quality of our Creative team! FlutterShy and Mute Point step forward!

TripleK: The Kametsu Khronicle Komic

by FlutterShy

Awesome isn't it! Anyway she will be doing a weekly comic just like that!

Unlikely allies (Ongoing Khronicle story)

by Mute Point

Irene pressed her back against the damp log, the chill seeping through her armor as she waited for the patrol to go by. "How do I get myself into situations like this?" she whispered, not expecting a response.

"Probably by being a steel clad masochist who will do anything her church asks." Caitlin replied in a barely audible tone from somewhere nearby.

Irene's strict discipline kept her from jumping, though it was clear she hadn't realized her comrade had been there. "I've asked you before.. Don't sneak up on me like that." she hissed.

"Part of the job I'm afraid." Caitlin whispered, moving in beside her. "The orc encampment is only a mile away from here. The captives are alive, if not particularly well at the moment. Food is running a bit scarce, so I figure it's only another day at most before the orcs would start eating the captives." her tone betrayed no emotion, but Irene knew it was through endless practice rather than the fact that she didn't care.

"Is there any creature more uncivilized than an orc?" Irene asked as she slid her blade from its scabbard. "Don't answer that." she added. "How long do you think before the patrol is expected back?"

"An hour, maybe two. Four before they'd be worried if I judge them correctly." Caitlin replied, grinning slightly. "Flank 'n shank?" she asked, her dagger appearing in her hand with a flick of her wrist.

"Naturally, just wait for the signal before you rush in. I want them to be overconfident." Irene said as she rose to her feet.

"What's the signal?" Caitlin asked, stretching calmly in order to prepare herself.

"The usual... blood, guts, maybe screaming." Irene replied, setting off through the woods at a quick jog in hopes of overtaking the patrol before they got any closer to camp. The patrol wasn't terribly large, but it was still more than she'd be wanting to take on alone.

Within a few minutes, Irene had managed to get ahead of the slow moving patrol and moved to block their path. Around the corner they came, four orcs, babbling in their profane tongue. without giving them a chance to react to her presence, Irene let out a blood curdling roar of a battlecry in homage to the god of battle, and charged toward the startled band.

Great stuff! Read the next issue for the next part!

A big thanks to our creative team for a great job! Now, remember that thread I made requesting short stories? Well, we received some very good entries. The winner has been picked! Here are the results!

In 3rd place.....

Kekashi!

In 2nd place......

YukiSohma!

Congrats on two very good entries!

Congratulations to.......

Teddihurrsa

Who is our winner!

As promised, here is that winning entry:

Sophia. Her very name made the worst think of opulence and greed, and the best of a lost little girl in search of a cruel being that has lived on in infamy through the ages, whose very name brought thoughts of hate to mind. She was indeed a lost little girl, with her hair in fashionable tangles dyed bright pink and her clothes made from the rags found in thrift shops. She wasn’t even old enough to pour herself a drink, legally at least, but she already decided whom she loved. And she would find him or end herself trying. But he wasn’t someone to be easily found. He was one of the types that showed up very rarely just to say something horrible and then vanish again when he had the chance. He would betray her like he did someone so much more important than the girl with dreams too big for her little head.

But nothing would stop her. At the very least she wanted to see him, even if he would vanish again. She needed to see him. She had tried so many times, been through all the books on how to make him appear, but nothing worked. Instead there was an unexplainable amount of decaying animal bodies in the woods, all cut and bled in the same way. More looking would find her circle, the pentagram she drew with a stick deep into the ground, the burned candles at every point. She wanted him to betray her. She wanted to end up like the one he had betrayed before if it meant that he would hold her once.

She considered extreme measures. She considered doing things so unspeakable to another human that at the very least, she would be banished to his circle. She had the tools to do it as well. It would be easy to cleave someone’s face in half and then cut the body apart. But her virtues stopped her. Maybe the one he betrayed was trying to tell her something, or trying to stop her before she went too far into the dark. But she needed to see him. She needed to see his beautiful red hair, his piercing brown eyes, his glorious body. Her love for him was pure. It had to be! Or else she wouldn’t have gone into the darkest alleys in search of someone to help. She was ready to give her blood, anything to see him.

But no one could help her. They all told her that he couldn’t be called. Told her that she was going to taint what little light she might have had left if she continued. But she never stopped. And then she had a flash of brilliance. She would betray much like he did. It would be too easy. But it proved to be harder than she ever imagined. But it should be hard to sell out a friend from birth whose secrets you bound to your heart. And it never drove her away from him. If anything it made her adoration deepen. She never stopped trying. At one point, she adored a boy, but soon her love drove her far away from him, back to her most beloved. She knew all the legends, knew everything about him recorded, even had a copy of his gospel even though it was banned and rare even in an age of technology and heresy, believing every word.

And after years of trying, of driving everyone around her far away, she had a small success. She managed to call a being that was in regular contact with him. She pleaded and begged with this being, promising everything a girl with the dream that was too big could offer. But this being had no mercy. He would be told of this love, but he was forbidden to come to the surface. The reason would never be revealed. She offered her soul to this being, this woman at the top, and it was taken after negotiations. Her soul for a night with him. She would belong to this bat winged woman, the one apparently called the Dona, become her slave at the end of her life, which would be after this one night, and spend an eternity as nothing more than a glorified pet to a cruel mistress.

But it was worth it. It had to be. When the fateful night came, she saw him. But he wasn’t what she had dreamed of. He was bitter and angry at what the world had come, at her for calling him so feverishly. He was beautiful but she wasn’t allowed to even think about expressing her love for him. But a deal was a deal and she was rather cute after all, just another virgin for him to ravage while he was still on the surface and away from the pettiness of his circle. It was something she didn’t want. She didn’t want him this way, didn’t want him to touch her in those ways. She just wanted to talk to him. She just wanted to feel his body beside her. She did not want him to do those terrible things, but she let him. And after it was over, after her body ached and the scratches he made finished bleeding, he then decided to talk. He told her about everything she asked, from his first life, to what his circle was like, and let her cling to him. During these talks, she made him promise that he would come for her, that he would protect her from the scariest of the scary in the place she would end up calling home.

He watched her fight so hard against the overwhelming need to sleep and understood what was happened immediately. There was no way that divinity would take this girl, especially because she would become his pet, his personal slave. He searched for anything that he could be able to kill with and found nothing but an open window. This would be more than enough. He stood, taking her with him, and kissed her before pushing her out.

And he watched her fall, the look of sudden knowledge something priceless in every sense. When her body landed, he looked over the ledge and saw her staring up at him, the broken body in a frenzied looking jig. He went to the street and picked up the body, dumping it into the bushes and walking off. One night with Judas and an eternity spent in hell being passed around to all that could want her wasn’t anything the girl with the dreams that were too big should ever hope for.

by Teddihurrsa

Page 5- Kro's Corner

I’ve been told, from a source, that Page 5 is called Kro’s Corner. I just not sure what that means, do I have to sit in a corner with a dunce cap on? Is it like Coach’s Corner with Don Cherry where I can rant and rave about crazy things while wearing weird and bizarre cloths? MAYBE! I’m not sure yet, though maybe it’s where they are going to keep me locked up so I don’t cause any harm or destruction.

Maybe I can pretend I’m Peter Griffin and yabber on about what Grind’s my gears…nah that’d be to obvious, so for now I’m just going to talk about something you’ll probably scream about. Something this Forum is lacking.

HOCKEY! Everyone loves Hockey, don’t you all? Wait I’ve been informed Hockey isn’t that important to people here, well that’s okay, it’s the PLAYOFFS! So that’s always important right? No? You’d rather talk about Politics? That’s boring, you’re boring everyone. We should talk about Hockey! Well The NHL Playoffs started 2 weeks ago and what a time it’s been. Hard hits, amazing goals and unexpected twists and turns with underdogs prevailing over the all mighty favourites. 4 Series going to game 7 and 2 to game 6. It was great, it was awesome. The Season leading Canucks almost squanded a 3-0 series leads the Blackhawks, needing overtime in game 7 to beat them and….

I’ve been told to stop talking about hockey and it’s boring everyone and you want to listen to politics, WELL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR THAT!

To change the subject….

A game to look forward to….

DUKE NUKEM FOREVER BABIES, this bad boy has a release date if you haven’t notice. June 10th/14th. Can this game live up to its 10 billion year development cycle? Can it change its date humour? Will it be a massive flop or a rousing success? I don’t know but man, I never thought it would ever be released.

Also, you should all buy Portal 2, don’t question, don’t fight it, just buy it. That’s how awesome it is.

Forumer of the Week: ME!!!

Wait, I’ve been told I’m not allowed to use myself, apparently I’m biased or something. Well I suppose as runner up I’ll use…

Koby? No that’s considered buttering up? Alright how about

Teddihurrsa!!! Why cause she is awesome that’s why, pretty cool GFX entries as well.

Quote of the Week: Kekashi:

well, can somebody help me with dicking a lock? and getting me boozes...

Look guys the man needs help with this, who's going to do it? No one? Sorry then Kek you are on your own.

That is all.

Page 6: GFX

This section is where xxIrish talks about all things GFX related. For this week's section, he's done a short intro into what you can expect from him!

by xxIrish

In this weeks issue I will be discussing the GFX section as a whole, from the Contest Corner to the General Topics posted.

The part that sticks out to me is the Contests though. They Basically allow GFX people to come and pit their skills against their peers to see which one is better. the only thing you gain from winning is recognition and the choice of next weeks theme.

As of now there have been 38 SoTW(Signature of the Week) Competitions and countless other competitions, whether it be a personal battle

or BoTM(Big Art of the Month). But Contests aren't the only thing that the GFX section has to offer. You can show off you Portfolio in the showcase section, or just simply post a Signature for others to look at and give some help if needed. You can find tutorials and tips, along with brushes in the general posts that people have found helpful to them and decided to share.

There are many GFX people that are out there looking do do some requests or just plain help with a problem you are having. So next time you see the GFX section go there and see what all it has to offer and even contribute if you feel.

Page 7- Reviews

On our team we have Hicks, the Anime review King and Anras Rune, gamer and writer Chief. On this page, there'll will be an anime review from Hicks and a gaming review from Anras Rune. Enjoy!

Anime Review

by Hicks

Baccano!

(16 episode series)

This was a strange but very enjoyable series. It tells the story of a group of immortals and how their lives intersect during the 1920s and '30s... I think.

Set mostly in Depression era New York, the series tends to shift around between time periods and locations quite frequently. In fact it was at times hard to follow along, but the complex web of a story was interesting enough to make it worth it. There were gangsters, silly thieves, and a ship full of French immigrants involved, and most of the story revolves around an incident on an express train called The Flying Pussyfoot of all things. Yeah, I laughed at the name, too.

The characters themselves were very interesting, and while there wasn't a whole lot in terms of development, there also wasn't really any need for traditional character development. Even some of the villains turned out to be fun to watch, especially the rather insane one who wore white just so the blood of his victims would show up better. "Thank you, fuck you, the hero has arrived!" – He was definitely a magnificent bastard, and apparently one of the many immortals in this show.

There was a lot of bloody violence, a mystery, and even a little romance, with some of it being rather twisted. I really don't know how else to describe this show, other than being awesome in an over-the-top action way. About the only thing I feel the series could have done without was the framing story, which didn't really do much as far as the story went. Still, this series is well worth the watch, scoring a 9/10.

Gaming Review

by Anras Rune

Portal 2: The Review

I'm now the Gaming Chief and will be doing reviews along side the news and events I'll be writing in the previous pages, so again...enjoy!

I'm sure most of us can remember the Orange Box add-on pack form Valve a while back. Everyone was so excited for the Half-Life 2 add-on and it's new episode that they failed to see the potenial of another games that came with it. At least until they bought it. Portal took the gaming community by storm, with it's original gameplay style, it's epically amusing story and it's loveable cast or characters; GLaDOS and the Companion Cube. It was so popular that IGN's 100 best villians top spot was taken by the compuslsive, sadistic liar that was GLaDOS, taking the spot from all time favourites like Sephiroth and Bowser. It's deep storyline has made many a player laugh, and cry (R.I.P Companion Cube) but the second one surpasses the original in damn near every way.

Portal 2 has a few very welcome changes. First, and the wish of thousands of fans; Co-op. Yes, you can play the madness of Portal 2 on and offline, Co-op with a friend. The physic's based gameplay, mixed with the evil yet charming jokes about dismemberment and constant bullying from GlaDos makes the Co-op something different indeed. You either play as Atlos; the blue robot, or Pi-Body; the orange one. Each player has their own self contained 2 way portal system, and the puzzles are obviously ramped up in complexity for this exact reason. A variety of expressions and abilitie allow the pair of players to synchronise where neccesary, or help each other kill themselves should the wish it! In Portal 2, communication is vital to success.

From the first moments of waking up in the rusting Aperture Science facility to right before the credits roll, Portal 2 rarely falters. The world is bigger, the story thicker, and the character development more surprising. The mania of GLaDOS, the facility's operator, is molded into unexpected forms alongside a host of brutally funny personalities. The history of the Aperture Science facility is filled in, character origins discussed, and though its pacing suffers as it occasionally strikes a more serious tone, an abundance of cruel jokes and cheerfully sincere death threats prevent it from losing its sarcastic charm. When you're not staring at your screen with wrinkled, pained expression on your face trying to figure out a puzzle, expect to be laughing.

The gameplay itself has had a little fine tuning. Now the player can zoom in on faraway targets so as to tweak the precision of the portals. A few additional puzzle types also freshen this physic's games repetoire up a bit. But the biggest difference is the new enviroments. Gone are the clean, calculated passage ways of the Enrichment Centre, as the passage of time has worn them down, giving way to cavernous enviroments here, claustrophobic areas there and a whole plethora of hidden cookies to be found all over.

All in all, Portal 2 has surpassed expectations and Valve should be proud that they've made there original masterpiece even better. It's unique gameplay and tragic comedy storyline is a combination no on should miss. So go out there and buy it!

Thats all for today folks, thanks for reading! Anras Rune...

Well, well, I guess that's the end of the second issue of the Kametsu Khronicle, I hope you enjoy it, leave your posts below and I hope you'll look forward to the next one!

[† Shazi]

congrats teddi! nice work as always =) onto next week!

[Wake]

Awesome work everyone! Even better then last week:)

[† Anras Rune]

ah yes...the suspense of things was pretty funny...^^

good work everyone...lol...that sounded oddly self serving...^^

[ウェンキ Leki]

Excellent, this time too.

I really liked this one particularly.

The comics were very enjoyable.

[Vael]

Awesome guys, doing a excellent job

just one mention about that guy in the white suit, Lad Russo

was not an immortal, unless of course he was on Advena Avis which it makes no mention of in the anime or book for that matter (I'm a realy big fan) he was just really messed up afterwards

[Hicks]

There was a fight that took place in a flashback though where he seemed to shrug off blows that should have killed him. Then again it is just a show.

[Kinara Uzumaki]

Awesome once again!!!! Looks like we can expect great things in the future. I love the originality and content very much, it makes an interesting read. Can't wait to see the next one!

[Vael]

if he was immortal his arm would have reassembled itself a minute later, it didn't, in terms of medical realism, this anime is not the best

[Koby]

if he was immortal his arm would have reassembled itself a minute later, it didn't, in terms of medical realism, this anime is not the best

Immortal just means he wouldn't die, it wouldn't mean his limbs would regenerate. I'm not really sure what you are talking about though as I haven't seen it. =P But invincible and immortal are different things.

[Vael]

in Baccano it does, in the anime their is ONE known way of becoming immortal, and that also includes high speed reassemble capabilities (not sure what it's called when your arm reattaches itself and heals after being cut off), in the anime (and book) they refer to them as "immortals", and "people who can't die" so thats what I call them as well, to understand completely the Baccano definition of "immortal", watch the first half of the first episode, then you'll understand, but it's a love it or hate it anime, that I'd personally recommend (in my opinion the novels are 100x better as the anime gets some of the character wrong and the anime messes with the story to much).

[Hicks]

I pretty much just judge an anime or any other show by what I can see of it. If there's an interesting tidbit of information that I think might add something, I'll mention it, but for the most part I limit it to what's actually in the show and what came across to me.

[Vael]

understandable, but I am a huge fan have read the first novel in the series, couldn't find the second, but still looking, so I'll say what I know, and correct people if they are wrong, that's really all their is to it

[Nero D. Ace]

lol how'd this turn into a Baccano discussion thread?

[† Anras Rune]

that is a good question...XP

but i thought he was just a nutter, thus he didnt register pain...ah well

[Vael]

he is just a nutter who blatantly ignores pain to avoid giving them the satisfaction (that he alone should be feeling during the fight), no immortality to be seen, except for the fact that that guy can take crazy hits and walk it of (please notice the difference in time between when his arm was brutally torn apart (night time) and the time it shows the police finding him on the side of the track(early morning, he would have recovered in that time if he was immortal )

and your right, enough about Baccano, can't wait for the next weeks issue, keep up the good work guys, really liked the creative center

[DrumRoll]

why is anyone discussing realism as in regards to Baccano? A man uses a flamethrower on top of a speeding train!

still its a good anime with great characters.

sorry I know this isn't a baccano thread.

Good work on the Khronicle and all that.

Still not sure about the idea of paying £40 for portal 2 however.

[Pandemonium]

Nice work on the Khronicle.

[big_teddy]

As usually a great read! Keep up the great work guys!

[† Ferocia Coutura]

Uhm, I thought that it was already stated that the mangaka for Fairy Tail never worked as an assistant to anyone. This was established months ago when all of those theories about fairy tail/one piece started.