All posts tagged: sword art online

Trying to Log Out – Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris – Humble Opinions

Published by Luke Halliday

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris begins with series protagonist Kirito trying to log out of the virtual reality game he has found himself in. To his surprise, he is seemingly trapped in the game without the ability to log out. It is a moment that encapsulates the entire experience of Alicization Lycoris—you can’t help but want to log out and play something else. The Sword Art Online franchise is source material ripe for making a video game from; however, so many of the attempts to make a Sword Art Online game have failed to capitalise on the inherent excitement of the series’ concept. While some like Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet actually make an attempt at exploring the video game world in a compelling and engaging way—telling an original story and letting you craft your own player in the Sword Art Online world—Alicization Lycoris is too focused on being a direct adaptation of the anime series, rather than being a good game. Alicization Lycoris retells the story of the “Alicization Arc” of the series, following …

Fun at a March Convention – Anime Festival Sydney 2020

Published by Kane Bugeja

-Mattiese- Saturday the 7th of March started out real poopy. I ripped my pants, just barely made the train, and the camera ran out of storage half way through our first interview; Kane and I had to walk to buy a new SD card, and then walk all the way back to the convention, and boy was I already tired. None of this was ideal, and I started worrying what else would happen to me throughout the rest of the day. It was about 12pm when we finally stepped foot into the convention, and I already felt as if my worries were lifted. Cosplayers, stalls, and panels are what made up Anime Festival Sydney 2020; and man was it enjoyable. The first thing we did was head to the “Live Drawing with Shingo Adachi” panel, and boy is that guy talented. Adachi drew a few popular Sword Art Online characters (as he was character designer on the series), while answering questions related to his work. At the end of the panel, they let fans ask …

With a Bullet – Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet – Humble Opinions

Published by Kane Bugeja

When it comes to virtual reality, escapism is the name of the game. Unless the actual name of the game happens to be Sword Art Online or some variant thereof, then escapism flies right out of the proverbial window. Then it flies back in and makes you wonder what the stakes are in an adventure where dying in-game does not mean you die in real life. Then somebody forcibly throws it back out when they come to the same realisation and have a bunch of people die in real life again…but with guns. Welcome to Gun Gale Online, newbie. The hip happening VRMMO taking the fictional world by storm. Glocks are in and estocs are out as everybody leaves behind the worlds of swords and fantasy, replacing them with guns and science fiction. Not to be left behind, you (the player) have also made this leap and are ready to test your virtual mettle in a tournament of firepower, the reward for which is an exceedingly rare item that will make everybody else jealous. Of …

Virtual Worlds Collide – Accel World VS Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight Revealed

Published by Frank Inglese

Avid readers of this site will know that I’m a sucker for crossover video game titles. Heck, crossover Anime, crossover Manga, crossover anything! So long as it has characters from different series’, different worlds, different realms, and different stories, I’m sold. Simple. Now, those same readers will also know that I’m not a fan of Sword Art Online, BUT that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good combination like this: Bandai Namco Entertainment today released a teaser trailer for their upcoming game Accel World VS Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight, a game that will bring together the virtual realms of Reki Kawahara’s two most popular Light Novel series’. In the past, these two stories have crossed over, several times actually, but never on a scale like this. The game is set for a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita release sometime next year, that date has yet to have been released, and it’s genre is still yet to be outlined. Despite the fact that the two series’ are quite similar, they’re based on different video game …

Interview with Tomohiko Ito and Shingo Adachi

Published by Luke Halliday

During the first ever Madman Anime Festival, we were lucky enough to get the chance to sit down with Tomohiko Ito the director of series such as ERASED and Sword Art Online and Shingo Adachi the man behind the art design of Sword Art Online. We discuss all things Sword Art Online and ERASED as well as exploring the inner workings behind the scenes of an anime series at A-1 Pictures. Read on for our full interview with Tomohiko Ito and Shingo Adachi. SnapThirty: Sword Art Online has become one of the most popular anime in recent memory. Did you ever think it would become as popular as it has and what does it feel like to have worked on such a colossal hit? Ito: I didn’t think that it was at all and I’m really actually happy about it. Is it popular in Australia? SnapThirty: Very popular! Adachi: Really? How do people see it? SnapThirty: There is online distributors and its played on TV as well. Adachi: How do they analyze how many viewers …

Hands-On With Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization At Madfest 2016

Published by Frank Inglese

As an experienced yet begrudging “follower” of the long-running multimedia franchise Sword Art Online, I have never experienced anything from it more than that of it’s video game adaptations. While the series, in my humble opinion, leaves much to be desired in terms of character and story development, the game’s allow one to create their own adventure accompanied by familiar faces from the series. Knowing how popular the series and it’s offshoots still are in recent times, Bandai Namco Entertainment, as a part of their gameplay area at this year’s Madfest, featured a short demo of the upcoming Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization PlayStation 4 title. A fitting addition to the showroom floor, this game was never without a player regardless of the time of day, and that also includes myself…of course. At it’s very core; Hollow Realization isn’t too different from previous Sword Art Online video game titles which, despite what you may think, is actually more a positive than a negative. Unfortunately no story segments were present in the demo featured at the …

Live Action ‘Sword Art Online’ TV Show Announced

Published by Luke Halliday

Skydance Media have just announced that they have acquired the global rights to produce a live-action television series based upon the mega hit anime series Sword Art Online. For fans of the series this is either the greatest thing ever or the worst, as is often the case with the growing line up of live action anime projects. The live-action adaptation of Sword Art Online is said to be on the fast track for a launch in the United States, with Skydance Media’s Television division banking on the series sharing the baffling success of the original anime series. For those interested as to who exactly Skydance Media are, you may have seen a couple of the films they have produced such as: Terminator Genisys, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and World War Z. The adaptation is set to be penned and executive produced by Laeta Kalogridis of Avatar and Terminator Genisys infamy. Kalogridis commented on the project saying; “For years… I’ve been inspired by the inventive and masterful storytelling of the SAO franchise.” It is unknown …

Sword Art Online 2: Part Four – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

If you’ve followed this site since the beginning, and as a result of that my reviews of Sword Art Online, you’d know that I’m not the biggest fan of this series. As much as I try to make these reviews more about the product than simply my not-so-hidden agenda, it has proven difficult to go through with a write-up and not mention my deepest, darkest hatred for most of what this series has to offer. People often ask me, as they would, why I dislike the series so much, and my answer is usually something to the tune of “It’s just terrible“, which isn’t the greatest response to a question of that kind, I’ll be the first one to admit it. Recently we at SnapThirty have received a review copy, from Madman Entertainment, of the latest Sword Art Online Blu-Ray release; Sword Art Online 2: Part Four, which contains within it the final episodes of the “Mother’s Rosario” arc. Unlike most of my Sword Art Online reviews that begin with nothing but negativity, I feel …

Sword Art Online 2: Part Three – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

And thus…it continues. Sword Art Online is THE series that will simply never end. It’s so incredibly popular, A-1 Pictures and those in charge of promotion would be silly to turn to the producers of the series and say; “Yeah, that may be enough”. It’s a guaranteed money maker, and it seems as though those behind the writing of the series can, more or less, throw Kirigaya Kazuto and the gang into any given situation, and make what people perceive to be a worth-while addition to the already extensive series. Often Anime and Manga hit a point of critical mass wherein which they attain platinum status. Sword Art Online is one of them. It has countless fans, it makes buckets of money, and there’s simply no end to it in sight. Now, while there is a seemingly limitless number of fans for this series…there are just as many people out there who absolutely detest it, yet despite that, Sword Art Online currently remains one of the most beloved Anime series’ of all time. Go figure. …

Live Your Virtual Reality Dreams With IBM’s Sword Art Online: The Beginning VR Project

Published by Frank Inglese

While some people would see this as a dream come true, as I suggested in the title, for me this would be a nightmare come to life. It’s no joke that virtual reality software and hardware is currently at the top of most new technologies developers’ “to master” list. We already have systems like the Oculus Rift that allow for us living in the real world to somewhat experience what a virtual life could be like, but it seems as though the Japanese branch of IBM are looking to take the virtual reality experience to an entirely new level with their project Sword Art Online: The Beginning. A most simple explanation: Sword Art Online: The Beginning is a video game being developed by IBM alongside what is described as cutting-edge VR software; the “Cognitive System“. This new program allows for human thought to be transferred into the video game so that players can make decisions not by using a standard controller but…your brain. This, paired up with the software “SoftLayer” which is said to be …

Toxicity in the Anime Fandom

Published by Bailey Runholm

Fanbases truly are a wonderful thing. They help to make a show bigger and better, and if a majority of them voice their opinions on something they can invoke change in a show, game or other form of entertainment for the better. It’s a great way to also share content that you create out of love for the medium with the rest of the world, like music or fan art for example. Probably one of the biggest and best examples of fanbases working together would be with the creation of conventions, central hubs of entertainment held over the course of a weekend where fans from across the board go to hang out, buy cool stuff and check out panels hosted by voice actors, YouTubers and artists just to name a few. Specifically looking into the anime fanbases however, it’s not all roses like it might first seem. There tends to be a lot of infighting between specific ‘groups’ in the anime community, and I don’t just mean fighting over whether or not #TeamChitoge or #TeamOnodera …

Sword Art Online 2: Part Two – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

The old saying goes; “never bring a knife to a gunfight“, but for Kirigaya Kazuto those words are nothing but empty letter jumbles. Kagemitsu G4 in hand, Kirito takes on each and every single gunslinger in the Bullet Of Bullets tournament with the hope of finding Death Gun; the renegade player killer and former member of the Laughing Coffin guild, stopping his murderous spree once and for all. Part two of Sword Art Online II takes place entirely in the Bullet Of Bullets events as players slowly get whittled away, and the true identity of Death Gun is inevitably revealed. If you’re in need of a quick refresh regarding part one of Sword Art Online II, I suggest taking a read of my review, which you can get to by Clicking Here. It’s worth taking the time, seeing as there will be some direct references to the comments I made in the review of the first volume scattered throughout this here review of volume two. This will be my second time watching through Sword Art Online …

Sword Art Online 2: Part One – Review

Published by Frank Inglese

Sword Art Online is, in case some of you out there don’t know, one of history’s most popular Anime series. Now even though my words may seem a touch on the exaggerated side, go to any single pop culture-related event and you’ll see that what I’m saying is entirely accurate. In fact, if you have access to a time machine, how about you head back to each and every pop culture convention from 2012 onwards, only then will you truly understand the might of the Sword Art Online fandom. The Anime adaptation, released in 2012, breathed new life into the light novels that preceded it, with hardcore fans going back and actually reading over the same events of which they’ve just watched. Alongside it’s very own manga series and a bunch of new light novel continuations of the story, the series gave birth to a handful of video game titles that attempted to recreate the world of an MMORPG, much like in the series…without making the games MMORPGs. I’m having quite a hard time writing …

Liked It? Why Not Play it Again! – Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment Hits The PSN This August

Published by Frank Inglese

It was about a year ago that the original Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment video game first hit the PlayStation Vita across Australia and New Zealand courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment. We here at SnapThirty got the chance to review the Vita version and it was actually given quite a good score despite the fact that I’m not too big a fan of the series. The game brings the world of Sword Art Online to a medium that actually allowed me to enjoy it so, as you can imagine, I’m actually pretty excited for it to hit the PlayStation Network again only this time it’s for the PlayStation 4. Yes, Bandai Namco Entertainment are releasing the game, once again, but instead of it hitting the PlayStation Vita, it will call the PlayStation 4 it’s home, just like many other new titles coming out of Japan. The new version of the game will have updated visuals and will serve as a hype-building title for the next game in the series; Sword Art Online: Lost Song. Bandai …

The New “Sword Art Online: Lost Song” Trailer Introduces Audiences To Alfeim Online

Published by Frank Inglese

A new adventure awaits for all you pseudo-MMO players out there! I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you’re fans of the ‘Sword Art Online’ series of light novels, Anime seasons and video games otherwise…why would you be here?! Fans of Anime will know exactly what is going on right now in the world of ‘SAO’: There’s a new Anime season, a new game for the PlayStation Vita was only just released and there’s one more on the way. Titled ‘Lost Song’, this game will take place in the world of ‘Alfeim Online’ which many of you may know was the place where the second half of the first series took place. Unfortunately, for many of the ‘SAO’ audience, it was the weaker of the many arcs but that doesn’t mean this game is going to be less enjoyable. Being handled by the same team who spearheaded the last ‘SAO’ game, ‘Hollow Fragment’, this game is set to introduce fans to a new combat and travel style. That’s right, this time Kirito and his friends have …

Bandai Namco Announces ‘Sword Art Online: Lost Song’

Published by Frank Inglese

There is no rest period for the developers behind the ‘Sword Art Online’ series of video games. It was only a few months ago that we saw the Western release of the PlayStation Vita exclusive title ‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’ and now we’re already being shown a brand-new game that is set for an official release some time in 2015. The game is called ‘Sword Art Online: Lost Song’ and has already been said to be coming out on both the PlayStation 3 and, once again, on the PlayStation Vita. Unlike ‘Hollow Fragment’, ‘Lost Song’ will take place in ‘Alfheim Online’ which, for those of you who havn’t seen the Anime, is where the second half of the first series takes place. This new VMMORPG (Virtual Massive Multiplayer Online Game) is quite similar to ‘SAO’ in that characters can still use bladed weaponry but it does feature some differences: One is that magic is the most looked upon form of combat for those playing the game and the other is that all the characters …

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment Review

Published by Frank Inglese

SWORDS! They’re so exciting! I’ve never used one before and, chances are, I’ll never use them at all. Why? Because, contrary to popular belief, I’m actually not a Samurai…though I want to be so bad. I instead rely on video game characters to do all of my sword wielding. Like most gamers I live vicariously through the characters I create on-screen. ‘Sword Art Online’, the highly popular Anime/Light Novel series, begs audiences to think about how they would go about living within a game world where death in the game means death in reality. In the PlayStation Vita title ‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’, players are put into the virtual shoes of series hero Kazuto Kirigaya or ‘Kirito’ as he prefers to be called. Mostly following the story of the first half of the Anime series, the game features all of the characters fans have grown to know and love but also features a storyline that does it’s best to expand on the ‘SAO’ universe. Players can chose to follow the main story which basically …

‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’ Now Available Worldwide + ‘Tales Of Xillia 2’ Released

Published by Frank Inglese

Alright, reader, it’s time to dust of your PlayStation Vita and settle yourself in for what is going to be one hell of a sword fighting experience, let’s just hope players of this game don’t fall victim to the same fate the players in the Anime series did! Bandai Namco Games has today released their newest Anime title ‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’ in Australia and Across Europe which means the game is now officially available worldwide! It was released in Japan earlier in the year but in North America just a day ago so it wont take us ‘Euro’ and ‘Aussie’ gamers too long to catch up to our American brothers and sisters. ‘Hollow Fragment’ mostly follows the story of the Anime series ‘Sword Art Online’ but, much like previous video game title in the series’ catalog, tends to stray from the path of ‘canon’ and instead tells different tales which just so happen to feature the same characters we’ve come to know and love. Bundled with ‘Hollow Fragment’ comes the series’ previous game …

Gun Gale Online DLC Announced For Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment

Published by Frank Inglese

Are you watching the latest Anime season? Trick question, reader! Of course you are! Let me guess; I bet you’re following ‘Sword Art Online II’ right? Why else would you be here?! Fans of ‘SAO’ listen up because this is news specifically for you. While us here in the West are waiting in high anticipation of the upcoming PlayStation Vita title ‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’, Japanese gamers are living it up with their copies of the game. Not only that, a new DLC pack for the game was just announced and, if you ask me, it is pretty damn cool. The standout feature of the new DLC pack is arguably the two Gun Gale Online-themed costumes for both Kirito and Sinon. This has come at a perfect time seeing as the new series has just begun but that’s not all the DLC has to offer! Oh no, not even close! Alongside the aforementioned costumes come a level capacity upgrade (with players being able to now reach level 250), brand-new weapons to obtain, more difficult …

‘Sword Art Online II’ – New Preview Video and Character Design Images Released

Published by Frank Inglese

Reader, we are so close to seeing the first episode of the new Anime series ‘Sword Art Online II” that you can almost taste it. Fans from around the world are rocking in anticipation of the first episode premiere but A-1 Pictures know that we wont last fifteen hours, we want to see more ‘SAO II’ right now! Oh, a new trailer has been released? Oh, a whole bunch of character design images were released? Well…that’s awesome! The trailer, which goes for just under two minutes, is entirely in Japanese but the overall theme of it is; “Gun Gale Online is ruthless”. The trailer has characters describing the world of ‘Gun Gale Online’ which puts the game in quite a negetive light with most comments explaining how dangerous of a place it is. Also, if you’re unaware; even though the series is called ‘Sword Art Online II’, the focus wont be on swords. Yes the first series centered mostly around the use of bladed weaponry but in ‘SAO II’ the weapons of choice are guns. …

Sword Art Online Volumes 1 – 4 Review

Published by Frank Inglese

There’s a certain series trend that has been around for a while now. A trend in Anime and Manga that tells tales of video games gone awry. Most of the time it revolves around virtual reality and the problems that exist in a world populated by those willing to spend more time in a game than in their actual lives. Most of these stories take place in a worlds that are, essentially, governed by technology. Having a world so intricately connected through invisible strings means that people can connect more than ever before but, as we’ve seen, it actually makes for a more socially disconnected generation of people. Now as much as I love video games and as much time as I spend playing them, I never want to experience something like ‘Sword Art Online’. Imagine, if you will, logging on to your favorite Massive Multiplayer Online game using your brand-new virtual reality headset. You’re playing the game and it all seems so real! It’s amazing! Until a something terrible happens. Something that is, in …

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment Receives Western Release Date

Published by Kane Bugeja

The Western release announcements just keep flowing from Bandai Namco don’t they? In addition to Tales of Hearts R, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment has also been designated a specific release date. The PS Vita title will hit North American shores on August 19th, whilst Europeans will have to wait a whole extra day before they can join the party. The game itself was originally released in Japan in the far flung days of April, so it’s been a bit of a wait for Sword Art Fans. Though hopefully this title will be worth the wait. Bandai seems to be hedging their bets by also including Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment within the release. I always knew it was a cool company. Originally released in Japan for the PSP (an underloved console in the West), Infinity Moment will receive an appropriate graphics boost when it takes to the Vita. So, are you going to pick up Sword Art Online and join the fray? Remember, it comes out in August so you’ve got plenty of time …

Sword Art Online II promo trailer shoots things, also Kirito is a girl now

Published by Luke Halliday

Getcha head in the game! Sword Art Online became a blockbuster success in 2012 with its ‘trapped in an MMORPG’ concept striking a chord with a generation of anime viewers who find themselves in the very same situation. The series explored the world of Sword Art Online for its first cour and then decided to turn all the characters into elves for the rest of the first season as they flew around in some strange fairy world trying to save Asuna from some horny slime-bag trying to marry her comatose body. So yeah it did kind of go off the rails there, but forget all of that because Sword Art Online II is set to premiere on the 7th of July and it looks to course correct by replacing swords with guns and replacing Kirito’s penis with a vagina. Wait.. what? Whether you love it or you hate it, you cannot deny the cultural impact of Sword Art Online on anime. The brand new trailer for Sword Art Online II can be seen below. Get …