Final Fantasy XIII: Xbox 360 or PS3?

Will you be buying Final Fantasy XIII for the Playstaion 3 or the Xbox 360? (Or not at all, of course, but in which case I don't really care.)

Devon and I are waiting on the final word on Japanese audio to decide, but it looks like it may be omitted from both systems. In that case we're leaning towards the PS3—I prefer the UI, controller, and achievement system on the Xbox, but uncompressed audio/video on the PS3 wins out. I know we're massive geeks, but has anyone else been giving any thought to this quandary?

In other video game news, I beat Assassin's Creed II a while ago; I'm currently playing Kingdom Hearts: Re: Chain of Memories, the CoM PS2 port. I picked it up again after ignoring it for a long time and it's been a lot more fun to play this go around—I feel like I actually get and appreciate the card system this time, rather than seeing it as an impediment to my preferred KH hack-and-slash free-for-all. Sadly, I'm currently stuck on a boss and procrastinating going back to it. After I beat this game, I'm on to Persona 3 and 4.

Devon and I are playing BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger more-or-less together. I bought it for his Christmas present but predictably have put a bit more time into it than he has. It's a brilliant fighter—the plot is surprisingly strong and characters are better defined than I've ever seen in fighter—as far as characterization, but also in terms of fighting style and abilities. I've gotten great with Jin, but because characters behave so differently it's hard to transfer brilliance with him into competence with anyone else. I'm loving the game so far.

Devon just beat Onimusha 3 and picked up Onimusha 1, but along with BlazBlue he also got Forza 3 for Christmas, and Bayonetta comes out next week. We'll see which one he sticks with, but I suspect Bayonetta (he's been craving a sharp fighter after replaying the entire DMC series and finding out that God of War was ... well, mostly just a pile of shit).

Anime Review: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)
Based on the manga by Yana Toboso
24 episodes
In Victorian-era London, Ciel Phantomhive is the 12-year-old head of the noble Phantomhive family. He runs a toy manufacturing company, investigates mysteries at the behest of the Queen, as is set to revenge his parents's murder—all with the aid of Sebastian Michaelis, a demon who is sworn to serve as Ciel's butler in exchange for Ceil's soul. Kuroshitsuji is a supernatural mystery, a dark comedy, and the perfect excuse to combine Victorian aesthetic, incompetent grim reapers, underage crossdressing, dinnerware used as projectile weaponry, plots inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and gratuitous bondage into a surprisingly enjoyable, intelligent series. It starts off a bit superficial and comedic for my tastes, but Kuroshitsuji matures into a beautiful, intriguing supernatural drama that never takes itself too seriously, and I recommend it.

The first half of the series tends to be episodic, or at least conscribed to short plot arcs. These do a decent job of introducing the wonderful cast, in particular the coldy intelligent yet vulnerably young Ciel, and Sebastian who hides dark humor and an intriguing demonic nature behind the veneer of the perfect butler. It also holds the viewer's attention in a series of kidnapping cases and murder mysteries, but these limit plot progression and are heavy on the humor. I have a narrow sense of humor, so take with a grain of salt that much of the comedy in Kuroshitsuji did nothing for me: I adored the dark humor, but the all-out farcical elements like reaction images and chronically incompetent servants left me cold and clashed with the darker and more serious aspects of the show.

But as Kuroshitsuji continues it builds an overarching plot around the mystery of Ciel's past and the demise of his parents. The plot grows stronger, the story more intriguing, and Ciel and Sebastian become ever more fascinating as the history and nature of their bargain comes to light. There's a certain subtly to the characterization that makes it delicate and believable despite the supernatural setting, with just left unsaid to capture the viewer's imagination. Meanwhile, farce is toned down as secondary characters gain depth. The humor that remains is enjoyable dark comedy mixed with exaggerated characters and just a touch of farce—it actually becomes quite charming and balances out the show's darker elements. I found the first half of Kuroshitsuji entertaining, but the second half was absolutely fascinating: it may not be top-tier entertainment, but the Victorian aesthetic, black comedy, and ambiguous, unusual characters all delighted me and I was sorry to see the show end.

Really, nothing sells Kuroshitsuji better than its concept: if a 12-year-old dandy in a Faustian contract with his battle-butler seems like your kind of show, give Kuroshitsuji a try. It's stylized, exaggerated, supernatural, but also has surprising smarts and subtlety in its characterization, a combination which keeps the reader engaged as well as intrigued. I've never watched anything quite like it, and enjoyed it immensely. (On a similar note, I wish I could find something similar—know of any other anime that might suit? Recommend me! Manga are also welcome for future reference, but for now I'm looking for something to watch.)