Nostalgia is in full swing in some of the recent media I’ve consumed. Some of these franchises are near and dear to my heart so I figured I’d dedicate a space where I talk about them for a little bit. 

I’ll primarily talk about the game Digimon Survive, the movie Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, and the Netflix animated series Tekken: Bloodline. But I did see and play a few other things in between and around my travels during the last two weeks so I’ll touch on those too, briefly. 

The main trio

Digimon Survive 

I’m in the minority on this but I’ve always been a Digimon over Pokémon type of person. I was a big fan of the 1999 animé and its banger of an opening song. And I also dedicated an entire summer to playing the Digimon World game. I missed the train on the Digimon World: Next Order game so I was elated that Digimon Survive came out recently. 

I haven’t played it as much, but I feel like I’ve played it enough to let you know if this is something you should buy now or just wait for its price to drop. We got a review code from the publisher which is why I was able to play. 

To properly set expectations, Digimon Survive is a visual novel first and turn-based strategy game second. From what I’d experience so far, it’s about a 70-30 split. There’s a lot of dialogue to get through, and the prologue part is a bit of a slog. 

That said, the story is engaging. While it’s nothing entirely new, there’s enough care put into the characters and the narrative to keep you invested in the story. And how you interact with characters will ultimately decide their faith in the game. It’s not a light story by any means. If you neglect certain characters, they will ultimately meet their demise. 

The turn-based combat, though, is child’s play. It doesn’t really require that much thought and anyone should be able to pick it up without any trouble. If you’re looking for a challenge, this isn’t it. 

Digimon Survive is a tide-you-over kind of game. It’s mostly an okay way to gauge interest in the franchise but I don’t see this as something a lot of people will play. Even if you’re a die-hard Digimon fan, it might be prudent to wait for its price to drop or for it to show up on subscription services.  

Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

It’s not something I’m loud about, but I really like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As a kid, my first exposure to these heroes in a half shell was through the 1987 cartoons. They were so big in the early 90s I remember we even had towels and bedsheets featuring the turtles (Team Mickey over here). 

There have been many iterations of these crime-fighting turtles since, and I never really got to follow any of those series. I did, however, enjoy all the live action movies. Yes. All of them. 

So, when the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie dropped on Netflix, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t even on my radar at all. And I didn’t know I needed a Turtles flick until I watched it. 

The movie serves as a sort of sequel to the two season cartoon series on Nickelodeon. But I hadn’t seen a single episode of that series before jumping into this movie. And that’s fine. If you have any sort of prior knowledge about the franchise, you won’t feel lost at all. 

This version of the Turtles mixes things up a little bit with Raphael taking the role of the leader first. And the movie primarily deals with the transition of leadership with Leonardo learning exactly what it is to be a leader. 

It’s a fun flick with some “Sakuga” level animation. Some characters might be jarring for long-time fans. But I think it’s a nice, fresh take on the franchise. The action is unrelenting and Leonardo’s character arc is one worth learning from especially if this will be seen by many kids around the world.

Watch Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The movie on Netflix.

Tekken: Bloodline

I wasn’t too hot on the art style when I first saw the trailer for Tekken:Bloodline, But between this and the Ultraman anime on Netflix, I guess I’m starting to warm up to it. 

I’m not too familiar with the story behind Tekken. And the only game I really spent a significant amount of time on is Tekken 3 – which is great because it seems like it’s the game that the show is most loosely based on. 

Netflix’s take focuses squarely on Jin Kazama and his family, hence the “bloodline” tag. I watched all six episodes in one sitting and, more than anything, I feel like it could have used a few more episodes. 

The only character you can really invest in is Jin. And perhaps that’s by design. But Tekken is filled with plenty of colorful characters that can certainly be fleshed out with more episodes. 

I sincerely hope more people watch it because I’d love to see more of it animated. 

Watch Tekken: Bloodline on Netflix.

Other things I’ve dabbled in

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

I missed this in the cinemas but thankfully, I was able to catch it as an in-flight entertainment. It’s a little more unhinged than the first one. The whole sequence with Sonic and Tails together was pretty darn weird. I’m not sure Idris Elba was the best choice to voice Knuckles. And Jim Carrey was fantastic as always. It’s a wild ride but there are probably better things to do than spend over two hours watching this. Unless, you’re in a long-haul flight like I was.

Tower of Fantasy

The Tencent game that boldly claimed to be the next Genshin Impact. As of writing, Tower of Fantasy seems to be enjoying a plethora of players. But with any MMORPG, the challenge is being able to sustain this momentum. I’ve played a little bit and as I was thinking about what to write, I realized one thing – I’m not an MMO enjoyer. I totally skipped the whole Ragnarok wave and everything else that came after. That’s not to say that I think the game is bad. I was just not looking at it properly. 

What I’m looking forward to

She-hulk 

I have surprisingly been able to keep up with Marvel’s offerings. I guess I’m an MCU nut after all. Ms. Marvel was fun but teenager me would’ve enjoyed it more. It was great for representation and the finalé had a couple of big reveals that’ll affect the greater MCU picture.

Now comes She-Hulk. I’ve seen the trailers and reactions to the first episode but I have yet to watch it myself. I’ll probably wait until the series has wrapped up and binge it on a weekend. I’m excited to do so because it looks like it might not be a usual MCU thing. Hope it turns out great. 

Watch She-Hulk on Disney+

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Gohan is my favorite Dragon Ball character. After his being relegated to the side since the Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z, Gohan has been on a downward spiral with his lowest moment probably coming in the Resurrection F movie. 

But Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero looks to rectify that. I’ve already been spoiled with the transformation he’s going to make but I still am looking forward to watching the movie and seeing how it unfolds. Bad-ass Gohan is back and I’m here for it.

NBA 2K23

NBA 2K is my comfort game. I have been playing NBA simulations since NBA Live 98. And I use basketball to relax my mind. 2K seems to be adding plenty of new things to keep it interesting. I’ll detail everything that’s new in a separate article. But as always, I can’t wait to play it.