Passion on a Battlefield- Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment Review

  Many of us have watched the anime for Sword Art Online by this time. In fact, the show has received a cult following, and with good reason. After the first season, many were a bit disgusted at one of the details of the plot, and I also was one of them. There are a few games that follow the story line, and they have mixed reviews. This is a dive into the very first of them- Hollow Fragment, released on the Playstation Vita.

  Hollow Fragment started what would be a series of 3 sword art games, and then a mashup title with Accel World vs. Sword Art. I don't count the initial Sword Art game on the PSP from 2013, due to the fact that it was a very low key, and limited release title, even by the series' standards, as well as the fact that its content is in Hollow Fragment. The storyline of Sword art follows one similar to the Dot Hack series from over a decade ago, with a community of online gamers being trapped in an online game, where death in-game translates to the real world. The difference, is that this plight was caused directly by the creator of the game itself, Akahiko Kayaba. Also, while Dot hack had a deep story behind a gaming system that turned on the players, Sword Art has what I feel is even more depth, with much of the conflict being swept up in government experimentation, with somewhat genuine, but sinister intentions. It really makes you pause with some of the arguments that occur.

 The art style is some of the new age cel-shaded graphics, like other titles, such as Black Rock Shooter, God Eater Burst, Gravity Rush and Freedom Wars. I really like how technology has improved this. I remember the first Cel-shaded game, back near the turn of the millennium. It was a game called Cel Damage, that came out for all 3 major consoles at the time- Xbox, Gamecube, and PS2. It was literally rough around the edges, and it sucked somewhat as a game, but it intrigued gamers. Now, it has been polished so much, that it is used often for anime-based games, often looking better than using traditional sprites.

 You spend much of your time in the one hub town of Arc Sophia, which is on the the 75th floor of the games over arching tower. The game starts with you completing the 74th floor, with the players left alive, and taking refuge in the town. In the anime story, it was just after the 75th floor, that Kirito- the main charater, and a few friends, were confronted unexpectedly by Kayabe and challenged to a duel. Kirito defeated him, which ended the game prematurely. In the game, you play out the remaining 25 floors before facing Kayaba and his constituents. There is a ton of dialogue and plot development, which is appreciated, but extraneous.

  You have a main floor boss, that you try to gather intel on for each floor. Along the way, there will be 3 or so missions that allow you to gather materials, and intel on the way. You will face increasingly difficult enemies, and battle with a real time combat system, with customizable special attacks, and a Just system, that allows you to use well timed evasion, and techniques to boost attack, and replenish special meter. Mastering that is essential to beating the game. The combat system flowed very well, and never got overly stale. However, Kirito is naturally, a dual sword user. I chose to main the Rapier technique. I feel as if the game punished me for that. By the time I was near the end of the game, between the damage output, and the defensive liabilities, I had to switch back to the dual swords to be formidable against the field. You also start with techniques unlocked, and the game really turns you off with the fact that you are continuing a high powered character, rather than building your own.

  Also, in the new trend of perversion, there seems to be a constant stream of needless dialogue leading to the girl characters hitting on Kirito in different ways. They all want him desperately, and try to act as if they are being coy, while fawning over him incessantly. It was nauseating at a point.  And the thing about it all is that he is married in the game. In fact, that was one of the beauties. The relationship between him and his wife, and their struggles and passion, was very well translated into the game.There was an aspect of the anime that was kept at bay in the game. In the anime, Kirito's sister, who plays the character Leafa, wants him badly in real life. They are actually cousins in real life, which she doesn't think Kirito knows at first, although they are raised as siblings. Somehow, she not only justifies loving him, but actually attacks him in the anime, in disgust, that he won't drop his wife and love- Asuna, and take her instead. It was infuriating, especially considering the deep love Kirito and Asuna have. Many viewers complained about that annoying and disgusting debauchery after the first season. She never really gives up either. But eventually she accepts things to a degree. The game did a good job minimizing that nonsensical part of the story. I remember tear jerker moments in the anime series, and this game has its own as well. Sometimes, you will have a side quest that completes a mission that draws Kirito and Asuna closer. On one of them, you have to repair the wedding ritual that mysteriously gets deleted, effectively divorcing them. The mission confuses them, but ultimately draws them closer to each other. It was very romantic.

 When it comes to aesthetics. the game was sorely lacking in the cutscene department. It was actually ridiculous for an RPG. In the very beginning, you got a couple, and at the end you got a couple. One huge issue with the game, is that during each and every cutscene, the game skips like crazy, as if it wasn't designed to run them. That was very off-putting. The game also felt a bit linear for my taste as well. You had just enough missions to advance the plot, with a few dialogue initiated sidequests. There wasn't much exploration to be done. Also the cutscenes of the game were 98% dialogue segments. They were extremely long, and annoying, and it seemed like the developers put the most time into that aspect of the game. The translation is also loaded with errors. At a point towards the end of the game, I started avoiding them like the plague, because you will literally spend over 20 minutes trying to get through the dialogue.

 Ultimately, like the show's plot, I loved the intrigue, and the passion of the main protagonists. However, it was in a very rough casing. This game feels like a rushed title, that is bare bones, with nothing to offer an individual gamer. It feeds off of the namesake, and was meant to jump off of the shelves on that alone. It feels cheap, and under developed, which is sad, because it has a good gaming engine to work with. The will just wasn't there to do that. In fact, one thing that jumped out to me, was that certain aspects like cooking, and equipment augmentation, were relegated to cutscene talk and side-quest scenario shenanigans. None of those elements are in the game. This mimmicks the anime show, but completely disregards the fact that this is a game. In the game, those elements would exist, like they do in the Monster Hunter series. There were things like that which could have elevated the game, that were completely ignored. It literally felt like playing a show.


 Good combat system aside, it was stale without the dialogue plot development. They were better off just making an interactive graphic novel like the Daganronpa series. Almost none of the bosses were very challenging. This is because as long as you did the 3 required mission between bosses, your squad was automatically more than strong enough to tackle them. And after the 3 missions were complete, there were no more for entire floor. And you could not grind too far, because the current enemies quickly become too weak to give much experience at all. There really wasn't any room to excel or fail in your own way. It just isn't a game that I would play for enjoyment. The great story, and very solid combat system carry the entire game. The rest is a glitch filled disappointment. To its credit, there is the Hollow area, which is one huge all-encompassing map, which can be explored and unlocked systematically, to complete missions that give perks to your powers if the requirements are met. I tried to explore it as much as I could, and got to a point where I was blocked by a gate, with no explanation on how to open it. It was a journey that took longer than expected. In fact, at one point, when I saw how long it took to clear 9 floors and get to floor 85, I began to think it might take over 100 hours to get to the last floors. I wasn't that far off. The dialogue expands the time quite a bit.

  In all fairness, it was a captivating game experience in its own weird way. I even have the sequel- Lost Song, on tab to play in the future. I would have to say the game is at least serviceable. I would score it a 6.8/10

What is Boxing- GGG vs Canelo

  You've all used the adages. Styles make fights. The art of hit and not get hit. We have rulesets of standing 8 counts, a 10 point must system, ring generalship, and a foul system. Why do these exist. This is talking about the sport of boxing. This was created long ago, and given structure under the Marcus of Queensbury ruleset. Every fight fan, even though they love slugfests, always used to bow to these rules of the sport. However, suddenly, in an age of low intellect, there has been a complete abandonment of the logic that the sport is built on.

  Boxing is designed to be won in different ways. They don't end in only KO's, nor do they have to go to decision. You have 12 rounds, in championship bouts, to execute your gameplan. Robinson did it, Leonard did it, Mayweather did it. And it has become respected less and less. Styles make fights right? Do we just recite that like an old song that we learned from our grandparents? Where is the understanding of that. Mayweather once said, "I may not be the strongest, or the fastest. But I'm the smartest." That used to be the trait we admired in the quintessential boxer.

  You can go to any ballroom on a Wednesday night, or a Friday night, and you will find rugged Mexican or Russian fighters who have chins of steel and fists of iron, that stalk their opponent, and are dangerous for the entire fight. Sometimes their opponent is just like them. But what is the intrigue in seeing fighters like that at the championship level? Seeing a style that can neutralize them!! You have never seen a boxer of any note, who spent their entire career without having to adjust. Why? Because different opponents pose different challenges. And I've noticed that this is an area where everyone is off time and again. If one fighter has an insurmountable edge in power and fortitude, it's ignorant to expect his opponent to fight on his terms. People consistently resort to calling it running, when it is the weaker fighter making a calculated attack. A head on assault would be and ignorant and foregone conclusion. The same works in reverse. Recall what advise all of you gave Maidana, and Mcgregor on their approach to fighting Mayweather.


   GGG is a tough and skilled Khazakstan boxer. He has sparred with Kovalev and Canelo in the past. Before he fought Canelo last night, he came off of 2 wins, where he showed the inability to adapt. He won the first by KO, and took the second controversially. He has 1 mode only. He stalks, cuts the ring well, and walks through fire to deliver thunder. To be intrigued by that is natural. To be blinded by that is pathetic. I have a friend who honestly believes they are a boxing purist and scholar. And there are many who are just like him. Too many. You are all casual fans with no understanding of boxing's science at all, and your voice has become so prevalent, you actually believe your nonsense. When Mayweather fought Pacman, and the fight was much closer than anticipated, the media controlled everything you saw. When Ward defeated Kovalev the first time, the media controlled everything you saw. When GGG was exposed again and again, your emotion were validated by the ignorant media.

  You call yourselves fans. But what does a true fan expect from their champion, but greatness. In this fight between GGG and Canelo, boxing got a gem. Canelo started sharp and fast, and sustained a creative flow of combinations and brilliant defense. He went far beyond what Danny Jacobs achieved. And Golovkin was himself. He was relentless and a dangerous typhoon storming the ring the entire night with his presence. Golovkin only showed brief flashes of effective boxing in a few later rounds, as Canelo tired. And the reason it is so foreign to him, is because he and his trainer have become intoxicated with his power and chin. Tight defense and switching looks is not in their repetuar. But danger was in the air. It was everything you could have asked for and more. But it flew over your heads as a disappointment. Why? Because of a inept judge? No. Because it was a chess match. Commentators like Stephen A Smith are giving you people too much of a pass. It isn't the score card that has you outraged. You can't process what you saw, but you know you saw a fighter stalking, so you feel he should have been the victor. Just say it admit it. You saw him stalking, and you saw him missing, hit in the face and body, and resetting over and over again.

  But rather that get all over that, I'm going to put it to you simply. We all know by now, that no one south of light heavyweight, is capable of moving or even slowing GGG. Whether it's due to cheating, or not, I won't debate at this time. The bottom line is that once again this is boxing. Canelo is a counter puncher and boxer. Everyone talks about the intrigue of a Tiger versus a Lion. We don't anticipate it because we want to see the Lion overpower the Tiger. We know they can't. We want to see how the heart and agility of the Lion can win in its own way. Boxing is the exact same. Everyone wanted GGG to fight Mayweather before this fight. Did any of you expect to see him stand toe to toe with GGG and overpower him knocking him out? No! You want to see how his defense and counterpunching could neutralize GGG's stalking and pressure. Danny Jacobs and Canelo have both done it, and you villify them. Canelo has power. It was clear after the first 3 rounds, that he wasn't going to stop GGG. He moved, maintained control and stamina, and ripped combinations often, while GGG stalked.

  My friends argument is that GGG won convincingly because he stalked and pressured, and no punches hurt him. We've established that his pedigree is toughness. What I pose to all of you who side with that thinking is this- where is the burden on the champion? Boxing is about a vacuum, where the odds are split down the middle. You are forced out of you comfort zone and asked to deliver victory with what you have. You have power? Okay maximize it. You have movement? Maximize it. What you saw in the ring for 3 fights now, is a Russian fighter, frustrated, and out of answers, unable to do anything but continue a set formula. Where the heck is the accountability?! I pose this to all of you, including my beloved Teddy Atlas. Let's all step into the shoes of Golovkin for a moment. Imagine you are a slugger, with an iron jaw. No one can take sustained punishment from you, nor move you with punches. You get into position to challenge for the world title and defend it. You know the rules of boxing require you to control the action, and adjust to your opponent. You've always been able to avoid that by getting a KO. Suddenly, this guy in front of you is hitting and moving, and won't go. You know he can't stop you, so you keep pressing him. You manage to get a shot in once in a while. You try combinations, but you can't seem to set any up, that are able to connect well against a slick defensive fighter. Your head is a stationary target, and you eat shots continuously. But you know they can't hurt you. You run out of answers, and the fight ends.

   Do you honestly think its fair for a befuddled fighter like that to have their hand raised again and again in title fights, simply for being the toughest. Everyone knows GGG will not be stopped. He will not be hurt, or slowed down. Is that where the burden stops? Treat every champion like a champion. If a fight goes to decision. find a way to take a decision by BOXING! Marciano was a knockout artist. He never lost. But you know what he had to do? When he faced guys who wouldn't go away, he adjusted, and found a way to apply pressure with precision and outbox his opponent. Don't cheapen the sport by giving that crown to GGG when he has done no such thing. Walking forward, and being unfazed is not the art of boxing. And you should all be ashamed of yourselves for glorifying that nonsense, and calling yourselves fans of the sweet science. And you aren't fans of GGG either. If you really love a fighter, you want to see them be asked a question and answer it,  just like the politician you trust. To see him run from question after question, and to call his shoulder shrug, a definitive answer, makes both him and YOU a fraud, and disgusting disgrace to the sport of boxing.

  The headlines are reading, "Boxing's corruption rears it's head at the wrong time again." The selling point- an inept judge who scored it 118-110 for Canelo, in a fight that was ultimately a draw. The event was scintillating. But completely missed. One judge, and a sea of articles, will once again spin the picture you retards see in your minds. And you will turn around with your half-baked ideas and consider yourselves the true connoisseurs of boxing. Just think about it. Even the biased crowd and commentary were forced to adjust their statments the entire fight, because again and again, Canelo blasted GGG over and over again, with what would normally be knockout punches, to gasps from the oddly pro-GGG crowd. Towards the middle rounds, the mindset was that any other fighter would have already been out of there. And that entire clear picture is altered, simply because a boxer was tough enough to take it. And you know the sport huh?