FTS: Monster-Collecting-and-Fusing RPG Cassette Beasts Hits Play April 26 on Steam, Microsoft Store & PC Game Pass

Monster-Collecting-and-Fusing RPG Cassette Beasts Hits Play April 26 on Steam, Microsoft Store & PC Game Pass

Capture unique creatures and transform into them to battle in this open-world adventure, coming Spring 2023 to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

STOCKHOLM – March 29, 2023 – Raw Fury has announced that indie developer Bytten Studio’s Cassette Beasts, the creature-collecting-and-fusing, turn-based battling, open-world RPG, will debut on PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass on April 26, 2023. It will arrive later this spring on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass.

Cassette Beasts puts a unique spin on monster-collector RPG adventures. On the remote island of New Wirral, people can use cassette tapes to transform into strange creatures and battle. You’ll need to explore the island and record a menagerie of mighty monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities and find a way home!

Discover over 100 awesome monsters to collect and transform into during turn-based battles. You can even combine two creatures together to make powerful new forms with shared elemental types, stats, and move sets using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System! Some of your opponents have this ability, too, so you’ll need to get creative to win.

Side B Features:

• Transform into Monsters…with Cassette Tapes?! Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown can fight fire with fire. Record a variety of special creatures, then play them back in the battle to take on their forms!
• Fuse Monsters Together: Merge with your companions’ monsters to transform into unique, fully animated fusions combining the strengths of both forms! There are thousands of creature-fusion combos to experiment with and discover.
• Explore a Rich Open World: Some monster abilities can be used in human form, which you'll need to get around, solve puzzles, and more. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, or turn magnetic in a colorful land brought to life with beautifully crafted monsters, ‘80s vibes, and a synthy soundtrack!
• Master a Deep Battle System: Use elemental chemistry to apply advantageous buffs or debuffs with your attacks, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type.
• Travel with a Diverse Cast of Companions: Never fight alone! Forge bonds with your partners and help them complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse!
• Play Couch Co-op with Friends: Team up in local multiplayer for up to two players. Explore the open world, transform, and battle together as a duo!

 

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DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season... Reviewed!

 Shout out to Warner Bros for providing a copy of this product for our review. My opinions are my own.

After watching the awesomeness that was season one of this show... I was really (like seriously) concerned that DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season would be kinda sorta DOA. I don't want to say that I didn't trust the writers to deliver but... I don't know them like that (just being honest).

Season one went hard in the paint... and if you have yet to watch the show... consider starting there, or... at least do yourself a big favor and backtrack if you start in season two. You won't be sorry. So does season 2 measure up and lead the team to a 2 for 2 in awesomeness? Let's jump in and find out.

Story: So when it comes to the season two... opener, let's just say you're served up with a blast from the past that gives you an idea of what will be going down this season as far as the main villain goes. It also shows you clues of how Dr. Mid-Nite got revved up to begin with... even if you don't see him in the initial scene. There is also a tie-in between Dr. Mid-Nite and one of the villains that finally showed face in season two.

Anyway, in season one... school was in session, and it's definitely part of Courtney's life as a teen (duh of the day). In season two, school is still in session... to an extent. See what had happened was... Courtney was so focused on being Stargirl (even with no danger in sight), she neglected her studies and found herself in... Summer School taking on dangerous... assignments so that she isn't held back! Dun dun duuunnnn!

Yes, this actually happens, but... I appreciate the writers finding a creative way to keep school in the mix. I would say it adds a level of normalcy, but at the same time... a lot goes down on the campus of Blue Valley High. One of the best fights takes place on campus, but we'll touch on this later.

Season two delivers from chapter one, which is a cool way to title the episodes considering the focus around School. You get introduced to Elipso (considered one of the most frightening adversaries in DC's mythology) that was around to an extent in season one + a new hero (I don't want to give it all away).

Season two actually serves up two new heroes with a possible 7 or more total new heroes (and other heroes are also featured in this season). You can count them yourself and side-eye me if you'd like, but what I've written here is true. The season's chapters have a good engaging balance that keeps the story moving forward with plenty of action to enjoy. Don't believe me? Stargirl slugs it out with a Green Lantern in Chapter One alone, and two of my favorite ISA villains crash the party this season as well.

It's not all about the fighting or Summer School if you're wondering what else this season offers in terms of character progression.

You have Courtney at a crossroads in terms of being a superhero or being a teenage girl (which is how she ended up in Summer school). She's so ready to kick off into superhero mode at times... it dives in the way of her normal life beyond the costume, but it's part of her personality where she gets ahead of herself. After this season, I think her maturity and confidence level will increase but her personality will surely remain intact.

Beth is dealing with a serious family matter this season and even one that I won't mention at this time but it feels like it was tucked in there for the sake of appeasing the actress to a degree (but it only occurred in a single situation with the same exact villain she encountered multiple times... which was weird).

I feel like it's for the sake of appeasing the actress based on something that occurred off the screen in season one... check out our season one review to find out what went down. I won't say it's a bad thing that it was written in, because it certainly happens... but I'll keep as much of the story under wraps so you can check it out yourself. As far as her alter ego goes, it's good to see Dr. Mid-Nite II do more this season and... it might crank up moving forward.

This season... Beth's bubbly personality is also pointed out as something that she sort of wears like a mask. I had a back and forth with a member of the team on this, but... I still think it's her true personality. You can feel various ways as far as your emotions go, but... her true personality shines through whenever it gets the opportunity. Anytime she gets to be Beth, she's Beth with or without her costume. The reason why her bubbly personality appears to be a mask is that she's... awkward and almost seems to wrestle with other feelings at times when she's not sure how to feel about something.

Yolanda is also at a crossroads, even more than Courtney. Courtney is more so on the lines of being put into a position where her decisions put her in situations (i.e. Summer School). Yolanda is dealing with the trauma she suffered from season one, and you will see how it plays out with the decisions she makes in terms of her alter ego.

If I could get anything I wanted in terms of this show, it would be a bit of a list, but... one of the requests would be to change the cheeks on Wildcat's costume. I don't know why, they just look bad to me, they're so puffed out, which I guess is to avoid looking like Catwoman but... she doesn't need these puffy cheeks to look different. Wildcat kicks butt so I can look past it, but... you know what I really want.

In regards to Rick Tyler, he's battling assumptions, whether it's assumptions that he's just a step away from being locked up or... that he can't possibly be smart enough to get a really good grade in school.

Not only that, he's still dealing with crap at home with his Uncle who won't put the booze down enough to provide a more stable home for Rick. He's so resentful, he wants to see his own nephew's life hit a wall quicker than he did. It may appear that I'm spilling more of the beans about his story in this review, but... there is more... which makes me wonder what the future could hold for Hourman.

While I could dish on more of the characters, I'll leave it at the main four.

When it comes to Eclypso taking center stage this season, you might get the creep's compliments of his Nightmare on Elm Street type of vibe. Whatever he can exploit... he does exploit and definitely challenges the JSA physically and mentally, and he even takes on someone who came out of left field. I was like damn, can anyone stop this dude? They had to work together more than ever and got help from unlikely sources, but... Eclypso was still owning with a smile.

Overall, it wrapped up nicely with heroic battles, some unanswered questions (mainly about Hourman), and unexpected twists... that includes a few big ones at the end to gear us up for season 3. They must've been listening to me and I can't wait for Season 3 to soar in.

Visuals: When it comes to the visuals... Stargirl season two has quality visuals from beginning to end and they work those camera angles like a pro. So this is where chapter six pops back up... and where an all-out brawl between the JSA & ISA takes place. I'm sitting there enjoying the fight because it was awesome as it is, but then I lean up like... holy sugarwrappers... this is a damn good fight scene. Not just because of how they were brawling it out, but because of the camera angles and the editing. They took the fights taking place and edited them in a way that when something happened in one area of the brawl they were able to do a smooth transition to another set of JSA & ISA members moving from a similar stance or position somewhere to showcase their contribution to the battle.

In this fight alone they delivered medium shots, pan + tilts, low angle, worm's eye view, an extreme close up that comes by way of someone's face taking the plunge in the crapper, and almost an over the shoulder aka off the hip type of shot as Stargirl pulled a drive-by with the cosmic staff. The fact that they were really getting busy made it so much better. They even pulled a team combo. So as you see... this episode alone covers all the camera angles you can just about get, but they did a good job sharing the love among other chapters. I'm serving up some random pics, so you can indulge on unspoiled action when you grab a copy of the complete second season.

You can enjoy DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season in 1080P HD. You can also enjoy it in HDX on platforms like Vudu when you get the digital code from the Blu-Ray purchase. HDX is a term used by Vudu to represent a higher bitrate than standard HD video. Higher bitrate delivers better quality while maintaining 1080p resolution.

Audio + Extras: I didn't get the opportunity to listen to this using my usual surround sound setup, but I did get the opportunity to test out the built-in DTS TruSurround in the new office telly. My experience was quite enjoyable because it delivered something on the lines of a simulated surround sound experience... to the extent of what the TV could pull off with its onboard speakers.

Audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

This season also serves up 13 one hour episodes with to following extras:

• Gag Reel (Exclusive to Blu-ray and DVD)
• Never Alone: Heroes and Allies

Price: Pricewise... the DVD comes in at $24.98 SRP, while the Blu-ray comes in at $29.98 SRP for over 9.5 hours of superhero action. Stargirl serves up another 5-star season and I hope they keep the show growing at a steady pace that does the storyline justice (just keep the fight scenes coming).

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season... Reviewed!

Before I get started, shout out to Warner Bros for supplying a copy of Doom Patrol... Season 2 for this review. Now... let's get weird!

Story: Season 2 starts out with a little of Dorthy's backstory. She came to be because of the interesting relationship Dr. Niles had with a primitive woman named Slava, introduced in season 1's Doom Patrol: Hair Patrol episode. I'd call her Beast Woman. 

Needless to say... it wasn't love at first sight, they sort of grew on each other... like a beard. They're secret... hairy... love affair remained in secrecy thanks to Dr. Niles making the wise decision not to give her up, so now we have Dorthy today.

I'm still scratching my head about Dorthy's look though, but... I guess she could look like that as a result of having a prehistoric mom. Anyway, we got a glimpse of her (from behind) as season 1 closed out, which worked as far as hooking viewers for the second season.

That glimpse into Dorthy's backstory made me just want to give her a big hug and take her out for the best day ever (in a covid-free world), full of fun + shopping to update her look + new types of food... and even introduce her to gaming (because... it's awesome). She was a member of the circus forced to be a sideshow act (as the Ape Faced Girl) and was treated harshly by the ring leader because of her look & the same amazingly deadly abilities her mother had. The audience wasn't exactly the nicest group of onlookers either.

After a little justice took place, dear old daddy stepped in and took her home with him where she belonged. It's still a jacked-up relationship though because he feels that it's safer to keep her locked up... but it's a toss-up as far as agreeing or disagreeing with that. It protects her, but it also protects humanity.

One thing I liked seeing was Dorthy come out of her shell (to an extent) once she was with her daddy and the ever dysfunctional Doom Patrol. She was smiling, vibrant, and speaks a bit more when she feels comfortable. Her interaction with Cliff definitely has some comedic charm to it. Cliff Steele swears like he's trying to break a world record for most F-Bombs used in life, and you have Dorthy... this sweet little girl who tries to interact with him and join in on his activities. It's a funny dynamic.

Cliff was working on his car one day, swearing as usual... and in comes Dorthy saying she's never ridden in a car before. Clearly, he was annoyed, and she stood there with this smile on her face that he reluctantly gave in to (with an F-Bomb). It was just hilarious and delivered some much-needed comedy that shined through the clouds.

Season 2 continues to maintain the interesting titles for episodes that I like. Each episode has the main focus of the episode in the name... followed by Patrol (i.e. Fun Size Patrol). There aren't as many episodes in Season 2 as there were in Season 1, but I think they had to do that for the first season in order to introduce all the cards. Nevertheless... they could have found a cool way to keep the episode count somewhat consistent. We're talking 9 episodes compared to 15 in the first season. They had a few creative pieces tucked in there pairing Cliff Steele & Cyborg, and another with Rita Farr & Cyborg... which could have been extra added in to make up for it. It would've been great to see them create some standalone extras around these concepts, that would've made my day.

Beekeeper & Borg (by the way, does anyone else sense a bit of chemistry between these two?)

In season two, the Doom Patrol continues to battle their own demons while trying to figure things out to avoid pending... Doom (again... and again). So I guess the "Doom Patrol" is quite fitting. Dangers continue to pop up episode after episode (including the ongoing threat of Dorthy's demons), but I won't spoil it for you.

Oh... maybe one spoiler (minus details). The superhuman fight between Jane and Dorthy was pretty cool, and it was a breath of fresh air to see more action.

For the most part... even with the team taking on baddies, I can't say that I saw a lot of crime-fighting action going on. You might see a punch here or there, but... for the most part, I was left yearning for more. Season two for me... still feels like the team is dealing with growing pains. I'm not familiar with the Comic's storyline but... I look forward to the team coming into their own. 

Here are a few of the baddies you will see this season:

Red Jack is freaking... brutal.

The person that caught my attention more so in Season 2 was... Rita Farr. You can see Rita Farr (aka Elasti-Woman) progressing as she begins to embrace her abilities more so than treating them like flaws... in part because of Cyborg training her. I didn't really see it from anyone else, Rita's on the road to being a true superhero. She's saying, she's training, and... she's taking action. I love that.

You see a glimpse of what could be as far as the other is concerned, but... it's not on that level. I know that they were working through things mentally and emotionally, but I'm talking about superhero training. So I appreciate the fact that they wrote this in, and I want to see more from the others in season 3... which includes Cyborg. I don't just want to hear about Cyborg's greatness... I want to see what makes him great. I want to see the Cyborg opening cans of whip ass left and right, the Cyborg that pulls off the W with a second left on the clock.

The writers are able to deliver, they just have to do it. It's not like he's just a new hero on the block, and the baddies are there... so I'd like to see more fighting. They could have stretched some of the situations out with the villains and not only showcased his abilities but also gave him a chance to work with the rest of the team on fine-tuning their own more. I wish they gave Red Jack at least 3 episodes, it was like... dang, this guy is brutal and he had personality.

Anyway, regardless of not training to be superheroes (apart from Rita Farr), the Doom Patrol gets some training in the field. As far as the story goes... Dorthy was the main focus of the season, even when her story was on the backburner... she remained in their mentions. Ultimately the season is wrapped up with Dorthy as things come to a head with her mother, father, and her most deadly demon. I don't know what they plan on doing in Season 3 but my fingers are crossed that it starts with a bang stemming from the end of Season 2... there should be a huge battle because all of the heroes were in situations with a baddie.

Update: It dawned on me, we're in the middle of a pandemic. So after doing a little digging, I found out that actress Abigail Shapiro reported that the season is an episode shorter because of Covid-19. Makes sense, so season 3 should start with a battle... I assume.

Visuals: Visually speaking, Doom Patrol Season 2 delivers episode after episode. The costumes are solid (even if I wish they would adjust Cyborg's eye up just a little to make it even). From Red Jack to Dorthy's demons... the designers did a solid job. Crazy Jane's transformation was even awesome when she went supernatural and flamed on (I was like... wow). The thing I appreciate most about most of the visual effects... is that they didn't look cheesy. It doesn't have to be over the top to look good, it just has to look believable and I feel like they nailed that.

The camera angles were solid too, unusual angles were thrown in there when needed for those trippy scenes. Although a film enthusiast may focus on specific angle types more than I would, I did notice the low angles + bird's eye view to give off the impression that some of Dorthy's demons were huge (that's just the name I call them).

Audio + Extras: As far as audio goes... I know (I know... I know) the show's theme music is fitting, I'm just not crazy about it. Other than the theme music, I loved the sound effects from the misadventures + the show concepts like Steele & Stone. You get 5.1 surround sound which delivered... but nothing really jumped out to me outside of when the action was high + explosions.

The extras include Doom Patrol: The Magic of Makeup... which was pretty cool, and I think is a feature that would actually appeal to the cosplay fans in the house + those of you into costume and make-up in general. Dorthy's stunt double looks just like her once all the makeup is on. Seriously... just like her. It's an interesting segment, which also showcases some of the other characters like... Larry (unbandaged).

This segment of the show lets me know that Cliff wants to fight crime, and he does at one point... in a very awkward messed-up way that ended with someone giving him... the finger.

I kid you not... Cliff Steele reminds me of my Brother-In-Law to an extent.

Doom Patrol 2: Come Visit Georgia PSA... is pretty much what you'd expect.

Price: Pricewise, Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season, comes in at $29.98 for DVD and... $39.99 for Blu-ray. I don't know about this one, I'd price it at about $30 to $35 tops for Blu-Ray and $25 for DVD. It didn't end bad, it definitely makes you want to find out what the freak is going to happen in season 3... but they have to remember that the pandemic robbed the fans of an episode.

You can get it at the WB Shop for the MSRP or Walmart which prices it at my ideal price. Your call.

Overall, Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season isn't bad... but I really want to see them do more. Rita is moving forward, I really liked that... but they really have to get their act together and bring it in season three. Maybe I'm speaking from an action movie junkie's perspective... but I want more episodes where butts are handed to them with a 48-Pack of whoop-ass and a double order of knuckle sandwiches.

Story 4

Visuals 5

Audio + Extras 5

Price 3

4.25 out of 5 Cool Points

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