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Burning Ranger
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"Arcana Heart US release: should I get it?" , posted Sat 2 Feb 09:01post reply

So the news sites I frequent say that Arcana Heart will be released in the US on the PS2. Is this game worth getting, especially since it doesn't look like Melty Blood will be released in the US.





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Spoon
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"Re(1):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 10:01post reply

quote:
So the news sites I frequent say that Arcana Heart will be released in the US on the PS2. Is this game worth getting, especially since it doesn't look like Melty Blood will be released in the US.



If you:

Like Hokuto no Ken: yes
Don't like Hokuto no Ken: no

Like Melty Blood: maybe
Like Melty Blood because of little girls: yes

Don't like little girl fighting games: no

Think that Asuka 120% is the greatest fighting game made in history and that it is unlikely to ever be surpassed for now and forever: yes

Found the loading time in NGBC alone enough reason to not play it: no

Have nobody to play fighting games with: no





Arngrim
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"Re(1):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 10:43post reply

quote:
So the news sites I frequent say that Arcana Heart will be released in the US on the PS2. Is this game worth getting, especially since it doesn't look like Melty Blood will be released in the US.



ABSOLUTELY YES.






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Bata kun
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"Re(1):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 12:57post reply

quote:
So the news sites I frequent say that Arcana Heart will be released in the US on the PS2. Is this game worth getting, especially since it doesn't look like Melty Blood will be released in the US.


*shrugs*

It's okay. Just hope that you don't run into people who can do those crazy loops, which is my main problem about the game. Considering that "Melty Blood" will never get an English release, it's probably a game you should get.

quote:
Think that Asuka 120% is the greatest fighting game made in history and that it is unlikely to ever be surpassed for now and forever: yes


Win. XD







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Grave
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"Re(2):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 13:20post reply

Why is anyone still on the fence about MB? Act Cadenza's been out for Windows since last year. If you want it, you can get it!

quote:
Win. XD


Yeah, but that's not a good reason to pick this up, because there's no way in hell it's better than Asuka 120%.

The real issue here is, is Limited the best or is Final?!





Pollyanna
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"Re(3):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 16:21post reply

It's an okay game. That's it.

The sprites don't animate very well and aren't especially well-drawn. The backgrounds are bland and the music is awful. Also, I hate most of the characters and "barely tolerate" a few of them. But...that's just me.

The system is combo-oriented, so if you're into that sort of thing more than a technical fighter, then it does a good job in that respect. The arcana system gives you a fun dimension of character customization, and there's decent variety between the characters as well.

It's not a bad game at all, but it has a select appeal. If you like combos and cookie-cutter anime characters, then you won't want to miss it. If you just like 2D fighters (like myself) it's just okay. Either way, I don't know how much I can recommend it if you don't have friends to play it with.

My favorite girl fighter is still Advanced VG 2. I don't think it would hold up well today, but it was ahead of its time when it came out.





Grave
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"Re(4):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 16:43post reply

quote:
The sprites don't animate very well and aren't especially well-drawn. The backgrounds are bland and the music is awful. Also, I hate most of the characters and "barely tolerate" a few of them.

quote:
It's not a bad game at all

DOES NOT COMPUTE

I buy every 2D fighting game that comes out in the US anyway, so I'm not gonna pass this up regardless, but... yeah. Watching videos of this is not particularly inspiring. Taking turns doing minute-long combos doesn't look that great! I prefer to play KOF XI with my roommates. That way we don't have to take turns and I'm the only one who gets to do long combos. But I'm sure that when April rolls around, we'll be playing this too.





Spoon
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"Re(4):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 17:14post reply

quote:
the music is awful


It has been observed that the game sounds like it's playing elevator music all the time. I find it difficult to disagree.

quote:

The system is combo-oriented,



This is very true...

quote:
so if you're into that sort of thing more than a technical fighter,


... but this I'm not so sure about. There's quite a lot of interesting stuff that can be done for trapping your opponent or setting things up or getting out of and away in a number of clever ways. There's also definitely something to how each character handles clashes, according to those that know these things well, anyway. Actually, speaking of clashes, some characters have moves (normals, even!) that can clash with other moves before the hitting part of the move even comes out! It reminds me of World Heroes...

quote:

I don't know how much I can recommend it if you don't have friends to play it with.



It has very scant content for anybody who is just playing it solo, and the CPU is dumb. So this I definitely agree with.

I don't think Advanced Variable Geo holds up so well anymore. I think that part of my problem with it is that by the time I got to playing it, I had been playing games that came out (long) after it, so its systems didn't seem particularly interesting. At the time, what was great about it? I'd love to know what I missed out on :)





Pollyanna
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"Re(5):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 17:49post reply

Grave

I guess by saying "it's not a bad game at ALL" gives the impression that it is lacking in bad elements. What I'm trying to say is that while it HAS bad elements, I definitely wouldn't call it an awful game.

Spoon

I guess it's not fair to say that a combo-oriented game can't be technical, but I always thought that as far as terminology went those were the two extremes. What is a non-combo oriented game then? Just...non-combo oriented? I mean, if you don't need combos to do big damage, then it's more "technical"...well, either that, or it's just "nothing."

But yeah, I agree with what you're saying, definitely. My terminology is just wrong.

As for AVG2, it's only 2, definitely not 1 which is and has always been garbage. 2 had quick chains, air juggles, EX supers, level 2 supers and super cancels. You could do combos with all of those things at once. But the combos had a good feel to them...they had good variety. Of course, the system was so loose, I'm sure plenty of people found ways to absolutely go nuts with it and break the game, but at the level I played at, it was great.

Anyway, at the time I played it, I felt that it was a good balance between crazy chain combo games (which I didn't like so much) and something like KOF.





Grave
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"Re(6):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 18:29post reply

I gotcha. So, uh... when somebody launches into one of those hour-long combos, is there really anything you can do about it? I really don't know much about how the game plays.

And by much, I mean anything.





Spoon
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"Re(7):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sat 2 Feb 19:06post reply

quote:
I gotcha. So, uh... when somebody launches into one of those hour-long combos, is there really anything you can do about it? I really don't know much about how the game plays.

And by much, I mean anything.



You can do "burst" which makes you invulnerable to all attack and breaks you out of the combo. This can be done once per round, and also puts you into a special mode with perks corresponding to your Arcana, as well as the ability to do a sort of Arcana super (specific to the Arcana you picked, not the character). This powered up state drains all your super meter.

Certain things which look like they combo are not actually combos. For instance, if you get wallslammed you can tech off the wall at the cost of a Homing gauge.

@Polly:

Yes, I know what you mean, at least I think I do. Basically all the fighting game action that is not the execution of combos... some would argue the actual fighting part of the fighting game. I don't think there's a well accepted term for it.





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"Re(6):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 3 Feb 01:02post reply

quote:
As for AVG2, it's only 2, definitely not 1 which is and has always been garbage. 2 had quick chains, air juggles, EX supers, level 2 supers and super cancels. You could do combos with all of those things at once. But the combos had a good feel to them...they had good variety. Of course, the system was so loose, I'm sure plenty of people found ways to absolutely go nuts with it and break the game, but at the level I played at, it was great.

Anyway, at the time I played it, I felt that it was a good balance between crazy chain combo games (which I didn't like so much) and something like KOF.


Wow another fan of AVG2. I freaking LOVE AVG2, much more than Asuka 120%. Despite, or maybe because, of all the crazy stuff you can do and how much there is to the system itself it's a pretty solid game, even if it is a little broken in a variety of ways.

That being said, I might buy Arcana Heart when it comes out because it's not expensive and I'd like to give the gamer another chance, but it just feels so SLOW, jesus.





Spoon
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"Re(7):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 3 Feb 02:54post reply

quote:
but it just feels so SLOW, jesus.



AH reminds me of Rumble Fish in that when the two people are far apart, the game feels slow as hell. But once the two people get close, the game feels fast-ish. AH doesn't get quite as spastic as Rumble Fish once the two players close, though.

Sometimes I do wonder about just how fast a fighting game needs to be. Does anybody else wonder that?





hikarutilmitt
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"Re(8):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 3 Feb 08:21post reply

quote:
but it just feels so SLOW, jesus.


AH reminds me of Rumble Fish in that when the two people are far apart, the game feels slow as hell. But once the two people get close, the game feels fast-ish. AH doesn't get quite as spastic as Rumble Fish once the two players close, though.

Sometimes I do wonder about just how fast a fighting game needs to be. Does anybody else wonder that?



Well, I think that at least most of us can agree that SF2/CE/Super speed is a bit too slow, these days, since so many of us are now used to KoF and GGX/XX, but at the same time I think a lot of the pace of the Versus games or, in some cases, GGX/XX series itself, may be a bit too fast for most instances simply because it's harder to react to some things.

Either way I look at it, AH just feels like it's almost too slow-paced to really be "fun" since I feel like I'm trying to move through mud. Most moves came out slow, the characters moved slow and even the weak/fast attacks seemed like they took longer to come out than the "normal" convention of 2D fighting games.





Spoon
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"Re(9):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 3 Feb 11:38post reply

quote:

since I feel like I'm trying to move through mud.



For sure.

The Homing dash of the girls feels like it goes as fast the running speed of the GG characters... BEFORE THEY ACCELERATE.

But I think that given the amount of trapping and high/low/throw/charged strike mixups that are possible while under the cover of Arcana attacks or other stuff, the game might feel too random if it were much faster. Gier spam -> charged banishing is hard enough to get around as is.

But that does make the game outside of the close-up fighting feel sluggish.





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"Re(3):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 4 Feb 02:50post reply

quote:

The real issue here is, is Limited the best or is Final?!



Limited!

Anyway, I don't like hokuto no ken, and I like arcana heart. it's a little tough to get into though...I didn't really feel the groove. but it's fun, and certainly slower than melty blood, but not really that slow by comparison to other games.

For $30, it's absolutely worth getting when it comes out.





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"Re(4):thread revival" , posted Sat 12 Apr 17:09post reply

did any one purchase a copy?





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"Re(5):thread revival" , posted Sun 13 Apr 00:54post reply

I ordered a copy should have it early next week.





sfried
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"Re(4):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 13 Apr 05:17post reply

quote:

Anyway, I don't like hokuto no ken, and I like arcana heart. it's a little tough to get into though...


I don't understand. I could get into Hokuto no Ken, but not Guilty Gear (too many meters). And niether can I get myself into Melty Blood. Perhaps because HnK has the traditional punch/kick layout which sort of makes more sense to me.





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"Re(4):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 13 Apr 06:15post reply

I'm buying this when I get back to Boston. However, Asuka 120% is still better. Note that I haven't played Arcana Heart yet. Sometimes... sometimes you just know.

Fun fact: I think Final is a better game, but I play Limited more. This is one of the great mysteries of our world.





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"Re(5):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 13 Apr 07:59post reply

quote:

Fun fact: I think Final is a better game, but I play Limited more. This is one of the great mysteries of our world.



Nothing wrong with that. Ask anyone out there which version of Real Bout is superior and they'll tell you RB2. But I prefer Special. The beauty of games with multiple sequels is that if they change something you don't like ... just go back and play the old one.





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"Re(5):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Sun 13 Apr 18:38post reply

quote:
I don't understand. I could get into Hokuto no Ken, but not Guilty Gear (too many meters). And niether can I get myself into Melty Blood. Perhaps because HnK has the traditional punch/kick layout which sort of makes more sense to me.


Or perhaps you just like basketball.





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"Re(6):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 05:07post reply

I managed to snag a copy of the game yesterday and at this point I'm still not sure what to make of it. With it's Suchi Pai presentation and cast of squealing girls it's certainly the most Japanese sort of Japanese game I've seen brought over to the US in some time. Too bad the game engine seems to be built to support every aspect of what I think is wrong with 2D fighting games. If you enjoy seeing characters being comboed through the sky like the weightless collection of pixels they are then AH is going to be a real treat for you.

It's funny, as soon as I find something I like in AH the game will immediately throw something aggravating at me. For example, who thought it would be a great idea to have the SNK-esque boss hide inside a rock and pester you with little flying balls? I find I keep wanting to play the game even though it occasionally does a real number on my blood pressure.

At the moment I find myself leaning toward Pollyanna's take but I'm curious to hear what others think once they get a chance to try out the game.





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"Re(6):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 06:36post reply

quote:

Or perhaps you just like basketball.



It's a special kind of fighting game where you can literally dribble your opponent... sure Raptor could do it in Vampire, but it was a fixed super.





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"Re(7):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 09:36post reply

quote:

Or perhaps you just like basketball.


It's a special kind of fighting game where you can literally dribble your opponent... sure Raptor could do it in Vampire, but it was a fixed super.


It's more like dodgeball. At least you have moves and counters that make sense. Two punch buttons = One mega charge punch. A boot/aura/cancel/misc button. I just simply can't get my head around games that only have three-buttoned attack designations such as low, mid, and fierce, and none of them even really corespond to any real attack movement for all characters (in other words, when all attack designations are just based on strength, not any particular part of that character). I need at least punch and kick button to make sense.





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"Re(8):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 10:44post reply

quote:

It's more like dodgeball.



That's actually not a bad way to think about it, considering how getting hit once is often lethal in the game.

quote:

At least you have moves and counters that make sense. Two punch buttons = One mega charge punch. A boot/aura/cancel/misc button. I just simply can't get my head around games that only have three-buttoned attack designations such as low, mid, and fierce, and none of them even really corespond to any real attack movement for all characters (in other words, when all attack designations are just based on strength, not any particular part of that character). I need at least punch and kick button to make sense.



Wow, you're the first person who I've ever heard say that!
Most people I know find the light/medium/heavy system easier, but that's probably mostly because there are just fewer buttons in the first place (say 3 compared to 6).





sfried
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"Re(9):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 10:50:post reply

quote:

That's actually not a bad way to think about it, considering how getting hit once is often lethal in the game.

Wow, you're the first person who I've ever heard say that!
Most people I know find the light/medium/heavy system easier, but that's probably mostly because there are just fewer buttons in the first place (say 3 compared to 6).


I'm actually used to four button fighters more than with three button ones. Six is still within my realms of making sense since they still designate things to punches and kicks. I guess it's mostly related to the special moves, where most corespond to their origin of whether or not they involve the hands or feet.

It's when a medium attack that does a punch and later becomes a kick midway through a combo that irks me in a three button fighter or derivative. Perhaps I'm not too fond of Gulity Gear logic. ("lol a mid can be a punch instead of a weapon because it does more damage")





[this message was edited by sfried on Mon 14 Apr 10:59]

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"Re(7):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Mon 14 Apr 17:21post reply

quote:
At the moment I find myself leaning toward Pollyanna's take but I'm curious to hear what others think once they get a chance to try out the game.

My opinion on Arcana Heart is : Arcana Heart 2 is such a great game.
Sorry.





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"Re(8):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Tue 15 Apr 04:41post reply

As a follow-up to my previous post, I figured out last night that I could beat the woefully named Mildred by constantly tripping her with a sweep attack. I felt like a real hero when I pulled that off.

quote:

My opinion on Arcana Heart is : Arcana Heart 2 is such a great game.
Sorry.


In spite of my reservations I do find I like the game so I'm glad to hear that the sequel improves on the formula. That, or the boss tripping action is even more intense in AH2. Could be fun either way.





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"Re(8):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Tue 15 Apr 05:11post reply

quote:

My opinion on Arcana Heart is : Arcana Heart 2 is such a great game.
Sorry.



This opinion is pretty much universal.





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"Re(7):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Wed 16 Apr 09:54:post reply

quote:
I managed to snag a copy of the game yesterday and at this point I'm still not sure what to make of it. With it's Suchi Pai presentation and cast of squealing girls it's certainly the most Japanese sort of Japanese game I've seen brought over to the US in some time. Too bad the game engine seems to be built to support every aspect of what I think is wrong with 2D fighting games. If you enjoy seeing characters being comboed through the sky like the weightless collection of pixels they are then AH is going to be a real treat for you.


I like air combos. What I don't like is being caught in those insane loops. "Arcana Heart" is quite the loop game it is.

Oh. The L-M-H only scheme? Meh. I prefer my 2 by 2 format, but oh well.

quote:
It's funny, as soon as I find something I like in AH the game will immediately throw something aggravating at me. For example, who thought it would be a great idea to have the SNK-esque boss hide inside a rock and pester you with little flying balls? I find I keep wanting to play the game even though it occasionally does a real number on my blood pressure.


You do realize that you can lose here and still have a chance to beat Mildred (the final boss), right? You will just have to deal with the maxed out stocks for her. Even then, just use an arcana like Partinas and you should be okay.

quote:
My opinion on Arcana Heart is : Arcana Heart 2 is such a great game.
Sorry.


I so want to play "II" now. I will probably pick Elsa first. I probably will have to go to A.I. if I want to play it, but I don't think the place has the game right now.







うぐう!

[this message was edited by Bata kun on Wed 16 Apr 10:00]

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"Re(8):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Wed 16 Apr 15:13post reply

quote:
Fish once the two players close, though.

Sometimes I do wonder about just how fast a fighting game needs to be. Does anybody else wonder that?



Not really. Different speeds for different games. It's part of what makes each game unique. I still feel Samurai Showdown 2 is slow paced, yet it's still one of my favorite fighting games of all time. And I actually prefer the regular SF2 speed to the level 3 speed of Super Turbo.

On topic, I haven't seen anything to really get me interested in this game at all. This thread has validated those feelings, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything special.





Er.....

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"Re(9):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Thu 17 Apr 01:54post reply

quote:

You do realize that you can lose here and still have a chance to beat Mildred (the final boss), right? You will just have to deal with the maxed out stocks for her. Even then, just use an arcana like Partinas and you should be okay.


It's not my concerns about winning or losing to the rock, it's my frustration with it even being included in the game at all. While I can pick an arcana with a long range attack that means I'm building my entire gameplan for my run through the game around shooting at a rock. Also, if I screw up in my fight against the Woman Who Cannot Crouch and want to have a rematch I'm right back to fighting the rock. Since it's not a fun bonus round and it doesn't impact the final battle enough to make it worth preparing for I end up feeling that the rock stage is tiresome because I can't figure out any good reason for it to be there.

quote:
Not really. Different speeds for different games. It's part of what makes each game unique. I still feel Samurai Showdown 2 is slow paced, yet it's still one of my favorite fighting games of all time. And I actually prefer the regular SF2 speed to the level 3 speed of Super Turbo.

I agree, it's more about the appropriate pacing for each game than it is about finding some sort of across the board optimal speed.





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"Re(10):Arcana Heart US release: should I get " , posted Fri 18 Apr 06:24post reply

quote:
It's not my concerns about winning or losing to the rock, it's my frustration with it even being included in the game at all. While I can pick an arcana with a long range attack that means I'm building my entire gameplan for my run through the game around shooting at a rock. Also, if I screw up in my fight against the Woman Who Cannot Crouch and want to have a rematch I'm right back to fighting the rock. Since it's not a fun bonus round and it doesn't impact the final battle enough to make it worth preparing for I end up feeling that the rock stage is tiresome because I can't figure out any good reason for it to be there.


Ah, yeah. True. That extra round never made sense anyway. XP







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"Re(2):Arcana Heart US release: should I get i" , posted Wed 30 Apr 02:05:post reply

WORTH EVERY SHINING PRETTY PENNY.

I went to EB and they only had one copy there.


Especially if you don't know Japanese, it may not be a literal translation, but who needs a translation for a fighting game???


Think that Asuka 120% is the greatest fighting game made in history and that it is unlikely to ever be surpassed for now and forever: yes

Win. XD


Indeed. I just ordered it - after I saw this post I couldn't get any sleep when I found it online, so I had to break down and buy it -_-....

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Someday I will ask her to Cosplay as Kasumi from DOA for me.

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[this message was edited by sushi_bunny on Wed 30 Apr 02:08]