User blog:Aldo The Fox/Kamen Rider Ex-Aid is here!

'''Get Your Game On! The Next Rider Series is almost here!'''

Kamen Rider has had a busy year, with 2016 being the franchise's 45th anniversary and several projects tied to it. But the party is soon going to end for Ghost as on October 2nd, the hoodie wearin' ghost who uses historical figures and emotions for his powers will go off the air and let his successor take the wheel.

Traditionally in the Heisei Era of Tokusatsu, it is customary for us fans of Kamen Rider to get a glimpse of the next hero around late summer/early fall. This is because production usually has just started for the upcoming series and patents are filed to Japan's registry to trademark the hero's name and toys/weapons and trinkets the hero will use.

The next series motif is a fun one: Video Games!

Specifically, retro gaming and its genres. This is evident in the look of the hero as his belt, The Gamer Driver, has a very 80s and early 90s look to it with bright neon colors most would associate with toys from that era.

The heroes of this show and a villain will utilize game cartridges that give them access to different forms and powers based on game genres. The main hero is based on fighting games like Street Fighter (Very fitting as Kamen Rider has always had martial arts as one of its traits as a show). The second hero is based on RPGs and DDR rhythm games. The third is based on Shooting games, both side-scrolling Shmups like Contra or vehicle ones like Gradius or Ikaruga. The motorbike in the show is a Kamen Rider as well and he is based on racing games and samurai/ninja games. One of the villains is also a Rider and seems to be a virus version of the hero, a reference to palette swap characters in fighting games.

In addition, all the forms are referred to as "Levels" and seem to operate on RPG logic as each level is stronger than the last with the max so far being three. (though given Kamen Rider and the revelation of the eventual Final Form, that won't last long).

Some have reacted with a "meh" or "yuck" on the design, but they forget that the fuel that powers this series..or any for that matter regarding kids entertainment is to sell merchandise. Toys need to be bright and colorful to appeal to kids from a marketing standpoint and the retro-ness is the point of the neon colors as neon was a dominant style thing about the 1980s and early 90s culture. (look no further than a vintage Super Soaker or an MTV old music video to get that "feel".) the Game motif is a loving homage to the Famicom and