Archive for the Category »Reviews «

Nana review by Maris Kelley

NANA

Ai Yazawa + Madhouse = a beautifully-rendered tale of ambition, love, friendship, angst and music. NANA, based on the long-running manga of the same name, is arguably Yazawa’s most famous work. It presents the story of two girls named Nana, who could not be more different. They meet by chance on a train to Tokyo, where sweet, naïve Nana Komatsu is moving to be with her boyfriend. She meets hardened musician Nana Oosaki, who hopes to live her dream as a singer with her band, Blast. When fate finds them looking at the same apartment, they decide to become roommates. The series follows them as they pursue their dreams, deal with romantic entanglements and become friends.

Animation: 10/10

It’s Madhouse; how could the animation be anything but stunning? They have successfully translated Yazawa’s illustrations to animation, retaining her distinctive look while giving it that more »

Bayonetta Review by xARTURIAx

xARTURIAx’s Video Game Reviews

-Bayonetta–

By: Sara Pease

Picture this: Sarah Palin, scandalous clothing, and guns…lots and lots of guns. Having difficulties? Well then, just pick up a copy of Bayonetta and experience the weirdness described above. Ah, but Bayonetta is much more than late politicians running around with weapons…in fact…the game is nothing like that at all! :D First released on October 29th , 2009 in Japan, Bayonetta first hit the scene with hundreds of crazy advertisements displayed around the country. Highly anticipated? I think so…and for a good reason. Publisher Sega (in cooperation with Nex Entertainment, PS3) and director Hideki Kamiya struck action-game-gold with this title…ok, maybe just silver, but the point is it was, and still is, a popular game. Bayonetta takes aspects from previous games (Devil May Cry…also directed by Kamiya…and God of War) and incorporates its own twisted storyline and characters. With a ridiculous amount of combos and super fast paced game play, Bayonetta has been revered as one of the best action games of 2010.

Graphics: 10/10

One of the first games I owned for the PS3, Bayonetta first reeled me in thanks to this category. The graphics are spectacular! Even during the fast paced boss battles I still understand all that is going on. Details are what really make this game shine. Every once in a while I’d find myself just admiring the look and feel of the fictional European city I was shooting things in. The design of these levels was great, and definitely pure eye candy. Even the characters themselves looked beautiful. No matter what you were making Bayonetta do, whether it be a crazy break dance moves or hooker boot PAWNCHs, the graphic system never seems to disappoint. The cut scenes are even more spectacular, as they should be. Even the interactive cut scenes are just too awesome. In fact, the cut scenes are a bit too distracting…too many times have I missed my queue to dodge the killer wall flying toward me… Just like the main characters the enemies themselves are also very detailed and shiny!

Game Play: 9/10

Although the graphics are very clear cut and detailed, I still found the at some points during game play it was very hard to see what was going on around me. This is most likely due to the fast paced game play, but it still hinders the player…especially when Bayonetta gets hit. Other then that issue, the game play is great fun! This game offers up so many damn combos I have no idea which ones to execute where…and I totally don’t care! The game is way too much fun to care. Not only do these combos look awesome, they’re firkin’ awesome to execute! ALL of these combos are also very easy to do. Players have the option to change difficulty settings so that many combos can be completed with just a single button (similar to Devil May Cry). Game play is smooth, which I really didn’t expect from a game that allowed you to “control time”. Everything falls exactly into place, which makes this game a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Bayonetta does present itself with some difficult challenges throughout the game, but it wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy…would it? The game play can be summed up as God of War on estrogen!

Plotline: 6/10

Yeah, it’s true; Bayonetta has a pretty disappointing plot behind all that badass game play. The story is good, and has some hilarious scenes, but I really don’t know why what is happening is actually happening. The story line is just not that good, which is really sad. I was expecting something better from Kamiya…I mean, the Devil May Cry series is so nicely done…but not Bayonetta. The main plot may not have been the greatest as a whole, but there were definitely some good aspects about it. Incorporating the fictional European setting so that it worked with the overall plot was very nicely done. After a while into the game a few things that once confused me became a lot clearer as well. I finally understand WHY Bayonetta is fighting angels and who these random characters are. The story, if not taken too seriously, is not at all a bore. Learning things about these characters, especially Bayonetta, is entertaining…characters are introduced in an awesomely hilarious way!

Character Base/Design: 8/10

Like stated before, the plot introduces the characters well…which is good, because the characters all have unique personalities that NEED to be introduced, especially Bayonetta. Bayonetta makes this game. She is sarcastic, scandalous, and all together mysterious. The other main characters introduced are not that important, which is saddening. They all have their rolls, but they are all rather cliché. There is the old friend-turned enemy, the possible lover, and the small random child?! Anyway…the design of each character is spectacular. They are each very unique, which makes the game that much more enjoyable. (Bayonetta looks too much like Sarah Palin…which isn’t a bad thing, just weird. I don’t know, I may be the only one who thinks this…but seriously…Sarah Palin with guns on her shoes…hmmm…it’s even cooler when you picture her punishing the divine!)

Music: 9/10

Nine composers contributed to the amazing Bayonetta soundtrack. I adore the upbeat rhythms this game provides…especially the main theme. Listen to it. You’ll most likely feel it adds to the game more than it should…just as I do.

Overall: 8.5/10

Bayonetta’s crazy amount of fun to execute combos and super quick game play definitely make this game a MUST play for any fan of Japanese action games. Not only is the game fun, but also provides a lot of challenging aspects that make you feel like a God after you’ve beaten them. If you play games solely for the storylines, don’t waste your money on this one, but seriously, $30-$40 isn’t a lot to drop on this masterpiece.  See, and you thought the idea of Sarah Palin with guns strapped to her feet was a bad idea ;D.

Bayonetta Launch Trailer

Category: Reviews  Leave a Comment

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Single Player Review

Assassin's Creed:  Brotherhood

By Ross Dougherty

Much has been touted about Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’s new multiplayer mode.  So much so that little was known about its single player component until the game’s release.  It may come as a bit of a surprise, then, to learn that Brotherhood’s campaign is just as expansive and exhaustive as its single player only predecessors, Assassin’s Creed I and II.  Everything that made those two games great returns in addition to some new and interesting gameplay elements.  This review will focus on Brotherhood’s campaign mode, and what makes it a welcome addition to the Assassin’s Creed saga.

Perhaps more appropriately titled Assassin’s Creed II: Episode II, Brotherhood takes place immediately after the events in ACII.  You play as Ezio Auditore, a member of a league of assassins in early 1500s Rome, which is now totally under the rule of Rodrigo Borgia (aka Pope Alexander VI).  Rome has become completely unhinged under Borgia’s corruption.  The economy has tanked, the buildings are in ruins, and the citizens live in constant fear of Borgia’s totalitarian rule.  It’s up to Ezio to put an end to Borgia’s influence, rebuild Rome and bring it back to its former glory.

Actually, that’s not entirely accurate.  You really play as everyman Desmond Miles in the year 2012 reliving the genetic memories of Ezio, his ancestor.  The modern day assassins are using Desmond and Ezio’s memories to look for clues to stop Abstergo, a corporation bent on controlling the minds of the world’s population.  If it sounds a little farfetched, that’s because it is, but it makes good sense in the context of the game.  I won’t go any more into the story here because it is truly interesting and engaging and worth experiencing firsthand.

The missions in Brotherhood mostly work like this:  Ezio is given the name of a target and then has to go and kill that target (he is an assassin, after all).  There are really two ways to do this:  you can stealthily climb walls and jump across roofs and rafters to silently stalk your target, striking at just the right moment; or you can run in full steam and attack your target (and all his guards) in a full on melee brawl.  Some missions enforce one over the other, and each mission has a secondary objective such as ‘kill only the target’ or ‘avoid detection.’  These secondary objectives don’t serve anything other than an extra challenge, so most of the time you can proceed as you wish.  The combat system makes it easy for Ezio to dispatch swarms of guards quickly, and the platforming mechanics allow Ezio to sneak around quite fluidly.  Both are equally as fun.

Additionally, there are enough side quests to make Brotherhood a completionist’s nightmare.  Borgia’s towers must be toppled and his flags removed; shops reopened; landmarks renovated; thieves, courtesans and mercenaries assisted and additional assassinations executed just to name a few.  There is certainly enough content to keep you coming back.  There is no in game timer, but my playtime is probably well into the 30 hour mark and I’m only at about 70% completion.

The most significant new addition to Brotherhood is the ability to recruit the citizens of Rome into the Assassins.  These new recruits can be sent on missions across Europe to gain experience, and that experience can be used to upgrade each new assassin’s weapons and armor.  More significantly, and this is probably the best thing in the game, these recruits can be called upon at will to take out targets.  Simply lock on to a victim, and with the press of a button your team comes flying off roofs, leaping out of hay piles and bounding over walls to mercilessly slaughter every hapless, unsuspecting enemy in the vicinity, and then slink away into the shadows before anyone notices anything.  It is both hilarious and pride invoking to watch your protégés utilize their skills so effortlessly.  Don’t get too cocky, though, as inexperienced assassins can be killed in combat.

Brotherhood is not without flaws, however.  The game’s platforming mechanics, though fluid and mostly effortless, are such that more than once did I accidently send Ezio flying off a cliff rather than onto the next ledge, where I though I had told him to go.  These moments, though frustrating, do not break the game and only encourage you to be more careful during sequences of intricate parkour.  Similarly, a few times during heated combat, Ezio somehow locked on to an innocent bystander, giving them his trademarked double eye-gouging with is patented hidden blades rather than the guard right next to him.  These are more frustrating as killing civilians can cause missions to restart immediately, and those people shouldn’t have been standing there in the first place.  If you are new to the Assassin’s Creed series, Brotherhood is not a great place to jump in.  The story is way too deep to make any sense to a newcomer and hardly any time is spent developing the characters as they were already flushed out in ACII.

There is something intrinsically satisfying about Brotherhood.  It is a perfect blend of action, stealth, puzzle and RPG.  Completing missions and quests gives a real sense of accomplishment.  The city of Rome is fully realized as dozens, if not hundreds, of NPCs move about their daily lives, occasionally pausing to comment on Ezio’s bizarre wall climbing habits.  The story is extremely well written and acted, and the story-outside-the-story of Desmond is wholly interesting and keeps me wondering what’s really going on.  I hope future installments live up to the standards that AC I and II have set.  Brotherhood certainly did.

Overall Score: 9/10

Canaan review by xARTURIAx

xARTURIAx’s Anime Reviews
-Canaan–


Type-Moon’s Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi have teamed up once again to create a new, action packed, thrill-ride, titled Canaan. Canaan, a 13-episode anime series, is based on one of Japan’s best selling, and greatly awarded, Nintendo Wii title “428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de”. Also a Kinoko Nasu story, 428 introduces us to the main plotline of the Canaan anime series…but of course, I’ve never had a chance to play this Wii game (stupid regional coding crap…). Even with this factor, this anime seems to have summed up the basis of the 428 plots pretty well, and with its recent US release on to Blu-Ray and DvD, Canaan is sure to spawn its own collection of fans. As stated before, the series presents itself as an action-packed ball of gun slinging joy  (if that makes any sense at all…), and for those who are fans of Kinoko Nasu’s other works (Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, Witch of the Holy Night, just to name a few) his newest animated series will surely not disappoint! more »

Sailor Moon review by Maris Kelley

Sailor Moon

Ah, Sailor Moon; for many of us, this was the series that introduced us to the wonders of anime. In all likelihood, you’ve seen at least some of this series, and if you haven’t…well, you must be living under a rock. The show premiered in Japan in 1992 and became a runaway hit. It debuted in the US in the fall of 1995, and it channel-hopped for a few years before finding a home on Cartoon Network’s now-defunct Toonami block.
Sailor Moon tells the story of 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino, a clumsy, kind of ditzy, underachieving middle schooler whose life is turned upside down when she learns that she’s the warrior of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Over the course of its 46 episodes, we follow Sailor Moon and her fellow warriors Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus as they look for the Moon Princess, face monsters and demons and try to stop the evil Queen Beryl from taking over the world. Oh, and they still have to deal with school, boys and homework. And you though you had it rough in middle school… more »

Steam Heroes review by Jarod

Flash! Bang! Whoosh! this is what solving a puzzle feels like in the XBLA Indie game Steam Heroes. Developed by Tiamat Games and Projector Games for the Xbox 360, Steam Heroes puts a twist on the puzzle genre. While keeping with familiar game play similar of other puzzle games, but adding elements to create an intense experience. Where completing a stage in Steam Heroes is a kin to an insane victory in a battle. Set in the fictional Steam Land where Baron Von Smog and his evil minions are attempting to rule all of Steam Land. The Steam Heroes are set to disrupt Von Smog in 12 stages of color matching steam stomping.

Every stage in Steam Heroes is set up by a cut scene displaying the story out as a one panel comic. These are effective and give the player context for the game. Voice acting is used to not only give clarity, because word balloons can be difficult to read, but to even flesh out the characters. Game play consists of matching three or more game pieces to clear them from the game board. When this occurs the steam from the pieces will aid the heroes in battle. As a player is successful in matching game pieces the more successful the heroes will be. Forced by mechanics, players will have to be strategic in which pieces to clear. As specific steam/health bars need to be filled with a matching steam in order to keep playing. No time limit is in place because play time is determined from the player’s skill. Stage bosses will attack with, and without, special abilities against the heroes that will effect the game board and the many bars. Five in total displaying the heroes’ steam, the player’s health, and the enemy’s health. The problem with all these bars is also having to search a full game board for matches at the same instant. Unlike most puzzlers this one just keeps piling on the game pieces and never allows the player to breath. With so much to take account of a rush of sorts is born from the scramble of searching. Steam Heroes is a very active gaming experience that can be just as draining as any fast paced action game. Which is its strength and is complemented by a creative and aggressive world. more »

P3P Review by xARTURIAx

xARTURIAx’s Video Game Reviews
-Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable –

By: Sara Pease

Who doesn’t love a game where you can kill yourself over and over again? Well, if you’re like any other poor college student, and sick of Adult Swim’s “Five Minuets to Kill Yourself”, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable might be just the game you’re looking for.
First released on the PlayStation 2 console, Persona 3 didn’t receive as much attention as the game deserved. Soon after the PS2 game’s release, and after it became apparent this game wouldn’t make as much money as predicted, Famitsu (a Japanese video gaming magazine) announced the release of Persona 3’s enhanced remake for the PlayStation Portable. This remake, titled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable (a.k.a. P3P), features many new options to game play, such as; a new storyline featuring a female protagonist, new looks to various characters, and new difficulty levels the player can choose before starting the game. If you’re not familiar with the Persona series, this new hand held version is a great place to start. By choosing to start with the male protagonist, a player is shown the basics of Persona game play as well as the original storyline from the PS2 version. Besides, Persona games are similar to Final Fantasy games; the storylines are all new, and rarely do they mention the existence of the other games. This was may first Persona encounter, and I was very impressed with how easy it was to catch on to the main plot, battle system, and the whole “social link” thing. Anyway, on with the review! more »

Burst Angel review by Archer

Archers anime review
Burst angle (Bakuretsu Tenshi)


Burst Angel, or Bakuretsu Tenshi, was originally aired on TV Asahi from April 6, 2004 to September 14, 2004. There were 24 episodes aired and on march 23, 2007, Burst Angle was released by Gonzo and licensed by FUNimation in Canada. The US. Burst Angle is a funny action packed sci-fi anime that will hook you in from the first episode, at least that’s what it did to me. It is one of 4 anime I have watched more then once and will watch again. The anime’s zany humor, along with the tear jerking drama, is mixed with action packed fights that will keep you wanting to pop in the next disk. On November 13, 2007 FUNimation released an OVA, titled Burst Angel: Infinity, and in 2008 Tokyopop released a 3 volume manga, telling Jo and Meg’s story prior to the events presented in the anime. more »

Cutouts! review by Jarod

Looking for a breath of fresh air, then Cutouts! Is the game you are looking for. A warm fuzzy challenge of death awaits players in this felt coated world. Invoking a child like response, this action platformer brings enjoyment to players with it’s ease of controls and well crafted game play. This title  was developed by Robert J. Louie who is the one man band for Cutouts! Creating all the elements of this game. The love poured into development shows making me even think that 80msp/$1.00 was a little low, even for an Xbox 360 indie download. Cutouts! is made of nine levels of twitchy platforming fun for all ages. Even my 25 year old self had to keep playing just to see World 3 at the cost to a pile of dishes I’ve yet to clean.

What got me playing were the visuals, they will be the lasting impression of Cutouts! With nearly 100% made of felt, playfulness brightly bursts from your screen with colorful fabrics. Even with my fat SD TV the texture of the felt is clearly visible. The art is not detailed, but it is this simplicity that creates the right about of distance from the art. Cutouts! has a subtle beauty that helped to keep me going in tough areas. Hopping on a rock monster across a lane of spikes in a vibrant volcano world is plain enjoyable to stare at. While not feeling obligated to study every detail of the mountain side. This child like art style relieves that pressure of worrying about what is what. With nine levels, Cutouts! Is  split into three worlds that have a distinct style. With every world’s visuals reflecting the increased difficulty in game play. World 1 is a gentle lush forest that offers a calm game play experience, after the worlds become more intense and so do the visuals. I don’t wish to spoil, but when the game heats up, the world heats up too. When it becomes an ice queen ready to take your hat at anytime, the game will display it. more »

Chris Ashtear Interview

Our new writer Candace has sent in an excellent interview with Chris Ashtear check it out!

In the last week, I was lucky enough to get an interview with Hands on! Tangrams developer Chris Ashtear.   I barraged him with questions, and he was nice enough to answer them on his busy schedule.

Candace: How long have you been developing?

Chris:  Um, if you count college, since 2006. If you don’t, since 2008 we made finished games in those classes so it SORT of counts by finished i mean REALLY buggy but basically beta)

Candace:  What kind of games were they?

Chris: Well the first one i did was called Legend or Legends of Rune, we never could figure out whether to keep or lose that s.
It was kind of interesting… it was a fighting game but instead of using weapons you used magic.
You ran around on 5 platforms and so did your opponent, and you pressed a button to fire at a specific one. Different enemies had different weaknesses to the spells (all elemental spells).
That one actually turned out really good aside from someone who decided his work was to rip Chrono Trigger sprites ;p

Then I did Pandemic which was supposed to be a 2d platform shooter … kind of the control scheme of Halo Zero, where you use WASD to move left right and up, and use the mouse to aim your gun. Except the gun shoots hypodermic needles at people that have a plague. THAT game was a disaster… We had a version of this game engine that didn’t release resources… no matter how much we tried to get it to do so. So the game, which had a 400mb folder, ended up using 2gig of ram.

Then there was Paradise-O, that was the final college game. It was a 3d space shooter like Freespace. This lady is testing a top secret jet plane and hears the voice of her dead brother. So she steals the ship, and the government chases her until she flies it into the sun. That turned out okay although the collision was a little wonky. I was really happy with some of the bosses though. There was a top hat ship that shot this huge beam that wrecked the hell out of everything in its path.
Candace:  That’s really cool, what about after college? more »

Unlimited Blade Works Movie Review

Unlimited blade works

xARTURIAx’s Anime Reviews

-Gekijouban Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works-

In 2004, Type-Moon released their second 18+ Visual Novel for the PC, titled Fate/Stay Night. Soon after it’s release, Fate/Stay Night took the Japanese gaming world by storm. With its in-depth character bases and action packed plotlines, Fate/Stay Night erupted into more than just a computer-based dating-sim. Increasing popularity of the 3-route game nearly forced the Type-Moon team to expand its horizon. In 2006, a 13+ anime was released, and only a few years later the anime was scooped up by Funimation and released in the States. Thanks to the English adaption of the series its popularity spread like wildfire. The anime centered mainly on the Fate scenario of the PC game (the first of three scenarios represented by the game). Although centered on Fate, the anime allowed a quick look into the other two scenarios as well; the Unlimited Blade Works route and the Heaven’s Feel route. After years of contemplation, Type-Moon finally decided to give their second scenario, Unlimited Blade Works, an animated title of their own. On January 23rd, 2010, Gekijouban Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works was released in Japanese theaters. After 8 months of anticipation, the movie has FINALLY been released onto BluRay and DvD, nabbing a number one sales spot in the process.

Being an overly obsessed Fate/Stay fan myself, I HAD to grab a copy of this movie; not only to satisfy my own needs, but to prove to myself that a long ass scenario like Unlimited Blade Works could be worked into a 1hr 50min movie. I have to say, this movie did not disappoint. Type-Moon was able to include every detail about the UBW scenario that actually meant something to the initial plotline. Of course, if I had never played the PC game myself then I would have been hopelessly confused throughout the entire film. This would have mattered little to me, because the fight scenes were so damn cool, but some of you may be more interested in the actual plotline of the film…so in other words, don’t bother seeing this movie if you have not played the game (unless you just want to witness some great 2010 animated fight scenes)! Like stated before, I HAVE played the Fate/Stay Night 18+ PC game, so the movie was just that more enjoyable to watch. Anyway, on with the review!

Animation: 9/10

Even when Fate/Stay Night was originally released as an anime series, the animation style did not disappoint. This movie only ups the beauty of the Fate/Stay Night universe. Although relatively basic, the animation style used in this movie was very vivid, and detail was obviously key. The colors were bright, vibrant, and like eye candy to those who already drool over the appearance of Saber on a bigger screen…

The special effects were a bit odd at points throughout the movie, but they still made the scenes look frikin’ awesome. Of course Lancer’s Gea’ Bolg has to light up every time he uses it, and of course the image has to be inverted when Shirou senses something amiss…but that’s just Fate/Stay Night for you. The effects are not terribly distracting, but a bit unneeded at points.

more »

Minecraft Review

Minecraft Review
By Candace Werner
Gameplay – 8
Sound – 4
Graphics – 9 (even though its 8-bit, it works well)
Customization – 10
Overall – 8

Minecraft is not the best game in the world. Yet.

Minecraft has become a sensation all over the net and within the gaming community and has already been featured in PC Gamer and Penny Arcade. Though it’s only a year old, this game has reached one of the top slots and has been called “the best game in the world”.

The basis of the game is to build and survive; building is rather easy. The simple game play makes building some of the most spectacular things easy. Time consuming, yes. Aggravating, yes. Architecturally difficult, yes but still easy. Clicking a single button to place a block, simple! Not only are you creating buildings, you can make armor, food, and little tidbits to put in your new structure(s). Meanwhile, while everything that you can create is impressive how you customize in this game is out of this world. It is possible to customize every minuscule detail of your character to your specifications, what else is there in life? Given, you have to use a different program, but in retrospect it will be well worth the extra effort. Should you not feel like doing this, go to the Minecraft forums and get one there. Simple!

Now that we’re off that tangent, back to gameplay goodness. Then comes nightfall, and the entire world makes a 180 which causes zombies, skeletons, creepers and spiders to spawn and begin to stalk you. They want your soul, your brains, or to simply smash you into dust. In order to properly obliterate these guys, by all means, make a sword to defend yourself which normally works well (if you’re lucky). However, the smartest course of action for those of you terrified of boo gags, (myself included), is to build a safe haven. From there, just wait until morning and the sun will burn the bastards, except the spiders who are bigger bastards. Regretfully or preferably (whichever you prefer) the spiders you will have to just stab to a bloody pulp of nothingness. Basically, Minecraft is like Legos on the computer with a zombie trying to eat your brains. more »

Switch to our mobile site