4everoutcast

Ore no Imōto

2012-01-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

Review by Ascaloth

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai , lit. There's No Way My Little Sister is This Cute), also known as Ore no Imōto or Oreimo for short, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi, with illustrations provided by Hiro Kanzaki. Nine volumes have been published since August 2008. A manga adaptation drawn by Sakura Ikeda was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine. A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by AIC aired in Japan between October and December 2010. Four additional episodes, which offer a different ending to the broadcast series, were streamed monthly via the official website and other video streaming sites between February and May 2011, before being released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in June and July 2011.

If you’ve looked at the title, the character designs, or the synopsis of this work, and decided to pass it over as probably yet another otaku-pandering bait in the vein of the mediocre Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, it would be a perfectly reasonable reaction given the way OreImo, as it is colloquially known, is packaged. However, stick with it, and it quickly becomes apparent that OreImo is an otaku comedy given a large shot of reality, which by itself almost makes it worth the watch.

Nowhere is this more apparent than how the otaku subculture itself is portrayed in the series; interest in anime and eroge is shown in a positive light, as a normal hobby where one can find like-minded friends just like any other, instead of a deviant identity so often demonized by mainstream media. On the other hand, OreImo also has no qualms showing the more questionable aspects of the subculture as it is; the title character’s drug of choice is recognized by all including herself as inappropriate to say the least, mainstream prejudice against the subculture is never far below the surface, and otaku characters display habits which are, to any outside observer, frankly quite embarrassing. In fact, the attractive character design of Kirino is an inspired choice, in that the true absurdity of stereotypical otaku behaviour becomes all the more apparent when contrasted with the unlikely notion of a pretty model teenager exhibiting such behaviour. The fact that such absurdity is so similar to real-life examples is likely not to be lost on the target audience, such is the irony that laughing at Kirino’s antics is often tantamount to laughing at themselves.

Unfortunately, although the ironic humour is well-written, the overall story itself falls just short of being decent. In fact, the first half of the series showed definite potential for drama, leveraging on the very real tensions between a prejudiced mainstream and the deviant otaku subculture through portraying the difficulties that Kirino has in juggling her “model student” and “hardcore otaku” sides. It is too bad then that OreImo failed to build upon that strong start, opting instead to segue into a second half of short stories that relied on the ironic humour, didn’t make much meaningful progress in character development, and in one case, indulged in a bit of shark-jumping. The tension which initially differentiated the series from others in its genre never really surfaces again, and even the decent ironic and slapstick humour starts to get old after a while.

This has to do in part with the characters, most of which have very interesting personalities, but never really develop much. For most of the supporting characters, they never really get enough airtime in the first place, so they can more or less be excused for that, since they somehow tend to remain interesting despite the fact. It is the lead brother-sister duo who can be considered most guilty of this stagnation; Kyousuke must have the patience of a saint to keep doing favours for his sister at the cost of his dignity and despite continued harsh treatment by the latter, while Kirino remains so much of a vindictive, violent bitch she manages to get called out on it in a spot of meta humour within the series itself. In fact, despite her looks, Kirino might well be one of the most unlikable heroines in anime history… which, ironically enough, might well strike a bit too close to home for anyone who has a sister in real life.

To cap it off, this series is not yet complete; while the last episode does round off the series, it is but an alternative ending to the true final episodes which are to come in the Blu-Ray discs. Still, no matter how good those episodes may prove to be, one thing is certain; OreImo had a great deal of potential, and could have explored new ground with the juxtaposition between mainstream and subculture, but squandered it all to content itself with being a merely decent otaku comedy. Yes, it’s watchable, but there’s a lot of room for improvement here.

Episode List

No	Episode
1	There's No Way I Could Love My Sister
2	There's No Way I'd Go to an Offline Meeting with My Little Sister
3	There's No Way My Little Sister Is This Cute
4	There's No Way my Little Sister Would Go to Summer Comiket
5	There's No Way My Little Sister's Friend Is This XX
6	There's No Way My Childhood Friend Is This Cute
7	There's No Way My Little Sister Could Write a Novel
8	There's No Way My Little Sister Could Get an Anime
9	There's No Way My Little Sister Can Play an Adult Game Like This
10	There's No Way My Little Sister Can Cosplay Like This
11	There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be a Maid
12	There's No Way My Little Sister's Life Counseling Can End Like This (Good End)
13	There's No Way My Little Sister's Life Counseling Can End Like This (True Route)
14	There's No Way My Junior Is This Rotten
15	There's No Way My Junior Is This Cute
16	There's No Way My Little Sister Would Be in the Last Episode

Cosplay

Figures

Red Alert 3 + Uprising (PC)

2012-01-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Review by DeAdMaNRoLiN

When I was younger and I owned a Pentium II 350 Mhz PC, Red Alert 2 was the game that kept me entertained for hours. I remember sticking to the PC playing the campaigns and muttering to myself "wow". Red Alert 2 was not the first C&C game for me, but it was the first Red Alert game. I loved everything about the game, and since finishing Yuri's Revenge, I have been eagerly waiting for a sequel.

However, times have changed, and the studio that used to make Red Alert games is no more. Still, we get a sequel to one of the most famous real time strategy games of all time. Is it good? Yes, definitely. Is it groundbreaking? Well, no. But it sticks true to the Red Alert universe, and if you have played any RA game, you should be able to find a lot of common stuff that will make you nostalgic.

The game opens up with the series' trademark theme—some intruding nation taking over the US of A. This time around, it's the Japanese; i.e. smartly titled “Empire of The Rising Sun” instead of the Russians. Russians are also there. So is agent Tanya, dreadnoughts, attack dogs, harvesters, spies, engineers, conscripts, kirov airships and the deadly shadow casting Apocalypse tanks. In addition to that, you get a whole new faction full of new units, and the existing factions also get many new units.

There are three campaigns; all of them revolve around a similar story line. The campaigns will take some time to complete, and the missions are mostly enjoyable. They are not as much fun as RA2, but still it's a memorable experience. There are few “push over” tasks and painful missions, but as a whole, you won't probably be able to resist playing through all three campaigns. The campaigns mainly familiarize you with the strengths and weaknesses of the three factions. This time around, most units get a secondary ability, which can be triggered by pressing a short key. As an example, instead of firing at buildings or vehicles, your apocalypse tank can actually pull a tank towards itself by using a magnetic harpoon. This makes it easier to destroy; other tanks can fire at the harpooned tank. Also, the Japanese engineer gets a sprint ability, which can make him escape from enemy ambushes pretty fast.

For each faction, there are land, naval and aerial units. Allied force has superior air power, Russian tanks are the strongest, and Empire of the rising sun has a little bit of everything. Each faction plays very differently, which means you can enjoy skirmish games for hours, both online and offline. The AI is very competitive, even at medium difficulty, and deploys mixed strategies to counter the human player. There are 3 commanders for each faction with whom you can wage war. These commanders have their specific roles in the campaign, so if you play it first, you will have a good idea as to which commander will play in what style.

Empire of the rising sun is a very specialized faction, and one needs to do a lot of micro managing to get the best out of this faction. If you are not too good at micromanaging, you should probably stick with the Russians or the Americans; but once you've mastered all the abilities of EOTRS, it's a very rewarding experience. Who wouldn't want to have units that can both go ground to air and air to ground, or both air to air and air to ground? Most Japanese units have surprisingly helpful secondary abilities, which is not the case for many allied and Russian units.

If you have played RA2, you will know that during the campaigns, you will get a secretary sort of character, who will brief you about new mission objectives. Real life actors have been chosen to represent these characters, and they did a great job.

Although I've missed Kari Wuhrer as Tanya and the premier Romanov, the new guys did an entertaining job of giving the game a realistic feel. The game has a bit cartoonish graphics. If you played C&C 3, you will find that RA3, although built on the same engine, doesn't look as neat as C&C3. The graphics is a bit washed out, which looks a lot like an anime. To further reinforce that point, the EOTRS units are mostly taken from Japanese anime; i.e. you get huge robots, flying mecha tengus, and such. But the water looks really cool, and also the animations are picture perfect. RA2 has 2D graphics when most RTS games have already moved to 3D; thus emphasizing gameplay over looks. I wish the same was true for RA3, too. But I can't really say it's the best RTS game around.

The packaged version of the game was slow and buggy. I had to apply all four patches to get the game running properly. I can play the game with full details in my PC smoothly; which has a Core II Duo 2.0Ghz processor , Windows XP SP2, 2 GB Ram, 280 GB hard disk, MSI 8600 GT 256 MB graphics card and Sound Blaster Xtreme X-Fi Music Edition sound card. However, people with dual core processor or slower configuration might face more difficulties. There is a new feature in this game that forces it to “aggressively search for new patches” whenever I start the game. The end result of this behavior is, even if I didn't want to download a new patch (which didn't have any improvement apart from multiplayer optimization), my game would look for the patch and take 5 minutes to show the game menu. This was a very annoying problem, which I tackled by starting the game and going for a toilet break or coffee break. It got fixed in the 1.04 patch, but still, it shows the lack of proper testing before releasing a game.

I never had to bother about patches when I played RA2, and I still have the game running properly in windows XP. But it is clear that this game was not properly optimized before its release. The audio is good, but not as great as RA2. It has a few tracks composed by Frank Klepcka, which clearly stands out, but the rest are mostly generic, uninteresting techno beats. However, the unit sounds are quite authentic, and sounds nice.

Gameplay wise it doesn't break any new grounds for RTS, apart from having the first totally co-op supported campaign. Yes, now you and your friend can defeat the enemies together. In any case, all campaign missions will give you a co-op commander to whom you can give some basic commands like attack/defend/etc. In the campaign, this is pretty much a useless addition if you are co-opped with AI, but I guess a human partner would bring a totally new, strategic aspect in to the game. Unfortunately, I could not test this feature as I have a slow internet connection and no access to a LAN. If you can overlook a few minor glitches, you will have lots of fun with Red Alert 3.

Red Alert 3 Uprising ; Review by Alec86

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising is a stand-alone expansion to Red Alert 3 and available via download only. Although it features new missions, modes and units, it lacks any kind of multiplayer element like co-op co-commander mode featured in original game. But, it still offers plenty of fun to be had.

Uprising features four new mini-campaigns, one for each faction while the fourth explores the origins of the Japanese commando "Yuriko Omega", and the Commander's Challenge. The mini-campaigns follow the aftermath of the original game assuming the Allies had achieved victory over the Soviets and the Empire. The Soviets campaign focuses on the remaining resistance forces trying to stop FutureTech. The Allies campaign is about defeating the Imperial warlords and restoring peace. The Rising Sun campaign concentrates on the fight against the Soviets who attempt to conquer parts of Japan. The Yuriko campaign is the highlight of the game and it explores the origins of Yuriko, her escape from the captivity by the Allies and her mission to free her sister. The gameplay and camera of the Yuriko campaign is different from the other ones. The player has to control only Yuriko and the camera is fixed on her all the time. A new command bar at the bottom of the screen replaces the side-bar and the threat meter and Yuriko's abilities and her stats are upgraded by finding the information terminals along the way. Unfortunately, all the campaigns are very short, only last for 3-4 missions.

Uprising also features another new mode called Commander's Challenge which pits players against nine different AI commanders, some returning from old Red Alert 3 and some new ones, through 50 different scenarios with varied difficulty. Some of the missions contain units from the Red Alert 3 campaign such as Tesla Tank and the Shogun Executioner. The players have access to only basic units at first, but will unlock more advanced units as more challenges are completed. These challenges are fun enough and will offer players hours of gameplay.

There are also some new units available in Uprising. The Soviets have toxic spraying Desolator Troopers, vehicle crushing Grinders and a fast attack bike armed with Molotov cock-tails and mortars called Mortar Cycle. The Allies possess the deadly Harbinger Gunship, ice spraying Cryo Legionnaires and robotic tanks that can inflict area damage called Future Tank X-1. As for the Empire, they have Archer Maidens who can destroy both air-crafts and infantry alike; a powerful robot called Steel Ronin which uses pole-arm as a weapon and a powerful naval platform which can transform into flying samurai head that shoots laser beams. All of these new units are fun to use and they can provide additional firepower to overcome the enemies.

As for the graphics, there isn't any difference between the original Red Alert 3 and Uprising. The background environments are bright and colourful and the character models are detailed and realistic. The music in Uprising is better than the original and the voice actors did a really good job of making one-liners for each unit.

Overall, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising is a very good expansion pack. It does not support multiplayer component, but the Yuriko campaign and the Commander's Challenge more than make up for that. If you enjoy Red Alert 3 and want a little more of single player gameplay, Uprising is the game for you.

Ratings

Gameplay.....9/10

Graphics.......10/10

Story...............10/10

Sound............7/10

Girls of Red Alert

Zero no Tsukaima

2012-01-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Familiar of Zero - Season 1

The Familiar of Zero follows the adventures of the protagonists Louise and her familiar Saito. Louise is a second year student at the Tristain Academy of Magic. In this world, those who can use magic are either mages or nobles.

Louise is terrible at magic, and can never use it the way she wants to. She is given the nickname "Zero Louise" by her classmates, due to the inability to use any of the four common magic elements, whereby a mage's power is determined by the number of elements they can use ranging from a single element, one (dot mage), two (line) three (triangle) and four (square). Early in the school year, the second year students summon their familiars; this is considered a special ritual where a mage summons their eternal protector and partner, which usually is some sort of magical creature. Louise manages to summon a human commoner named Saito Hiraga, leaving her totally humiliated. Due to the sacredness of the ritual, Louise is left with no choice but to reluctantly accept Saito as her familiar. She proceeds to treat Saito as any other familiar only worse, making him sleep on a bed of hay and beats him with a whip for little to no reason, among other things.

One day Saito challenges a noble who disrespects commoners ( Guiche) to a duel. Saito is beaten badly at first, but once a sword was put in Saito's hands, he gaineda mysterious power and with this power he is able to defeat the noble in the duel. Louise and Saito's relationship's develop during the course of the story. Together they face many mysteries and uncover unexpected truths, including the nature of Saito's mysterious power, and the truth behind Louise's inability to cast magic.

That’s the basics of the show. The Familiar of Zero is a romantic/comedy with magic, adventure , and harem elements. The show resolves around Louise (a tsundere) and her familiar, Saito and their adventures and you get to see their love relationship go up and down. Besides Louise and Saito, there are many other characters as well. Here are some of the important ones: Agnes, Colbert, Guiche, Henrietta, Kirche, Montmorency, Osmand, Siesta, Tabitha, and Tiffania. Lots of side characters in this show, some more important then others. I really enjoyed Siesta. She is a maid at the academy, but later becomes Saito's maid. Since she is in love with Saito, she as the compete with Louise to get him. Guiche is another great character was well. He was the ladies man and all the ladies loved him. He would go out with other girls even though he devoted himself to Montmorency.

Episode List

No	Episode
1	Louise the zero
2	The Peasant Familiar
3	The Subtle heat’s Allure
4	The maid’s Crisis
5	The Princess of Tristain
6	The thief’s True Identity
7	Louise’s Part-time job
8	Tabitha’s secret
9	Louise’s Change of Heart
10	The Princess’ Request
11	Louise’s Marriage
12	The Zero secret Treasure
13	Louise the void

Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi - Season 2

The invasion of Tristain has been pushed back thanks to Louise and Saito and an ueasy calm settles over the land. Louise begins to practice Void Magic while Saito, having given up his chance to go home to Japan, tries to find ways to fill his time. But the wars are not over. The peaceful lull is but the calm before the storm, and soon Queen Henrietta must make a terrible choice between a temporary peace and a preemptive invasion of Albion. Either way, Tristain is soon to be embroiled in war once more, and “Zero” and her Familiar will be right in the middle of it.

Episode List

No	Episode
1	Her Majesty, The Queen of Zero
2	The Vow of wind and water
3	The Paladin’s sword
4	The three Valliere Sisters
5	The spy’s Seal
6	The Queen’s Vacation
7	The Underground secret Doument
8	The Magic Institute’s Crisis
9	The Atonement of Flames
10	The Enemy on Snowy Alps
11	The Silver Pentecost
12	The farewell Wedding Ceremony

Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo - Season 3

Following Saito's heroic actions in the War with Albion in season two, Saito & Louise return to Tristain, only to have the runes which bind Saito & Louise disappear. Saito & Louise struggle with a relationship no longer defined as Master & Familiar, as they search for an Elf who has the power to restore the dead to life, and may hold the key to understanding Saito's loss of the Gandalfr's power.

Episode List

No	Episode
1	The Familiar’s Mark
2	The Elf of the Forest
3	The return of the Hero
4	The rumored accepted Student
5	The alluring Women’s Bath
6	The Taboo Magical Potion
7	Seductive Beach (OVA)
8	Slepnir Dance Party
9	The Eastern Pursuit
10	Tabitha’s Sister
11	Border Mountain Pass
12	Captive in Al Hambra
13	Wings of freedom

Zero no tsukaima F

Louise, Saito and the whole crew are back for one last season, and if this first episode is any indication, it just might be the best one of them all. After a quick reintroduction to the characters, we go straight into the plot. Queen Henrietta wants Louise and the crew to head off to Romalia, the local Italy/Rome expy, and meet up with their leader, Pope Vittorio Serevare. We find out that Tiffania is a void user, and so is the Pope, and that the blond bishie who was first introduced back in ~Futatsuki no Kishi~, Julio, is the Pope’s familiar. We’re also treated to a great fight scene of Saito and Louise versus some mirror thieves that ends with Saito blundering into Tiffania’s familiar summoning ritual.

Episode List

No	Episode
1	Louise of the Holy Kingdom
2	na
3	na
4	na
5	na
6	na
7	na
8	na
9	na
10	na
11	na
12	na
13	na

Cosplay

Figures

Tekken 6 (PS3, XBOX 360)

2012-01-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

Review by UnbeatenGamer

Ah yes. Tekken. Widely proclaimed to be one of the best fighter game series out there. Quite frankly, I'd have to agree. After playing my first Tekken game(which was Tekken Tag Tournament), I immediately was hooked into the series and now I am a hardcore fan. Although previous Tekken titles were outstanding, Tekken 6 frosts the cake, lands the plane, finishes the deal, takes the turkey out the oven. You get the idea. Believe me, Tekken 6 is a must-have game, especially if you are a big a fan as I am. But for those of you who don't know what Tekken is all about, here's a quick summary:

Tekken first began with the announcement of the first King of Iron Fist Tournament. At the beginning, it was only about proving to be the best fighter but as the series progressed, it became more twisted, revolving around a certain power-hungry family, the Mishimas. The struggle for domination started between Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya Mishima. However, around the start of the third tournament, Kazuya's own son, Jin Kazama, got involved in the power struggle as well. At the end of the fifth tournament, Jin became head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, removing both Kazuya and Heihachi from power. With the resources and manpower now available to him, Jin starts a world war against the rest of the world. Because of this, Kazuya places a bounty on his son's head. In retaliation, Jin announces the sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament. It is here where Tekken 6 leaves off.

Gameplay
The controls in this game are much more fluid and smooth. Characters move in that way you want them to without a problem. Press the kick button, they kick. Press the punch button, they punch. So on so forth. For the game's fun side of the deal, all I can say is... it is extremely fun. No lie. You'll find yourself playing this game until the next game you want comes out. As for the difficulty of the game, it 's not too hard. Nor not too easy. Depending on how well you play a certain character, this game could either be a breeze or a pain. In fact, in most parts of the game, it all depends on your skill that will determine the difficulty. With that said, better start practicing if you want to have it easy.

Story
For most fighting games, there really isn't a huge plot that deals with a certain character. It's just usually about becoming the best of the best. But in Tekken 6, the story goes much deeper than that. It involves every character, whether their motive be to stop Jin or protect him. Or it could be for something completely different. Whatever the case may be, every character have their own story to tell so that's what makes the plot in this game so unique and complex. But it only received an 8 because I felt that the whole "Jin Kazama take over the world thing" was a bit too much. At least for my tastes. I mean, its cool to see one of my favorite characters be all emperor-like but to turn him evil to do so, uh... no. Let either Kazuya or Heihachi keep that role.

Graphics
Being a next-gen game, it is no surprise to see amazing graphics in the game. All stages are beautifully done. You can see every bit of detail around you in all stages. Also, in some stages, there will be lots of action going on in the background that will make your battles more intense. Aside from the stages, the characters are done nicely as well. Every bit of their clothing are well designed. Not only that, but the details in the characters themselves are great. You will be in awe, trust me.

Sound
Now what kind of fighting game would Tekken be without its awesome, adrenaline-pumping music? Well, it will still be awesome to play, just won't be as exciting. Luckily, this game delivers. Now granted that a few stages have music that might not be what you would expect in gut-busting, bone-breaking battles, but for the majority, its top notch. It will get your blood pumpin. It will make you want to keep up the fight till the very end. It will make you want to fight endless waves of enemies. It will... Yeah. You already know where I'm going at with this. In shorter words, you will not be disappointed.

Replay Value
Ok, ok. So you manged to beat Scenario Campaign Mode(one of the new modes in the game), now you ask yourself, what to do now? Well, being an awesome fighting game as it is, Tekken 6 has many different modes in the game that will occupy your time. In Scenario Campaign, if you have not done so already, you can unlock four secret areas to access from the World Map. Granted that to get these secret places you would have to meet certain requirements, these areas are quite challenging so you may find yourself spending a lot more time in Scenario Campaign to get the right items in order to complete those stages.

You can also get character story endings from within this mode so if you are the type of person that likes to play as every character, you'll be pretty occupied. But once that's done, a whole set of other modes await you. There's Arcade where you fight through eight stages and earn ranking. Ghost Battle is similar to that of Arcade in which you increase your rank, but you fight battle after battle, for as long as you like. A Versus Mode where you can battle a person locally. There's Team Attack where you pick a team of fighters and go against a CPU team. Survival Mode is where you must fight as many opponents as you can with only one health meter. All this for offline. If you want more fun, play online and compete against others to test how good you really are. And if that's not enough, then you have the option of collecting trophies and getting customization items for every character. In short, the possibilities are endless when replaying this game over and over again.

Overall
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is a huge fan of Tekken. For those that are starting out as newbies to the series, you will instantly become fans of the series. And for those of you that have no clue about Tekken, this game is definitely worth looking into.

Ratings

Gameplay....1010

Graphics.......9/10

Story...............9/10

Sound............8/10

Cosplay

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, XBOX 360)

2012-01-03T00:55:00.001-08:00

Review by GooberSD

It has been almost five years since Square first unveiled Final Fantasy XIII to the world in 2005. After countless delays, and an intense advertising campaign, Final Fantasy XIII is finally here for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360... but mostly for the Playstation 3. The world has been waiting for the game like little children waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Now that it has finally been released, people can't help but wonder, "Is the game any good?" You can't blame them for wondering this; since many found XII to be a disappointment. (I did not.)

The truth about Final Fantasy XIII is that it is fantastic. Directed by Motomu Toriyama, the director of Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII offers a unique take on the Final Fantasy series that is both good and bad.

Story

I will avoid speaking about the game's story for obvious reasons. But I will say that the story to Final Fantasy XIII is just as epic and original as the other games, for the most part.

The story is split into thirteen different chapters, each being a different length and each telling different stories. The game's prologue is rather lengthy. It wasn't until Chapter Five or Six that the story finally started to move in a direction. This was a bit of a bother to me, since that was about twelve hours into the game. This might not be a problem for some, but for me, the pacing was slow. If you've played any Final Fantasy before you'll notice how powerful the narratives are. Final Fantasy XIII is no exception. The game plays out almost like a movie with several cinematic cut-scenes that easily break the ten and some times fifteen minute mark. The game is by far the most cinematic Final Fantasy to date, and that's not a bad thing.

Half of the story of Final Fantasy XIII is told through cut-scenes, and the other half is told through your datalog. Your datalog is an in-game encyclopedia that offers a large variety of information that tells you plenty of back-story and details that you otherwise wouldn't find out about. The story to Final Fantasy XIII is much shorter than the previous games. Players will be able to complete the full game in less than forty hours. The excellence story and characters make up for the length though.

The protagonist Lightning is the first true strong female protagonist that the entire series has ever seen. Lightning is easy to relate too, and has layers of her personality that make her a complicated character. Even though she starts out as a dull character that seems like another Cloud, in the end, she turns out to be a wonderful character.

Other stock characters such as Snow and Hope offer plenty of character of development. The game has characters that everyone should be able to relate too. Which is a first for the series. The game takes its time in explaining the past and traits to each character that makes them into who they are; and each character has plenty of secrets to tell. In short, Final Fantasy XIII has a wonderful story full of rich characters and a deep plot. The game also gives off a strong and very obvious message on prejudice.

Gameplay

The gameplay to Final Fantasy XIII is the traditional ATB-turn-based gameplay that the series is famous for. However, it has many twists that make it very different than the other games. Final Fantasy XIII is EXTREMELY fast-paced. It is hard to get used to at first.

The game brings back the classic use of Jobs into the series, but there are only seven classes in this game. The game requires you to constantly switch into battle to stay alive. You will constantly be switching from healer to fighter to spell-caster, leaving you constantly on the edge of your seat.

Final Fantasy XIII deploys more strategy into the gameplay than any other game the series has seen. Several battles feel like a trial and error scenario. You have to keep fighting the same battles until you find the proper strategy that will get you through the fights. In other words, you will die a lot in Final Fantasy XIII. Every time you get a Game Over, the game gives you a retry option, which will let you try a battle again. You will be seeing this Game Over screen quite often since the enemies in the game go from walks in the park to virtual death matches.

Battles can also range from being less than thirty seconds to over ten minutes long. These ten minute long battles usually aren't very hard, but feel like a waste of time since you receive barely any experience. Usually it's best to avoid these battles if you can. Otherwise you're going to get frustrated by the length of the battles since there is no way to run away from the battles.

The game limits your leveling up until the ending of the game, which means the game is pretty much hard all the way through. In this Final Fantasy you level up through a grid called "Crystogensis." The system is kind of like the License Board meets the Sphere Grid. It's very simple to use, but frustrating since you unlock the grids as the story goes through. This prevents players from "over-maxing" their characters. I don't know why they did this, but the game actually prevents you from over leveling your characters.

As you play throughout the game you control different parties, and the story develops depending on who's in your party. However, you cannot choose you put into your party until the end of the game. The game doesn't give you really any flexibility until the end of the game.

You're always on a set course. You'll always be going from point "A" to point "B", which usually results in a cut-scene. You don't have the option to wander around, and you won't be venturing through any towns or visit any shops. All of your shopping will be done at save points. You can also upgrade your characters at save points.

As the story unfolds you unlock more and more freedom in the battle system. Each character earns their own Eidolon to summon, and there are plenty of weapons and accessories that you can personally customize. Even though you don't have a lot of freedom, the gameplay is made up through the re-amped turn-based battle system. The fast pace battle system is a lot of fun to play in, although the difficulty and battle lengths can be frustrating.

Music

The music to the Final Fantasy series contains the best music, topping any other game series. Most of this is due to the composer Nobuo Uematsu. However, Final Fantasy XIII has a new composer, and takes several turns in the music that I find very disrupting. Final Fantasy XIII does not contain the songs, "Prelude of the Crystal," "The Final Fantasy Theme," or "The Victory Fanfare."

These songs that have been in EVERY Final Fantasy game are completely absent from the game. Square says that they want to modernize the series as their excuse, but the game feels incomplete without these essential songs that we fans have grown to love.

The American soundtrack has also been severely cut down. The Japanese soundtrack has well over a 120 songs, but the American version barely has 80. Square cut down the American version for the Xbox 360 and to westernize the series. Since many of the songs in the Japanese version contain Japanese lyrics, Square either filtered these songs or completely cut them out of the American release. Several songs were also cut out of the Playstation 3 version because of the Xbox 360. The music that IS featured in the game is nothing too special. In my opinion, its the worst that the series has seen. The music goes from being classically instrumental to a strange experimental techno-type of music. The game still contains the Chocobo theme, but the lyrics have been changed into English. In short, the music is nothing special. Which is a pity for the Final Fantasy series. Let's hope the music to Final Fantasy XIV is better.

Design

Final Fantasy XIII is a game that contains an engrossing story, fantastic graphics and gameplay. Final Fantasy XIII is the best Japanese RPG to be released since Final Fantasy XII. The game is just as detailed as every other game in the series, and in terms of graphics, it sets new standards. The high definition graphics are groundbreaking and the game literally looks like a movie.

Since this is a Final Fantasy game, everything is top-notch. There are almost load times, and the game runs perfectly, without a installation. The game also takes up only 500 kb. The voice acting and dialogue is surprisingly good. With the exception of the character Vanille, the voice acting is near flawless. However, I cannot stand Vanille. She may have one of the most annoying voices in history. Even though she gets better throughout the course of the game, she is still terrible and makes more noises than a tiger on crack.

The programmers took the liberty to go back and dub the characters so that when they speak, the movement of their mouths actually matches the words coming out of their mouths. The game is surprisingly dramatic. The game does a very good job at not being a mellow-drama, and instead it feels like a drama. The music in the cut-scenes is moving, but several songs in the American release have been replaced with a single song of a woman singing. This song plays throughout most cut-scenes since the original songs in the game have been taken out.

Conclusion

In the end, Final Fantasy XIII is not the best game in the series. However, it is an instant classic. I think it will be remembered by fans around the world. The game offers a unique perspective on the series that the other games haven't shown. The game at first feels like a strange experiment since it is so different. But as you progress through the game, the "experiment" begins to feel like an old series that we all love.

Whether you like it or not is completely up to you, I love the game. I have a few complaints but those aren't enough to stop me from saying that this game is fantastic. I think that Final Fantasy XIII is highly under credited by critics. With a game like Final Fantasy, it's better to listen to the fans; and this fan is telling you that if you have a PS3, then buy Final Fantasy XIII.

Ratings

Gameplay....1010

Graphics......10/10

Story.............10/10

Sound...........8/10

Cosplay

Halo Forerunner Saga

2012-01-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Forerunner Saga is a trilogy of Halo novels focusing on Forerunner life 100,000 years before the Human-Covenant war, being written by Greg Bear and published by Tor Books.The first novel, titled Halo: Cryptum, was released on January 4, 2011. The second novel, titled Halo: Primordium, is set to be released on January 3, 2012.

Originally known only as the "Forerunner Trilogy", the series was officially announced at the Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle, Washington, where its author, Greg Bear, made a guest appearance.The first book's working title was "Antediluvian".The word "antediluvian" means, "of or belonging to the period before a flood," hinting that the novel takes place prior to the Forerunner-Flood War. The series reveals a great deal of new information about the Forerunner-human interactions in ancient history.On October 11, 2010, the official name of the book was revealed to be Halo: Cryptum.
During the writing process artists such as Sparth of 343 Industries created several illustrations for Halo: Cryptum. Frank O'Connor has mentioned that these illustrations will eventually be released in an art book.

Synopsis
Set during the golden age of the Forerunners, the series touches on the origins of humanity and the contacts with Forerunners and humans, as well as explaining the connection between the two and humanity's status as "Reclaimers". Forerunner technologies are explored in detail, and many new elements about the Forerunners are introduced, such as their political system and social structure. The characters of the Didact and the Librarian, introduced in the Terminals in Halo 3, are featured as central characters in the series.

Halo : Cryptum

Released January 4, 2011,Cryptum focuses on a young Forerunner known as Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, a rebellious Manipular from a family of Builders, the highest and most politically powerful rate of the Forerunner. However, instead of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a Builder, Bornstellar is obsessed with exploring artifacts left behind by the Precursors, an enigmatic galactic civilization that preceded the Forerunner. His father sends him to the planet Edom in a distant system known as Sol to work with the Miners to come to terms with his duty as a Builder. Eventually, Bornstellar crosses paths with two humans on Earth, forever changing the fate of the galaxy.

Halo : Primordium

Announced alongside the official press release of Halo: Glasslands,the sequel to Cryptum is to be released on January 3, 2012. Primordium is centered around Chakas and Riser, the two humans who accompanied Bornstellar in the first novel as they traverse an embattled Halo installation, facing a multitude of hurdles on their way and discovering the ancient plan of vengeance devised by the Precursors against the Forerunners.According to Greg Bear, Mendicant Bias will play a prominent role in the novel

Haunting grounds

2011-12-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

Review by LemonPenguin

Introduction

Haunting Ground (or Demento in Europe and Japan) is one my favorite survival horror games. Now let me tell you why. First of all, it's a very unique game. But, like most unique games, it isn't for everyone. Haunting Ground is a survival horror which was developed and publish by Capcom in 2005, for Sony's PlayStation 2. It's about an 18-year old girl named Fiona who wakes up in a strange castle and pairs up with a white German Shepherd to escape the castle.

Story
18-year old Fiona Belli awakes in a small dog cage after surviving a car accident. Dressed in only a blanket she sneaks out and makes her way towards a huge castle. Once inside, she's greeted by a creepy maid named Danielle who gives her Victorian-styled clothes to wear. Things just get weirder from then on. After being chased by the childish, albeit humongous groundskeeper who just wants to squeeze her a little (more like crush her to death), Fiona finds a white German Shepherd painfully tied to a tree. She sets him free and remembers his name from a collar she found earlier: Hewie. Fiona and Hewie team up to escape the castle and it's strange inhabitants. It seems that everyone except Debilitas once something...from inside of her. And they will stop at nothing to get it. It's up to the player to help Fiona and Hewie through the castle, escape the pursuers and survive. Along the way they meet a dangerous and mentally disabled groundskeeper, a creepy and unstable maid, a creepy hooded stalker and a mysterious old man who appears to be helping them, or is he? I give Haunting Ground's story a 9/10. It's very original and the story is very well developed throughout the game with plenty of cinematics and even a small plot twist that will make you want to escape the castle even more.

Music
The music in Haunting Ground/Demento was composed by Seiko Kobuchi from the Resident Evil series and she did an incredible job with it. Each pursuer possesses their own chase music and each stage of the game has different background music for when you're not being chased. Not only that, but everyone gets their own boss music. The background music is pretty creepy and will really keep you on edge, and the chase music really gives you a sense of danger. There's also a really heartwarming theme for Hewie. I give Haunting Ground's music a 9/10 for how well it blends in with the atmosphere and for how really well done it is.

Graphics
Haunting Ground's graphics are really good. The characters are really realistic and it's not even uncanny valley realistic like in Clock Tower 3. The characters are really well done and the backgrounds and areas are well textured and constructed. The design is fairly Gothic (then again, it is a castle) and pretty chilling at the same time. I give Haunting Ground's graphics a 10/10 because of how well done they are.

Gameplay
Haunting Ground's gameplay is very original. To start off, it's very similar to Clock Tower 3's gameplay. In case you've never played or even heard of Clock Tower 3, I'll tell you how it works. You and Hewie walk around the level looking for items and such to complete puzzle and work your way to the next area. All you have to do is find an item or two, do a little backtracking, get some keys and carry on. Simple right? Not really. While you're exploring, certain cinematics, actions you perform or simply after a certain amount of time passes, your pursuer will begin chasing you. While being chased you cannot examine objects or use items. All you can do is choose to either run and hide or fight. Fiona isn't very athletic so she's fairly weak and all she can do is kick and do some form of tackle. However, Hewie is a dog. Dogs have teeth. Using the right analog stick you can command Hewie to sit, search, come to you and, of course, attack. Hewie's main attacks consists of biting the enemy.

He can also learn new moves like dodging. You can also charge his attack for extra power. However, the pursuers will not only attack Fiona but also attack Hewie. As Hewie gets hurt he becomes slow and feeble. You can replenish his health using certain food items. If Hewie gets hit too many times, he'll collapse temporarily. Or, if you're on Hard Mode, he'll die and you'll get a Game Over. Hewie also has an invisible friendship meter. You can make him like you more by praising him when he's good and feeding him treats. However, if you hit him or scold him too much, he'll like you less. The more Hewie likes you, the more he'll listen to you. If he doesn't like you, he'll just run around and ignore you and even attack you if you get him really angry. Now for Fiona. Fiona, unlike most video game characters, get scared. Like in Clock Tower 3, you have a Panic Meter, and if you're Panic Meter reaches max, you'll go into Panic Mode. There isn't actually a gauge for the Panic Meter in Haunting Ground. The Panic Meter is the screen. As Fiona gets scared, the colors begin to fade from the screen, the screen begins to pulse and Fiona begins to stumble a bit while running. While in Panic Mode, Fiona will move uncontrollably and will trip all of the place. You'll know when you reach Panic Mode because the screen goes negative for about a second and Fiona lets out a shrill scream. The screen turns almost completely black and white and it becomes a lot harder to control Fiona. Also, the only command you can give Hewie while in Panic Mode is "help" and you better hope you've been nice to him or he's not going to help you. Now here's the catch: While in Panic Mode, you can fall over. This is your weakest position. Once fallen, you can't get up until Panic Mode is over. The screen becomes nearly completely black and white and pulses. All you can do is mash buttons and try to crawl away as your pursuer comes in for the kill. Eventually though, Fiona will get up and Panic Mode will end. So how do you die? First of all, Fiona does have health of some sort, but her health doesn't actually run out. If Fiona gets hurt or if she runs for long periods of time, her stamina runs out and she becomes much slower and weaker. You can replenish your stamina by using certain items or by drinking water at the sinks scattered throughout the game. Anything that kills Fiona will be a one hit kill. No second chances. ..

Your pursuers can attack Fiona and take away her stamina and cause her to panic. They can also use their "finishing moves" of sort which can kill you. Basically either you get hurt and panicked, or you die. For example: Debilitas, the game's first pursuer can either punch Fiona, or he can grab her and put her in a death grip which will kill her if she doesn't get out soon enough. It seems easy enough as long as you stay away, but your pursuers are pretty fast and Panic Mode makes you extremely vulnerable. If fallen while in Panic Mode, your pursuer can easily come in for the kill. Now onto hiding. If you don't want to fight, there's plenty of places in the game to hide. However, don't hide in the same place too many items or your pursuers will find you easier. There's also several traps in the game that can kill you, so be careful of that too. I give Haunting Ground's gameplay a 10/10 for how original and fun it is. ..

Replayability
Haunting Ground will only take you about 10 hours or less to beat the first time. But, it has A LOT of replayability. To start off, there's 4 different endings to get. Not only that, but there are 11 different play-types to get. What play-type you get depends on your statistics at the end of the game such as your play time, how many items you found, your dog level, your Panic Mode count etc. And, to top things off, both Fiona and Hewie have multiple costumes that can be unlocked which can boost their attack, stamina etc. Then there's also Hard Mode which can is unlocked after beating the game. In Hard Mode the pursuers are faster and stronger and Hewie can actually die, resulting in a Game Over. Also, there are more medallions and less items. Medallions can be used to create alchemical items and equipment to help help you through the game. I give Haunting Ground's replayability a 10/10 because it's one of the most replayable games I've ever played.

Overall
I suggest you try to rent Haunting Ground before you buy it. It's not for everyone, but if you like survival horror you should definitely check it out. It's not "Silent Hill scary", but it does keep you on edge. If ever given the chance to buy it, definitely do. It's a great game and is definitely underrated in my opinion. I give Haunting Ground a 10/10. It's a great survival horror game and whether you're a fan of the genre or not, you should really check it out.

Ratings

Gameplay....9/10

Graphics......9/10

Story............10/10

Sound..........8/10

Cosplay

Final Fantasy 7 - Crysis Core (PSP)

2011-12-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

Review by Darksun45230

Over ten years ago the role playing game called Final Fantasy VII premiered on the Sony Playstation. A lot of people, and I mean a lot of people claimed it to be the greatest game of all time. If you ask this reviewer, yes, he was a fan too. The contents of this review however will not be based on the popularity of the Playstation version, but of the contents of this game, and its own merit.

Storyline
The game takes off with Zack Fair around familiar scenery. From the very beginning the player is taken on an adventure deep within the world of Final Fantasy VII. Soon you explore the mindset of optimistic Zack and his friends, mentors, and heroes.

We're introduced to vivid, realistic characters. With doubts, fears, and pride, all with just a few pieces of dialog. If you don't pick up on the subtle hints, you might get lost. As you move on, you travel to familiar scenery that one would find in Final Fantasy VII. Meet people, both new and familiar. And unveil mysteries to people that's only dream is to regain their lost pride. From beginning to end Crisis Core delivers a witty, romantic, and tragic story leaving one moved in heart and soul by story's end.

Gameplay
First, you have to ask a few questions. Does this compare in gameplay to Final Fantasy VII? What's been changed? Will my experience be different from before?

The Final Fantasy series has evolved from a turn-based combat system. One you might find in titles like Dragon Quest VIII or Final Fantasy X. Now we enter the time of the action based combat system. You've seen these types of combat in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XII. So is it better?

The changes are many making the adapting no easier. With a turn-based system, your characters and enemies stood in place. You could take all the time you need to make the next attack. And when you did you scrolled through a small menu and selected it.

Now let's compare that to the action-based combat. Your enemies move around a lot. You too are not limited by your movement. However, you don't have all time in the world to attack, because enemies don't wait. When you want to attack you scroll using the same menu and selecting an attack. And unlike a turn-based system, it acts immediately.

Accuracy has changed too. In a game like Final Fantasy VII, in turn-based combat all one needed to do in order to hit the enemy was cast a spell or attack normally. However in Crisis Core, you have to know who you want to hit. Here's an example. I want to use the magic Blizzard (the renamed Ice) against an opponent. The catch here is that a large block ice appears over the enemies head, that enemy has to stay put for less then a second for it to connect. If he doesn't, you miss.

Many environmental factors apply now. It's no longer just scenery. In an action based combat system, it's a disadvantage to be on a narrow catwalk during battle. In fact it's gotten this reviewer killed on many occasions.

In Final Fantasy VII, you had slots on your armor that allowed you to attached magic stones to them. These stones allowed you to use spells like Fire, Ice, and Cure. Now in Crisis Core we have that and more. Materia doesn't act all that different in Crisis Core. The catch is that you start out with only a few slots. And stay that way for a long time. The days where you could pack eighteen Materia into your armor is over. Long over. Now, you have to decide who you want to play as. This is done in order to balance the action-combat system. Plus the negative stats have been removed.

Where did the summoning go? It's not dead. You still can summon. However, it's not as easy. I'll get more into this later as we approach the DMW system.

Good news. You can level Materia. The difference between the Materia leveling in Crisis Core and Final Fantasy VII is simple. You get stats from Materia. In FFVII, you were restricted to Materia where when applied increased a certain stat and decreased another. Now there are no negative stats, just positive. And to make this even better, they added a whole new system, the Materia Fusion system.

The Materia Fusion system mimics a fusing. You combine Materia (taking away from the SP points, which are gotten from hitting enemies in battle) and making a whole new Materia to level. There are is a list of Materia combinations that make better Materia. Some Materia can only be acquired from Materia Fusion. It's a great way to get those extra stats.

Moving on, we arrive at the DMW system. The Digital Mind Wave System. How does it work? Better yet, what does it do? The DMW acts as a leveler, a gauge to use special attacks called limit breaks, and to summon monsters.

We begin at leveling. In this game, there is no experience. Instead, we have the DMW reels. Let me begin with how it works. When you hear the words “Power Surge” during battle a reel appears. There are faces on each reel; if the faces match by the end of cycle then you activate a limit break. It happens often. Now how then do we level? It works in a similar way, because there is numbers on the side that reel as well. When those numbers match “777” you level. Now you may be wondering how this is all possible. You may be asking ‘hey, how the heck can anyone play this game if leveling is so random? I don't want to end up level ten by the end of the game or overpowered too early.'

My best guess is that there is a hidden experience counter that gains as you defeat more and more enemies, or hit them. When that counter reaches the max the reels start and you level up. You can level up Materia in the same way as well. Materia also has its own hidden experience count depending on if it's attached to your armor. Sweet.

At last we arrive at summoning. What's changed? Will I like those changes? It's up to you. Unlike the system we were so used to in Final Fantasy VII where all one had to do was attach a summon Materia, this involves using them via DMW. When we achieve “Power Surge” and the limit faces are reeling, they sometimes change to befit a whole new reel. Summoning faces. Like Ifrit or Bahamut for example. When all those faces match then you summon them, which are basically performing an attack. Luckily, we can skip the sequence by pressing a button and getting to the results. Thank you!

Acquiring summoned monsters has also changed. Instead of receiving Materia outright, you must defeat them during a side-quest; buy them at a shop, and many other ways. Along with an astounding array of abilities that accompany them whether it be Odin's Zantetsuken, Bahamut's Mega Flare, or Phoenix's Rebirth Flame. The summon monsters are not something to pass up.

I did mention the Limit Breaks. For those new to Final Fantasy VII, a limit break happened when a character took a lot of damage. What is it exactly? It's an attack that did damage beyond what a normal character could do. Hence, Limit Break. In Crisis Core we explore Zack's many limit breaks. I can't tell you who the faces belong to sadly without giving away key plot points. Each face has its own limit break for Zack; let's start with the shadow limit. You'll get a lot of this at the beginning of the game, where the reel lands on a shadow face. When it does you'll perform a series of random slashes at one enemy. There are others that allow you get a critical hit each time you strike at an enemy, one that completely heals you and then some, and one in particular that performs a nasty combo on an enemy. Limit Breaks are a nice addition to Crisis Core. Don't neglect them.

Now it's time for the bread and butter of the game, missions. The storyline is separated into many missions; many involve combat in one way or another, while some don't. From the start, you are introduced to these quests, three-hundred total, that involve defeating a certain enemy, a summon monster, and heck about 1000 soldiers. With three-hundred missions it's bound to get repetitive. But they increased the difficulty so at least we can have fun!

You won't find WEAPON in this game. Sadly, we don't get to fight hulking monsters like that. So what does that mean? There're no bosses? No. At the end of the three-hundred mission road, is none other then a woman named Minerva. She serves as the games almost unbeatable boss. Who is she? Well, you'll find that out.

Though same changes are small while other big, they affect gameplay so that the overall experience is different. Will your experience be different? Yes. Will it be worse? That's up to you to decide.

Graphics & Music:
As soon as you pop in the UMD and start playing you'll recognize a familiar tune. Ask yourself, ‘haven't I heard this before?' If you have then you've played Final Fantasy VII and watched a few of the compilations. Right away we hear the music played from the Bomb Mission. Of course it's been radically altered, but the same nonetheless. So will this game do ruin to the music you've come to admire of the years? Do you really care? What about graphics? Are they truly what this reviewer is talking about?

The tunes you find Final Fantasy VII and LAST ORDER FFVII are very much present here. Often music has been redone with a different instrument. Other's are completely new, and sound great. With the sync of a heavy bass guitar along with thundering drums, it makes for one heck of a soundtrack!

Graphics, what makes them so special? Why am I so avid in saying that they are the best on the PSP? Let me start. At say, summoning. When a summon attacks, the graphics are so clear and definite that you can see the smoke pouring out of Ifrit's mouth. Maybe it's the stringy strands of energy forming at the base of Bahamut's mouth when he performs Mega Flare that get me. Must I go on? Okay, I will. Maybe it's the sparks that fall from Odin's blade when he brandishes it? Or dull blue flare in his eyes as he rides along a broken battleground waiting to deliver the next blow. It's not what's been placed; it's where they've been placed during the story. It's hard to explain without revealing spoiling the story. But you get the idea.

Overall, it's easy to be amazed by these fluid, flawless CGI sequences. As for the soundtrack, it will have fans of the music hooked, heck; I'm listening to it right now!

Overall
Angels have but one dream. To find this out one must play. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the best game of the Role Playing genre. If not, one of the best PSP games of it's time. With unforgettable, realistic characters, the best music and graphics to date, and an epic yet tragic storyline about lost pride, this is a worthy title for all.

Ratings

Gameplay....7/10

Graphics......9/10

Story...........10/10

Sound..........7/10

Cosplay

Rumble Roses (PS2)

2011-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

Review by Tom Servo

The three things most important to mankind as a whole today are food, sex and cars, in no particular order. All three have made huge inroads in both print and film media, but for many years, only cars have had any luck in the realm of video gaming. Oh sure, there have been games based on food and sex before; But aside from the Dead or Alive series and maybe Burgertime, the field has been somewhat barren. It's not for lack of trying, it's just that in most cases, excluding the DOA fighting games, the focus was more on creating scenery to ogle as opposed to a fun game with scenery to ogle.

In my latest review, I tackle one from column B: "Rumble Roses", a fairly decent game even if you were to remove the all-female cast and replace them with, say, horny Japanese game developers. Fortunately, the horny guys only helmed the game's creation and gracefully stayed out of sight in the game itself. And now, I begin with the game's category you'll doubtlessly notice first:

GRAPHICS

Very rarely does a game that scores a 10 in graphics do well anywhere else, which is why I generally avoid them. But let me say this: This is most likely the best you'll ever see from PS2, the game simply looks amazing. There are no sharp edges to be found anywhere on or near the characters themselves. Jaggies? If they're there, you have to look pretty hard to see them.

Attention to detail is abundant as well. Clearly, the developers spared no effort in creating the lovely cast of wrestlers. From the soft earth that covers each characters body in a mud match to the tiny birthmark on the protagonist Reiko's upper chest to the often embarrassingly skimpy swimsuit costumes, there's plenty to ooh and aah over in Rumble Roses.

Of course, I have to note that while the entire roster is quite gorgeous, some of their costumes and personas are in quite bad taste. Behind every one of these wrestlers is a young woman who's very happy with her benefits package, no question. Nothing, but nothing is ever "understated" in Japanese pop culture, and RR is no exception. The game seems to use sex appeal like a baseball bat, hitting the player about the head with it's over-the-top teasing. Not a serious complaint, mind you, but one worth registering. Overall, this was obviously the most important category to the game's makers, therefore it deserves many accolades. Take a bow, guys. And then, wash your hands.

SOUND:

While the graphics are face-rockingly gorgeous, the music and sound effects are a good deal less impressive. I've finally settled on the fact that most video game voice acting is intentionally as bad as it is. You simply can't accidentally record dialogue of such poor quality. Every single one of these girls is fighting an uphill battle convincing me that they're there to do anything but titillate the gamer. Boo.

Many of the various effects are not quite so awful, but still nothing special. The punches, mat slams, bones cracking etc. strike me(har har) as somewhat phony. However, the various yelps, moans, grunts, screams, cries, gasps and squeals caused by the submission holds do a fine job of illustrating that the recipient is in no way enjoying herself. It's just when they open their mouths to do anything but express pain, the illusion is shattered.

Music is an oddly mixed stew, some great tracks are included, but it's mostly the instrumental lite-metal that's par for the genre. Some tunes, on the other hand, are bad enough to actually inflict pain. You will know them when you hear them, but I'll give you a clue: He ruined Van Halen, and now he has his sights set on game soundtracks. Need I say more?

GAMEPLAY:

Rumble Roses was distributed by Konami, which is a good sign, and was developed by Yukes, the team behind the rapidly improving SMACKDOWN! series, so you kind of have an idea of what to expect here. There are several impressive moves you can do that have never been seen in a wrestling game before, many of which look very painful(if a little easy to escape from). And pulling them off isn't too hard.

There are three special moves for each girl: A "killer" move, which can be done when an opponent is standing, a circumstantial "lethal" move, and a "humiliation" move. The humiliation move is thankfully the only one to make good on it's name. To do these, you must earn special move points, which you get by pounding your opponent. When you get a point, you can use the L1 button to perform a "killer" or "lethal" move. However, some moves will cause embarrassment to your foe, indicated by a small heart near her name bar filling with red. When it fills completely, She will visibly blush and beg you to lighten up. At that point, you can hit L2 to unleash a extremely painful "humiliation" move.

There are, of course, some caveats. The reversal system is nowhere near as simple as it was in, say, "SMACKDOWN!: Here Comes the Pain", meaning you'll take more of a beating than you would like to unless your timing is spot on. And the controls are not programmable, which is never a good thing. After using SMACKDOWN!'s default control scheme: "X = attack, circle = grapple, square = action and triangle = run" for a full year, I simply cannot get adjusted to RR's "X = run, square = attack, circle = action and triangle = grapple" layout. Why doesn't every game allow you to re-map buttons? It's not as unforgivably bad as forcing you to use the frustratingly un-ergonomic analog sticks for movement(a pox on you, Silent Hill 4!), but it's still very irritating nevertheless.

As for the cast, most of the popular fantasy characters are represented. 20 in total, but only 10 at any given time, thanks to the alignment system. There's Reiko, the sprightly protagonist. Dixie, the southern belle who can go to the mat with DOA's Tina any day. Aisha, the Beyonce-type performer. Evil Rose, the S&M-ish psychotic. And several more including the punk rocker, the dominatrix, the naughty nurse, the ninja, the cheerleader etc.(Some personas inhabit the same character). Hell, the only two archetypes that didn't make it are the sexy secretary and the French maid. In their place the have Makoto, the young judo gold-medalist and Aigle, the Mongolian simpleton. Both seem a little out of place to me, but perhaps rattle-headed Mongoloids and pouty judo champs are considered sexy in Japan, I don't know. And the nationality ratio of the wrestlers is seriously imbalanced. Out of the 10 principal wrestlers, four are Japanese, two Canadian, two American, one Mongolian and one the always frustrating "Unknown". Once again, Poland is tragically underrepresented.

Back to the alignment system: Each character has two different styles, one good, one bad. Their alignment can be changed by fulfilling "vows". Before an exhibition match, you can set vows like "use lots of weapons" or "don't use weapons". By fulfilling them, you shift their personality to become more good or more evil. This is a novelty, but provides quite an irritation as well: Only half of the roster is available at any given time! So Reiko can fight herself all she wants, but it's not possible for her to fight her own alter ego, Rowdy Reiko. Make sense? I didn't think so either.

Enjoy specialty matches, like tag team, backstage, cage matches and such? Well, you're S.O.L. here. There are only two types in Rumble Roses: Straight-up wrasslin' and the mud match. Yup, mud wrestling. The good thing about both of these is that there's no referee, meaning no doughy, unctuous guy in a striped shirt to snatch your weapons away, get in the way of your moves and reverse them on you, or disqualify you. And best of all, no more invalidating your special attacks just because your hapless opponent touched a damn rope. Missing him already, huh?

The fighting engine is a simplified form of the SD! engine. Since the SD! engine is already a simplified form of wrestling, it's safe to say that RR isn't as deep as SD! or any of AKI-developed games of yore. Which reminds me, eventually I'm going to obtain and play one of these "legendary" AKI wrestling games, and if it doesn't shake the very foundations of my beliefs of what wrestling games oughta be, I'm going to to owe several of you a violent pimp-slapping.

STORY:

Penning a story for a fighting game is no easy task. It's easy to explain why Solid Snake is sneaking around a missile base popping people's spinal cords, or why Leon is blasting hordes of zombies in a doomed city, but providing a context for why a gaggle of allegedly sane people decided to punch, kick, stomp on groins and twist each other into byzantine shapes is not so easy. So the background stories for fighting, wrestling and other such games are at best tenous, and even better still omitted entirely. Rumble Roses is no exception, so I'm just going to assume they were going for laughs here and move on.

OVERALL:

The idea behind games like DOA: X-treme Beach Volleyball, BMX: XXX and Rumble Roses is always sound: That beautiful women are beautiful and worth looking at. Where DOA-ball and BMX:XXX went wrong was assuming that looking at beautiful women would carry the whole game by it's lonesome(I take that back, BMX:XXX was a bad idea from the get-go). This is incorrect. Rumble Roses takes and aesthetically pleasing premise and pitches it on a more solid framework, making it a worthwhile purchase for all but the most die-hard wrestling fan or Mennonite.

Ratings

Gameplay....7/10

Graphics......9/10

Story...........10/10

Sound..........7/10

Cosplay

Angel Beats

2011-12-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Review by nihonreview.com

Synopsis: Otonashi Yuzuru wakes up one night in the middle of an unfamiliar school with no memories other than his name. He is met by a girl holding a large sniper rifle, Nakamura Yuri, who tells him that he’s dead, this is the afterlife and that she leads a guerilla group fighting against fate, God and the controller of this world, the student council president who they call “Tenshi”. Yuri wants Otonashi to join her group (and to help think up a new name for it, as the team originally calling themselves the “Afterlife Battlefront” shortened to the SSS, can’t seem to settle on a decent title), but Otonashi isn’t so convinced and wants to hear Tenshi’s side of the story. Tenshi, however, reciprocates by stabbing Otonashi in the heart…

Angel Beats! is a bizarre and enigmatic anime, filled with paradoxes. Aesthetically, when it chooses to be, it’s utterly breath-taking but the character designs, generally the most emphasized visual element of a series like this, are often inconsistent. It borrows elements from a line-up of other popular anime, yet it exudes a feel that’s genuinely individual. Its plot is completely haphazard and the writing is (I won’t mince words) terrible, yet it still manages to be so sentimental. I honestly don’t see any hint of cynicism from this series. It’s clumsy and often poorly executed, but I have no reason to doubt its earnestness. For an anime so flawed, Angel Beats! always tries hard, and (ironically) has its heart in the right place.

An anime original written by Key ornament Maeda Jun, Angel Beats! is a massive departure from Maeda’s usual works. While most Key series deal with their signature mix of romance and drama leading up to one (or many) deaths, Angel Beats! is set in a post-death purgatory and the romance (and also to a fair extent, the drama) are very much suppressed. Comedy and mystery are the order of the day. Seto no Hanayome’s director, Kishi Seiji, is completely at home with Angel Beat!’s random flavour of comedy… it’s about the only thing the show executes with consistency. The show loves sequences of repeated jokes and isn’t afraid to make light of the rules that govern death in this morbid afterlife. The SSS regularly find themselves having to “sacrifice” members to navigate booby traps or sabotage exams which result in ridiculous over-the-top death scenes and physical comedy which is kept fresh by little unexpected twists each time.

The mystery, on the other hand, is a mess. The rules of the universe, as we’re introduced to them, are unnecessarily misleading, and the way Yuri shows her understanding (or lack thereof) of the way things work makes her unintentionally suspicious. New questions crop up almost every episode and the answers come approximately one episode later and seemingly from the gusty garden galaxy. Many of the plot-driven conflicts end up being little more than meaningless diversions, created by misunderstanding and there’s only two cases where characters act even remotely sinister, the first of which results in repentance and a reversal and the second of which is a plot device. The pacing is haphazard and the regular plot twists means that the direction changes almost by the episode. Sure, it makes for an unpredictable experience, but it also makes for an incoherent one.

Every now and then the show will dedicate an episode to a character, and we really ought to have had more episodes like these ones, since this is where Angel Beats! is at its most heart-warming and dramatic. After Otonashi’s realization about two-thirds of the way through, I thought an emphasis on the characters was going to be the order of the day for the rest of the series, but that wasn’t to be, seeing as how Angel Beats! evidently can’t hold the same tone for more than an episode. While I wouldn’t say the execution was superb even in its sentimental moments, we at least get some insight into the characters and some rather socially and philosophically relevant (if didactic) messages on organ donation, caring for the sick and, on a higher level, finding your place in life and rebelling against God.

I adored the ending. The final episode almost seemed detached from the rest of the show with the characters behaving vastly differently and a relaxed tempo in a story that otherwise acted strapped for time. But the finale itself was so romantic and overflowing with genuine emotion thanks to a good plot twist (arguably one the show’s few) delivered with punch. It was a fitting end to a show that was, in spite of its flaws, rewarding overall. Sure, the pacing and script were woefully inconsistent and the show clearly bit off more tuna than it could chew, but the comedy and the likable, heartfelt characters made it worthwhile.

Episode List

01	"Departure"
02	"Guild"
03	"My Song"
04	"Day Game"
05	"Favorite Flavor"
06	"Family Affair"
07	"Alive"
08	"Dancer in the Dark"
09	"In Your Memory"
10	"Goodbye Days"
11	"Change the World"
12	"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
13	"Graduation"
14	"Stairway to Heaven"

Cosplay

Figures

Princess Mononoke

2011-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Review by Chizumatic

Summary:
A struggle between the old and the new, between gods and men, between nature and technology, between love and hate. Ashitaka is caught in the middle, seeking only to see with eyes unclouded.

Comments:
Miyazaki Hayao is the best animator working in Japan today. He is widely admired all over the world, and this movie is a good demonstration of the reason why.

Actually, in many ways it's quite a typical. Most of Miyazaki's films are intended primarily for children, but Princess Mononoke is definitely an adult film, and many parts of it are not appropriate for younger children. Yet in other ways, it is very typical of Miyazaki: the characters are well conceived and well presented; the story is tight and unfolds without any contrivance; and it constantly amazes and absorbs the audience. The imagery is fantastic, and the animation is lush.

Mononoke Hime was the most expensive anime film ever produced up to that time, with a production cost of $20 million. It's very clear that the money was well-spent.

Prince Ashitaka is a member of a small tribe in the east. They had been chased out of their homeland hundreds of years ago by the Mikado, and their numbers have fallen. They live in a village in an area largely forgotten by the rest of Japan. Ashitaka is in line to become the tribe leader, but it is not to be.

A demon threatens the village. A giant boar-god was consumed with hatred, which transformed him. Ashitaka begs the demon to leave them alone, but his entreaties are ignored. When the demon threatens some girls from the village, Ashitaka has no choice but to fight it. He kills the demon, but not before it grasps his arm, leaving a terrible scar. The village shaman casts a divination, and the news is as bad as it can be: Ashitaka has been cursed by the demon; the marks on his arm will grow and rot his bones, killing him. The divination says he must leave the village and head west, to seek the source of the demon and to see with eyes unclouded.

Ashitaka leaves his home and his people, and follows the trail left by the the boar god, to learn how it came to be terribly wounded by a ball of iron which was found inside it after it died. This leads him to a village by a lake where there is an ironworks. The leader of the village is Lady Eboshi, and the people there are caught in a struggle with Moro, a giant wolf, not to mention with samurai who want their iron.

The tribe of wolves is now weak; there are only three left, or four depending on how you count. The fourth is San, a human girl adopted by Moro as her daughter. San thinks of herself as a wolf and proclaims that she hates humans. She especially hates Eboshi and the people at the ironworks. The people at the ironworks call her Mononoke Hime (Princess Vengeful Spirit).

The people in the iron works have been cutting down the forest, burning the wood to melt the iron sands they uncover where the forest used to be, then selling the iron to buy the rice which keeps them fed. In their struggle with the giant creatures in the forest who resist this, they have been using primitive firearms, and this has given them the upper hand. Yet the struggle is not totally one-sided, and many people from the village have been killed. The movie shows us how this struggle unfolds, viewed through the eyes of Ashitaka, an outsider.

When I first watched this film, I realized that as I was watching it that I was constantly surprised, but when I looked back on it everything that happened could only have happened the way it did. That's almost a signature characteristic of Miyazaki's films, and it is the sign of a master storyteller.

Miyazaki's technical animation is outstanding, but great animation is worthless when used to tell a poor story. In the end, story and character are the core of great art, and Miyazaki rarely disappoints. He certainly does not in Princess Mononoke. The story flows from the characters as they interact with one another, and it is because Miyazaki stays true to his characters that the story could only have been what it was. There was no other story that could have been told about those characters in that place and time.

There is a struggle here, but in my opinion all the factions save one involved in the struggle are depicted sympathetically. There are no villains here, not really. Some who have viewed this film had concluded that it is a screed about environmentalism, but I think that is simplistic and misses the real point. Miyazaki isn't preaching; he's telling a story. Because it's a very rich and complicated story, what you get out of it when you watch it depends on just how unclouded your eyes are. Those who see an environmentalist message here have clouded vision indeed.

Complaints:
None whatever. I consider this film to be a masterpiece.

Is the ending satisfying? Absolutely. In lesser hands, there might have been an ending which was anticlimactic, or which felt contrived, or which felt preachy. Miyazaki falls into none of those traps; it's another sign of his mastery.

Recommended? This is a superb movie, though not for children. There is a great deal of explicit violence, including several graphic decapitations, so I don't think anyone under age 12 should be exposed to it. But for non-otaku who think that all anime is like Pokemon, I can think of no better antidote than to let them watch Princess Mononoke.

Trailer

Rule of Rose

2011-12-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Review by phatpat3352

Story:

This game has a very unique way of telling its story. Jennifer, the protagonist of the game, is given a story book about her at the beginning of the game. It is not yet complete; many of the pages are blank. As you progress through the game these pages are filled in. This is a very unique and creepy way of keeping track of what has transpired in the game thus far. It only keeps track of major story events but is still very unique and eerie. Also the game has pop up text windows that look like they come straight from a children's story book and tell you various things. These pop up windows tell you anything from what the item you just picked up was to describing Jennifer's current situation.

The story is mysterious to say the very least and creepy. It's dark, mysterious, and generally frightening characters and locations do well to keep you wondering what the hell is going on. The story revolves around a group of children who call themselves “The Red Crayon Aristocrats”. During the game you are basically given tasks to do by these children. If you don't do them the leader of the group treats to kill you. As you move through the game more and more Jennifer will begin to understand all the mysteries of the game. Where are the children's parents? Where are you? Why are you there? What do they want with you? How can you escape? Much more questions are revealed about Jennifer's past as well. The story is given to you in very small doses but enough to give you a craving for more.

Fun Factor:

Fun factor is the most important part of any game. From the start of the game you really get the idea that because of some very obvious errors in the games mechanics that you won't have as much fun playing this game as you would have had if those errors were not there. The controls are not perfect, in fact far from it, so that cuts into your ability to play easily and therefore makes the game less fun, at least for combat purposes.

The game runs much like the first Resident Evil or Silent Hill game. This is a good thing when it comes to fun factor. You run around looking for things to find as instructed by the “The Red Crayon Aristocrats”. “Rule of Rose” is very much a search out and find game, but all Jennifer wants to do is discovery exactly what is going on. Why is she being toyed with by these children? That is exactly how the entire game plays like. Searching dark hallways at various locations in the dark can really add to the appeal of the game. Information is given in such small doses it's hard to notice when it's given, but this only adds to your want to continue playing to find out more. It's like your personally exploring each place Jennifer goes to by yourself and has that same explorative appeal in the game.

The games level of fun does not really pick up until you get to the point in the game in which you have a dog companion join you on your quest. This occurs after the prologue of the game, which takes place in a different location than the bulk of the game does. At that point the game really picks up in fun. From that point on in the game you'll discover why this game is going to be my favorite Survival Horror game of the year. Though not much competitors out there for “Rule of Rose” it certainly would have wiped the floor with any had they come into the market. The ability to have your dog search out items for you is like having a whole new world of options open up in a game that had, up until that point, been very linier. This is a very exciting feeling, one that drives up the fun factor a tremendous amount. I remember reading about this ability in a review of the game prior to playing it and, while understanding what it was saying, I did not really get how much more fun that made the game. In that same since I know I cannot fully explain why this adds such fun to the game, it's just something you must experience on your own.

Atmosphere:

The Atmosphere is very much dark and gloomy within the game. Everything about the game has this same atmosphere. From the music in the background, to the locations that the game takes place in, this game has survival horror written all over it. I have not seen a game this dark and this gloomy in too long of a time. It helps set up the feeling of fright and mystery well. If it weren't for my being desensitized by the media at a young age I would have pissed my pants with many of the games scares; for they are cleaver and you don't see them coming.

Music / Sound:

As previously stated this games musical score, though not heavy in variety, does serve to set the dark mysterious mood well. I wish it had a bit more variety but at least it works with the game. I have seen many games that have music which does not work as well as “Rule of Rose's” does for it. Having inconsistent music, in terms of mood, in a game can ruin the experience a bit, but thankfully this game works with its music well. The sound effects are great as well. It has real sounds for the environment; meaning things sound like they would in reality. On top of that the random children giggling from what seems like nowhere is very eerie. Voices calling you from locations yet unknown, getting louder as you get nearer is also a very nice touch. I love how the sound was used for thrills and chills in the game as well as pronouncing discoveries. Other than wall collision sounds, like when you use a weapon against a wall, this games Music and Sound have almost nothing they are lacking in.

Game Play Mechanics:

This is where the game can get a bit rough around the edges. When it comes to moving you only have one option; running. This is not exactly a great touch. You'd think walking would be standard in a game this heavy in exploration as apposed to running from enemies. It feels like the game was rushed to store shelves, at least when it comes to controls.

Combat is where the game is at its worst. Horribly clumsy controls make for difficult battles with enemies that should be a piece of cake. You'll find your first battle frustrating enough, but when you encounter a group of enemies you'll wonder why Punchline, the creators of “Rule of Rose”, did not do a better job of the fighting controls. Jennifer, though she is a girl, attacks like one. She acts like swinging a weapon is horrifying all in itself. It adds to the difficulty of killing foes in a very negative way, which makes killing crowds of enemies nearly impossible without heavy damage. Her range with most of the weapons in the game is extremely short and makes for close range combat only. Close range combat in a game that has weak controls is just a not a good thing. For all of that bashing I will say that the controls are usable. It's not like you just can't do something's, because you can, it just takes a bit more effort than it should.

There is the absence of certain convenient features, like a button combo for turning around quickly. You will find yourself wishing certain control features from other games you might have played in the same genre were in this one. The controls are simple to a fault, that's it.

Graphics:

The graphics are extremely outdated as well unfortunately. Fortunately I don't feel graphics play much of an important role when it comes to what really matters in a game; fun factor. However, there are things that can be said. The graphics in this game are not quite this generation nor next. They don't utilize the Playstation 2's full capabilities and it is a shame. I love how they give the game a dingy old school film look to it but the graphics beneath it are just not up to today's par. The blood in the game is also badly done. It looks like the blood is coming from a red spray can instead of from the victim's body. The faces of the children and that of Jennifer are just not as detailed as they could have been in real time. However, the graphics are not all badly out dated; the cinema cut scenes are much more of what you would expect from today's games.

The ability to walk through your dog or enemies on the ground makes for a less real experience. So too does swinging your weapon at an enemy and watching it go through them instead of colliding with their flesh. Having half of Jennifer's body disappear inside a wall when you are near it is just plain funny. This is just pathetic in my opinion. Call me picky but I have just come to expect that those kinds of “glitches” in games were a thing of the past. I guess I was wrong. Graphically this game feels rushed to store shelves. Though it may sound like all of these graphical errors disturb me greatly, they are given a back seat to everything else that is so great about the game. The game more than makes up for its failing grade graphics.

Overall:

This game is really on par with the first Resident Evil or Silent Hill game. Seeing as how these two games launched some of the most beloved video game series of all time, that is a really big complement to this game. If they make a series out of this game I will be the first in line pre-ordering each of the new titles. It sets the stage for what could be a really kick ass series. Keep in mind however, this review was written before I beat the game. If the ending does not allow for a sequel then I'll have to hope for a prequel with better graphics. This game deserves recognition for its high fun factor and creepy mood matching music but also bashing for its mediocre graphics and clumsy controls. This game gets an Eight Star rating.

Ratings

Gameplay....7/10

Graphics......9/10

Story...........10/10

Sound..........7/10

Cosplay

Fatal Frame 4

2011-12-20T00:39:00.000-08:00

Review by Malek86

Tsukihami no Kamen (Fatal Frame 4: The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, or FF4 for short) marks the first time the Fatal Frame series approaches a Nintendo console, and exclusively at that. Nintendo themselves bought the right to publish this game on the Wii. Was it actually worth it? This could be the source of much debate, as this new chapter already has its fair share of detractors, as well as a number of fans.

Graphically, FF4 is more than decent. Doesn't look much different from the PS2 games, but then again, the PS2 games were pretty good in my opinion. This one adds more area details, the lighting seems a bit better, and you do get at least 480p and 16:9, but the difference is not huge by any means. All in all, I'll say the graphics are good. However, the same can't be said for the CG cutscenes - they look like someone compressed them at the lowest possible bitrate. Alright, that's an exaggeration, but they are worse than the previous games' for sure. Maybe Tecmo ran out of space on the disc, and in order not to use a double-layer, they just compressed the videos more? Another small problem is that framerate dips will often occur when entering a new room. Sure, it's no big deal... but once again, the previous games didn't have this problem, as far as I remember.

The sound department leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. In good tradition, music is scarce/absent, while ambient sounds are as creepy as ever. The voice actors did a good job, especially considering there seems to be a lot more talking than in previous games. Those who only played their PS2 will be happy to know that this time around, the game makes full use of Dolby Pro Logic II (the Xbox games already had DD5.1). Needless to say, a good surround system is recommended, especially for those bass sounds. Two thumbs up.

Story-wise, I won't say much. One of the problems in buying japanese games is that you can't understand the details. It does look pretty contrived, there are more pivotal characters around, and also a number of plot twists. They made a good job in keeping you interested to the flow of the story. You'll definitely want to see what happens next. So I think it's pretty good, and will probably be even better once I understand all the details.

Ah, the gameplay. First, I should note that many people initially expected the camera to be controlled by the pointer, but that's not the case. Instead, you control the camera with the analog stick on the Nunchuck, and then point it up and down by tilting the Wiimote (your torch also moves this way). It works relatively well, but the tilt recognition is not always precise. And now the main problem: this game is just too easy. Maybe because they tried to cater to the Wii audience or something? The previous games were easy too, but this one takes the cake for a number of reasons. Ghosts will almost always attack from your level, so you never need to look up or down. And there is a lock-on feature anyway, that assures you'll never miss a shot. Just to make things even easier, your attacks are now more powerful, even 07-films pack quite a punch. Did I mention that now ghosts can be pushed back by simple charged attacks? And there is even a shop where you can buy all sort of healing items with your points. What, what the heck is all that? Fatal Frame for dummies? Still, there are one or two difficult spots to keep things (a bit) balanced. The dolls-finding sidequest is a good addition - not a good addition, instead, is the need to lit items with your torch before you can see them. You know they are there because the filament goes blue, but will need to search around anyway, and sometimes it might take a while.... plain annoying. There are three plyable characters, and one of them fights with a torch rather than with the Camera, which is a nice diversion from the usual, but unfortunately, I think his chapters are the weakest ones. Overall, it's not really bad by any means, but I'm mostly bogged by the fact that Tecmo made it all so easy, because it also means it will become tedious at times.

The game offers the usual slew of extras to keep you playing after you've finished the story. Four difficulty modes, two endings, missions, unlockables, completing the ghosts lists... about the ghost list, there is a glitch in that you can't complete it. This also means you can't unlock everything. This is not what I expected from you, Tecmo. I can't believe no one found this during debugging. We can only hope it gets fixed (Nintendo has put a notice on their game site, so they know) for the western release.

As I said in the beginning, judging Fatal Frame 4 is not easy. On one hand there is an interesting story, a good technical department, some nice additions to the gameplay, and the whole game is scary enough. Fans of the series surely will be happy with this much. But on the other hand, the gameplay has been made too easy (a big no-no for me), the controls are spotty at times, some of the new additions are just annoying, it's not quite as scary as FF3, and the amount of small bugs (and some big, like being unable to complete the ghost list) and those framerate dips make me think the game was rushed out of the door before its time. In the end, it depends on what you're looking for: great atmosphere, or great gameplay? For me, it's a bit of both, although I'm leaning more toward the gameplay side. So I'm giving this one a 7... despite its many shortcomings, it's still decent fun, and with a good story. And if the western release gets fixed, it might even become a 7.5 overall.

Ratings

Gameplay....7/10

Graphics.....7/10

Story...........8/10

Sound.........9/10

Cosplay

Starcraft Archive

2011-12-19T00:20:00.000-08:00

The StarCraft Archive is an archive of the first four StarCraft novels: Uprising, Liberty's Crusade, Shadow of the Xel'Naga and Speed of Darkness.

Liberty's Crusade

Behind the attacks of the zerg and the protoss lies the story of a lifetime, and investigative reporter Mike Liberty is determined to uncover it. But every new piece of information only deepens the mystery. Thrown into the middle of a war that may determine the fate of humanity in the Koprulu sector, Liberty reports on the escalating conflict and wonders whom he can afford to trust.

Download Link

Shadow of the Xel'Naga

Bhekar Ro is a bleak, backwater world on the fringe of the Terran Dominion, and every day is a struggle to survive for the planet’s human colonists. Yet when a violent storm unearths an unfathomable alien structure, Bhekar Ro becomes the greatest prize in the Koprulu sector. Zerg, protoss and terran forces turn the planet into a bloody battlefield in their haste to claim the lost secrets of the most powerful species the universe has ever known.

Download Link

Speed of Darkness

All Ardo Melnikov ever dreamed of was living in peace on the verdant colony of Bountiful. That dream was shattered when the zerg attacked the colony and annihilated his loved ones. Now a marine charged with defending the worlds of the Terran Confederacy, he must come to terms with the painful memories of his past … and the unsettling truths that may dominate his future.

Download Link

Uprising

She is the Queen of Blades. Her name has become legend throughout the galaxy, and that legend is death for all who dare oppose the swarm. Nevertheless, Sarah Kerrigan was once human, and an extraordinary human at that. Forced to become one of the Terran Confederacy’s merciless psionic assassins, she carried out her orders without question until a twist of fate propelled her towards a destiny no one could have foreseen. This is the tale of Kerrigan’s shadowy origins—and the war that was fought for her very soul.

Download Link

Evangelion 3.0 Quickening

2011-12-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Evangelion: 3.0 "Evangelion New Theatrical Edition: Quickening") is an upcoming Japanese animated film directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki, and written by Hideaki Anno. It is the third of four films released in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy based on the original anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It will be produced and co-distributed by Hideaki Anno's Studio Khara, and will be released in Japanese theatres in Autumn 2012.

Evangelion: 3.0 was first previewed in a post-credits trailer following Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, continuing the story with Shinji and Rei still frozen within Unit-01, Tokyo-3 and the Geofront being abandoned, "NERV personnel [being] held in confinement," "Eva Unit-06 descend[ing] on Dogma," "the quickening Eva Unit-08 and its pilot," and the assembling of "the children chosen by fate." Among the images shown are the impaled Unit-01, Kaworu meeting with four shadowy figures, Gendo and Fuyutsuki in mountain climbing gear, Kaji angrily shouting while pointing a pistol at someone, Mari confronting Rei while three other Reis hide behind her, a private conference between Mari and an unknown person (whose name is crossed out), and a restored Asuka wearing an eyepatch. The trailer ends with the customary promise of more "fan service".
On August 26, 2011, following the television broadcast of Evangelion 2.02' You Can (Not) Advance, a 15-second teaser trailer was released, featuring footage of Asuka piloting the EVA:02'β in space and a release date in autumn of 2012.

Trailer 2

Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm

2011-12-18T00:11:00.000-08:00

Preview by Starcraft Wiki

Heart of the Swarm is a sequel to Wings of Liberty. Taking place in 2506, it focuses on Sarah Kerrigan and the development of a zerg empire.Kerrigan is no longer considered the Queen of Blades. Questions remain about why Kerrigan is no longer with Jim Raynor and whether her transformation has given her new purpose. More will be seen of the Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate.During the Invasion of Char, the zerg were recalled to Char, and were in route aboard leviathans when Kerrigan was deinfested. The broods aboard the leviathans died or scattered over the Koprulu Sector, according to Izsha.And the (temporary) absence of a leader for the Swarm opened way to rogue/dissident brood mothers, such as Za'gara.Following the battle, Kerrigan was transformed into a human form but still has some infested elements (such as her "dreadlocks") leaving open the question of how infested is she, and whether she had her original personality back. Kerrigan was taken by Jim Raynor and Valerian Mengsk to a lab while she tried to reform the Zerg Swarm in order to topple Arcturus Mengsk.

A Terran Dominion task force led by Nova Terra attacked the lab, seeking Kerrigan. Raynor was also there, fighting and attempting to protect Kerrigan. Meanwhile, General Horace Warfield's forces are attempting to purge Char.One of Kerrigan's goals is to reunify and enhance the swarm before dealing with Arcturus Mengsk. She has to make hard choices over the course of the campaign—she's on the run in a sense and will have to defend against herself against other races due to her past as the Queen of Blades.She is amnesic, and unsure of her place in regards to her subordinates..

More emphasis will be placed on mission cutscenes than Wings of Liberty in regards to conveying backstory, such as information about the zerg.Location-wise, Heart of the Swarm is intended to show more exotic locales than the ones featured in Wings of Liberty—no "farm areas" for instance. Ideas for locations include gas giants, frozen and hot worlds, places where the zerg were first formed and Dominion labs.Concept art shown at BlizzCon 2010 depicts a (number of) jungle settings.

New Units

There will be new multiplayer units for each of the three playable races. As of October 2011, Blizzard has shown some of the new artwork. Blizzard is planning on new units or major fixes to existing units.The development team intends to create mutations of popular units from StarCraft lore that allow the player to feel that they're mutating and evolving your Swarm. Creatures seen, but never previously controlled are intended to be playable as well Units may be removed from multiplayer and replaced. Not all races will be given equal treatment in regards to unit additions/removals. It is Blizzard's intention to enhance the uniqueness of each playable species in regards to gameplay and to avoid redundancy.

According to Dustin Browder, the terrans have "enough stuff already" and as such, it is difficult to know what to do with them. Terrans are more flexible in multiplayer than the zerg or protoss and the team doesn't want to add units/unit properties that increase this trend.Still, Blizzard is planning on de-nerfing the reaper. At BlizzCon 2011, three new terran units were revealed—the warhound, the shredder and the battle hellion.Notable changes will be made to the thor and battlecruiser as well.

At BlizzCon 2011, the viper and swarm host were added to the Swarm, while the overseer was confirmed to be removed from multiplayer.Prior to this, numerous ideas have been tossed around—the lurker is a possibility but has not been confirmed and a different unit may be created to take the role the lurker once had. At BlizzCon 2010, the infested bunker was touted as a possible campaign unit. Concept art indicates the presence of another new zerg unit.Browder is open to the idea of the defiler being playable in the campaign, but is more reserved about the devourer.Significant changes will be made to ultralisks and banelings as well.
The protoss will gain three new units—the oracle, the replicant and the tempest,while the mothership and carrier will be removed from multiplayer games. The nexus will gain new abilities as well.

Heart of the Swarm is expected to have about 20 missions, and in much of the world will be priced as an expansion. It will require an installed version of Wings of Liberty to play. The campaign operates similarly to an RPG, in which Kerrigan is focused on increasing her personal power through mutations. Zerg armies protect her as she garners this power. The greater her power, the more zerg she's able to control. Like Wings of Liberty, the player will be presented with choices as to which missions to carry out and which units to get, but such choices won't be based on cash. Both the missions and their objectives are intended to be quite different from the ones featured in Wings of Liberty. She will instead worry about evolving the Swarm.Kerrigan can increase her stats in a manner similar to Warcraft III, but not to the same extent.

According to Dustin Browder "Kerrigan will appear on almost every map in Heart of the Swarm. Unlike Raynor, Kerrigan is a creature of power that leads her army from the front, smashing aside siege tanks and destroying battlecruisers with her psionic abilities. And unlike Wings of Liberty, the mission isn’t over if she dies. Kerrigan will be able to revive at the nearest hatchery if she is killed, allowing you to use her aggressively against your enemies."

Kerrigan initially starts out looking very human and armed with a gun, though she can control zerg forces. The player can choose one of four "battle focus" for Kerrigan before each mission. Each battle focus allows Kerrigan to have a certain set of special abilities.

She can increase different aspects of her own power, such as "spec-op" or "corruption." About the "hive-evolution" mechanic Dustin Browder said "we are trying to focus the player on finding new DNA from exotic and strange creatures around the sector so that you really feel like the key to zerg success is finding and infesting the immense, deadly monsters that live on the most savage planets in the galaxy." It is intended that the choices of unit type/evolution by less clear-cut than in Wings of Liberty, with different options being equally viable.

The campaign will feature a branched storyline structure.Each planet will give access to multiple missions. Three missions are called War for the Brood, Silence their Cries and Shoot the Messenger.The set pieces will alter in accordance with planet and the results of missions. It is intended that the missions strike a balance in regards to foes, with terrans, zerg, and protoss getting equal limelight.Browder expects that it will take the average player 20 or fewer hours to complete the campaign. Many hybrids will appear in the campaign as opponents to Kerrigan.

The missions of the game are intended to have a different feel than those in Wings of Liberty. In the first game of the trilogy, the zerg were rarely engaged directly and instead, it was about Raynor side-stepping them while completing his objectives. In Heart of the Swarm, the missions are more offensive in nature, such as preventing anyone from escaping an invaded planet.

Mini-missions will be available when a unit split is available. The mission will allow the player to use both types of units, enabling the player to make an educated choice by the end of it. There are 14 or so short skirmishes far from the standard missions. In one example, zerglings can be upgraded into raptors by absorbing the genetics of leaping creatures, while the alternative is to listen to a queen on a remote world who has developed swarmlings.This is a change from the old mutagen system of evolution, which developers felt was too similar to the system of upgrades in Wings of Liberty.

During the campaign, players can use the Destruction of Worlds mechanic to add a planet's resources to the Swarm's own resources.This evolves the swarm, not individual units. Old brood mothers will contact Kerrigan, wanting to rejoin the Swarm. Izsha will identify worlds to destroy, each of which gives a benefit. For instance, one might enable drones to harvest more minerals, or give overlords more control.\On the subject of worlds, several exotic ones will feature, driving home how the zerg use the harsh conditions of worlds to further their own evolution. It is intended that character lines will be altered slightly based on context—not new scenes, but ones that will be contextually appropriate.

Blizzard does not expect to release Heart of the Swarm in 2011. As of March 2011 Dustin Browder expected Heart of the Swarm to finish development in approximately one year.As of July 2011, the first part of the campaign (including cutscenes) has been completed.

Trailer

Halo Reach

2011-12-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Review by sonofkorol

In 2001 Bungie undertook one of the most formidable challenges in the video game industry: make a blockbuster series. With the launch of "Halo: Combat Evolved" they began a trip of epic proportions that took the hero of the series, the Master Chief, hopping around the galaxy fighting the alien threat known as the Covenant while trying to stop the alien parasites, the Flood. Though the trilogy technically ended with Halo 3, Bungie knew they had one last thing to do. Make the game everyone would be talking about for decades. And so they planned Halo: Reach. The game takes place before "Halo: Combat Evolved" and, as prequel, rounds up the loose ends created by the Halo trilogy. Into the mix of the story they had been planning since the beginning, they decided to put in everything the fans wanted. Every multiplayer and co-operative game mode was to be there, a culmination of all things Halo. This truly was to be, as many critics say, Bungie's swansong. Their last hurrah. And boy, did they deliver. Hopefully this review will help explain why Halo: Reach is everything any first-person-shooter fan could possibly want, and more.

Story: “Folks need heroes”

Unlike some FPS games, Reach truly gets you involved in the story. You are the new guy on an elite team of Spartan super soldiers known as Noble Team. Your goal is to investigate why things start to be going to hell on the Earth-ish human world of, you guessed it, Reach.

Once you discover the Covenant are on Reach, things spiral out of control, sending not only your playable character, but the entire team, into turmoil. The campaign takes you from the ground to skyscrapers to the sky into ships and even into space. Gone are the days of running from point A to point B, and here are the days of completing missions that vary in methods, enemies, and tactics. The world is truly the FPS fans' oyster as you run, shoot, drive, and fly your way into history to defend the human race from the Covenant.

Along the way you'll be on the edge of your seat, laughing, gritting your teeth... Hell you might even tear up a little. This is truly the emotional thrill ride every FPS game should be, and it all begins with the game's absolutely stunningly woven story.

Gameplay: “If they came to hear me beg”

This game plays like all of the other games, but new editions take this game past awesome into the realm of epicness. First of all, you get to assassinate stuff. Not just hitting them in the back of the head. Oh no. Now if you hold the melee button behind a Spartan or a Covenant, the camera pans out and you get to see a full animation of you making your enemy die. Snapping their neck, stabbing them... It's all there in perfect detail. It's brilliant!

Second, there's all the new ordinance. New vehicles like the Falcon helicopter/plane hybrid, the Rocket-Hog, and the Covenant Revenant mini-tank. You also get handheld toys like the DMR (designated marksman rifle), the Target Locator (calls down an orbital strike on a designated area, or the Needle Rifle (Needler + DMR). THere's tons more, but I think you get the idea. There's lots of new guns and gear. And it's all absolutely awesome.

Finally come the armor abilities. In campaign you can pick up armor abilities that make your Spartan have a special ability: sprinting, active camo, armor lock (like a crazy shield that can also emit an EMP), jetpack, hologram (makes a clone of yourself that goes where you tell it), medic shield (temporary bubble shield that also heals you), and the Elite-only Evade. In multiplayer, when you respawn, you get to choose a loadout (covered later) with the ability you want in it. Knowing when and where to use which abilities is one of the major skills you need to learn to be a great player in Reach.

Multiplayer:“Game, set, match”

Here is where the game shines. Sure there are some common playlists from Halo 3 missing (for now) such as SWAT (at least as it's own playlist), but we get Team Slayer and Big Team Battle and Capture the Flag, all that good stuff! No need to go on much further because really, you all know what's going to be there.

Into the mix also comes the return of Firefight from Halo ODST, where a team of Spartans staves of wave after wave of Covenant for as long as humanly possible. Each wave gets more and more difficult, and you only have so many lives and health packs to keep you vertical. Truly the challenge of all challenges. We also get the new Invasion mode. In simple terms, one team defends and one attacks at a time in a three-stage round. The attacking team has to capture control points from the defenders to score a point and get a vehicle/weapon drop to advance to the second phase. The second phase requires pushing deeper into enemy territory and capturing two more control points. If they get this far, the attackers get a heavy ordinance drop that gives them a Scorpion tank or a Falcon to play with, because they'll need it. Their goal is now to push into the heart of the defender's base to capture a power core, then get out and all the way to a drop off point with the core to win the round. Each phase also adds more loadouts which the player selects to give them a certain armor ability along with weapons to go with it, which get better each phase.

Graphics: "Keep it clean"

This game is stunningly detailed. Inside houses there are breakable bottles, mini propane tanks to blow up, clothes on the ground, it's all there. And for the first time there is indigenous wildlife! There's bizarre animals (both friendly and not so friendly) that you will encounter during the campaign. In one of the multiplayer maps there's even koi in a pond that swim around (and you can shoot and kill).

The explosions are amazing, the cinematics are jaw-dropping... This game is a feast for the eyes, especially in high-definition. It's just staggering how awesome this game looks. You can't really explain it. You just have to experience it.

Sound:“Send me out... With a bang”

Marty O'Donnell is back to give the soundtrack of all soundtracks. Guitar riffs, piano scores, a full orchestra, booming drums... It's all there to set the tone for every level in the game. It truly sets the mood for every part of the story of the game and keeps you hooked.

It is honestly one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.The sound effects are brilliant too, from reloading guns to explosions, to the armor abilities.

One of the best ways to tell if an enemy is by you in multiplayer is to hear them breathing heavily while sprinting. Now THAT'S detail.The voice acting is brilliant, using less known voice actors so that it's more believable a story. Even the Covenant sound awesome, their incoherent ramblings eery and just plain awesome.
Of course the epic announcer is back too to yell “DOUBLE KILL” and “SLAYER” and new stuff like “CORE CAPTURED.”
Not really much else to say about sound. It's awesome, let's just leave it at that.

Extras:“Wake up buttercup”

Armory! OMG the Armory. In the armory players can use credits earned in campaign and multiplayer to purchase the armor of their dreams. Helmets, shoulders, chest pieces, knee guards, visor colors, even armor effects like engulfing your head in lightning.

Along with customizing your player's emblem and armor colors, you can also buy firefight voices that include all of Noble Team as well as the extremely expensive voices of Cortana, Sergeant Johnson, and even the Master Chief himself.

The easter eggs are outstanding in this game. There's funny ones like the Covenant dance party of Grunts and Brutes, and downright fun ones like “Reach Racer,” a hidden racing mini game. Who knows what else people wil find. It looks like there's all sorts of hidden stuff in the game.

Also there is Forge mode making it's return from Halo 3, where the creative can build their own maps, including in the epicly massive Forge World. In this particularly map there is a ton of different terrains as well as hundreds of objects, weapons, vehicles, scenery, and all sorts of other fun stuff to make the map of your dreams. Sure, it takes a long time to make an awesome map, but it really is worth the effort.

Bungie really gave us more than just an awesome game. They really are giving Halo fans a game to thank them for being their for the whole trip.

Conclusion:“Blaze of Glory”

This game raises the bar so high it's unbelievable. I'd hate to be the FPS that tries to take down Reach. Bungie is bringing out new playlists soon and all sorts of new stuff to make the game even more amazing. That really says how dedicated they are to the Halo series and its fans.

Sure, Bungie is done making Halo games, the series passed to another developer. But they left the game that is the culmination of their efforts. Everything they have created has been put together and polished into a game that is simply amazing. It's sad that this may be the end, but really, if you leave one of the best games ever as your last game, who cares? We'll all be playing this for many years to come anyways.

Ratings

Gameplay...10/10

Graphics.....8/10

Story..........9/10

Sound........10/10

Witcher 2

2011-12-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

RatingsReview by Marcus444

The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings is the highly anticipated PC slugger from Polish developers CD Projekt Red. Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's dark fantasy universe, The Witcher 2 continues the quest of Geralt, mutant monster hunter and unwitting tool for bickering politicians. Built on brand new hardware and adapting modern design sensibilities, The Witcher 2 maintains the original game's branching story arcs with tight, challenging gameplay. RPG developers take note, The Witcher 2 is how a sequel should be made: improve upon an old formula without completely alienating the fans that supported you.

The Witcher 2 takes place in a dark fantasy world modeled after Eastern European mythology rife with political conflict and inter-species racism. Geralt of Rivia, part of a race and sect of mutant monster hunters called witchers, is implicated for regicide in the wake of royal murders. Escaping from prison, Geralt goes on a quest to clear his name while coming to terms with his past after being inflicted with amnesia from an experience that nearly killed him long ago. Nothing is ever simple in The Witcher's universe; what's supposed to be an easy manhunt is muddied by the meddling of power hungry politicians, violent racial tensions between humans and nonhumans, and the ambitions of greedy men that bring suffering to thousands. By the end of this quest, the gap between Sapkowski's books and the game's canon is filled while leaving room for continued adventures within the gritty universe.

As with the first game, The Witcher 2's world is painted in shades of gray. Your choices have delayed impact with whole quest threads changing based on seemingly minor actions made hours ago. There are no "good" or "evil" choices: no 'save the orphans or burn them all' scenarios found in poorer stories. In the first thirty minutes you can duel a traitorous lord to the death or convince him to surrender to save the life of his disillusioned troops. If he dies, his mother betrays her lineage by allying with conniving rivals to ensure her family's survival. If he lives, the proud-but-beaten lord restores his honor by saving Geralt and sacrificing himself to deal a catastrophic blow to his enemy.

If The Witcher makes you feel uncomfortable, that's because the writers have done their job. From start to finish you're fed a mature tale with well-rounded characters and suspenseful scenarios. CDP Red have gone to great lengths to constantly provide something exciting to engage the player's emotions without resorting to horrible cliches or dramatic pitfalls like the throne warming Big Bad Evil Guy or the groan worthy troubled villain-turned-anti-hero. Your allies are tragic heroes with their vices and virtues such as the merciless-but-loyal special operative Vernon Roche or Dandelion, a bard, spy, and lover who stands by Geralt through thick and thin. The villains aren't the wicked overlords or omnipotent demigods seen in other games. You'll tangle with disillusioned warriors-turned-political-terrorists and petty lords who condemn their subjects to death to further their own goals. The Witcher 2 rivals a good fantasy novel (obvious given its pedigree) and bares a few stylistic similarities to HBO's excellent rendition of George R.R. Martin's the political fantasy thriller Game of Thrones. The Witcher 2 puts its competition to horrible shame.

Dispensing with the repetitive top-down, time based combat of the first game The Witcher 2 adopts a more action oriented approach. Unlike other RPG titles that have attempted the same (you likely know who I refer to), the combat doesn't vapidly attempt to appeal to a wider audience. Taking direct inspiration from Demon's Souls and Batman: Arkham Asylum, the battle system is a solo affair that demands liberal use of magic, traps, bombs, and enhancing potions to succeed on all but "easy" difficulty. Positioning is important with flank attacks dealing 200% extra damage; this factor combined with the lack of invincible frames while dodge rolling and staggering blows make it possible for groups of enemies to stun lock and juggle you to death within seconds. Even at high levels with the best equipment low level enemies en masse can rock your world. The mouse-look is unfortunately floaty, with Geralt sometimes targeting the wrong enemies based on camera position, and configuring controls is nearly impossible without some .ini editing although the document is laid out clearly. Until you understand the intricacies of your options, you'll be dying a lot; those of you with little patience or slow fingers have been warned. Kudos to anyone who completes the game on Insane mode which erases your saves upon death.

The large skill tree, spread across four branches, allows you to improve Geralt's general training, combat, alchemy, and magic by spending talent points earned through experience. The five magical abilities (six at a later point) all play a pivotal role in your success, particularly quen which creates a damage absorbing barrier and prevents the almost-always-fatal staggering you'll suffer in group fights. On the alchemical side, you can collect resources to craft the enhancing potions or damaging bombs. Craftsmen can help you create traps and equipment with the proper schematics and material in tow. The crafting is fairly in-depth with dozens of unique weapons, armor pieces, and enhancements providing a plethora of options for those inclined to explore it. Pressing a specific key activates Geralt's wolf talisman which helpfully highlights important objects in the area and makes searching simple. The user interface in general feels clunky and slow with noticeable mouse lag and important tool tips covering each other or overloading the screen. With no onscreen cursor, highlighting small objects is more difficult than it should be. The actual process of drinking potions is baffling as the player is forced to meditate, an action requiring Geralt to be in a relatively safe area as you watch an unskippable animation of Geralt slowly drinking his concoctions. It's an odd decision decision when you consider that in the first game Geralt could drink at any point by simply selecting the item. One could say this is done for balance reasons the timer on your potions is always ticking whether you're in conversation or watching a cinematic. It's minor nitpicks like these that keep the game from perfection but they're easily fixed in the future and don't detract majorly from the experience.

Graphically, The Witcher 2 is drop dead gorgeous. With a comparatively small budget compared to other "triple-A" titles (10-15 million USD compared to a 2010 analysis of 25 million average with 40-50 million for "AAA" multi-plat games), CDP Red have crafted a blazing fast engine that produces visuals which rival the juggernauts of the industry and rare loading screens. You need a beast of a computer to run the game on ultra but with a few .ini tweaks and some of the more resource heavy options turned on my cheap $600 computer got consistent 30 frames per second with few dips in crowded scenes. Sapkowski's brutal fantasy world is realized with intricately modeled characters, horrific monsters, and picturesque landscapes. The attention to detail is immaculate; flies swarm around the butcher's meat, towering obelisks to ancient civilizations lie ruined in the overgrown wilderness, people run for cover in the rain, blood splatters convincingly, and Geralt's disfiguring scars are so detailed you can make out the individual bite marks on his shoulders. This is a world you could reach out and touch but remember to wipe the grime from your fingers afterward.

The audio succeeds on the same level as the visuals. Learning their lesson from the first game, CDP Red have gone out of their way to enhance the performance of their actors. Geralt retains his stoic disposition and metallic voice but months of playing a politician's pawn have made him sarcastic and bitter. Principle characters are finely acted while unimportant NPCs are believable in their delivery or have a specific quirk they vocalize in passing. Children chase after Geralt in the streets, women comment on the size of his "sword," rough and tumble men curse you behind your back, and housewives lament the increasing prices of goods as war looms. The music is typical fantasy with heavy percussion and woodwinds but carries with it a somber inflection. At times mellow and other times heart pumping, the music perfectly compliments the atmosphere and setting.

The Witcher 2 isn't without its problems but they're nitpicks vastly overshadowed by everything the game does right. The main quest is short compared to other RPGs, lasting around 20 solid hours (add about 5-10 hours if you're thorough), but the experience is a thrill ride from beginning to end. Because there are two entirely exclusive paths that branch into their own unique parts coalescing into one of 16 different endings, the replay value is high. You cannot see everything in the first play nor the second or arguably the third. Unlike other RPGs, there is no filler here; The Witcher 2 is a full-course serving that will be remembered as a classic title for years. For $50 you're getting a real deal: this is PC roleplaying at its finest. Witness this, pretenders: CDP Red shows how you make a real action-RPG.

Ratings

Gameplay....7/10

Graphics.....9/10

Story..........10/10

Sound.........9/10

Battlefield 3 ( PC, PS3, XBOX 360)

2011-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Review by EatThisNx

Battlefield 3 is the follow in the trilogy of the series and is meant to compete against one of the most successful first person shooters of this generation. Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3. As I've played this game I have observed aspects of the game and I will share my opinion of this game WITHOUT comparing it to Mw3 because it isn't fair to compare this game to it.

Graphics: Using frostbite technology, Battlefield 3 paints a picture of high intense debris, spectacular explosives, and destruction. The graphics of the game are very detailed especially combining the downloadable hd content provided on the disk. The graphics are very realistic and provide a interesting war zone. The graphics step up very high compared to its predecessor Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam. and BBC2V was a very detailed game. However I would say that some of the guns are a bit blocky but that doesn't take away from the beautiful environments set in this game.

Sound: In most FPS games sound is generally just guns, footsteps, and explosions. Here battlefield 3 is no exception. However Battlefield 3 has I think the most distinctive sound and the best sound (hands down) to come from an FPS game. The sound best replicates a war zone and all sound is satisfying to here. The echo is fantastic, bullet effects are spot on, and it gives you quite a thrill when you heard tiny footsteps come up right behind you...

Single Player Campaign: The campaign has drastically changed compared to the predecessor in terms of style and ideas. The campaign is told in 2 time frames compared to it being sequential in BC2. The first time frame take place as a interrogation prior to the events that unfold after. The second frame is the actual live events that happened. The interrogation is a questioning of a soldier who is in a connection of a terrorist plot that is suppose to happen that "day" in New York. The person interrogating him will release him if he cooperates and provides information of that situation. In terms of actually playing the game I do have some beef with it. As you play and progress the campaign you will find that there are a lot of annoyances and turn offs in the campaign. The campaign is rather generic and isn't very creative in terms of telling the story or the player interacting with the environment as much as I hoped. Teammates get in your way while shooting and a "Friendly Fire will not be tolerated" message will appear and if you shoot them to much by accident you will restart at your last checkpoint. This really ticks me off especially since I truly do not intend to shoot my own squad. The button pressing reaction I believe does not cut it in this kind of a game. It ruins the tempo and pace of a rather slower than typical fps game and making it slower doesn't make it any better. Another disappointment is the controlling of the plane. The only part you can control is the gunner which is relatively easier than flying the plane for those of us that wanted a challenge.

I think this campaign was heading in the general good direction and I know that in the future Dice will perfect there approach and formula will this games campaign and make it better. They applied several good aspects into the game and all they really need to do it is patch up things.

Multilayer/CO-OP
In terms of things you can play, there isn't that much to do. You have your typical rush and conquest which is objective based games and your Team Death match. I think that DICE should have added more modes and categories of play, such as CTF or some version of Juggernaut. Heck they could have added a variation of tag where 1 person is a zombie and the humans have to work together in order to not get infected. I think that the maps could have been improved as well.

Some of the maps I believe are meant for 60+ players but are only filled with 20 people. I don't think this enough variety of maps and some maps definitely feel to empty. In terms of gameplay, I think its what the fans and gamers would buy this game for. The gameplay style is superb and is a solid formula; similar to the previous games. There are 4 types of classes which all have there special abilities such as the Engineer which has the ability to repair vehicles for the pilots. Leveling is based on experience and assisting your team, whether it be killing enemies or assisting them by healing. As you level you gain different abilities and weapons that could be used by customizing your character and letting your style of play run wild. Gameplay here will make you want to play that extra hour, over and over again.

Over I believe that Battlefield 3 has taken some risky roads but when they make the next battlefield, the formula will be improved and the turnoffs will be turnons. Over I believe that Battlefield 3 is a buy-worthy game with its amazing sound and graphics with its decent campaign and multiplayer.

Ratings

Gameplay....10/10

Graphics.....10/10

Story...........7/10

Sound.........10/10

Dead or Alive 5 (PS3, XBOX 360)

2011-12-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

Preview by Wesley Ruscher

this year's Tokyo Game Show, Team Ninja finally revealed that their fabled fighting franchise -- known for its fatal females and potent physics -- was returning, with Dead or Alive 5 (DOA5). Almost six years have passed since the previous game and, with that, former lead designer, ex-head of Team Ninja, Tomonobu Itagaki has long since left the prestigious game developer.
A lot of time has passed, bringing forth a lot of change, but it's within these obstacles that the series for the first time feels as if it is seeing a proper evolution in design, rather than just an aesthetics upgrade. The focus for DOA5 is creating "fighting entertainment" and after going hands-on with the game's first playable demo (a roughly 15 percent build) it's fairly easy to see that Team Ninja is achieving that goal.

During the teaser trailer at TGS, DOA staples Ryu Hayabusa and Hayate battled it out, in a highly cinematic duel, on the rooftop of a bustling city highrise amongst the night sky. The action was fast, filled with electrifying effects, and culminated with Hayate unleashing a furious attack that sent Hayabusa tumbling to the ledge of the crumbling rooftop. It was an amazing spectacle and one that showcased the imagination behind Team Ninja's new direction. But as amazing as it was to watch, creating this sort of bat-sh@t insanity is even more satisfying.

In showcasing DOA5, Team Ninja unveiled its next two fighters: femme fatale Hitomi -- who made her debut in DOA3 -- and legendary kunoichi, Ayane. Along with Hayabusa and Hayate, I was able to take each fighter for a stroll in the stage that starred in the TGS trailer. Though it's been quite some time since I've dabbled with the DOA series, each character felt very similar to their DOA4 incarnates. The same attack, guard/counter, throw system is in place and outside of a new attack called the "Power Blow" not much has been altered within the basics of DOA's fighting system.

To me, this is not a bad thing. I have always enjoyed the way the game forces players to use diverse tactics to succeed in combat. Those who tend to mash the same combinations over and over, are generally easily picked apart from seasoned veterans who understand the fine balance of countering high, middle, and low attacks. And while DOA5 feels the same at its core, it's in the game's new Power Blow technique that DOA is able to open up into a much more grandiose, over-the-top, roller coaster ride.

With a simple tap of either the RB or R1 button (Xbox 360 or PS3) this new attack is unleashed. The crazy attack that Hayate unfurls at the end of the TGS trailer is actually, this devastating attack landing. What makes this attack so special is -- besides dealing greater damage in highly cinematic style -- is it actually gives the user the ability to direct the trajectory of the impact. DOA has always had impressive, expansive stages -- complete with different levels and destructible environments -- but navigating to see all the sights has always, proven difficult to accomplish in the heat of battle.

This is where the Power Blow comes in. Once connected, the player has a brief moment to decide exactly where on the battleground they want to launch their opponent. In the rooftop stage players could guide their opponent into generators, off the side of the building to the streets below, and eventually head-on into an oncoming car. By far the most dynamic environmental hazard was when a player was knocked off the side of the building. When this event is triggered the, players are thrust into a sort of impromptu QTE event. The falling player has a quick chance to grab the ledge( with a quick button press), then quickly try to predict the oncoming strike from their opponent. Success leads in a block, or perhaps an evasion, but failure leads to an even more devastating attack.

With the ability to control the flow of the fight, the Power Blow -- more so than ever -- makes each environmental hazards a strategical component in battle. For those wondering, while the Power Blow is simple to execute, it is also as easy to counter when used as a singular strike. The key to its success will be in incorporating the deadly drive into combinations -- which at the moment is fairly challenging due to the moves slow start-up animation.

Finally, I wanted to touch on the sense of presence, within each character, that Team Ninja i s looking to build in DOA5. The series has always exemplified beauty -- from its stunning backdrops to its more buxom babes --but it's the finer touches that make each fighter seem more involved this time around. Sweat and dirt glisten and cover each fighter during the coarse of a fight. And while not groundbreaking technology, it adds certain "charisma" -- something Team Ninja hopes to accomplish in creating DOA's "fighting entertainment." -- to each character, as the feel more invested in each battle.
Dead or Alive 5 is slated to come out sometime next year. There is a lot of competition for Team Ninja's return to the fighting world, but after getting a chance to give the game a brief run, my thumbs are feverishly twitching for more insane action. What remains to be seen though, is whether the rest of the gaming community is ready to give this series another ride. Regardless, one thing is certain, Dead or Alive is back!

Trailer

Cosplay

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

2011-12-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Review by horror-spooky

When I awkwardly rented this game, I didn't really know what to expect (though the strange piercing glares from the people working at the video store did upset me) since I didn't play the original game for the Xbox. When I popped the game in, however, I couldn't stop laughing at how unbelievably stupid it was. That isn't a bad thing, the game's stupidity gives it a charm that you don't really see in much other games.
The game is designed for many play-throughs as the many DOA vixens, but you always have to watch the beginning AMV which is really annoying especially since you can go through a vacation with a single girl in half an hour or less.
Some of the odder people out there will buy the game because they find the girls to be attractive (I really don't see what's so sexy about video game characters, but whatever). Many things about the character modules are done pretty well like the objects rarely go through their bodies like most games and they look relatively life-like, but their breasts just bounce like crazy! This is probably the most amusing part of the game. You don't have a soul if you don't start laughing when you see a chick standing perfectly still but her breasts are flopping around like two fish out of water.

Money is a big factor in DOA Extreme 2 and it is used to buy accessories for your girl of choice, buy presents for the other girls on Zack Island, buy jet-skis or buy tickets for the mini-games available to play on Zack Island. Money, however, is pretty hard to come by especially when you have such a short time to collect money. The days within the game are also very short, which really means there is almost no way you can make money (unless you get lucky at the casino).

Getting to be friends with the other girls is a major factor of gameplay, but a very annoying one. It is nearly impossible to become friends with more than one girl at a time, no matter how many presents you send to either party. Unfortunately, this problem really holds the game back.

Volleyball and jet-ski races are the two main mini-games present in DOA Extreme 2. I found volleyball to actually be entertaining and exciting, but other times it just felt broken because I didn't really feel like I had much control of what kind of hits my vixen of choice made. The jet-ski races, on the other hand, are probably the best part of the game. Sadly, turning on the jet-ski is nearly impossible and the stunts that you can do on them are too limited to make much of an impact after multiple play-throughs. Disappointingly, getting enough money to buy a new jet-ski before your vacation ends is also one of the most impossible feats in a video game that I have ever experienced.

Other mini-games are also available like butt-battles which consists of two girls hitting one another with their rear-ends to knock the other off a small platform in the pool. Winning a butt-battle is nearly impossible since the vixen you're playing almost is always able to dodge your…eh…push. Another mini-game involving knocking the other person into the pool is tug-of-war, but this is so amazingly easy that it's pathetic. Platform-hopping is also available, but this mini-game felt broken and not really consistent with what you have to do. Beach flag was one of the mini-games that actually found relatively entertaining because it was a contest of button-mashing, which I usually enjoy. One of my favorite mini-games was the water slide which had me on the floor laughing because it's just funny watching a DOA girl get sucked off a fifty-foot slide. It sounds cruel…but seriously, it's funny.

Relaxing at the pool or the beach is another option available to the player in DOA 2 Extreme. However, you can actually get sunburned. No, seriously…you can get sunburned. So, put on that freaking sunscreen! If you have a camera equipped, you can take pictures of your DOA vixen to keep as “memories” to show your little perverted friends…but I don't think you'd want your friends to call you weird for enjoying a video game chick (unless your friends are into that kind of thing, too…*stares blankly*).

Like I mentioned earlier, you can go to the casino, but only at night. At the casino, you can play blackjack, slots, etc. Just like in real life, the chances of you winning are very slim unless you're playing blackjack, which I actually found winnable. If you need some extra cash for a new bikini for your DOA vixen of choice, the casino is probably the best bet since getting money via the mini-games is practically impossible.
I found the attempt at a story-line to be pathetic and stupid, especially since Zack is probably the worst villains of all time. Also, it makes you wonder how smart the DOA girls are when they fall for Zack's trick to come back to the island. Who would host a Dead or Alive tournament on his freaking island?

The character modules were top-notch and the environments all looked decently done, but some of the items available to buy looked poorly put-together graphically. The sky also looks like it was painted above everybody. This is a shame since a game that really doesn't have that much to it could have had much better graphics.
One of the best annoying soundtracks in a video game ever is present in DOA Extreme 2. Many weak pop songs are present, but some of these are (and I'm ashamed of this) good. However, if you don't like pop music, you'll probably find yourself turning the volume ALL the way down to get away from it.
Many play-throughs are available in DOA Extreme 2 since each vacation is unbelievably short. Sure, the game is very broken but it is slightly addicting trying to master all the mini-games.

Whether you're a fan of DOA or not, you should rent this title even if it's just for the laughs of playing something so hilariously stupid. However, you might want to avoid the strange glances from everyone around you when they find out you're playing this title.

Ratings

Gameplay....5/10

Graphics.....10/10

Story...........4/10

Sound.........8/10

Trailer

Cosplay

Anime Winter 2011-2012

2011-12-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the winter season with new anime season to warm up the icy temperature....
A new ova of blackrock shooter is around the clock along with a new season of Natsume Yuujin chou and the finale of zero no tsukaima

Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)

2011-12-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Review by Auron255

Since the beginning of the Final Fantasy series, there have been several changes made to the battel system, the worlds, the technology seen in the game, the time period, but never has there been such an overhaul to the Final Fantasy series, as there is in this direct sequel to FFX, Final Fantasy X-2. There are a lot of skeptics behind this game, and they all want to see it fail miserably, but let me tell you, that you have nothing to fear, because what you once thought was a cheap get rich quick scheme to rip of Charlie's Angels, it presents an interesting way to show you just how much the women Final Fantasy characters can kick as much ass the male characters.

Many people thought this game was going to ooze with cheezyness, and that the story would be uninspiring. They were wrong, partly. The game does dish out it's fair share of cheese, but it's toungue and cheek with teeny bopper mood this game sets. The story starts out with Yuna toting her new duds, which many have appropriately named, the "Yuna Raider" outfit. At first it seems out of place, but its more intertwined with the dress sphere system that you'll hear about later on. Yuna, with her Al Bhed cousin Rikku, and newcomer Paine (pronounced Pain in the NA version), are part of a Sphere hunting tribe, whom also just so happen to come across a sphere, with a static image of who she thinks is her long lost love Tidus.

This game follows the exploits of these three women, and only these tree women, as Yuna and her sidekicks go on a long journey to seek out Tidus, whom they believe is still dwelling in Spira. Its a combonation of the old plus the new, since you'll see several familiar places in this game, including some places that have been revamped since the attacks from Sin in the previous game, FFX. Wakka, Lulu, and Kimarhi all make returning cameos, and add just a little bit of FFX nostalgia and humour to the game, which lets you know it's in the same vein as FFX. You'll soon encounter Le Blanc, a woman who is part of a rival group, but is also a master at being your personal rival, who you will fight several times. Also, you'll come across new friends, new enemies, and the return of the Dark Aeons is rather brooding. As you progress, the story gets suprisingly deep, since you wouldn't expect so much from a game with an up beat feel to it.

When FFX was released, it took full advantage of the PS2's emotion engine, and sported some of the best graphics the console has seen since its release. Theres no doubt that the game was beautiful to look at, and instead of pre-rendered backgrounds, they were full-on 3-D, which added a certain flare that wasn't present in any other FF games.

The graphics of FFX-2 present a similar feel to the graphics engine presented in FFX. Though subtle, I have noticed several spots in this game where the graphics have been improved. There are less jagged models for the in-battle, and out-of-battle scenes, and have been greatly polished for those great cut-scenes. One thing that was noticeable in FFX, was that in some parts of the game, during cut-scenes, the character model would studder for some unknown reason, but don't worry, that has all been fixed, and there is no more shaking. Even though there are better in game graphics for a few different games (this does not mean that FFX-2's are without merit), but the FMV's of this game are top notch, and second to none. Square Enix has always been on top of producing the highest quality games out there, and for some reason, they have yet to be bested in the FMV department for any game to date. The overall look of this game is dazzling and exciting, and its only amplified by the snazzy dress spheres you can wear, as well as their respective special attacks. Superb visuals make this game one of the best looking out there.

The game play style is similar to FFX, only it involves a few more actions this time around. This time you can run and jump, and climb, rather than the taste preferential travel and explore methods employed in FFX. The gameplay is mission based, which is a first for a Final Fantasy game, and each is rated in difficulty according to the Story level you are on. The story level goes from 1 - 5, 1 meaning easy, and 5 meaning the most challenging parts of the game. You can chose freely from a selection of missions, and you given the opprotunity to play these missions right from the beginning of the game in the airship dubbed the Celsius. If at all you think a mission based RPG won't work, give this a try. I thought the same thing at first, but it becomes an aquired taste, and you eventually stop thinking about the mission orientation, and begin thinking about the story, and the dress spheres.

What are Dress Spheres you ask? Well, the Dress system is one of the most intuitive parts of this game. You can chose and earn different garment grids, that add more slots and different shape orientation to place your Spheres. You earn these spheres by completing different missions and requirements through out the entire game. These different Dress Spheres each come with their own set of special abilites, and you earn new abilites by using a certain Dress Sphere more often. A few examples of the Dress Spheres are Theif, Songstress, Dark Knight, Gambler, Gunner, Dark Gunner, White Mage, Black Mage and the Ultra powerful secret Dress Spheres (no spoilers, sorry)!

The experience and level system is back, and most welcome, since FFX drew away from the norm. Most people were fine with the Sphere Grid system, and it worked quite well, but I think one of the reasons that lead back to the experience and level system, (as well as the Active Time Battle) is to add some spice to the gameplay, since Square Enix wouldn't want gamers to become board and think its just a cheap spin-off of FFX. Some call it a spin-off, but its much more than that. Its so unique, and feels so much like the mainstream Final Fantasy's, that it can only be called a Sequel.

Square Enix does it again with a great musical..."score". This time around, the majority of the music is based off of popular J-pop music, but in a way, it feels all too familiar when you actually play the game, and see how it actually fits with the games up-beat mood. No Final Fantasy game would be complete without an orchestral score, and FFX-2 is no exception. There is a good amount of orchestrated works in this game, they just aren't as promenant as in the other Final Fantasy's. Orchestral music is the best type of music to put into a videogame in my humble opinon, as you can acheive almost any sound of any genre of music with normal symphonic musical intruments. This is where FFX-2 scores in the audio department. Some of the "pop" songs you hear, will actually be orchestrated works, it just doesn't sound much like it sue to the theme of the music. Synthesized tunes, with Orchestrated Scores, give this game a far superior soundtrack to most other games on the market.

The sound effects are spot on...as if they ever weren't. All abilites, spells, and Voice overs work perfectly, and theres a little bit more syncopation with the dialogue and the Japanese mouth movements. Nothing more can be said about the sound of most all Final Fantasy games, except that its aural bliss.Like any normal FF game, there are a plethora of secret places to visit, and secret items to obtain, and perhaps a few dress spheres you've missed along the way, taken that you don't use a strategy guide on your first playthrough. This is all good, and a key factor in the desire to replay each individual FF game, but this time around, you can start a New Game after completing it once, with most of the items and equipment you finished the game with.

A very welcome addition to a Final Fantasty, as nothing has been done like it, which also contributes to FFX-2's originality factor. Some people might disagree and say there is little reason to play this game again because there aren't any unlockable features or what have you, but to the truest of Final Fantasy fans, we know that FF isn't about having tons of unlockable features, its about being drawn into the universe that Square Enix has created, and its no different this time around.

For those who really enjoy playing their Final Fantasies through and through, you'll be very happy to hear that there are multiple endings (3 so far to my knowledge), not to mention several optional bosses and side-quests.

Square Enix hits another Grand Slam with Final Fantasy X-2. There is no question in my mind that this game will be many people's choice as favourite game of 2003. There is just too much in this game to miss. I can assure you that all the negeative stereotypes applied to this game are false, and this game is truly another work of art. It makes one wonder, can Square Enix make a bad game? They can take the simplest of ideas, or even the worst of stereotypes, and can turn them into something so remarkable, and something so beautiful and magnificent (not to mention empowering to the female gamer population). If you love Final Fantasy, I'm sure you'll fall in love with FFX-2, its original, easy on the eyes, fun to play, intuitive game design, and remarkably well performed in the music department. Theres a first time for everything, and this game sets the record. First female lead character, first direct sequel, first mission based FF, and most important of all, first game to make some male FF gamers go gaga! As disturbing as it sounds, for some people its true.

Ratings

Gameplay... 9/10

Graphics.....8/10

Story...........10/10

Sound.........10/10

Cosplay

San Andreas Mod Installer (SAMI)

2011-12-09T01:48:00.000-08:00

San adreas mod installer will let you to install new vehicles to replace the junky ones in GTA San Andreas.
I will show you step by step tutorial to install the vehicle mod.
This is the easiest way to install gta sa vehicle mod.
Trust me..

Just follow the instructions and the way we go..

1.Download the SAMI from the following link and install it
http://www.gamefront.com/files/4622359/sami_v1.1.zip

2.Install SAMI on you pc

3.Download your vehicle files in zip/rar format from the following link, (you may also download from any other links) .
http://grandtheftauto.filefront.com/files/Grand_Theft_Auto_San_Andreas/Vehicles;5981No need to extract it.

4.Run SAMI from your pc

5.Click "Install a Mod"

6.The software automatically detects your San adreas folder. Select the location for the downloaded vehicle zip/rar file in the second dialogue box.

7.Click Continue. No need to change anything.

8.Select the vehicle to replace,( mostly it will be selected automatically ), put a name for the custom vehicle and install..

9.Click "Play San Andreas" and ride your new set of wheels.

Persona 4 Anime

2011-12-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

The anime series Persona 4: The Animation (ペルソナ4 Perusona Fō:^?) is based on the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 video game by Atlus. Produced by AIC A.S.T.A. and directed by Seiji Kishi, Persona 4: The Animation revolves around Yu Narukami, a second year high school student from Tokyo who moves to Inaba to live for a year with his uncle and cousin. After acquiring a mysterious power called "Persona", he embarks on a journey with his new friends to uncover the truth behind a bizarre series of murders involving the distorted TV World, as well as a phenomenon called the "Midnight Channel".

The episodes started airing in Japan on MBS on October 7, 2011 and have a simulcast by Anime Network in North America. On November 23, 2011, Aniplex started release the series in DVD and Blu-ray volumes with the first one including a bonus CD sountrack. The adaptation has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks for Blu-ray and DVD release in 2012.

The anime series features the same main voice cast from the original game. The main opening theme is "sky's the limit" by Shihoko Hirata, whilst the ending theme is "Beauty of Destiny" by Hirata featuring Lotus Juice. Episode 9 had its own opening theme named "True Story" by Rie Kugimiya.