After the bland taste that Night of the Beasts #1 left in my mouth, it's nice to see volume 2 get the story going full steam ahead and actually become interesting.
Check out the full review.
Check out the full review.
September 2008 Archives
The second volume of Eden picks up in South America, with Elijah
and his new friends, a well-armed gang of bandits. Things start with a
bang (literally) as the group unleashes a mostly well-orchestrated
attack on a rather large drug cartel encampment. When the smoke clears,
we meet the two characters that take a lot of the focus in this volume:
the steely-eyed Helena; and Kachua, a local girl that ended up in the
wrong place at the wrong time.
Check out the full review.
Check out the full review.
The category list along the line has not only "Video Games," but also "Anime," something I've thoroughly neglected thus far. That changes now!
I read a fair amount of manga both in my spare time and as a writer for anime.advancedmn.com. It used to be that when manga came over here, it was mirrored over to Left-to-Right format. Then, around the time Tokyopop busted out onto the manga scene, Right-To-Left became the standard. This enhanced the authenticity of the release and also actually made less work for the Western distributor. Along with this came the inclusion of a lot of Japanese words and honorifics to further complete that authentic feeling.
At the same time, however, this change served to limit the audience that manga could be marketed to. No longer is it just a black-and-white comic book, but it's now this foreign thing you have to read backwards, with names that end with "kun" and "chan."
That doesn't seem to concern most distributors. The vast majority of manga wouldn't have an audience outside of that hardcore audience so familiar with the medium and its characteristics. You're just not going to market Kuchi Kuchi Pachinko to a broad audience. No, that's not a real manga title.
One example that bucks the trend is Dark Horse's Blade of the Immortal. Dark Horse has been in the manga market longer than just about anyone else, and Blade of the Immortal is one of the longest-running US manga releases. Before manga was cool, Manji was slicing dudes up left-to-right-style. Artist and writer Hiroaki Samura didn't want to just sit back and let it go mirrored without his intervention, however. In one of the best compromises I've seen, Samura requested that instead of just flipping the pages, he would actually reorganize the panels and even redraw them if necessary to allow a left-to-right read without losing his original intention in the change.
One instance of a flip-that-almost-happened concerns Tezuka's manga Black Jack, distributed by the passionate people over at Vertical. Tezuka's estate wanted the manga flipped for a broader appeal in the US. With manga as legendary and significant as Tezuka's, it's easy to see why.
Many of Tezuka's works have been flipped to good effect, including Buddha and MW. In the case of Black Jack, Vertical argued - successfully - that this would compromise the manga. For example, the doctor Black Jack's iconic scar would be on the wrong side of his face, they explained. This would be akin to swapping the S on Superman's crest. Yeah, sure, it's recognizable, but it's hardly the same thing. See Serdar Yegulalp's review of the book on AMN for a bit more about this.
Nowadays, flipping manga is mostly looked down on the same way editing anime is. It's only done for mainstream appeal and it compromises the work. However, due to the higher level of author control in manga, you're more likely to see authors exerting their control to influence how a book comes out here.
If I'm going to talk about my opinion directly, I'll say this: However the author feels it should be done is how it should be done. If the author wants the book flipped for US release, then I see no problem flipping it, cases like Black Jack notwithstanding.
As long as the manga is coherent and faithful, then I consider myself lucky to be reading it.
What do you think? Should the manga be left faithful at all costs? Or is it 'down with those weird backwards books?'
I read a fair amount of manga both in my spare time and as a writer for anime.advancedmn.com. It used to be that when manga came over here, it was mirrored over to Left-to-Right format. Then, around the time Tokyopop busted out onto the manga scene, Right-To-Left became the standard. This enhanced the authenticity of the release and also actually made less work for the Western distributor. Along with this came the inclusion of a lot of Japanese words and honorifics to further complete that authentic feeling.
At the same time, however, this change served to limit the audience that manga could be marketed to. No longer is it just a black-and-white comic book, but it's now this foreign thing you have to read backwards, with names that end with "kun" and "chan."
That doesn't seem to concern most distributors. The vast majority of manga wouldn't have an audience outside of that hardcore audience so familiar with the medium and its characteristics. You're just not going to market Kuchi Kuchi Pachinko to a broad audience. No, that's not a real manga title.
One example that bucks the trend is Dark Horse's Blade of the Immortal. Dark Horse has been in the manga market longer than just about anyone else, and Blade of the Immortal is one of the longest-running US manga releases. Before manga was cool, Manji was slicing dudes up left-to-right-style. Artist and writer Hiroaki Samura didn't want to just sit back and let it go mirrored without his intervention, however. In one of the best compromises I've seen, Samura requested that instead of just flipping the pages, he would actually reorganize the panels and even redraw them if necessary to allow a left-to-right read without losing his original intention in the change.
One instance of a flip-that-almost-happened concerns Tezuka's manga Black Jack, distributed by the passionate people over at Vertical. Tezuka's estate wanted the manga flipped for a broader appeal in the US. With manga as legendary and significant as Tezuka's, it's easy to see why.
Many of Tezuka's works have been flipped to good effect, including Buddha and MW. In the case of Black Jack, Vertical argued - successfully - that this would compromise the manga. For example, the doctor Black Jack's iconic scar would be on the wrong side of his face, they explained. This would be akin to swapping the S on Superman's crest. Yeah, sure, it's recognizable, but it's hardly the same thing. See Serdar Yegulalp's review of the book on AMN for a bit more about this.
Nowadays, flipping manga is mostly looked down on the same way editing anime is. It's only done for mainstream appeal and it compromises the work. However, due to the higher level of author control in manga, you're more likely to see authors exerting their control to influence how a book comes out here.
If I'm going to talk about my opinion directly, I'll say this: However the author feels it should be done is how it should be done. If the author wants the book flipped for US release, then I see no problem flipping it, cases like Black Jack notwithstanding.
As long as the manga is coherent and faithful, then I consider myself lucky to be reading it.
What do you think? Should the manga be left faithful at all costs? Or is it 'down with those weird backwards books?'
After hearing about it on the newest episode of The 1UP Show, I decided to pick up Sega's Yakuza 2. After never finishing the first one, but liking it a lot, I had been on the fence about it. A few things turned the tables for me.
First was the glowing review from pretty much the entire 1UP staff. After watching their show for a while I've come to trust their opinions and they all had a lot of good things to say about it.
Next is the price point - it's $30 new. I ordered it off Amazon last night. Not too bad.
Recap! The second game includes a cutscene recap of the first game, which will keep me from needing to play through the game over again if I don't want to. Though, I still play boot it up and play through it. This is a great way to get people who are new to the game into the lore.
Last is the city represented. The first game gave a great view of Tokyo that had a very realistic feel to it. This one does that with Osaka. The screenshots I've seen look pretty accurate and I really want to check out that aspect of the game.
All that combined with some apparently improved gameplay and a pretty compelling criminal story makes it look very interesting.
First was the glowing review from pretty much the entire 1UP staff. After watching their show for a while I've come to trust their opinions and they all had a lot of good things to say about it.
Next is the price point - it's $30 new. I ordered it off Amazon last night. Not too bad.
Recap! The second game includes a cutscene recap of the first game, which will keep me from needing to play through the game over again if I don't want to. Though, I still play boot it up and play through it. This is a great way to get people who are new to the game into the lore.
Last is the city represented. The first game gave a great view of Tokyo that had a very realistic feel to it. This one does that with Osaka. The screenshots I've seen look pretty accurate and I really want to check out that aspect of the game.
All that combined with some apparently improved gameplay and a pretty compelling criminal story makes it look very interesting.
As often as I wonder why Earthbound doesn't get more service states-side, I find myself wondering why other titles are ever made - why certain titles make it past the planning stages.
The most recent example of this is The Punisher: No Mercy, announced on the US Playstation blog as a PSN-only multiplayer-focused first person shooter.
Wait, WHAT?
I'm sorry, but Punisher, while about guns and killing, is not... about guns and killing. It's about the person doing the killing, why he's doing the killing, and what the ramifications of it are. It's about a psychotic focus on revenge, the other side of the coin Batman inhabits.
With regard to The Punisher, no one - outside of hardcore Punisher fans - cares about anyone except Frank Castle himself. No one wants to play as Silver Sable, Bushwacker, whatever. It's like they're making it because it will flop. I can't imagine what demographic or market this is for. Unless it has some insanely catchy mechanics, no one's going to care about a game like this with Unreal, Halo, Gears of War, and Counterstrike hanging around.
I just can't make heads or tails of why this game even exists.
Anyone want to weigh in with opinions - or more examples of games that just don't make any sense in the same way?
The most recent example of this is The Punisher: No Mercy, announced on the US Playstation blog as a PSN-only multiplayer-focused first person shooter.
Wait, WHAT?
I'm sorry, but Punisher, while about guns and killing, is not... about guns and killing. It's about the person doing the killing, why he's doing the killing, and what the ramifications of it are. It's about a psychotic focus on revenge, the other side of the coin Batman inhabits.
With regard to The Punisher, no one - outside of hardcore Punisher fans - cares about anyone except Frank Castle himself. No one wants to play as Silver Sable, Bushwacker, whatever. It's like they're making it because it will flop. I can't imagine what demographic or market this is for. Unless it has some insanely catchy mechanics, no one's going to care about a game like this with Unreal, Halo, Gears of War, and Counterstrike hanging around.
I just can't make heads or tails of why this game even exists.
Anyone want to weigh in with opinions - or more examples of games that just don't make any sense in the same way?
I certainly haven't played through Rock Band 2 in its entirety yet, but I've played enough to make some fair conclusions.
Songs
The song mix is certainly unique. By that I mean, there's something for literally just about everyone. As a result there's a lot of stuff I wouldn't listen to in a thousand years. For every song I'm pumping my fist about, there's another I've never heard of.
YES
Obviously I am not the end-all for musical taste, so that's just my personal list. Even the first one had a few songs I wouldn't ever want to play again like that goddamn Aerosmith song, where he makes out with the dude or whatever.
Aside from the songs, the differences are much more subtle - or not there at all.
One thing I like is the fact that career mode has been combined. More specifically, there is no differentiation between Solo Tour and Band Tour. I can go through and sing the songs I like, play the songs I don't know, and get friends to play the songs I don't care for, all in the same career mode. I have found that Make a Setlist is getting a lot of use because of this, which is pretty neat.
You can also set your band up to look the way you want. By that I mean you can assign characters to positions in your band. Then when you are trying to make a sweet punk rock band, you don't end up with some inappropriate 80s hair metal guy spoiling the aesthetic.
The Drum Trainer is also quite sweet.... if you don't suck at the drums. Good lord am I horrible at drums! I have no coordination. It's a really neat way to get used to various beats and tempos though. There's also a drum-fill trainer which I would really like to have all my friends who play the drums in the game go through. One of my pet peeves is when someone hammers like crazy on the drums and drowns out the song - sure you got more points, but you threw off the singer and the guitarists while you were going nuts.
Sadly, a lot of the game is exactly the same. The art for the map is identical. The clothing and hair choices are mostly if not entirely the same. Leaving these things untouched makes the game feel almost a bit unfinished; more like an expansion pack than a game.
One thing that going back and playing it has sold me on is getting a new drum set. The drum set for the first Rock Band title is really, really loud. It might just be my house, but over the sound of the drumming, song is getting lost. I can't hear the song I'm singing/playing over it.
I'm happy with the game overall, and the changes are pretty much all for the better, but I would definitely like to see more newness the next time around; make sure I know I've bought a new game, not an expansion pack.
Songs
The song mix is certainly unique. By that I mean, there's something for literally just about everyone. As a result there's a lot of stuff I wouldn't listen to in a thousand years. For every song I'm pumping my fist about, there's another I've never heard of.
YES
- Foo Fighters - Everlong
- Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
- Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
- Metallica - Battery
- Rush - The Trees (There's gotta be a more rocking Rush song than this one)
- Panic at the Disco - Nine in the afternoon
- Paramore - That's what You Get
- The Go-Go's - We Got the Beat
- Lit - My Own Worst Enemy
Obviously I am not the end-all for musical taste, so that's just my personal list. Even the first one had a few songs I wouldn't ever want to play again like that goddamn Aerosmith song, where he makes out with the dude or whatever.
Aside from the songs, the differences are much more subtle - or not there at all.
One thing I like is the fact that career mode has been combined. More specifically, there is no differentiation between Solo Tour and Band Tour. I can go through and sing the songs I like, play the songs I don't know, and get friends to play the songs I don't care for, all in the same career mode. I have found that Make a Setlist is getting a lot of use because of this, which is pretty neat.
You can also set your band up to look the way you want. By that I mean you can assign characters to positions in your band. Then when you are trying to make a sweet punk rock band, you don't end up with some inappropriate 80s hair metal guy spoiling the aesthetic.
The Drum Trainer is also quite sweet.... if you don't suck at the drums. Good lord am I horrible at drums! I have no coordination. It's a really neat way to get used to various beats and tempos though. There's also a drum-fill trainer which I would really like to have all my friends who play the drums in the game go through. One of my pet peeves is when someone hammers like crazy on the drums and drowns out the song - sure you got more points, but you threw off the singer and the guitarists while you were going nuts.
Sadly, a lot of the game is exactly the same. The art for the map is identical. The clothing and hair choices are mostly if not entirely the same. Leaving these things untouched makes the game feel almost a bit unfinished; more like an expansion pack than a game.
One thing that going back and playing it has sold me on is getting a new drum set. The drum set for the first Rock Band title is really, really loud. It might just be my house, but over the sound of the drumming, song is getting lost. I can't hear the song I'm singing/playing over it.
I'm happy with the game overall, and the changes are pretty much all for the better, but I would definitely like to see more newness the next time around; make sure I know I've bought a new game, not an expansion pack.
Watch as my wallet undergoes the fastest weight-loss program since liposuction. Much like liposuction, this one costs a lot of money.
Continue reading My Poorer Wallet - October .
Those of us who purchased the September edition of Qore, featuring the superbly awesome Veronica Belmont, have been treated to the special privilege of downloading the Motor Storm 2 demo early.
After running a couple races with each of the three vehicles in single player, I can say this: I'm a little disappointed. After all the talk of destructible environments and the like, the game doesn't feel THAT different. That said, this is a demo. I just feel like the developer didn't put their best foot forward.
I'm reserving judgement for the final game obviously, and I'm still really excited about the multiplayer that I haven't had a chance to test out yet, but I'm wondering if waiting a bit longer on releasing the demo might've been for the best.
So where was all this in the demo?
After running a couple races with each of the three vehicles in single player, I can say this: I'm a little disappointed. After all the talk of destructible environments and the like, the game doesn't feel THAT different. That said, this is a demo. I just feel like the developer didn't put their best foot forward.
I'm reserving judgement for the final game obviously, and I'm still really excited about the multiplayer that I haven't had a chance to test out yet, but I'm wondering if waiting a bit longer on releasing the demo might've been for the best.
As I read through Night of the Beasts, it felt like a line-item scan of
a shojo manga checklist--or maybe an assembly instruction manual.
Immediately we're introduced to Aria, the school tough girl. She wears
lots of sideways hats and jackets intended for men. When we meet her,
she's just finished off a couple of skeezoid guys that were picking on
some innocent women. She's your standard tsunderekko: she hates men and
makes no secret of it, is super tough and independent ... until she meets
the manly-man of her dreamy-dreams, the one with the eyes and the
smile.
Check out the full review.
Check out the full review.
With Takehiko Inoue's current books Vagabond and Real hitting the States and garnering great praise, it only makes sense that his seminal work Slam Dunk should join them on the shelves. Having sold well over 100 million copies (in Japan alone!) since its 1990 debut, Slam Dunk rates consistently as one of Japan's all-time favorite manga. Upon opening the first page it's easy to see why: Slam Dunk shines from beginning to end and is a must-read for just about any manga reader, shonen fan or not. Check out the full review.
After turning down Square Enix's offer for a buyout, Tecmo has announced a merger with Koei! I think this is because the two are equally focused and similarly sized companies, rather than a massive uberdeveloper and a tiny (comparatively) one.
This presents us with even more interesting possibilities for games!
Dead or Alive Warriors Xtreme - imagine killing thousands of similar-looking ninjas... as Kasumi!
Dynasty Warriors Beach Volleyball - ok Joystiq got to this joke first but c'mon! The jiggling of thousands would utterly cripple even the most powerful graphics engines.
[via joystiq]
