If you were concerned that Sega had forgotten about the classic Toejam and Earl series then you better think again. Achievements for Toejam and Earl have appeared online under the name of Sega Vintage Collection and while there has not been an actual announcement from Sega, this likely means the title will indeed be coming out to the XBLA and PSN.
It is also worth noting that those who look at the achievements will find that the download will actually contain not just the first Toejam and Earl title, but it’s sequel as well. We have reached out to Sega to see if they have any statement about this information and will provide you with an update if they make a statement.
In what is their third screenshot release this week, Rockstar Games has revealed a small handful of Grand Theft Auto V screenshots to the public. Like the last few releases, these images don’t really reveal too much about the game’s storyline or even who the world you will be playing as, but simply what you will be doing when the game does get released to the public.
This time around the screenshots were titled “Business” so these are probably more activities the player can take part in during GTAV, such as flying a propeller plane, shooting at helicopters, running from the cops or even jumping onto a passing truck. Check ’em out for yourself below.
Dark Blood, the free-to-play MMORPG arcade brawler, has just gotten a new mode to change up the PVP fighting system. The new Tag Mode allows players to utilize two fighters and tag in and out to best match their opponents or give their characters a breather.
In addition, Dark Blood’s publisher Outspark has announced that there will be a special PAX Fight Night with a Dark Blood Tag Tournament where winners can earn some sweet prizes. They have also released two teaser trailers so players can get a sneak peek of what the event will entail, which can be checked out below.
Outspark has also set up some customization packs for players wanting to look their best for the PAX Fight Night, which players can get by entering the code TAGMEINDARKBLOOD HERE.
Players can check out the free-to-play Dark Blood at its website HERE. Attendees of PAX Prime can see the Dark Blood team at the Twisted Tales panel on September 1st.
One day a video game to film adaptation will be pulled off smoothly, with great casting, appropriate faith to the source material and a good helping of luck. Sadly the ever troubled production of Uncharted has seen yet more traffic through it’s revolving door of directors, and as yet doesn’t look like it will be the film to lift the notorious curse of the video game adaptation.
After director David O Russel and Sony decided to part ways on the project, Neil Burger (behind the solidly entertaining Limitless) has also decided to cal it quits, leaving Nathan Drake without a helmsman yet again. Yet more production changes are to see two new writers take another crack at the screenplay, but whether this is a total rewrite or merely some tweaking to the existing screenplay is yet to be revealed.
Marianne and Cormac Wibberley have been set this rather unenviable task, but at least have the rather appropriate experience of having worked on both National Treasure movies.
Ubisoft have just kicked off a four part making of series for the up and coming ZombiU- pleasingly titled ‘In the Eye of”. The first episode is titled “When survival horror meets the Wii U’ and features the game’s Senior Producer giving a brief rundown about some of the decisions behind the games core horror concepts, as well as the influence of the Wii U game pad on the title. Day Z fans can determine for themselves how much of an influence that particular mod has had….
The next episode will focus on the plot of the game, and would be fans are being invited to submit their own questions for the development team via the ZombiU Facebook page. The first episode is worth checking out for a few more glimpses of the gameplay alone, so make sure and spend a few minutes of your life basking in the zombie goodness.
The Wii U exclusive does not have a confirmed release date, but can be safely expected to release alongside the console.
Sumthing Else Music Works (distributors of Jesper Kyd’s Darksiders II and Michael McCann’s Deus Ex Human Revolution Original Soundtrack’s) have announced “Borderlands 2 OriginalSoundtrack”, the musical score of the upcoming first person shooter with role-playing elements from Gearbox Software studio and 2K Games. The sequel to the critically acclaimed four player co-op game “Borderlands” , brings together heavy weight composers Jesper Kyd (who wrote the Assassins Creed OST), Cris Velasco (featured in God of War), Sascha “Buzzfunk” Dikiciyan aka Sonic Mayhem ( Mass Effect 3OST) with additional tunes from Gearbox’s own Raison Varner.
Here’s the full tracklist:
1. Ascent (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 2. Ash (Jesper Kyd) 3. Caverns (Jesper Kyd) 4. Glacial (Jesper Kyd) 5. Crater Lake (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 6. Dam Interior (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 7. Dam Top (Jesper Kyd) 8. Fyrestone (Jesper Kyd) 9. Hyperion (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 10. Ice (Jesper Kyd) 11. Interlude Combat (Jesper Kyd) 12. Interlude Ambient (Jesper Kyd) 13. Lynchwood (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 14. Lynchwood Sheriff Combat (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 15. Main Menu (Jesper Kyd) 16. Jack Final Boss (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 17. Pandora Park (Jesper Kyd) 18. Sanctuary (Jesper Kyd) 19. Bandit Slaughter (Raison Varner) 20. The Fridge (Jesper Kyd) 21. Tundra Express (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 22. Warrior Boss (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan) 23. Vog Fight (Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan)
The variety of composers should craft the soundtrack in a way that will show off differences between the multiple game environments, something that has been one of the most talked about features in the highly anticipated sequel.
Borderlands 2 launch date is on September 18th 2012 and will be launched for PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Spelunker HD (not to be confused with the all too similar Spelunky) graced the PlayStation Network all the way back in August last year. Much like the recently released XBLA game, Spelunker is a super tough platformer that demands absolute precision and a ton of patience from gamers to get through a plethora of underground caves.
Tozai games have just announced that the game will be recieving a software update and new content on August 28. Players can look forward to ten new levels in each of the seven DLC packs, and a nice top up of ten free stages with the software update. The update will also improve the screen views in the game’s multiplayer mode, which can get a little chaotic as it currently stands.
The new levels will form part of the game’s Championship Mode, and the seven packs will gradually roll out after the free release of the first with the software update, with two expected to release in September.
Make sure and check out the review for Spelunker HD.
Total Recall Studio: Original Film Publisher:Columbia Pictures Format:Cinema Release Date:August 23, 2012
Overview:
Reboots are trivial things aren’t day? They’re just an exercise in recycling old ideas in an attempt to bleed more dollars out of something that has most likely passed it’s point of relevancy or profitability. So that brings us to Total Recall, a reboot of a 1990 film of the same name which in itself is adapted from a short story titled ‘We Can Remember it for You Whole Sale’. One could hazard the question of whether there was a point in remaking what many consider to be a Sci-Fi classic. Was rebooting Total Recall worthwhile? I would respond that question with the answer – Yes and No.
Story:
Fans of the original film perhaps remember it most for it’s setting of Mars, it’s three breasted prostitute or perhaps the infamous line ‘Get your ass to Mars!’ As a fan of the original myself I was somewhat taken aback to realise that only one of those things was in this film and it was the least essential one to the plot – the three breasted prostitute (not that I am complaining). So instead of getting his ass to Mars, the film leaves Douglas Quaid on Earth torn between the quietly warring nations of The United Federation of Britain and The Colony (formerly Australia). This is a completely different setting from that of the original film and the Philip K. Dick short story. So in that regard, Total Recall 2012 warrants it’s existence by doing something different. This isn’t going to be a straight up remake, it is going to try and tell a different yet familiar story. As far as that goes, it does okay.
The film itself doesn’t do much particularly new and in fact borrows a lot of material from other science fiction, in particular the video-game Half Life 2, of which a large portion of the film seems to have taken inspiration from. There are many other similarities to other films both of the Sci-Fi genre and Action genre. For example there are a lot of scenes that take their cues from the original Die Hard film.
At it’s core, Total Recall is trying to tell a far more emotional story than the original far more camp version. Unfortunately though, it rarely succeeds at hitting the right emotional moments, due to it’s inability to develop characters beyond a mission statement (Quaid wants to know his true identity, his wife wants to kill him for being a traitor, Cohagen is evil because he is and Melina loves him because she does). It’s all rather trivial and contrived but despite the lack of emotional investment, I did find myself thoroughly enjoying the twists and turns the story took, even though I knew the majority of what was coming.
While failing to provide an emotional hit, the film does have occasional flashes of brilliance with excellently played out action sequences that would thrill even the most wayward of action film fans. Despite that, it amounts to very little more than meandering fun as there are far too many plot inconsistencies and under developed characters for you to enjoy it beyond face value. Try digging any deeper and everything will fall apart in grand fashion.
Total Recall is an exercise in going through the motions not of a reboot but of a standard action film. Most of the beats it hits feels familiar, not because its a reboot but because it draws from other action films so heavily that its hard not to feel as though you have seen all this before. It’s all so derivative, right down to the predictable dialogue. So many of the lines in the film felt lifted from others, or at least simply reworded. The actors do their best with the writing they are given (Cranston in particular does an excellent job as Cohagan despite the 2D nature of the character) but can not ultimately redeem the wooden nature of it all.
It never connects the dots on it’s themes either. We as an audience never truly question whether things are ‘real’ or not because the film doesn’t invest enough time into trying to make us believe it may not be. Nor do we ever get the feeling that the resistance are truly good other than being beaten over the head with the fact that they are the good guys, for some reason or another.
Ultimately the film never managed to get the wheels turning when it comes to it’s plot or themes. Nothing ever truly connects and we are left simply with some pretty action to enjoy for a fleeting 2 hours.
Visuals and Audio:
Aesthetically and aurally, Total Recall is your standard Sci-Fi fare. Sci-Fi genre veterans won’t see much here that they haven’t seen before albeit in a slightly different manner. As a Sci-Fi setting the world of Total Recall is suitably grim, with The United Federation of Britain taking it’s design cues from things like Mass Effect and Half Life 2 and The Colony looking like Sydney Darling Harbour was made into a partially floating shanty town (I personally was reminded of Jak 2). It does the job of providing an interesting enough setting but we don’t get to explore it enough to truly get the feel of it. Every time we begin to take to a location we are whisked away to somewhere else, never staying long enough to really appreciate the intricacies of the world.
When it comes to the film’s soundtrack, what can you say other than it was disappointing? There is a heavy overuse of pseudo dub step tracks and the ominous and over bearing horns arrangement that so often sounds throughout the film. All in all things could have been better, but they aren’t. They don’t go for anything original like the 1990 version and instead just opt for the most generic denominator.
Overall:
With all that said, Total Recall isn’t by any means that bad of a film, it has a great deal of flaws but it’s still a fun 2 hours to switch your brain off to. If you are looking for a true reboot of Total Recall, then you won’t find it here. This is a vastly different film that never fires on all cylinders in the way that the 1990 version does. It doesn’t provide any food for thought, but if you’re only in it for the action and something to blow some time with, then Total Recall is for you. If you’re looking for something with more substance, then maybe you should get your ass to Mars and watch the original film, at least that film had camp Arnie at his best. Let’s just say that years from now this won’t be the version of Total Recall that people will totally recall.
Shakugan no Shana Season One Studio: JC Staff Publisher:FUNimation Format: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Date:August 21, 2012 Price: $59.98 – Available Here
Overview:
Many anime fans have likely heard of the series Shakugan no Shana before and may even own a copy of the anime in their household already thanks to the fact that this anime which originally was created by JC Staff back in 2005 has been re-released a few times over the years on DVD, once through the now defunct Geneon Entertainment and twice through FUNimation.
Now that the second season of the series is about to be released, FUNimation is bringing the first season of Shakugan no Shana to anime fans once again, this time with Blu-ray capabilities. Does Shakugan no Shana Season One provide a solid starting point to the series?
Story: Shakugan no Shana’s storyline takes placing during the modern era where a boy named Yuji Sakai has been attending high school just like everyone else. He has a crush on another girl in his class but besides that, his life has been your standard affair. However that all changes one day when suddenly time around him pauses and a horrific creature appears out of nowhere, eating everyone around him and destroying the area.
Suddenly, a small young woman appears with flame-red hair and eyes appears and obliterates the creature. However during the battle, Yuji was horribly injured but to his surprise, he isn’t even bleeding. This young woman explains to him that these creatures, called Denizens, are members of another realm called the Crimson Realm and they feed off the life energy of the normal world. Whenever one of these Denizens appear and slaughter people, the people tasked with slaying them, Flame Hazes, must replace what was taken from the world in an effort to keep the universe in balance.
However the only way they can do this is for a Flame Haze to recreate the bodies of the people who have been killed as Torches, people who have been created from the remnants of humans who will eventually fade away and be forgotten like they never existed at all. The reason that Yuji’s isn’t even in dire need of help is because he too is a Torch, a person whose entire existence was devoured.
However, there are special instances where when a Torch is created; a special treasure is created within them. Yuji happens to have had the rarest treasure appear within him and it not only gives him free movement within the frozen time-space, but also the ability to constantly refill his life energy at the stroke of midnight every night, allowing him to never disappear and potentially live forever.
While trying to learn more about the Torchs and the Crimson Realm he slowly becomes friendly with this young Flame Haze who he names Shana. In an effort to monitor Yuji and his special treasure, Shana takes over the role of a young girl in his class whose torch already went out. With Shana close at hand, Yuji quickly is submersed in a world he’s never known, one where human life and identity is challenged every day. To make things worse, when knowledge about Yuji’s treasure is spread around, dark and powerful forces begin to move to try and secure it. Can Shana protect Yuji and all those around him?
The first season of Shakugan no Shana runs at twenty four episodes and considering the fact that it was based off of light novels in the first place, the story is told through a number of multiple episode story arcs where various Denizens and other Flame Hazes come to try and kill Yuji and those around him. Thankfully this setup avoids feeling formulaic with manageable pacing and enemies with a wide range of abilities.
As for the cast themselves, viewers are given a treat in the form of Shana herself. While Yuji soon comes to grips with the fact that he is nothing more than a replacement for a person whose existence was already devoured, Shana is introduced to viewers as a practical blank slate. This means that throughout the course of the series viewers get to watch an emotionally stunted Shana slowly develop feelings for those around her as well as a growing attachment to Yuji.
These two main characters are accented well by an enjoyable cast of side-characters, including a later love-rival for Shana who forces her to start truly thinking about Yuji in a way she never thought of before. Add in another Flame Haze who happens to drown herself in alcohol and her partner, a book with a biting sense of humor and there are still plenty of laughs to be had in a series which focuses heavily on action and drama.
Visuals: It is worth noting for those who pick up Shakugan no Shana’s first season with this release, that the first season of the show actually aired back in the beginning of 2006 so that means that most animation techniques used are over six years old at this point in time, meaning some characters are designed rather blandly outside of the main cast. It is also worth noting that the quality of the animation does take a hit during non-action scenes, plus with the series taking a jump to Blu-ray the quality isn’t quite what one would expect, though it is still a mild upgrade from the original DVD releases.
As for the action scenes themselves the series is still a spitfire as far as quality goes. The animation viewers are presented is beautifully handled and fluid with lots of easy to follow attacks and realistic damage. It also really helps that the series makes an excellent use of atmosphere, with most action scenes given a red tint to match Shana’s flames and easy transitions to and from battles.
Audio: As one would expect with a FUNimation release, Shakugan no Shana’s first season is being released with both the traditional Japanese dub as well as the English voice track originally handled by Geneon. Both of these tracks feature impressive voice actors, though fans of Japanese voice actors can note that Shana is voiced by Rie Kugimiya. Despite the stiff comparison however, Tabitha St. Germain who provides the English voice of Shana handles her character and personality quite nicely.
The first season’s soundtrack is well handled with appropriate background music that helps set the mood for most situations as well as enjoyable combat music. For the first season viewers are treated to two different opening songs, “Scarlet Color Sky” by Mami Kawada and “Being” by Kotko. Both of these opening themes share a similar tone and are enjoyable enough to listen to, though most viewers will likely skip over them after a few viewings.
As for closing songs, there are two present within the twenty four episodes of Season One and these are “A Girl will be born at Dawn” by Yoko Takahashi and “Crimson Calmness” by Yoko Ishida also share similar tones which are slower paced but are matched alongside fitting animation sequences that really help accentuate the tone of the music.
Extras: While there are no interviews with the cast or commentaries, Shakugan no Shana’s first season does come with a number of bonus features, though a few of them are a bit standard. Viewers are given clean versions of the two opening songs as well as the two ending songs, though the full version of “Scarlet Color Sky” is played as a third ending which is also presented as clean and a few trailers for past and upcoming releases.
As far as non-standard bonuses go, there are three of them and each of them are presented in English. First there are the Naze Nanai Shana clips which are eight short videos which answer some questions concerning the possibly confusing terminology of the series, though most of it is explained comically. Also provided are the two Shakugan no Shana-Tan videos, with Shakugan no Shana-Tan Returns being the longer one. Both of these clips provide a comedic look at how some scenes in the season would look with a mini-chibified version of Shana as well as some out of character dialogue from the rest of the cast.
Overall: Shakugan no Shana’s first season helps set some solid framework for the rest of the series to build itself around, with most of the characters introduced in these first twenty four episodes and their issues worked out. With our main heroine and her attempts to understand her new emotions playing out during many of the season’s key battles, viewers will quickly grow to like the pairing of Yuji and Shana.
Though the Blu-ray presentation isn’t quite as good as most would be expecting and the age of the series does show with some questionable visual quality, Shakugan no Shana Season One will leave viewers wanting to see what else is waiting for the likable cast of characters in the Crimson Realm.
Concept art of what seems to be Heavenly Sword 2 has been leaked online depicting the main protagonist Nariko, the beautiful and fierce sword master of the Shen clan, engaged in combat in what seems to be a desert setting. Other concept art is very suggestive of the enemies we may have faced, including what seem to be three other bosses riding horses.
Sequels to Heavenly Sword have been discussed for some time as Ninja Theory had planned for 2007’s hack and slash adventure to be the first in a trilogy. However, due to weak sales and the company’s focus on other multi-platform series such as Devil May Cry’s reboot (due out on January 15, 2013) and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, nothing else has been heard on the continuation of the series up until now. It is also possible this artwork may have been used in the latter game, as the art styles seem particularly similar. Though these new pieces have not been confirmed by Ninja Theory as being Heavenly Sword 2’s artwork, they seem pretty similar to the ones found for the first game.
Check out the leaked art below and tell us what you think on the comments section!
