AKB48 fans, pay attention now! The cast for the upcoming AKB48 anime series, cleverly (?) titled AKB0048 has been revealed. The following voice actresses will play the following characters who may or may not be members of the real AKB48, but as you know there is 48 girls in AKB48 and hell will freeze over before I go through that list of names.
Acchan will be played by Miyuki Sawashiro (Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter 2011)
Sayaka will be played by Ayako Kawasumi (Saber in Fate/Zero)
Sae will be played by Mai Nakahara (Renjaku in Mawaru Penguindrum)
The AKB48 anime series, AKB0048 will follow the all singing, all dancing, all heavy rotating girl band in some crazy sci-fi adventures or something like that. AKB0048 will premiere in Japan on the 28th of April, 2012.
The Walking Dead Season 1 Studio:AMC Studios Publisher:Beyond Entertainment Format:DVD (Reviewed), Blu-Ray Release Date:March 15, 2012 Price: $34.99 – Available Here
Overview: What exactly is it that separates television from film? Is it the big budget production values of films that give it a feel of grandeur that television just can’t match? No, the thing that separates the two is that television has the advantage of being episodic. It may not feature the same budget, but when it comes to telling a story, television always has something on it’s side that film doesn’t – it has time.
So why is it that The Walking Dead feels more cinematic than it feels like television? Well it’s simple, The Walking Dead has found itself somewhere in limbo between the two mediums, it features an episodic structure but each episode in itself has more cinematic grandeur than just about an other television show out there.
That brings up another question. Does this level of scale work for a television series? Is it sustainable and does it fit into the formula of long form story telling? Well it does and it doesn’t. The Walking Dead season 1 is ultimately an embodiment of it’s concept, trying to survive in a world you do not belong.
Story: The Walking Dead as many of you may know is an adaptation of the popular graphic novel series of the same name by Robert Kirkman. Being an adaptation, it already has the hefty duty of staying true to it’s material which unfortunately it does not entirely do. Most of the scenarios in the first season were not present in the graphic novels. This is why The Walking Dead season 1 ends up stumbling its way through it’s six episode season without any sense of purpose.
It’s disappointing that a season that started out strong with a killer first episode became an often inconsistent mess since. Plot wise there was some very shaky story telling at play here that would leave even the most casual of viewers puzzled. The pacing is definitely off putting. But it is ultimately that intangible soul beneath the inconsistency that holds it all together.
The Walking Dead season 1 despite it’s faults is a solid season of television. It starts strong and ended strong, it was the stumbling it the middle that lets things down. But that is not to say that The Walking Dead is not an intelligent drama, because it absolutely is a smart series that know how to turn up the intensity when need be and it will certainly leave viewers guessing.
In the end, The Walking Dead had a hard job of not only adapting a graphic novel, but also adapting one that was about zombies. Zombies are hard to pull off long term in a story, which is why they are so often featured in movies. In a long term story more serious topics need to be addressed when it comes to zombie stories and The Walking Dead’s first season feels like the build up to that realisation. Not only the realisation that these characters will have to accept that their world is long gone, but also the series itself having to accept that it needs to be a television series and not a film.
We leave the first season of this zombie apocalypse series knowing that there are better things to come and this was but a mere taste of how good things will get. This has the potential to be the next big intelligent drama series after AMC’s previous works like Breaking Bad and this first season was just the first bite of the brains this series has to offer.
Visuals and Audio: The Walking Dead is set in Atlanta and as such features some beautiful Atlantic scenery as well as one of the largest scale set pieces I’ve ever seen in a television series (the adventure into the city of Atlanta itself). There is just so much mind blowing imagery on show in The Walking Dead, it is clear that the series has a hefty budget backing it. And I can assure you, not a cent was wasted as this series looks stunning.
From an audio standpoint, the soundtrack is very atmospheric and at times quite chilling. In the silent times we are treated to the tranquil sounds of nature throughout Atlanta, with sounds of birds and insects masking the apocalypse that is going on in the world. It’s a great juxtaposition that really sets the tone for the mood of the series itself.
Extras:
Now if the small episode count had you worried, don’t fret as Beyond Entertainment have included a plethora of special features for The Walking Dead fans to plough through after they finish watching the first season. Included on disc is a making of The Walking Dead featurette, an inside featurette for each episode, an interview with Robert Kirkman the creator of The Walking Dead, a behind the scenes featurette, a convention panel with the creators and bonus footage which includes cast interviews and other extra footage. That is certainly more than your average DVD and will definitely satisfy special feature junkies looking for some more out of their DVD.
Overall:
You can not deny that The Walking Dead is an amazing action series, but it is also sadly a very inconsistent one at that. That inconsistency however doesn’t hamper what is an overall impressive first outing in the zombie infested world of The Walking Dead. There is enough brains and intelligence in this zombie drama to ignite the flame of excitement in any fan of great television.
The Walking Dead has left it’s first season in a promising way after having tip toed the line between film and TV in a very haphazard manner, resulting it what makes for some interesting viewing none the less. This series needs to escape from the cinematic structure that has it by the balls and allow itself some room to breathe as a television series. And after watching this first season, I believe that it is something The Walking Dead can and will do moving forward.
If you are a fan of zombie fiction, The Walking Dead season 1 is worth a look. At it’s core it is compelling television, despite all it’s missteps and deserves a spot on the shelf of any fan of quality television. The world may have gone to hell, but things can only get better from here right?
Ken Levine, game producer at Irrational games, has revealed that the Playstation Move support for the Playstation 3 version of Bioshock Infinite will be included at launch. The Move support was revealed at the 2011 E3 Expo during Sony’s media conference. Levine revealed the information with an interview with Eurogamer. This is the first new information since the revelation of the Move support.
In the interview with Eurogamer, Levine found it hard to explain how the Move will work in the game. He even created an analogy for it:
“Talking about Move support is like talking about music. It’s hard to do.”
He suggests that the only way to explain the Move support is for the player to experience it:
“You’ve got to put the thing in somebody’s hand and say, ‘here’s our Move support. How does it feel to you?’
“We’re definitely going to be doing that at some point. But it’s hard to talk about because it’s like, ‘hey, does it feel good? Does it feel right? Does it break down barriers of interface for you?’
“That’s the goal of Move, right? It’s to make you forget you’re playing with a controller. It’s to make that much more transparent. The proof’s going to be in the pudding.”
In addition to Move support, the Playstation 3 version will also include a copy of Bioshock. Bioshock Infinite will be released on October16. It will also be released for the Xbox 360 and PC.
Sky Defenders Publisher:Apple Developer: Superplay Games Platforms:iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone (Reviewed) Release Date: March 6, 2012 Price:$0.99 – Available Here
Overview
The developers of Sky Defenders are well known. They have created games for various big name studios, such as Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Oddworld Inhabitants, Petroglyph and Turbine. Their first game as a studio was named Cosmonauts and it released in December of last year.
Sky Defenders is a completely different game than Cosmonauts though. Set in an unnamed city, Sky Defenders has you controlling one of two superheroes in a top-down collectible shoot’em up experience.
Gameplay
As a superhero, it is your job to protect the city from alien bots. As you fly around over the city, the bots will try to attack you. If they manage to lay their cold tentacles on you, you will be stunned for 3 seconds. Therefore, fast reflexes, superior flying skills and weapons are needed. Weapons you say? But doesn’t a superhero usually have a power inside him, or one that he can call upon at will? Not in this game, my friend. Not in this game.
While zipping around the alien bots, you are required to pick up collectibles. As soon as they are picked up, they activate and kill bad guys. Picking up the ‘ice’ collectible, for example, allows you to smash through several alien bots. The ‘explosive’ collectible is self explanatory. A ‘magnet’ and ‘lightning’ collectible are also included. Once you have killed enough of the attackers, you can activate a “SUPERPOWER” for about 5 seconds, which deals a lot of damage. As long as you keep killing baddies, your combo meter goes up. Fly around aimlessly too much or get stunned, and it goes back to 1x. The game starts you off with 60 seconds on the clock, but you can gain more increments of 20 seconds if you get a good score.
All in all, I had a great time with the core gameplay. Zapping alien bots was awesome, and I liked setting off the collectibles. The pace was really enjoyable, and I constantly wanted to better my score. In addition, when I would deftly maneuver around a pack of bots, set off a massive chain reaction or get a good combo, I was having a blast. Grabbing an extra 20 seconds on the clock always gave me a rush because I knew I would be able to continue playing the game without having to go back to the menu screen.
Nevertheless, there are some serious problems with the game. While the standard gameplay allows you blow up aliens in fine fashion, it can be quite hard to rack up a a good score. There are two reasons for this. One is that the game utilizes tilt controls, thus often making it hard to operate with much dexterity. Although it is possible to adroitly fly around the aliens at the beginning of a level, by the middle of the level the enemies come in such great number that it is frustrating to collect power-ups because your more than likely to get stunned for a precious 3 seconds, get released and then fly right smack into another group of aliens who repeat the process. This is especially troublesome if you are playing the game while traveling in a car or other transport.
Secondly, Sky Defenders allows you purchase helpful bonus items that can increase speed, reduce stun time or activate a sidekick. The first time I played the game, I spent about 20,000 credits, assuming that I would quickly earn them back again. However, to my surprise, I learned very quickly that credits accumulate at a glacial pace. While you can try to speed up the process by accomplishing the daily mission, or by getting a VERY high score (which is tough to do considering the controls), there is also another option: in-app purchases. Paying $0.99 will get you 25,000 credits which lasts about one 2:00 minute game, if you buy 3 power-ups. The power-ups make Sky Defenders a much more fun game and they allow for higher scores, but it is frustrating that earning them was not balanced very well.
Another issue I had with the game was that it constantly asked me to sign into Facebook and ‘Like’ the Sky Defenders page. It promised to reward me with 10,000 credits. After going through a slow process of opening up Facebook and typing in my credentials, I “Liked” the page. I backed out and tried to collect my credits, but I didn’t get anything. I restarted the app and still nothing. Although the Facebook popup was annoying, and the lack of awarded credits disheartening, I actually do like the Facebook integration. If your friends buy the app, you will be able to compete on the leaderboards against them.
Audio and Visuals
The soundtrack in the game is a standard “cartoon superhero” type mix, similar to what can be found in many TV shows or movies. That said, I enjoyed it and it kept the game moving, although it did get stuck in my head because it keeps repeating over and over. Sound effects, like smacks, bangs and explosions are pedestrian, and while the game would certainly be incomplete without them, they don’t do anything too exciting either.
Sky Defenders graphics are beautiful for an iOS game. Animations are smooth and detailed. When power-ups are used, they pop out of the screen and look really cool. In addition, the menus are full of life and color. The character models are really detailed, and look really good, especially considering how small they are. However, the background is dull, being just a plain blue overlay on top of anther dull graphic that looks somewhat like a city. Plus, while most of the UI is good, the constant Facebook popup mentioned above was annoying.
Overall
In conclusion, Sky Defenders is a game that feels a tad unfinished. A lack of extra modes, bothersome controls and limited power-up options mean that there is only so much to keep the game interesting. Maybe after a couple updates (or if you opt to overspend on ridiculously priced in-app purchases) Sky Defenders will become a “must have” game, but in its current state, it is better to hold off for awhile. Then again, super hero games are always fun to play, and I can’t deny that I always like smashing, electrifying and blowing up alien scum, especially when the price for such enjoyment is only $0.99. In addition, I love that the game has “Daily Mission” to accomplish and Sky Defenders gets more charming by the second as you play through it.
Amazingly in 48 hours, there were one million players ready to sign up for a chance to take part in Guild Wars 2 beta events. However, only so many slots are available for players to partake. So in honor of all the people that signed up, ArenaNet has some never seen before footage that they would like to share with all of its fans.
For those that missed out on the beta sign-up, the Guild Wars 2 team mentioned there will be sign-ups later on for the beta events. Until then follow additional news through the Guild Wars 2 Facebook page, and gain access to ArenaNet’s special gift by liking the page.
Good news for fans of the South Korean MMORPG game MapleStory, the popular online game will be making the move to the Nintendo 3DS, just in time for the console’s launch throughout South Korea.
MapleStory was previously ported to the Nintendo DS, but did not receive any significant global release. It is still unknown whether the 3DS version of the game will be mainly restricted to an Asian release, but Nexon, the publisher of MapleStory, has encouraged Western fans to not give up hope on the game being released in the West.
Unfortunately Nexon have not revealed any further details on MapleStory 3DS, other than the fact that it will be a launch title for the console in South Korea. Stay tuned as more details come to light.
Can’t get enough of the upcoming Rurouni Kenshin live-action film? Well for those of you who bare an unquenchable thirst for any snippet of news or footage of the most anticipated Japanese film of the year, than your in luck. Another trailer for the film has made it’s way online for your viewing pleasure and it shows off more than any other trailer yet of the film.
The film is of course a live-action adaptation of the wildly popular samurai manga series Rurouni Kenshin written by Nobuhiro Watsuki. You can check out the brand new trailer for the live-action film below. The film is set to premiere on August 25th, 2012 throughout Japan.
It seems that fans of manga are seeing more than one long running series hit its end point. Just one week removed from the final chapter of the popular manga series, Mahou Sensei Negima!, finished its nine year run, another long running series is ending.
This time, it is Kôji Kumeta’s Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. In 2012’s 15th issue of Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine it was announced that Kumeta will be ending the series in nine chapters, which means the series will be ending in nine weeks, officially ending its seven year publication. For those who don’t know, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei follows the story of a depressed teacher who has to teach a class of strange students, all of which have even stranger personalities.
Earlier this year the quirky Thermae Romae manga series was adapted into a short anime series. It was previously announced that alongside said anime adaptation would be a live-action film based on the bizarre Roman bathhouse themed manga.
Now a trailer for the live-action film has been released, which can be seen below. The trailer shows off many of Thermae Romae’s cast as well as some pretty funny scenes that fans would instantly recognise.
Thermae Romae is a comedy set within ancient Rome, specifically focusing on the bathhouses of the time. Lucius, a roman bathhouse architect is accidentally transported to modern day Japan through a time portal in the bottom of one of the Roman baths and learns of the future of bathhouses.
The film is set to premiere on the 28th of April, 2012 in cinemas across Japan.
It has now been officially confirmed that the popular mecha anime series Rinne no Lagrange has been green-lit for a second season. The first season which is currently ongoing premiered back in January as part of the Winter 2012 anime season. Viz Media has been simulcasting the series in the U.S.
The series follows a group of girls chosen to pilot the Vox Aura mecha to combat an invading threat, all while trying to go to High School in their quaint beach side home town.
The second season is slated to begin in July and run through to the end of September setting it to premiere in the Summer 2012 anime season. No exact date has been confirmed for the second season’s premiere.
