Robotech: The Masters Saga Studio: Tatsunoko/ Harmony Gold Publisher:Beyond Home Entertainment Release Date: 1st February, 2012 Price: $23.99 (Buy Here)
Overview
Robotech: Masters is the second season of the space epic that is Robotech. In this particular series, it is up to the next generation of humans to take up the battle against the Robotech Masters, who seem hell-bent on taking over the human race for the power-source Protoculture.
Story
Robotech: Masters takes place 15 years after the events of the original Robotech transpired, so that means that it’s almost a completely new world out there for the human race. This also means that there is an all new cast of mis-fit teenagers who are ready and welling to take up the cause of defending the Earth from various threats from beyond the stars.
And just like that, there is a new threat. The Robotech Masters, a race of human like creatures who have resorted to cloning-like processes to keep their society afloat. However, they are running out of the precious power-source Protoculture and plan to take it from the Humans on the Earth.
What I really liked about the story of Robotech: Masters was the way that it continued the lore of the original series while also making it’s own stand in the great Robotech meta-story. This really gives the impression that something pretty awesome is going on in the Robotech universe, something bigger than one race trying to wipe out one other race considering the way that the whole protculture issue is played out. It’s like the villains need the energy source for more than their survival, and in-fact is mentioned a few times that they need the source to combat the evil Invid forces.
However, the story distinctly does not feel like Robotech. Or more specifically, it doesn’t have the same emotional value that Robotech: Macross Saga had. This is, what I believe, made Robotech unique. You grew with the characters, you shared in their experiences and you felt this connection with the drama that was happening on the screen. In Masters, there is not that level of drama. Instead it seems to be that the characters wake up one day, go into battle and then go back to sleep. Sure there are some episodes that are more dramatic than others, and the drama did build across the series, but as a whole, it was just not at the same tier as Macross.
What made the story even worse for me, was that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. I mean, this was made in a different era, but the characters seemed way too rebellious and way too punk-like for me to identify with. Even the characters that were pegged as the less mischievous types were still highly unrelatable for their own reasons. However, this is likely due to the sensibilities of another time and people from that era will probably identify with the characters a lot better than I did.
Visuals
Visually, Robotech: Masters is not all that pleasing and that is not just because of it’s age, but it’s also because it is not as technically well drawn as Macross Saga was. In fact, it is completely evident that this series of the show was cut up from a completely unrelated series to Macross. And this is just through the visuals.
I feel as though Harmony Gold went on a licensing spree with Anime just before the boom in the 90s and as a result, may not have been able to market two different shows. This is how the show feels visually and, while it doesn’t significantly ruin the experience of Robotech, it does cheapen it just a little bit.
However the visuals alone aren’t that bad when you weigh them alone, it’s just that as a part of the Robotech meta-story, it seems massively out of place for the show to suddenly drop in production values so massively. For instance, while the battles are fluid and well animated, a lot of the more social scenes were a bit staticy. What I mean there is that basically, the characters were more still and less fluid in comparison to the battles.
And really, visually speaking, the only reason that there are so many gripes is because this has gone against itself. If the visual quality was maintained between seasons, then everything would have been okay.
Audio
In comparison to the video, the audio is much better. That’s speaking on a technical level, and for most of the sound effects and voice overs from the series. However, I did have an amazingly hard time enjoying the lead female characters voice work.
I mean, she was probably meant to come off as this punk-ass teenager with little respect for authority, but what we got instead was this spoiled brat who didn’t seem to know what she wanted other than to be as annoying as possible to everyone around her. As a result, the main character was less than likeable and she didn’t grow out of this kind of unreputable behaviour, even though she was constantly being commended and awarded throughout the show.
However, the majority of the other voices in the show are quite great and some of them are absolutely believable. However, due to the lesser-quality of the writing, some of the lines still come off as less-than-par sounding, regardless of how well it may have been acted.
Overall
As an avid Robotech fan, you will definitely want to pick up this second slice of a trilogy (not including Shadow Chronicles movie) of the Robotech meta-story up from your local DVD market. As a casual viewer, it is harder to recommend this if you have already seen the original series, it is definitely for the more hardcore viewers. If you haven’t seen the original Robotech but are interested in some nostalgic Anime, this could be your in to the Robotech franchise.
Nokia have unveiled an exciting and innovative new range of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as some complimentary new services and partnerships. Included in the new range is
– The new Lumia 610, made with the active young person in mind in relation to functionality, affordability and social connectivity. The Lumia 610 makes web browsing a breeze with the inclusion of Internet explorer as well as access to games through XBox Live. Available in cyan, white, magenta and black the Lumia 610 has been made possible via a future update from Microsoft for Windows 7.5 phones which allows for lower processor and memory requirements to perform high end tasks.
– Next in line is the expansion of the Lumia 900 into all countries in a DC-HSPA format capable of high speed data connectivity in countries where LTE is not available. The 900 has a 4.3″ Clearblack AMOLED screen, as well as a huge battery life making it the perfect media entertainment device for those on the move. The Lumia 900’s camera is no slouch either, featuring Carl Zeiss optics, a large aperture for improved pictures in low light, as well as a wide angle focal length for 16:9 images.
– This phone looks exciting and for good reason. The new Nokia 808 Pureview looks to be pushing the boundaries when it comes to clarity and high end imaging technology. Introducing many new features, the Pureview brings together high end sensors, Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia derived algorithms which will add support for future products. Bringing all this technology home is the pixel oversampling technology which allows for zooming without loss of clarity and the ability to condense 7 pixels of information into 1. Additionally, you can enjoy full 1080p recording and playback with 4x lossless zoom, and Rich recording allowing for CD AUDIO QUALITY recordings.
– Adding to the Asha range, Nokia have released the Asha 302 for those who want to take the office with them on the move in full QWERTY style. Also released are the Asha 202 and 203, with touchscreen technology and with a pack of 40 games from Electronic Arts included in the pack.
– Nokia have also done a lot of work on their location based services, and by teaming up with Groupon they plan to be able to offer many location sensitive discounts and deals. They have also announced a new version of Nokia Drive which will offer full offline turn by turn navigation. Going forward, Nokia plan to also add personalisation to the Nokia Drive service by remebering a users route and given advice and traffic delays. Nokia also have plans to support the Windows Phone version of Nokia Transport for door to door, underground, trams, trains and buses in more than 45 countries and 500 cities.
Ubisoft have today released a video for their hotly anticipated upcoming XBLA title, I Am Alive. The new video is a developer’s diary which features the developers of I Am Alive going into detail about the making of the game.
You can check out the I Am Alive developer’s diary below. Ubisoft’s survival horror title I Am Alive is available on the Xbox Live Acarde Marketplace come March 7th.
I Am Alive places players in a post cataclysmic world in which they must survive the toxic environment that was once the city of Haventon.
Will you be picking up I Am Alive on the XBLA on March 7? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Studio Pierrot recently announced they are ending production on the Bleach anime series. In it’s wake they have taken on multiple new anime projects, such as Polar Bear Cafe an adaptation of Aloha Higa’s popular gag manga of the same name.
In anticipation of Polar Bear Cafe’s Spring 2012 premiere on the 5th of April, Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo (the station that will air Polar Bear Cafe) have revealed some new information on the anime series. The first of which is a new preview poster art which can be seen to the left. The poster shows off the series primary cast (click to enlarge).
Also revealed is that the following voice actors have been cast in the series:
Takahiro Sakurai will play the Polar Bear
Jun Fukuyama will play the Panda Bear
Hiroshi Kamiya will play the Penguin
What do you think of Polar Bear Cafe? Does it tickle your furry fantasies? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
As revealed in a very interesting contest, where fans had to guess the release date, Sine Mora will be getting a release exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade on 21 March 2012. Further to this news, Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have confirmed that the game will cost 1,200 Microsoft Points.
Also with this announcement comes a brand new trailer titled ‘Dust to Dust’, showing off some of the really intense level design and a ton of action. Sine Mora looks like a breath of fresh air in the tried and tested shmup genre, and should be an awesome experience when it becomes available as a digital title next month. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer below.
Dynasty Warriors NEXT Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Tecmo Koei Platform: PlayStation Vita Release Date: February 22, 2012 Price: $39.99 –Available Here
Overview:
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has been a source of inspiration for many video games from Tecmo Koei and one of these inspired series has seen quite a few releases over the years across many different platforms. I’m speaking of course, about Dynasty Warriors. With the launch of the PlayStation Vita Tecmo Koei has set Dynasty Warriors NEXT loose on the public, aiming to wow the world with what Dynasty Warriors can do when handed the Vita’s capabilities. Is Dynasty Warriors NEXT a true warrior of the Three Kingdoms or will it fall like the Han Dynasty?
Story:
As with every other Dynasty Warriors game since the series was created, the storyline follows the Romance of the Three Kingdoms all the way from the Yellow Turbans Rebellion to where the Wei, Wu, and Shu empires battle against one another in an effort to unite all of the land under their rule. While the presentation of the story takes a bit of a different approach from what fans may be used to, the storyline is still the same as before so don’t expect too many surprises here.
The story mode of Dynasty Warriors NEXT takes place during the Campaign option, where a multitude of scenarios are presented. At the start of each campaign a video plays that introduces the player to what will be happening during that part of the story as well as providing a bit of background. Between various battles players will also be treated to some small conversations between the characters, however as before the storyline feels like something we’ve seen plenty of times before, retold in a different way.
Visuals:
If you had to pick a title among the launch line-up that would demonstrate what the PlayStation Vita is capable of, then Dynasty Warriors NEXT would be a perfect example. At any given time there can be a hundred different soldiers on the battlefield at any given time, this includes both ally and enemy soldier alike. At worst I only experienced minor slowdowns when performing a musou attack on a very large amount of enemies, only for the game to pick right back up with its impressive frame-rate.
As far as the quality of the graphics go, Dynasty Warriors NEXT manages to look just as good as the ones available on the home consoles, though some of the musou attack effects have been toned down slightly to accommodate the frame-rate. Enemy soldiers retain their samey appearance, however are varied in appearance according to their soldier-type.
Another plus for NEXT is that all of the cutscenes that you are treated to in the campaign are absolutely gorgeous. These cutscenes rival those that you would have been treated to on current generations and watching them on the large Vita screen makes for an impressive showing.
Audio:
It appears that nearly every voice actor that has performed characters in the past Dynasty Warrior games has managed to retain their roles and handle the voice work yet again for NEXT. This is rather impressive, as although the uttered phrases can become grating after multiple repetitions, all of the battles in Dynasty Warriors NEXT are fully voiced meaning you’ll hear the yells of soldiers, challenges/retreats from opposing generals, support/help from allies and story content all spoken aloud.
As for the background music, it feels like a lot of the music was recycled from past games with plenty of fast paced music that is suited to the amount of action going on screen at any given time, although it would have been nice to see a little change of pace given the fact that nearly every piece of music sounds the same after a very brief time of listening to it.
Gameplay:
Are you ready to slay droves similar looking soldiers, leaving hundreds of bodies in your wake to pave the way for a unified land? Then you best get your fingers ready, because most of what made Dynasty Warriors great and enjoyable for its fans has returned. Players will be controlling a single warrior on the battlefield and is tasked with capturing the enemies’ bases while also defeating anyone who stands in their way.
Dynasty Warriors NEXT keeps plenty of things similar to past titles, however there are plenty of changes to keep the game fresh for returning players, most of which involve the Vita’s unique capabilities. But first let us go with how you will progress from battle to battle. In the game’s campaign mode, rather than follow an individual story for each character players will take part in various scenarios each occurring on selected parts of China. In these scenarios players will be presented with a map of China, where they are shown what territories they own, and what the enemy does. This is more or less a level select screen, though players can only invade territories adjacent to ones they already rule.
Before entering battle, players will accrue gold for each region they own, this gold can then be used on Strategems, various special boosts that are granted for a price by the warriors currently fighting alongside you. The Strategems range from increasing the attack and defense of a player, the speed of their player, boosting their army defense and more. Also players are able to equip various weapons and accessories before they enter a battle which boosts their abilities in one way or another.
As you enter a battle in Campaign mode, you will occasionally be able to choose which warrior you want to play as, however there are multiple times you will be forced to play as a certain warrior for story purposes which somewhat limits your choices. Besides slaying hundreds of enemy soldiers and officers, Dynasty Warriors has also always focused around Bases; however in NEXT they are more important than ever.
As you enter combat, the map is split between your allied bases and the enemies’ bases, with most goals being the capture of the enemies’ main camp or the defeat of the enemy leader who stays in the main camp. In NEXT bases offer quite a strategic bonus as well, supply bases provide healing items that spawn occasionally while magical bases will prevent other nearby bases from being captured and there are even bases which spawn wolves, tigers and even panda bears to help you out in battle. To make things even more heavily focused on the bases, the more you capture the harder it is for your own main base to be taken, which means the more you capture from your enemy the easier it will be to take them down.
While capturing a base may be something simple, simply murder everyone inside until you bring the enemy counter to zero and it is yours, NEXT introduces something called the “break” meter which fills up as you deal out long running combo attacks which can range into the thousands. This break meter can be activated through the use of a simple tap on the middle of the touchscreen, allowing for the instant capture of any camp minus the main camp.
Dynasty Warriors NEXT takes full advantage of what the PlayStation Vita has to offer, by creating a vast amount of mechanics that focus solely on the touchscreen or motion sensing system. The powerful musou attack has been modified to make use of the touchscreen, though it is possible to use a standard musou attack still through the O button. Whenever the musou meter is full the player can activate their attack by taping both sides of the screen which then creates a little mini-game where players must do a number of different things to create a more powerful special attack. These range from using the back touchpad to deal damage to enemies on that part of the screen, tracing circles to create large whirlwinds, shaking the Vita to slam the ground or even direct your attacks with swipes at the enemy. This creates a very enjoyable and satisfying experience that makes the musou attacks all the more special, especially when you can annihilate hundreds of soldiers if done properly.
However the touchscreen is used for much more than musou attacks. A new Duel mode has been added into NEXT where players will have to face off against an enemy officer in a one-on-one battle where everything is done using the touchscreen. To perform attacks you swipe the screen, however you cannot block for some strange reason, which creates quite an issue with the pacing of the battles. Since players cannot block the duels turn into a sluggish affair, where attacking recklessly can cause you to be defeated easily, which means you must simply watch the enemy and wait for an opening. These duels feel extremely forced at times, and indeed are. It is understandable that some enemy officers would need to be dueled; however this sometimes occurs three times in one battle (even against non-unique officers), creating an arduous affair that quickly becomes annoying to deal with.
Also interspersed throughout each battle are squads of enemies which will ambush you in any number of ways. This means there are times a group of enemy soldiers will jump into the air and you must move the Vita around to see them all, tapping them to kill them. Other times players may need to swipe arrows, bombs, and even magic out of the air. These are enjoyable and break up the button mashing of the standard game.
There are also a number of minigames that help break up the pace of the game as these can come in-between battles or also can be activated at the main screen. These range from an enjoyable horse racing game which makes use of the gyroscope, attacking incoming enemies with a swipe of your finger or even aiming at enemies with a giant arrow-machinegun. However one minigame is absolutely terrible and that is calligraphy. This minigame features a Chinese symbol hidden on a screen where players must use the rear touchpad to uncover the entire symbol before writing it on the front; however it is quite difficult and annoying to perform.
Returning for NEXT is the edit mode that allows you to create an original warrior of your very own, allowing you to equip various unlocked gear you unlocked as you level up. You can then take these created characters, as well as officers from the main game and enter into Conquest mode, a non-story related mode that features the same type of gameplay as the Campaign mode with a few adjustments. For example you will need to take over every region to win any given Conquest scenario, however you can only invade regions which have a smaller number than your own. Each area can be leveled up whenever it is your turn; however the enemy can also conquer your areas without a fight, making the entire mode like a more complicated version of Risk.
Another interesting feature in Conquest mode is that it can collect data from other Dynasty Warriors NEXT players and take their custom characters and populate your game with them. This means the enemies’ warlord could possibly be a created character of some unknown origin. Unfortunately there is no other multiplayer mode besides an ad hoc mode that I was unable to use.
Overall:
Dynasty Warriors NEXT doesn’t change up its standard formula too much, however with the touchscreen capabilities of the PlayStation Vita change-up the standard hack n’ slashing in an interesting and unique way when they don’t shoehorn you into using them constantly. With battles being more strategic than ever and the constant fun of being able to destroy hundreds of soldiers makes Dynasty Warriors NEXT one of the best titles available in the PlayStation Vita’s launch line-up.
Konami Entertainment have today released a trailer for their upcoming Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 action epic, Blades of Time, which announces the title’s North American release date.
You can check out the trailer below to find out when it will be gracing North American shores, but for those of you too lazy to watch the video it will be released on March 6th.
The European release date of Blades of Time was previously confirmed for March 15th. Will you be picking up Blades of Time when it is released next month? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
For the past few weeks now, Nintendo have been coming forth with numerous details about Mario Party 9, and for the most part, this new entry is shaping up quite nicely. In true Nintendo fashion, a new television commercial was recently released to promote the game, and it’s quite a goomba-filled family affair.
Along with talk about the new features of boss battles and vehicles, this clip shows a family enjoying some Mario Party with a bevy of Mario characters making appearances throughout. Mario Party 9 hits the Wii on March 11th, so mark your calenders, snag a pre-order, and use a coaster, as this follow-up is sure to be the swan song for the franchise on the platform. You can watch the new commercial down below.
Overview
If you were to mention 15 years ago that Mario and Sonic would have collaborated in any video game, most would have fell over in shock at the thought. Times are different now though, the SNES and Genesis wars are over, and Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games marks the third entry in Sega’s growing franchise that sees the two now legends going for gold. Just a few months after releasing a console version, this portable offering is set to bring together two all-star teams for some mini-game madness at the world’s grand stage for sporting events. Being on the 3DS, does this entry shoot for the stars, or is it bound by the limitations of it’s platform? Here is my review for Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games.
Story
Believe it or not, there is a full story to be told in the London Olympic Games. Eggman and Bowser have set out to do the unthinkable. After years of kidnapping princesses, holding small animals hostage, and opening corrupt amusement parks, it’s now this duo’s duty to make the Olympics…foggy. Sonic, Mario, and the rest of the bunch are not going to stand by and watch the dark auras take over though, and are out to clear the air and restore these events to their bright and jolly state.
Yes, it’s not the most intriguing of stories, but for a franchise that has made a name for itself out of sheer simplicity and star power, you can’t really ask for too much more. Cutscenes in-between games tell the small plot rather well and with two branching paths, players can see everything unfold in two perspectives (Mario and Sonic’s, of course). Instead of jumping or spindashing through foes, these two gaming icons must compete against whatever evil lies ahead, and in true fare for both parties involved, there are plenty of nods and fan service to keep the player interested until the final event.
Gameplay
If Mario and Sonic have anything going for them in this outing, it’s the hefty variety of mechanics that are involved when it comes to makes these mini-games tick. Whether it be biking, weight-lifting, swimming, or any other Olympic-flavored fare, Sega have done a fantastic job in bringing out the full potential of the 3DS’ touch screen, mic, gyroscopic and button controls by putting them all to use at one time or another, giving each sport it’s own unique feel. While that alone is worthy of a ton of praise, there are still some shortcomings within the game due to poor choices in execution.
Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games featured around 20 mini-games in all, and while each felt…”mini”, they never came off as bite-sized and were equally enjoyable to some extent. The 3DS counterpart is quite different though, letting the player have a vast selection of over 50. This sounds great at first, but quite a few of these romps lack the quality of others and stick out like rotten apples amongst the stronger contenders within the game. For instance, there is one game that lets players blow at the 3DS’ mic to control a sailboat. This works just fine and the vessel moves accordingly, but the whole event is over in a blink of an eye and feels lackluster as a result. Another mic-based event has you yell into the mic to control your character’s performance, which is about as awkward as you can imagine. These are just a couple of examples of course, but thankfully Sega did craft out some more memorable inclusions in this lot that are sure to please.
Out of all the events present, I found the timing-based games and button-mashing races to be the most enjoyable. Taekwondo has the player hit an appropriate input at the correct time to slam their opponent into the ground. Whoever has the fastest and most accurate fingers become the victor, and it’s hard not to want to try again in either case. Since this is the Olympics, racing and swimming can both be done by mashing a few buttons and controlling your character’s speed, and this is yet another fine event that works well with the game’s limited scope. You see, nearly every mini-game takes less than a minute to complete and every sport has been shrunken down to fit within the small time span, while boasting some kind of gimmick to make things more interesting. Sadly, what should be the most exciting sports on the cart are also the most disappointing. Instead of getting to play volleyball in a full court and actually taking control of your character, the player is forced to control what feels like a statue as they wait for the ball to come to them, using the stylus strokes to knock it in a particular direction. Many other big-named sports work in the same manner, limiting the player to a couple of button-presses instead of a more fulfilling control scheme.
The saving grace to it all though is how these casual tasks are tied together. Single player mode lets players pick their own events to play, with the option to create a “medley” of events to be played one after another, which is great for those who would rather player their favorites than go through the offerings found in Story mode. Winning medals and “going for gold” is also a good reason to keep going back in for more, and there is hours of content to be found for any completionist looking for a challenge. For those with friends, a multiplayer mode can also be found where you can square off against friends, competing in several events locally.
Visuals/Audio
Graphically, Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games looks fantastic. Each model for Sonic, Tails, Mario, Luigi, or any of the many other characters from either franchise look crisp and delightful, easily standing toe to toe with their console forms. The 3D effect however is rather subtle and feels a bit tacked on, and of course can not be properly used with the gyroscopic themed games to the movement of the handheld. Animations are also well done, with each character capturing their quirky charms with expressions alone in the colorful and appropriately themed London environment.
As far as a soundtrack goes, you should expect a bit of Mushroom Kingdom, a dash of Sonic, and a few generic yet upbeat tracks blaring in the background as players compete. None of these tunes are too distinguishable or stand on their own, but are just effective enough in giving the game a warm and inviting feeling to fans who are both old and new to this franchise. Voice acting is very sparse and is mainly done through grunts and whines, which is a bit of a let-down considering that we have seen other 3DS titles go out of their way to offer rich dialogue sequences.
Overall
When it boils down to it, my only true complaint with Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games is that it’s just a mini-game compilation. Nothing more, nothing less. Events have been shrunken down to best fit the platform, but the 3DS has proven itself capable of much more in the past which leaves a lot to be desired from this portable entry. Mario and Sonic are still very much Mario and Sonic though, and their personas alone are enough to make younger and more casual gamers cling to this title and get hours of enjoyment out of the huge variety of events in tow. Mario however…could never, and I do repeat never beat Sonic in a race. That is just craziness.
Cave Company can’t seem to stop pumping out new DoDonPachi titles. The popular shooter franchise is getting quite the attention in 2012 with several new releases across several platforms, which include the arcade, Xbox 360, iOS, and now the Windows Phone 7.
Instead of just porting the iOS title, DoDonPachi Blissful Death, to the Windows Phone 7, the company has instead decided to release an all new DoDonPachi game for the platform titled DoDonPachi Maximum.
At this stage the Cave has shared a debut teaser trailer and mentioned that it will come out sometime in 2012. You can view the trailer below which has some really cool music and a weird looking scientist with glowing eyes.
