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House of Five Leaves Complete Series Premium Edition Review

Travis Bruno
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House of Five Leaves Complete Series Premium Edition
Studio: Manglobe
Publisher: NIS America
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Price: $59.95 – Available Here

Overview:
We’ve all seen stories about samurai in the past. They’ve either been completely peerless in battle, or valiant warriors fighting for a noble cause, or men who respect honor above all else or even those with super human skills that make them impossible to defeat. However we rarely see an anime focus on a samurai that is just down on his luck and not as noble as one would believe. However NIS America has brought a series over to North America that features such a samurai… and that anime is House of Five Leaves. How does this new look at the story of a samurai turn out?

Story:
In the Edo period of Japan, law was enforced by the edge of a blade. Samurai were everywhere and obeyed their lords and performed various jobs and provide protection to whoever hires them. However there are also those who are simply Ronin samurai, those without a master.  House of Five Leaves follows the Ronin samurai Akitsu Masanosuke, whom while being a skilled swordsman, simply can’t hold onto a job.

The reason for this is due to his shy personality and inability to stand up to crowds of any kind. However one day his luck changes when he is helped out by a mysterious man named Yaichi. Yaichi offers Akitsu a job as his bodyguard during a simple late night meeting. However this meeting isn’t your standard meet and greet. No, it is in fact to pick up a ransom that is being delivered to Yaichi from a rich family because Yaichi and his partners, Matsukichi, Umezou and Otake have kidnapped their son.

Rather than helping enforce the law, it turns out that Akitsu has joined up with the wrong side of the law and is protecting a gang known as the Five Leaves. This gang makes a living out of committing illegal acts and skirting around the law. After discovering their true purpose Akitsu says that he will never help the Five Leaves again despite Yaichi’s request that he stay. However despite his attempts to avoid the group and their illicit activities, the Five Leaves slowly begin to bring Akitsu into their fold as he begins to develop friendships within the group. What will happen to Akitsu now that he has been associated with the Five Leaves gang?

While nearly all of the main characters in House of Five Leaves can be seen as criminals and villains at the start of the show, the series does an amazing job of humanizing every character in the storyline. Rather than simply focus on Akitsu, nearly every character is given some amount of back story and personality that helps drive the story forward. Rarely do you see an anime focus so heavily on developing their characters, however House of Five Leaves is practically entirely character-driven and a major part of what makes House of Five Leaves great.

It can be seen that the show is a bit slow and this is in fact true. Rather than focus on action, most of what viewers are presented with is calm scenes as the characters talk with one another and organize their plans. This can make for a bit of a slow story; however there is still plenty of drama that will keep viewers interested as they make their way through each episode and see how Akitsu slowly becomes a member of the group and even overcomes some of his shyness along the way.

Visuals:
House of Five Leaves features a different type of character design that most people are used to and this can unfortunately cause a lot of people to pass up the title. It is difficult to describe what is unsettling about the way the characters’ faces are drawn, though perhaps their eyes would be a great start, but whether or not you embrace the character design will be a driving force for how well you appreciate the artwork of the entire show. While it may be difficult at first to adapt to this unusual character design, they seemed to grow on me as episodes passed.

The amount of detail that can be found in the animation is quite impressive, as it helps bring the entire scene together with very simple inclusions that create a detailed presentation. Though with all this detail the series does use a very subdued color palette that tends to be a bit bland at time, keeping things as basic as possible, this includes the opening and ending animations which are basic in design and presentation.

Audio & Subtitles:
It is worth noting that NIS America has released the House of Five Leaves series with subtitles only, which means that viewers will only be able to listen to the original Japanese dub while reading what is going on via the English subtitles. These subtitles are accurate and help portray what is going on at any given time without being obtrusive to the show itself.

The Japanese voice cast itself does a well enough job portraying the characters and their, at times, dreary personalities. The anime’s background music is suitable enough, though what stands out drastically from the series is the opening song. “Sign of Love” by immi would best be categorized in the electronica genre and is very upbeat and provides a nice and enjoyable introduction to each episode. On the other hand the series’ ending song, “all I need is…” by Rake features a lot of English lyrics which aren’t handled well by the singer, making it something that viewers will gladly skip through.

Extras:
On the DVD discs for House of Five Leaves we see your standard bonus features such as trailers for other NIS America releases and a clean version of the opening and ending though, as said before, these feature basic animation and the clean versions don’t offer anything besides a quick way to listen to the songs if you enjoy them.

However, as standard with an NIS America release, House of Five Leaves has received the Premium Edition treatment. As such it comes with a collectible chipboard slip-case and a hardcover art book with fully colored artwork inside. Now while other collectible slip covers from NIS America usually feature a glossy finish or smooth material on the outside, House of Five Leaves is given a textured cover with no gloss. The textured slip-case provides a bit of a classic feel to the package, though I found the cover texture to be less enjoyable when compared to other releases from NIS America that feature a smooth cover.

Now the artbook itself contains a number of features, including character introductions for all of the main characters, summaries for each episode accompanied by multiple images from said episode and a few pieces of scenery artwork. Something new to NIS America’s art book is a set of early storyboards and sketches from various episodes that give us a small glimpse at how an anime scene looks before it is animated and is still in the planning stage.

Overall:
House of Five Leaves is something that isn’t seen often in anime nowadays. While most anime is tailored towards those who enjoy plenty of flashy action, colorful designs and moe characters, House of Five Leaves steps beyond that boundary and delivers a serious experience with plenty of drama and well developed characters.  Those who can look past the strange and unfamiliar art style will find a unique anime experience.

8-0-capsules-out-of-10

Deep Black: Reloaded Review

Joshua Moris
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Deep Black: Reloaded
Publisher: Biart
Developer: Biart
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Price: $20.99 (30% Off Retail) – Available Here

Overview
Not too many games can claim that they allow an underwater shooter experience, and Deep Black: Reloaded is that exception. We as gamers are normally faced with some sort of land based terrain because it is the most probable type of warfare. While this third person shooter also provides land combat, underwater zones occur quite readily and impose unique movement controls/tactics. With an innovative combat scene and underwater exploration, let’s see where Deep Black: Reloaded ranks against its soil bound competitors.

Story
Lacking an initial storyline, players jump right into the game without much guidance or purpose. What we know is the current year is 2047, and the world is being controlled by several megacorporations that hold substantial military power. The three main corporations mentioned are Ishiguro-Himmel Systems (IHS), Global Strategic Alliance (GSA), and The United Federation of Gondwana. IHS is based in Berlin and maintains the most power amongst the three organizations. The northern hemisphere is controlled by the GSA while Gondwana operates from the southern.

As you begin your journey, you come to learn that the main character, Syrus Pierce, has been hired by the independent military organization CHARON which stands for Chief Amphibious Reconnaissance Operations Network. The reasoning behind the missions is misguided, and you will join in the confusion that Pierce expresses from act to act. Starting as a mere reconnaissance mission, acquiring intel quickly turns sour as IHS agents openly attack.

The story seems very weak starting off but progressively becomes more apparent as we learn the background of Pierce and his old teammate Velasco. Completing objectives will garner further information, but I found that focus is lost on the story as the here-and-now becomes devastatingly more important. Cut scenes will refocus attention to the story but soon drowns out by beautiful scenery and constant addictive gameplay.

Gameplay
Operating like any other third person shooter, Deep Black: Reloaded takes this genre a step further by providing a 3D underwater battlefield. In water you encounter a freedom of movement that cannot be felt on solid ground. This freedom is enhanced by the specially designed jet pack on Pierce’s gear. Controlled by a cool-down timer, the jets can be administered by pressing the “spacebar” and the direction of interest. Working as a propulsion, the suit’s jets aid in avoidance as well as maneuvering around currents. The jet pack is not the most interesting addition to the suit. An integrated harpoon proves to be much fun in not only converting working drones but also grappling land opponents from water – not to mention you use the harpoon to solve puzzles.

Having several types of weapons will increase the fun factor of a game as long as the mechanics behind the weapons work. Normally, a realistic weapon such as a pistol or rocket launcher has base mechanics that gamers have an inkling about. For instance pistols provide small amounts of damage with a limited clip. Keeping this normality gives a reliable back-up or main weapon and allows the player to be comfortable. A player is allowed to carry three weapons at any time, but the pistol remains constant and cannot be unequipped.

Going beyond the normal realm of weapons, Deep Black: Reloaded explores new technology in a futuristic Earth. In part with the storyline a meteorite is found that contains a new element. Nicknamed XS, an electric current can be attributed to the metal and increase its power. The IHS organization has been prototyping new weapons, and one such weapon created with the use of the metal is the Stun Gun. Mechanics behind the weapon produces a charge that paralyzes its target momentarily. However, several shots of this weapon can be devastating and cripple opponents as easily as using a shotgun. Careful, you just might wet yourself.

While a variety of weapons is important, enemies too need to be varied. The IHS is full of surprises but their main slew of enemies are in similar wet suits or look like engineers. Wielding light machine guns and shotguns at the start, these enemies provide little threat if dealt dwindled down. Shotguns up close can be very deadly, so pressing (F) as an enemy gets really close will administer a deadly melee attack. Some enemies wield dual blades at their wrists and charge towards your position. Be quick to take these foes down or initiate a melee attack to prevent being killed.

Armored opponents are tougher to kill, but not as tough as some of the boss battles. A series of metallic crab tanks will provide a challenge as you will need to utilize your environment to defeat them. In one such battle, you will need to overcharge a transmitter with a Stun Gun. The transmitter disperses the charge to the water below where stands the gigantic metallic creature. As the machine is stunned, its weaknesses become visible. Only by continuing this process will the goliath tumble down.

Understanding your environment is absolutely essential to survive at higher difficulties. No longer can you run and gun, and come out unscathed with foes beneath your feat. Cement blocks, metal sheets, machinery, as well as pipes can provide cover for incoming missiles. Careful advances from cover to cover is recommended and will guarantee a chance to surpass a level.

One aspect that enrages me is the death screen. Upon dying you will normally enter a screen that will ask you provide a respawn to the last checkpoint by hitting “enter”. However, once in awhile that screen changes, and the “enter” command will restart the entire level – not so much fun. This might occur if you continue to die at your checkpoint, but the alternate screen will screw you up at least once during your gameplay. If you die, you will be patient to see what screen pops up or start all over.

Visual/Audio
Dressed from head to toe in an advanced scuba technology, the main character Pierce is able to move from water to land without too much trouble. As a player moves Pierce from water to land, the screen will become slightly blurry for a few seconds as water would be running off armor. Cosmetically this provides a realistic concept that environment will affect visibility for a minor duration. Additionally, leaving the water will cause the suit to depressurize acting similar to a semi releasing tire pressure. Such a tiny addition makes the game artistically creative and appealing.

I cannot imagine how much time was put into making the underwater scenes – the graphics are outstanding. Jetting over volcanic geysers is only one instance that stands out as an intuitive design. As your character passes through the visible heat, burns will dot the screen with large red spots. Is death a worthy price for enjoying creativity? I think so.

The dying sounds for every human enemy stays the same masculine yell. I first thought a foe was running towards me at the sound of the clip, but I eventually became aware when no one was running wildly in my direction. While the sound is funny, it can be confusing with a charging opponent. Perhaps more death voices would make killing individualized.

Overall
As a mainstream third person shooter, Deep Black: Reloaded would not live up to the big name titles like Gears of War 3 or Mass Effect 3. But the game is in fact an indie developed game, and does provide a product worthy of playing over. I felt the positives outweighed the negative aspects of the game. The level designers were hard at work and proved that even indie games can look amazing. Repetitive sounds and an annoying death interface will occasionally be distracting, but the exciting underwater battles and variety of weapons will retain more of your attention.

Is the game worth the cost? If you are a sci-fi intrigued gamer, this could prove a worthy game for your collection. My advice would be to wait for another price drop from the developers as you can already purchase it at a discounted rate.

8-0-capsules-out-of-10

 

Sphinks Review

J. Bradshaw
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Sphinks
Publisher: Apple
Developer: Xtremics Ltd.
Platforms: iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone (Reviewed)
Release Date: January 12, 2012
Price: $1.99 – Available Here

Overview
As you can tell, the title of the game that is being reviewed in this article is severely misspelled. Products that have names which are misspelled usually can fit into 3 categories: (1) the product is attempting to be “hip” (2) it is trying to cover up a a bad product by having a “unique” name or (3) it is a good product with simply an awful name. Which category does Sphinks fit into? Find out in the following review.

Story
Sphinks is set in the ancient Egyptian time period. As a servant to the god Ra, god of the sun and creator, it is your job to make sure that he is able to perform his duties. However, something has gone horribly wrong. Ra has lost his powers. The Eye, Flair and Ankh that allow him to do tremendous things have disappeared. But, there is a solution. Finding the Ankh will allow Ra to regain his powers. Unfortunately, Ra broke up and hid this artifact so his enemies would not be able to find it. It is your job to retrieve the Ankh and restore Ra’s powers.

All in all, I suppose the story is ok for an iOS puzzle game. Nevertheless, its not very detailed and it lacks any semblance of order. It certainly explains why the game is set in Egypt, but I think it might have been much better if the developers would have skipped the story entirely and set the game wherever they wanted to, without explanation. The plot in puzzle games is often skimped on, and I see no reason why Xtremics should have even bothered with it, especially considering that there is so little depth to the story in Sphinks.

Gameplay
Sphinks reminds me of a slower version of Bejewled. Rather than filling the entire board up with pieces and tasking you match them, Sphinks initially only lays out about 5 different puzzle pieces on the board. It is your job to match 4 pieces together to make them burst into flames and disappear. Of course, after every turn, more and more pieces show up, and to get to the end of the level you must not allow the board to fill up completely. Pieces can be matched up horizontally, diagonally or vertically. After a level or two has been completed, the requirements change. Now, you must match 5 pieces instead of 4 and the game is substantially harder and so on. Timed pieces also make an appearance, and you must match them up before the clock on them runs out, or they will be set in stone. In addition, a gray overlay will appear on some blocks, indicating where and what the next spawn of blocks will be. Later on, special powers up can be activated that make the game easier for a certain amount of time. In addition, a hint system is also active, although it does not always give away the smartest strategies.

There are no time limits, and the game moves fairly slowly. You can’t queue up your moves, and after every move you have to watch the selected block move to its position. Although the animation for that doesn’t take more than a second, those seconds add up to make the game seem a lot longer than it really is. Making matters worse is that if you fail on any one of the 6 levels, the game takes you back to the first chapter, and you must start all over again. While this gives the game a sense of risk and urgency, it also makes it extremely hard to get anywhere. Playing the same level again after you have already beaten it is boring, especially because all the powerups are taken away until you reach your previous level.

Audio and Visuals
As you would expect, the soundtrack to Sphinks sounds like ancient Egypt theme music, with an emphasis on harps and flutes. When puzzle pieces are matched, or when someting special happens, a nice audio byte usually accompanies it. For example, when the pieces disappear, they burst into flames, crackle and sound like burning papyrus. Each location in the game has its own unique sound effects and soundtrack. This definitely helps to break up some of the monotony.

Graphically, the game is fine. The backgrounds are smooth, and the puzzle pieces are detailed. While the animations are slow, they are very polished and quality looking.

Overall
I really wanted to like Sphinks. The graphics were interesting and while the soundtrack was not amazing, it was unique. The ancient setting was unique, the gameplay was different and most of the later levels were hard. The lack of a timer made the game seem more relaxed, although the game was still fairly tough. However, I just couldn’t get past how bored I got when I had to restart, or once I had passed a few levels. New, exciting elements to the gameplay are rarely introduced as the game goes on, and I found myself wanting to play some Bejewled rather than spend anymore time with Sphinks.

6--capsules-out-of-10

Dracula: The Last Sanctuary released by Anuman Interactive

Darren Resnekov
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Its fitting that its a full moon here in Sydney, oh wait thats werewolves, oh well, as Anuman Interactive have announced as part of their Microids game collection they will be releasing the last instalment of the Dracula Saga for Mac, iPhone and iPad users. This instalment that completes the story is actually the 2nd chapter in the storyline, with the 3rd instalment “Path of the Dragon” being rereleased in 2010 and Resurrection the 1st in the story being released in 2011. In ” The Last Sanctuary” players again take on the role of John Harker, fresh off the campaign of saving his fiance Mina from the clutches of the evil nosfaratu. Returning to London Harker soon realises his adventures are far from over as Dracula has followed hot on his heels with added vigour, hell bent on revenging his defeat on his own turf in Transylvania. Dracula: The Last Sanctuary is available now on AppStore in the Games section and on all major download stores.

Cowboys And Aliens Bluray Review

Joshua Spudic
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Cowboys And Aliens Bluray Review

Cowboys & Aliens
Studios: Fairview Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, Platinum Studios, Imagine Entertainment
Distributors: Universal Pictures (US)/ Dreamworks (Int.)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
Director: Jon Favreau
Release: Out Now

Overview

Now, when you hear a movie entitled “Cowboys & Aliens,” you may hear alarm bells ringing in your head. How can a movie featuring cowboys, featured in the western genre, and aliens, which are used in the science fiction genre, actually work? Curiosity got the better of me and I sat down and watched it. Basically, a mix up of the western and sci-fi genres did not work for this movie. The story was very average and quite clichéd, the acting seemed mediocre, but they had to contend with poorly written, one-dimensional characters. The Blu-ray itself looks stunning, save for a few visual hiccups as well as excellent sound. Expect a generous offering of extras as well.

Story
The movie starts off with the lone gunman Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) lying in the middle of the desert with no memory, injured and a strange metal shackle attached to his wrist. Drifters turn up and he decides to kill them, as they were going ton steal his things. He takes their things and rides to the nearest town, which happens to be Absolution. After encountering a few of the townsfolk, he is identified as an outlaw, so he tries to escape. Unfortunately for him, a woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) knocks him out. Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) asks for Lonergan so that he may be trialled for stealing his gold. It is during this standoff that the aliens enter the story. It seems that the metal shackle on Lonergan’s wrist is a key as it shoot down one of the ships.

Watching through the movie, I could not help noticing how bad the story is. The beginning is the start of all the problems. The no memory device is a cliché as old as time itself and, as you will see, Lonergan is the key to all the events, seeing he has the main character gene. This is a western first – don’t expect any aliens in any prominent roles. In fact they make a minimal appearance, which is very disappointing. Even the acting could have been a little better. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde are much better than they are in this film. They could have added another two dimensions to the one dimensional characters that were written. Overall, a dull story, combined with mediocre acting, makes this story one to forget… really quickly.

Visuals

In terms of the Blu-ray conversion, I am very impressed. Universal has encoded the movie in 1080p/AVC (2.40:1) and the results are great, especially on a bigger screen. There is some grain that you may notice, but that just adds to the atmosphere and making the visuals stand out. One thing that did get a bit annoying is how black is handled in the indoor scenes. It feels too artificial for my liking in terms of brightness. Compared to the outdoor scenes, I believe that it could have been touched up some more. The sets are not bad, while the action sequences, not the best, aren’t the worst out there. The aliens could have been designed better, but I didn’t mind the design of the CGI ships.

Audio

The sound design of the film has to be the strongest point of the film. The sound is delivered with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, which sounds absolutely beautiful. The soundtrack, conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams (who has worked with Hans Zimmer), creates what the film fails to do, a successful blend of two genres. The western inspired soundtrack mixes well with the electronic music that is meant to represent the sci-fi within the film. The sound is crystal clear, especially with a surround sound system. The people behind the sound design deserve recognition for their work on this film as it achieves excellence in a mediocre film.

Extras

While the movie lacked substance, this Blu-ray doesn’t lack in the extras department. In addition to the theatrical release, an extended uncut version is also included, adding sixteen minutes to the movie. There is also “Igniting the Sky: The Making of Cowboys & Aliens” and “Conversations with Jon Favreau.” “Igniting the Sky: the Making of Cowboys & Aliens” is what the title suggest, the making of the film. I love watching how a film is made and this feature is no exception. “Conversations with Jon Favreau,” however, is hosted by director Jon Favreau . You get to hear the cast and crew on their thoughts with the movie. This is a great watch. Universal also adds U-Control, which acts as a picture-to-picture with either your Blu-ray disk or tablet PC. It is quite a cool feature. Sadly, I don’t own a tablet PC, so I don’t know how it is like there. Add in the fact it also includes a DVD, Digital and an Ultraviolet cloud streaming copy (so, that’s four copies of the movie) and you have a great selection of quality extra features. Too bad it couldn’t translate to the movie itself.

Overall

This perplexes me. I see a great Blu-ray offering, with stunning visuals aided by an excellent transfer, sound design of the highest quality, extras that are worth watching and also trying to innovate. I also see a mediocre movie with clichés upon clichés, one dimensional characters and a story that did not hook me in from the get-go, despite the curiosity of these two genres mixing it up. If you loved the movie in the cinemas, go ahead and buy it. Otherwise, seeing as the core is the movie itself, I would not recommend this title for anyone.

6--capsules-out-of-10

Two Tribes release teaser trailer for Toki Tori 2

Darren Resnekov
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Earlier we brought you some concept art screenshots from Two Tribes upcoming sequel to the smash hit Toki Tori, and now they are back to grace us with some game screenshots and very first teaser trailer. Toki Tori 2 has been in development since mid 2011 and will initially only be available to PC players through Steam services only. Versions of the addictive puzzle platformer will follow shortly after for iOS and WiiU once it is released. It has only been recently in the development of the title that Two Tribes are comfortable showing it off a little to us all. Check out the sweet trailer and tell us what you think of Toki Tori 2 so far.

 

Eggheads Review

Jack Joly
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Eggheads Review

Eggheads
Developer: Vacari
Publisher: Avanquest Software
Platform: DS
Genre: Quiz/Trivia
Release Date: 29th February

Overview:
Eggheads, for those who don’t know, is a quiz show aired on the BBC across the UK which pit’s a team of challengers against the Eggheads, a team of hand-picked quiz show experts, most of them having proven themselves adept at trivia through success in other quiz shows like ‘Mastermind’ and ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’. The team of challengers compete for a cash prize through 4 preliminary, one-on-one, three question rounds to decide which members of either team take part in the final round. Whether or not they scoop the jackpot hinges on just three questions in the last round (unless both teams are level and additional sudden death questions are needed to separate the two teams). If the Eggheads win, the prize money rolls over to the next group of contestants.

Now Avanquest Software, with Vacari on development duties, have brought the Eggheads to Nintendo DS, boasting of over 2400 different questions that were apparently set by the Eggheads team themselves. The setup of the game is very similar to the show, though fans of the show will be sure to pick up on where it differs.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is, as you can picture, a fairly standard quiz game setup, making use of the console’s dual screens to display information of the tip and interactive elements on the bottom. For example, your opponent and the current category of question on the top screen, with the scoreboard and mock-up of the studio on the bottom screen; or, when answering questions, the full written question on the top, with the multiple choice answers of the bottom for you to tap (or a keypad to type your answer if it’s a sudden death round, where no answer options are given). You could say the question and answer layout isn’t completely authentic, as the answers are displayed vertically and highlighted in a different colour, and the questions are written not spoken, but only the pickiest of Eggheads viewers would care about, or even notice, this.

The main area in which the Eggheads game differs from the programme is its selection of modes. As well as the traditional battle of general knowledge seen on TV, there is a training mode and a challenge mode. Granted, the training mode just offers some quiz questions to warm up to in order to get into the swing of things – even if it does use the same questions as the main game, making it better preparation than it should be, as questions can come up which you’ll have already seen before in training mode.

Challenge mode, however, is quite literally a different matter. How mental arithmetic sums get you in the mood for answering questions on Geography, Food & Drink, History, Sport, Politics, Science, Arts & Books, Film & Television and Music, I’ll never know, but it seems Eggheads on DS fancies itself as something of a brain training game as well as a quiz game. Ultimately, they’re just 10 short, entirely optional mini-games, so shouldn’t be complained about, but the way in which playing these games unlocks hints and bonuses for the main game tampers with the classic formula. Using these extras doesn’t really seem in the spirit of Eggheads.

Visuals & Audio:
The game carries the official Eggheads them for the menu music. Elsewhere, though, such as when answering questions, it uses some weird piece of music which aims to create tension, but instead has you reaching out for the volume control as it’s on a repetitive loop and difficult to concentrate with it playing. The game even features cut-outs (harshly cut-out cut-outs might I add, as they look a bit pixel-y around the edges) of the seven Eggheads, five of whom are randomly selected each time you play, just as it is done on the actual gameshow.

As dull as the main show is, the game still seems to be missing something when it comes to ambience. Without the Eggheads’ meandering stories which eventually lead to an answer, or a host to fill gaps with inconsequential commentary, it doesn’t feel quite like Eggheads. The physical likenesses go some of the way to lending an Eggheads seal of approval, but competing against a set of algorithms, programmed to get certain questions wrong and others right, takes the fun out of it, and the speech bubbles that replace dialogue are tacky.

Overall:
The Eggheads game on Nintendo DS doesn’t feel an authentic recreation of the show; for a start, challenge mode is totally unrelated, as are the bonuses that come with using this mode. The speech bubbles that go in place of voiceovers create the sense of playing against a machine, although are still probably a better alternative than a limited selection of pre-recorded phrases which may not fit the context and would grow irritating after a short time. Even the questions seem ever so slightly easier than on the show, although this last point isn’t necessarily a bad one as it’s much more fun to be getting answers consistently right instead of only getting a couple correct here and there. Eggheads on Nintendo DS doesn’t have the greatest production values, but the menus are simple and easy to interact with, and most importantly the questions, Eggheads branded or otherwise, should satisfy the type of person who watches the show.

5-5-capsules-out-of-10

CLANNAD Giveaway

Luke Halliday
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Episode 05 of CC: Anime is now live. Each month, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual, we will be giving away a prize in a monthly competition held through CC: Anime.

To win, listen to the podcast for the question and once you have an answer email it in along with your name and address to [email protected]. At the end of the month, a winner will be randomly selected from the pool of entries. The winner will then be announced on the next podcast.

This month, we will be giving away a copy of CLANNAD – The Complete Series, thanks to our good friends at Siren Visual. If you have yet to listen to CC: Anime you can do so here.

Listen to the podcast and then send your answer in along with your name and address to [email protected] Good Luck!

Competition only open to Australian and New Zealand residents.

Follow us on :

Twitter | FACEBOOK | YouTube | Google Plus | RSS

Check out our other Competitions here

CC: Anime Episode 05 – Bleached Out

Luke Halliday
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Welcome to another episode of CC: Anime, Capsule Computers Monthly Anime Podcast! In our fifth episode, the CC: Anime crew discuss the latest anime and manga news, take part in the “Anime Anarchy” game show segment, as well discussing the state of the anime industry.

We also have a huge giveaway this month. Do you want a chance to win a copy of CLANNAD – The Complete Series from Siren Visual? Follow this link to find out how.

Cast: Luke Halliday, Travis Bruno, Michael ‘Spike’ Marr and Jahanzeb Khan

We hope you enjoy CC: Anime Episode 05, be sure to let us know what you think.

 

 

• Subscribe to our iTunes Podcast Channel

• Subscribe to Podcast RSS Feed

• Download the Episode from iTunes

• Download the Episode directly – (right click and save as)

Send all your anime, manga or podcast questions, hints, suggestions and feedback to [email protected]

Stories covered in this podcast:

Thanks for listening. Copyright Capsule Computers Pty Ltd – All Rights Reserved

The Devil Inside Review

Jessica Barabas-Bui
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The Devil Inside
Studio: Insurge Pictures
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Format: Cinema
Release Date: March 1, 2012

Overview

I watched my first exorcist movie, The Exorcist, at the tender age of 13. Instead of nightmares, it made me laugh and brag about how awesome it was and how much I loved it. That was the beginning, over the years it has been followed by many other movies, each following that standard formula of a terribly possessed woman (are men immune? Does the devil just not care all that much about them?), a priest and his mini priest who isn’t quite as skilled or experienced, and as for the ending – it can go either way, but usually God triumphs.

I don’t go in expecting a deviation from the norm, heck that’d be setting myself up for failure in the case of 90% of movies, but the journey’s always fun. With The Devil Inside, however, I found that the standard formula wasn’t going to cut it.

Story

The main thing that really sets it apart can be summed up in a question one of my friends asked during the move- ‘Is this a documentary?’. The first half of the movie is made to look impeccably like a documentary. There are no shots that aren’t made by cameras that aren’t bring carried by one of the main characters or haven’t been set up by him. If it wasn’t for this then the beginning of the movie might have been painfully slow, but instead it gave us a better look at the main character and her background without being too contrived. I don’t think it could have been done much better, while giving that much detail. This kind of explanation just doesn’t come organically.

Stylistically it looks excellent, as I said, it tricks you (even if just for a second), into thinking – ‘Wait, should I Google this? Is this actually a documentary?’ Once the movie really gets going though, that sort of disappears and the documentary style has more purpose in terms of suspense, and building tension.

Another positive aspect of the documentary style is the acting. In a documentary the main focus person is always pretty vulnerable, I mean they are baring their life to the scrutiny of a camera and an audience. Fernanda Andrade plays this vulnerability perfectly, she’s part of the reason that the documentary style works so well, if she had played it any less believably the whole thing would have crumbled.

I won’t get too much into the story, but basically her mother has spent the last 20 years in an asylum for the criminally insane for doing some very naughty things and being totally cuckoo, and now she want some answers about the quite shady things surrounding her mother’s outburst that involved two priests and a nun (ooh, sounds familiar?), and also her mother’s transferral to Rome. I don’t really know how based in logic that one is, is the proximity to the Vatican meant to help or something? Anyway, she makes the trip to Rome and the movie follows her attempt to find answers.

There is a strong nod towards science and medicine, and how the increase in this knowledge affects exorcism as a practice and belief. Given the somewhat non-scientific basis of the movie it was nice to be given a more balanced view. And in fact during the movie one character listing off all the reasons for possessed behaviour as related to mental disorder symptoms.

Like I mentioned previously, the plot doesn’t go stock standard, and does take a few twists here and there that keep it fresh and made me appreciate it a little bit more. The biggest let down, however, is the ending. It feels like the movie ends 10 minutes early, when the final credits appear I was just left with this unresolved little ball of suspense sitting in my stomach and I had no idea what to do with it.

However, even if it does feel like they accidentally cut out the last ten minutes (or even last 2 minutes, seriously, just a short scene would have been nice, even if just to finish it off on a still unfinished, but more closure-y way), I wasn’t left being angry like I usually am if the ending is stupid. At least it was pretty plainly meant to be unfinished in a big way, unlike some films that wave it around in front of your face like ‘Come up with your OWN ending suckers!’. Following in the documentary style, it ends abruptly, and kinda where it would if you think about it. But just because I’m all Zen about it doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same way, so take heed and expect to not be given that lovely little resolution at the end of the movie.

Visuals

The movie is filmed in an obviously ‘documentary’ style, and it works really, really well. The tension in some scenes is just fantastic, and that can once again be attributed to the acting and directing of the movie. Considering they didn’t rely on a soundtrack to get the audience really hyped up, they definitely succeeded in using other visual means, and pacing, to build the suspense. And hey, there are only two scenes where you’re in darkness with only one light to see everything with, which is a big horror staple.

Audio

There’s no real soundtrack, which means that there is nowhere really to hide in terms of the music. There are occasional sound effect accents to accompany some moments, but the movie does not rely on them at all.

Overall

All up, I enjoyed the film. I respected the way it was directed, applaud the acting, and think that it was that lovely little sense of something different that you don’t get to see a whole lot of from mainstream movies. But if you like your resolutions at the end of movies, then maybe look elsewhere.

6-5-capsules-out-of-10

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