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PREHISTORIC ISLE Review

Gavin Baracz
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PREHISTORIC ISLE
Platform: PSN
Publisher: SNK PLAYMORE
Release Date: December 20, 2011
Price: $4.25

Overview:
PREHISTORIC ISLE is a 2D side scrolling classic produced by SNK PLAYMORE and released in the 80’s. It has been re-released for our gaming pleasure, and is known for its addictive game play. The question is can this arcade classic stand up to the expectations of modern day gamers.

Story:
The story in PREHISTORIC ISLE is a simple one. The protagonists are airplane pilots who investigate an island which has had a lot of airplane accidents. As it turns out dinosaurs of all sorts occupy this island, and you have to kill them with your unlimited bullets and only one type of power up. Thus you have to fly around the island, underwater, and finally underground to eliminate all the dinosaurs that occupy the island. The final dinosaur boss is of course the T-Rex, who is bigger than three of your screens, thus you only fight his face, and of course he explodes when you finally kill him. Reading this you can tell the story is lacking in depth, although it is an arcade classic, thus SNK never tried to boost the storyline. This is because this game is meant to be simple and addictive, not one which you have to stand around at an arcade booth for 20 minutes to listen to.

Visuals & Audio:
It is quite obvious that SNK are trying to keep this classic exactly as it was in the arcade, as the visuals are exactly as they were in the 80’s. This game employs the very popular screen scrolling model and has the level advance whether you like it or not. The visuals keep with the theme of a classic arcade look, as the game is in 2D with the backgrounds being just drawn pictures, and the enemies being simply moving drawn pictures.
What the visuals lack in the audio excels in. Classic 8-bit audio is employed within this game, having a separate track for each of the five levels. These classic repetitive tunes push us further into the arcade experience and enhance the overall addictiveness of the game, creating an hour spent on this game seeming like only minutes.

Gameplay:
If I were at an actual arcade I would have spent over $100 on completing this game. It is very addictive, and at first very difficult. Once you get a hang of the controls and learn the tricks of the trade you can start moving through the game with less difficulty. Although the concept is simple, the enemies often swarm your screen and with only your ability to shoot in one direction at a time, it is very difficult to survive. Your only chance is to stack power up’s so that you can kill each enemy easily, though once you die all your power-ups are lost. When played from start to finish PREHISTORIC ISLE can be completed within an hour, though I imagine finishing this game on only one credit you would have to be a gaming legend, or have a heavy addiction to the game.

Overall:
PREHISTORIC ISLE is a game which was never meant to stun anyone with it’s amazing story and/or visuals, it is a game which is meant to draw you in and make you want to play the same level over and over and over again. I believe that with its 8-bit audio and addictive game play it has done exactly that. I am very much looking forward to SNK re-releasing more of their classic games on today’s gaming consoles.

6--capsules-out-of-10

P.O.W. Prisoner Of War Review

Gavin Baracz
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P.O.W. Prisoner Of War Review


P.O.W. Prisoner Of War
Publisher: SNK PLAYMORE
Platform: PSN
Release Date: December 20, 2011
Price: $4.25

Overview:
SNK PLAYMORE has released another one of its classic arcade titles onto the PSN.  In Prisoners Of War you control a military prisoner who breaks free from his cell, and must fight through waves of incoming enemies in a traditional side scrolling model.

Story:
The storyline in SNK’s P.O.W Prisoner of War, is that you are in a War camp, and need to escape. You somehow start off with some explosives to blast open your cell door, and thus your adventure begins. As you fight through the camp you eventually find your way to the communication room to call your comrades for a transport out. Since you don’t find any maps along the way I assume the protagonist already knows the layout of the camp, and exactly how to get to the communications room. In a more recent game I would also question how this soldier managed to get captured and put into a P.O.W. camp, as you have the ability to beat up endless waves of soldiers with just your fists. Due to the nature of this title I feel it is irrelevant to question the depth of the storyline as it is an arcade game aimed at getting people to play over and over again, and not attract people with a complex and interesting storyline. Though it would have been nice to have a small explanation of why you are there, and the general escape plan.

Audio & Visual:
Considering the time at which this game was originally released, the visuals are quite pleasing. The character is animated well, with smooth connecting movements. This also applies to the enemies as they move smoothly over the screen, rather than being robotic, or just still moving pictures as many arcade games present their enemies.

Audio within this title was mediocre at best, the sound effects were over used, and the background music becomes just that, sounds that lack to grab your attention and seem to fade away. Due to punches and kicks having a standard sound effect they become very over used and begin to become irritating, although there is a new background track for each situation, without looking for it, it is barely noticeable.

Gameplay:
If you like button mashers, P.O.W. is your game, if not be prepared to lose interest fairly quickly. The game play is based around the ability to punch, kick and jump. They are your basic commands, with the occasional item, such as a knife or gun, though you can only throw your knife. The game play is the key to any arcade game, and P.O.W. fails in this aspect. Being your typical side-scrolling model, you are constantly bombarded with wave after wave of enemy, of increasing difficulty. With no power ups, and increasing stronger, more numerous enemies this game soon becomes impossible.

On easy the enemies are eventually able to take off half your health with just one hit, and when you’re surrounded by 5 or 6 enemies you soon find yourself without a leg to stand on. Although the developers try to make this game more interesting by bringing in a variation of enemies, they do not allow your character to utilise your enemies’ weapons. For example at one point motorcycle enemies are introduced, though when you finally kill them their bike automatically explodes. Although this is a good break from the endless waves of just soldiers with knives, it would have added another layer of entertainment if your character could have turned the bike into your own tool of destruction.

Overall:
P.O.W. Prisoner of War is another classic arcade title from SNK PLAYMORE’s golden age. During its initial arcade release this game would have been how many people spent their Friday night. With its lack of depth in the story, mediocre audio and button mashing tendencies it fails to stand up to the expectations of the modern gamer.

2-0-capsules-out-of-10

Dennou Coil Part 2 Review

Luke Halliday
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Dennou Coil Part 2
Studio: Madhouse
Publisher: Siren Visual
Format: DVD (English Subtitled Only)
Release Date: December 16th, 2011
Price: $49.95- Available Here

Overview:
I previously reviewed the first part of this series, to which I gave glowing praise. Dennou Coil is a series on a mission with a message to send and it does so brilliantly while remaining compelling as ever.

If you have watched through Siren Visual’s brilliant first release of Dennou Coil, then I’m sure your here to see whether it’s second part holds up to the standard set by it’s astonishing first part. Thankfully I don’t have to be a deliverer of bad news, as Dennou Coil Part 2 is a perfect conclusion to an awe-inspiring anime series.

Story:
Dennou Coil Part 2 picks up where we left off with Part 1 at episode 14 which provides us with a recap for those who needed a refresher. There is a lot of intrigue within Dennou Coil and with such a unique futuristic setting there is of course futuristic concepts. The foremost of which as I detailed in my previous review is the projection of the internet across the city.

As I mentioned in my previous review there is many deep themes at play in Dennou Coil and it is a difficult task to summarise them all within a review. So instead I will focus on the two primary tenets of the show.

There is an overwhelming undertone of technophobia in Dennou Coil that other anime just do not have, many embrace technology and all it’s glory, but Dennou Coil presents it in a way that is so brutally honest that you may want to just go outside for some fresh air after viewing. We become absorbed in our technology and Dennou Coil intends to highlight it.

While the first part raised this concept, the second part concludes it. With it’s ending diving deep into the coil, where Yasako must face the second major theme, which as a matter of fact is the cause of the technophobia theme. That second theme is saying goodbye to those who have passed on.

This is not always the easiest thing to do and at times we can become embroiled in things we normally wouldn’t in order to escape the harsh reality that envelops us. Dennou Coil does not shy away from that and in what is one of the most heartbreaking yet rewarding series finales we get a perfect capper to everything that preceeded it. For a series that could so very easily had a bad ending, Dennou Coil pulls through with it’s powerful message and deft pacing and wit.

Through the sum of it’s characters, fully realised universe and intelligent plotting, Dennou Coil creates what is ultimately one of the best story lines in an anime series in years.

Visuals and Audio:
I’ll admit it, at first glance Dennou Coil is visually unimpressive and even repellent to potential viewers, but after watching a multitude of episodes the unique aesthetics used in the series begin to grow on you. The character designs are well done and the world of the series is fully realised both in it’s concept and presentation. In the end it’s an overall memorable art style that is at times a little simple, but at other times quite detailed and complex, just like the series characters and plot.

When it comes to the audio of Dennou Coil, the series soundtrack is just as good as it was in the first part, with the opening and ending themes being memorable and pleasant in their own right. That’s not all though, the voice actors have done an astounding job in each of their roles, leaving Dennou Coil as a highlight for any of their careers. The acting is just so good in this series thanks to voice actors who knew exactly what they were doing.

All in all the presentation and soundtrack of Dennou Coil continues the trend of quality from it’s first part without faltering once.

Extras:
Now that’s what I’m talking about! The first part of Dennou Coil unfortunately did not feature a whole lot of bonus content, but it’s pretty evident now that Siren were saving that for this release, as there is a great amount of special features available here.

There is a plethora of bonus material here, more than any usual anime release would feature and that is truly a testament to the quality of release that Siren Visual have done here. This time around we are given 3 discs (the third is entirely bonus content), packaged in a lovely slip cover as you’d come to expect from Siren and I must say it’s a really nice cover art as well. On the third disc which features the extras, there is interviews, trailers, staff Q&A’s and much more.

Dennou Coil Part 2 completely makes up for Part 1’s lack of extra content and creates a whole other level of replay value, especially when compared to other releases on the market.

Overall:
Dennou Coil Part 2, provides an amazing conclusion to what is a like wise amazing series. While it is required viewing for watching this part of the series, Dennou Coil Part 1 is somewhat recapped at the beginning of this collection, eliminating the necessity to watch the previous collection. However I highly recommend to fully understand the series and it’s concepts that you purchase the first part before making your way to the second (that is if you haven’t already).

In conclusion Dennou Coil Part 2 is a masterpiece and without a doubt one of Siren Visual’s best releases to date. This is necessary viewing for all anime fans.

9-0-capsules-out-of-10

Zynga Shares Slide After Release Of Two New Games

Joshua Spudic
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Ever since going public, Zynga has seen a mixed performance on the stock market. Lately, they have seen a drop in their shares with the release of their first mobile game Scramble With Friends. It had closed at $8.91, which is near its lowest share price since debuting in mid-December at $8.72. When the company did debut, they sold 100 million shares at $10 per share to raise $1 billion dollars (which is really overvaluing themselves, don’t you think). However, at the back of two new releases (the other one being Hidden Chronicles, another Facebook game), this drop has been seen as unexpected.

Despite the drop and the rough start, the Facebook and phone game development company has been performing quite consistently on the NASDAQ, shaking off the rumours of poor workplace conditions and poor customer support. I do not know how Zynga will survive, however, if the Facebook gaming scene suddenly pops out of existence. Will they shift to a more mobile focus? Possibly, but reliance on Facebook as a platform is quite risky, yet it seems they are getting their reward… for now.

However, after finding out on this particular application (Scramble With Friends), I am appalled with what Zynga has done. The games goes by tokens (you start with sixteen) and you must use one to play one round. After all of those tokens are gone, then you either wait for 15 minutes for more tokens or pay to get more tokens instantly. This is on top of the fact that the ad free version is $2.99. I hope that we do not, as a gaming community, end up using the Zynga model of business for our games, because it holds the player ransom until they cough up their hard earned cash.

Source: Gamasutra

Ys IV Remake To Be Localised?

Joshua Spudic
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It looks like Ys Celestra: Sea of Trees will be close to localisation in English if an interview with Gamasutra is led to believe. Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo was quoted in the interview, saying “We’re hoping the Western audiences will really enjoy our new PlayStation Vita Ys game, Celceta no Jukai, and we’re putting a lot of effort into it.” This means that the game is more than likely already been approved for an English release, which would make Ys fans jump for joy. An early (and probably only) contender for the localisation duties would be none other than XSEED, who has worked on The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Sky, another Falcom game.

In the same interview, Kondo also revealed that releasing their games into the US market will allow the software developer to better understand which parts of the game are lacking. This is to make sure that the developers can make games that will appeal to both Japanese and Western markets. A word of caution, however, because if it all goes wrong, the developer might end up alienating both the Japanese and Western markets.

New Tales Of Innocence R Videos Released

Joshua Spudic
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Namco Bandai has release three videos concerning Tales of Innocence R, a remake of Tales of Innocence being released on the Playstation Vita. The first video, which you can watch below, is a skills video. The character in question is Ruca and she is performing one of her special attacks, which involves a lot of damage and some nice-looking battle animation:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwAwgXWe9l4&feature=youtu.be[/pro-player]

The second video is another skills video. This character is Richard, who wields a rifle with a bayonet attached in order to deal some close combat damage. Just like Ruca’s video, it features some pretty awesome battle animation and some massive damage. You can check it out below:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLcki6lfMek&feature=youtu.be[/pro-player]

The third video is not a skills video, but a commercial for the game. This 15 second video features the vocal theme for the game. You can check the commercial out below:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKAsVREkPY&feature=youtu.be[/pro-player]

Would you like to see the game localised in English? Do you plan to import it? You can tell us in the comments section below.

3DS Breaks Enterbrain Monthly Sales Record, Vita Second In Same Month

Joshua Spudic
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Nintendo has reason to celebrate a successful December as its 3DS handheld system has broken the Enterbrain sales monthly record since the start of tracking sales, which began all the way in 1997. The handheld has sold a whooping 1,492,931 units, no thanks to the release of two Mario titles and Monster Hunter 3G, which are immensely popular at the moment. Both Mario games (Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7) have sold over one million copies each in its lifetime, a great accomplishment.

Strangely enough, the Playstation Vita is in fact the second best selling hardware in December, despite only being available since December 17 and pulling in what people call abysmal sales figures (even proclaiming its doom after only three weeks on the market). It has sold 402,794 units in the December period. The Enterbrain tracking for December runs from November 28 through to December 25 and the figures usually differ to the Media Create figures. Looking at that figure, it is quite impressive, seeing that it was only on the market for eight of those days in the tracking period.

Source: Andriasang

 

Dynasty Warriors Team To Make Big Announcement?

Joshua Spudic
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Tecmo Koei might have a massive announcement up their sleeve for the end of the year. A Twitter post from the Dynasty Warriors team was discovered and it is believed to point to an announcement for a big release. Although the post is in Japanese, Andriasang has translated the post. It says:

“Work started yesterday. We’d like to make a big announcement this year… by the end of the year.”

Andriasang had mentioned that each numbered Dynasty Warriors game receives three iterations: the original, the Moushouden (Xtreme Legends) and the Empires. Only two of those three iterations have been released, yet, if it is a big announcement, a reveal of the Empires iteration seems a bit too small. This could be either a completely new game or the next numbered iteration of Dynasty Warriors, which would be Dynasty Warriors 8. Either way, I hope it lives up to the claim that it will be a big announcement. Who knows, maybe it won’t happen.

Source: Andriasang

Amy’s price to be decided on Facebook

J. Bradshaw
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Lexis Numérique  has set a price and release date for their downloadable game, Amy.  The price for the XBLA game is 800 Microsoft Points.  However, the price for the PS3 game is a whole $2.99 more, at $12.99.  As you can imagine, this caused a huge uproar.  So, the developer has decided to open a Facebook poll.  It asks the community to decide whether the price increase is a big deal to them.  So far, 70% of people have decided that the price increase is a big deal to them.  As a result, it seems as though the developer will have to reduce the PS3 version’s price.  Of course, this reduction comes with a price.  The game will be delayed on PSN.  The XBLA Amy will still hit next week.

For more info, check here.

N-Control donates to Child’s Play

J. Bradshaw
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The instant meme PR disaster of N-Control is being avenged.  After firing their PR and relaunching their social media and website, N-Control has also made an attempt o help the community.  N-Control announced that they are donating $10,000 to Child’s Play, as well as well $50,000 worth of Avenger products, including the “Avenger” controller attachment. Many of N-Controls products are designed to help those with disabilities play video games. However, hardcore gamers may be interested in these controllers as well.

In other news, N-Control announced that they are suspending orders for now so that they can focus on fulfilling backorders.

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