Codemasters has released a gameplay trailer based around the new safety car in F1 2011 and additionally highlighting some great characteristics of the upcoming game including improved graphics, cut scenes and racer animations. A lot of detail has gone in to the new game, right down the winning pointing fingers of Vettel.
The game, which will be released on September 22nd, will allow players to race in various modes including the ability to team up online with a friend in the co-op Championship mode and also race up to 16 players. F1 2011 prides itself on realism, with 20 tracks to choose from and an array of international F1 champions, with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso being obvious inclusions.
After winning a BAFTA for last year’s edition, it will be interesting to see how 2011 not only competes but takes the game to an even greater level.
K-ON! Volume 1 Tag Line: Welcome to the light music club! Produced by: Bandai Entertainment Run time: 100 minutes in 4 episodes Language: English, Japanese Genre: Slice-Of-Life, Comedy, Music Release Date: 20/07/2011 Available for purchase at Madman Online Store ($49.95)
Overview:
Music is a magical thing. It can bring people together and it can also tear them apart. K-ON! leans more towards the former. It tells to story of a small group of girls being brought together by music. It’s a common story, but a good one and K-ON! takes the concept for a joy ride. With cutesy characters and a story told with pure glee, K-ON! makes for simple fun with a warm gooey heart at it’s core.
Story:
As previously stated K-ON! tells the story of a group of girls brought together by music. The key point however is that it’s not simply of a love of music, it’s of the fact that they want something to belong to. School has just begun and everyone is sectioning off into their individual clubs, leaving our lovely cast of girls desperately searching for a place to call their own. Over the course of the first episode the girls haphazardly form the Light Music Club, never taking into account that one of their members can’t play an instrument and that the others aren’t even very good.
None of this matters to them though, they are looking for somewhere to belong. They do not want to be alone and that is the gooey centre of K-ON! The fact that these girls want to be part of something resonates with the viewer. Every human being, deep inside, has that sense of belonging and that is where K-ON! connects with the viewer. Although it doesn’t wear that message too clearly, it’s visible enough to sink into the minds of those watching.
With this being only the first 4 episodes of the series there is a lot of room for the series to grow into something greater. It certainly has the potential to become something huge and that possibility of growth is resoundingly clear. Only time will tell as Madman releases future volumes.
Characters:
K-ON! boasts a well rounded and cleverly concieved cast of characters. All of whom are cute and memorable by all counts. With the series having such a huge fandom, the images of these characters has made it’s way into anime fans psyches over the past few years and that is a testament to the characters iconic status.
It’s clear to see where that status came from when watching this volume as each character is surprisingly original and unique when compared to the plethora of cute anime girl characters that have flooded the market. These characters all bounce off one another so perfectly it is almost a magic feeling at how well developed they are.
Artwork:
The series artwork is put simply brilliant. It achieves everything it sets out to do without fail. The character designs are expertly crafted, with each character looking so cute it is hard to note feel warm inside when looking at these plush-like girls.
The backgrounds are likewise well made and incredibly well defined and detailed for a series of this genre. Let’s not forget the instruments, which as simply astonishing to look at. So much fine detail was placed into them in an attempt to recreate real life music kits. I found myself oggling these music makers with delight, they look that good.
Another great part of this series was it’s fluid animation which brought the girls to life. For a series with little action, there was a lot of motion when it came to these girls movements. Whether it be Yui falling over something due to her usual clumsy behaviour or watching the girls bop about whilst belting out some tunes, the animation was rock solid.
Audio:
For an anime series about music, this section can mean life or death. Thankfully K-ON! lives on with an amazing soundtrack with tracks that will reverberate throughout your entire body making their way up into your head and make themselves at home for the next few days. It is catchy music at it’s best, without a doubt.
The opening and ending tracks are also extremely well done and suit the series to a tee. Both of which are also catchy ear candy that you will certainly find yourself humming long after putting away your DVD. I know I did.
Let’s not forget the voice work which is brilliant on both audio tracks. But for this review I will be commenting on the English track. Which was a great job, with stand out performances from Stephanie Sheh, known for her role as similarly daft girl Orihime Inoue from Bleach. She perfectly encapsulated Yui Hirasawa’s clumsy personality without fail. Overall it was a brilliant job by the audio department.
Special Features:
Madman has done a really good job here. We have on disc a great interview with the voice of Yui Hirasawa, Stephanie Sheh who I previously mentioned as doing a good job with her character. However other than this interview there is little else besides trailers for upcoming releases. But for a 4 episode volume release, there is no reason to complain when you get an interview with the voice of the protagonist.
There is also a very nice reversible cover of the girls standing istruments in hand over a nice blue background. So overall it is a great job from Madman as usual.
Conclusion:
In closing, K-ON! volume 1, is an amazing piece of anime, with a deeper message than most slice-of-life series could ever hope for. The series has already gained such a huge fandom and I believe it is largely due to the message and heart of this series. That message is, if you don’t belong, there are others out there in the same boat, looking for somewhere to call home. You are not alone. That is what is at the heart of K-ON! and that is why K-ON! will be remembered. Not because it’s cute, not because it’s fun, because it has heart.
Althi Inc’s recent iPhone title Utakata -the ephemeral sky- which has been released in both Japanese and English has made it’s way to the top of the Paid iPhone game charts in Japan.
The game is currently ranked number #1 in all of Japan. This is huge news for Althi Inc. also known for their iPhone hit, Little Dreamer which have reviewed here. This is the current rankings for Japanese Paid iPhone games:
No.1 Utakata -the ephemeral sky-
No.2 MONSTER HUNTER Dynamic Hunting
No.3 Where’s Wally? in Hollywood
No.4 Bar Oasis
No.5 Mega Mall Story
You can purchase Utakata -the ephemeral sky- (or うたかたのそら for the japanese readers) at the following link.
It was previously announced that a video game adaptation of the classic Saint Seiya anime was in production. A trailer for the game titled Saint Seiya Senki has been released detailing the game play which is reminiscent of the recently release Bleach: Soul Resurrecion game also exclusive to the Playstation 3.
A trailer was also previously released for European audiences to which they will know this game as Saint Seiya: Sanctuary Battle. You can check out our previous reports on the Saint Seiya game here and here. Also be sure to check out the new trailer below whilst letting out a blood curtling battle cry of “SAINT SEIYA!” as a roaring guitar riff plays and lightning crashes behind you. Or you could just watch it, whichever works for you.
Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi is set to launch in October on the PS3 and Xbox 360, but those who pre-order the game in Japan are set to receive a very special gift upon doing so. According to Silconera, a retail leak has shown that an actual four-starred Dragon Ball will be given to anyone who puts a payment down on the game early. As of now, no retailers have announced a pre-order incentive for Ultimate Tenkaichi in Europe or North America, so just maybe Namco Bandai will pull this gem (or ball for that matter) out of their sleeve for some extra hype down the road.
When it comes to any Dragon Ball game though, the Tenkaichi titles are in my opinion the definitive out of what we have seen released, so this upcoming successor should sell well on name alone. I will say however if one of you happen to import the Japanese version from Japan, you can use your Dragon Ball to wish for the same treatment to happen in the west.
The day is now among us. No more delays, no more waiting. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has finally arrived in North America. To celebrate this monumental release, Square Enix have brought out a shiny new launch trailer, which catches us up on the game’s narrative a bit and shows off the stunning presentation within.
A bit of gameplay footage is also shown off, displaying the many forms of stealth Denton can use to sneak past foes. As I am sure many of you are aware, the early critical praise for Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been extremely high and this release is sure to be one of the biggest in 2011. Check out the new trailer in all it’s glory below, and stay tuned as we will have our own review for the game up soon. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now available for the Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.
The previously announced K-ON! Movie also previously got it’s plot and setting details confirmed and now it has a trailer revealed at Comic “Comiket” Market 80. An event held in Japan which brings together all kinds of Otaku to check out upcoming games, anime, manga, dojinshi etc.
The movie will take the K-ON! girls to England on a graduation trip following the events of the series. As you’d imagine there will be many famous British musicians referenced or alluded to in the film which is set to hit Japanese cinemas on the 3rd of December, 2011. You can check out the trailer below from Comiket to give you a hint of whats to come.
Bastion made waves when it made it’s release on the Xbox Live Marketplace and with it’s recent release on Steam for the PC, it has been revealed that Bastion will now make portals. As part of a hidden exclusive gem for the Steam version, there will be the ability to unlock the infamous sentry turrets from Valve’s Portal.
A trailer for the reveal has made it’s way to the web. It details how to unlock the sentry turrets and gives a glimpse at the potential uses of the appeture science developed machines, such as having your back in a platonic way and grouping together in a metal orgy of gasfella destruction. Leave a comment letting us know what you think of this. Also we swear that this is not a lie!
Nintendo of Australia are ready to go the dogs, quite literally in this case. Why am I saying this? Nintendo have recently announced that they will be in Sydney for the first ever first ever ‘Pup-Up’ store, where Australia’s finest award-winning dogs will be in attendance. This free event will consist of Sydneysiders getting tips on dog obedience, dog grooming and pet photography, and since the big N will be present, visitors will also get to try out Nintendogs + Cats for the 3DS.
These dogs will also be displaying tricks for the audience as well as taking photos via the AR card system on the 3DS, which will allow for each pup to get their photo-op in 3D with Nintendo’s pixelated alternatives. Acclaimed Sydney Psychologist Victoria Kasunic will also be at the doggy display to comment on pet research along with Redbird Photography, who will be on hand to detail the profession of snapping proper pictures of your pooch and inform the audience about pet shelters.
So how can you get in on this action? Just head to the Customs House Square on August 25th (which is this Thursday), starting at 10 AM. Make sure you bring your 3DS as well if you own one, as this is sure to be a great Streetpass opportunity.
Genre: Documentary Director: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno, Kurt Engfehr Featuring: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno Running Time: 88 minutes Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($24.95)
Overview
If ever there was a group of people who make you laugh while at the same time make you question society and the way it is constructed, it’s The Yes Men. You’d be forgiven for not knowing who these two pranksters are before picking up the DVD, but afterwards you sure as hell are going to love them.
The Yes Men Fix the World is a documentary that is poorly made, cheesy, and everything that would make students in film school cringe…and that’s what makes it a wonderful film to watch. The Yes Men don’t attempt to hide the fact that they had a small budget; instead they use it to show that even people with very little money can affect the world in a big way.
Plot
The Yes Men are two guys, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, who are out to make a difference. Initially, they make false websites for large corporations in order to get invited to conferences and events, but when the BBC contacts them and asks for an interview, The Yes Men truly see an opportunity to change the world. After this comes a whirlwind of pranks at conferences, and an exposure of some of the largest issues plaguing the world today.
It’s easy to see how the narrative can be extremely engaging – after all, who doesn’t love a bunch of pranksters screwing with the large corps? You have to commend these guys: while it would be hard to string together a bunch of different, unrelated campaigns together into a coherent narrative, The Yes Men managed to make the structure of the film flow very nicely. Each prank somehow transitions onto the next, even though they jump from the Bhopal disaster in India to Hurricane Katrina to general wars against greed.
With that being said, the film has no conclusive ending and may leave you with an unsatisfied feeling – I stared at the screen for a second and said “that’s it?” While it’s a subtle reminder that fixing the world is a task The Yes Men will never complete, it still would be nice to have some sort of concrete conclusion to the action. None of the campaigns really had in-depth follow ups either, and it is never known if The Yes Men were (for the most part) ignored or if they just chose not to include what happened afterwards.
Characters
The two main characters in the narrative are The Yes Men, Andy and Mike. Andy is the one that carries out most of the pranks, and Mike seems to deal more with the administrative side, but both act as narrators as well as characters in the film. While what they do is awesome, unfortunately the characters themselves are very flat and boring – and if that was for a particular effect, it wasn’t very effective. When they did speak as themselves instead of as their persona (which wasn’t very often), both seemed very rehearsed and even the beginning scene where they introduced themselves seemed quite forced. In the beginning, it was funny in a Flight of the Conchords-esque style, but after a while it just became bland.
However, the characters that were truly frustrating were those in the corporate bodies. If you ever needed an eye-opener to the coldness of some people in the world, The Yes Men Fix the World is proof that, more often than not, people in business care more about money than other humans. These people are meant to disgust you and shock you, and believe me – they will.
Just a note on being shocked though: The Yes Men Fix the World did have some interesting characters to support their cause, and I was quite surprised at who they chose to show on camera. In films, you have to remember that each scene is selected for a reason; many people who appeared on camera speaking out for The Yes Men appeared less than trustworthy. While it’s great not to judge based on appearances, these people really did impact the credibility of their cause.
Audio/Visual
As I mentioned before, the film is not what I would deem a visual masterpiece. The effects largely look like they were made using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, some of the shots are low quality (although often this is justified because they are filming incognito), and the cinematography is virtually non-existent. However, this adds to the notion of two men trying to fix the world with any means they had: if they could afford to pay fancy cinematographers and didn’t film guerrilla-style at points, their entire cause most definitely would have been questioned. Also, the visual elements make for some extra laughs at how odd or quirky they are – after all, when you move from one person’s face to another using a whirlpool-esque transition, you just have to laugh at how weird it is.
The audio is better than the visual from a technical perspective, but is quite exaggerated at times to both emphasise a specific moment in the film, and to add comedic value. While no particular tracks or moments stand out, the soundtrack is aptly chosen and really works with the narrative and characters in the overall scheme of the film.
DVD Extras
The DVD comes with no extras – yes, I was very upset. It would have been great to see the pranks included in their entirety as an extra, as opposed to having to watch them through the narrative. Also, with productions like these there are tons of bloopers; for guys who are such big jokers, I’m amazed they didn’t provide at least one reel. Lastly, it would have been great to see some more reactions from people towards their pranks; unfortunately, the film is all you get with this one.
Final Comments
The Yes Men Fix the World is a funny, eye-opening film that will make you see that fixing the world isn’t as serious as it seems. While there are some shaky elements in the documentary, overall it will have you laughing, inspired, and waiting to hear more about these guys.
