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Digimon Collection 1-DVD Review

Matthew Vella
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Digimon: Digital Monsters (1999) Collection 1 (Eps 1-27)
Tag Line: The Digidestined Have Arrived!
Produced by: Saban Entertainment
Publisher: Madman
Platform: DVD (Reviewed)
Run time: 675.0 mins
Number of Discs: 4
Language: English
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy-Drama
Release Date: 17/08/2011
Available for purchase at Madman Online Store($49.95)

Overview

The Digimon Virtual Pet was a toy released by Bandai in 1997 as a ‘Tamagotchi for boys’, and spawned both a massive craze amongst the youth world wide thus beginning the Digimon franchise. The anime based off the toy; Digimon: Digital Monsters (also known as Digimon Adventure) originally aired in 1999 and despite being overshadowed by rival anime Pokémon, gained a massive fan base. At the age of 12, I was one of these massive fans upon hearing that the first half of the original (and arguably the best) season was coming to DVD in Australia after over a decade, I was more than eager to re-live my childhood and review the collection. It was no easy task to throw all bias aside, but I had to ask myself- does the Digimon anime stand the test of time?

Story and Characters

Digimon Collection 1 contains the first half of the first season of the Digimon franchise, where 7 kids- Tai Kamiya, Matt Ishida, Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro “Izzy” Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa, Joe Kido, and Takeru “T.K.” Takaishi. known as the DigiDestined are transported from their school summer camp to a digital world, filled with creatures known as Digimon. As the DigiDestined, they must save both the DigiWorld and the real world from darkness in order to go home. To do so, they are partnered up with their own Digimon who each reflects their own personalities, and later their own crests that represent them. The collection contains four story arcs, where each episode each follows the same repetitive structure, but fresh ideas and creative new characters are thrown in to mix things up so you it’s unlikely to bother most. Following the typical ‘monster of the week’ format, Digimon introduces a new situation and evil Digimon that must be conquered in each episode, usually by the means of one of the main protagonist’s Digimon temporarily transforming into a newer and stronger Digimon through a process known as Digivolving.

The constant introduction of new evil Digimon in each episode leaves little to no character development for these characters, but thankfully the main cast gets a significant amount to make up for this, proving to be one of the biggest highlights of the series. Surprisingly enough for a kids show, the best moments of the series aren’t the awesome Digivolving segments or the action scenes, but rather the more real, emotional moments showing insights into each character, many of which are the solid basis of each episode especially in the later ones. The characters Matt and T.K. are especially interesting, as well as Tai who leads the group and at first seems pretty simple, but surprises the viewer with insights to his mind in episodes such as Prisoner of the Pyramid and The Earthquake of MetalGreymon. Even the less interesting characters such as Mimi and Joe get episodes dedicated entirely to adding depth to their character, and each are done wonderfully especially in the later episodes, although early episodes like Ikkakumon’s Harpoon Torpedo are especially great at doing this as well. The writers have creatively done this by often separating the group from each other to allow all characters more individual screen time. Many of these moments revolve around the particular theme of friendship and kindness, further strengthening the bond between each characters and on some level, it can be quite touching to watch unfold. While the tactic does seem a bit overused, the trade-off is worth it because we get a lot of interesting personalities that aren’t so black and white. The only downside to this one is a huge one-the series ends up becoming really slow paced. In fact, it doesn’t really feel like the anime even has started until episode 8, and 8 episodes is one hell of a long introduction if you ask me.

Possibly the biggest flaw in the series is the numerous amount of tiny plot holes, many of which I’m sure even young children should be able to notice. One of these is the use of the Digimon Analyser used in every episode starting since the first episode, but in episode 26-Sora’s Crest of Love, Izzy claims to have just received it off a mysterious man known as Gennai. There are many of little plot issues like this which are painfully noticeable, many of which are errors due to a bad attempts at localizing for an American audience. In episode 27, The Gateway To Home, the children (who have been changed from Japanese to American in this dub) claims to not know where Japan is but still acknowledge that Tai went to Japan in Episode 21. However, in episode 21 it’s revealed that Tai lives there, and even shows you a good look at his house. There are plot holes like this made quite often and the list is too long to even mention here. It doesn’t ruin the anime, but it does disconnect you from it. Despite constant plot holes, constant repetition and a very basic storyline however, Digimon is still a pleasure to watch, but only because the characters are so well designed, and the writers have placed such great focus on character development and exploring the emotional journey equally as much as the physical one. You are drawn in by Digimon not by the story, but rather the characters, so despite all it’s flaws you want to keep watching as the series to see these kids and their Digimon you’ve become connected to.

Graphics

The graphics are a mixed bag for Digimon. One one hand the character designs are amazing, filled with creativity and lively colour and character. In the 21st episode Home Away From Home however, the art style is much more serious and has a less vibrant tone as it is mostly set in a different world. This provides a nice contrast between the two settings that separates them both effectively in a very stylish manner. Backgrounds too are stunning, with a very watercolor painting feel to them. It should be noted some episodes appear in worse quality than others, and graphics unfortunately can look a little blurry. There are also many inconsistencies with lip syncing in almost every episode, where characters, mostly Digimon will talk even without moving their lips when they normally should. Furthermore, when Digivolving into the Ultimate stage is concerned, Agumon and Garurumon have special 3D animated transformations that do look nice, but the rest are stuck with 2D animations. There are some other 3D animations often in backgrounds thrown in here and there throughout the series, and they are always a nice treat to see. In true anime fashion, animated scenes are repeated as often as possible. Every transformation and almost everytime a signature move is preformed, your watching stock footage you’ve seen before. While it’s not terrible, it does feel quite repetitive at times.

Audio

Digimon: Digital Monsters contains one heck of an opening theme song. Simple, catchy and true to the theme of the show, it’ll have you singing along and smiling in no time. Collection 1 also contains one other musical theme with vocals called Hey Digimon. This acoustic track while catchy seems quite out of place and doesn’t really suit the atmosphere of the anime most of the time, especially as it normally comes in during high-adrelanline action/combat scenes it actually can ruin the mood on some occasions. As previously mentioned, not all voices are synced correctly, often with characters talking without moving mouths, but worst of all many voices do not match the situations or emotions on the character’s faces. That being said however, the voices chosen for the majority are well done, especially the main cast. Although many of the minor characters, especially enemies have less appealing voices. Sadly, no Japanese dub is included, and only the English dub is available.

Verdict

Digimon: Digital Monsters is a classic anime in my books. If you loved it ten years ago, you’ll still love it now, but if you weren’t a fan then, this collection will most likely not win you over. The dub seems fairly lazy, with a mixed bag of voice acting and various plot holes, and the collection itself isn’t wonderful with some seldom episodes slightly less appealing to look at than others, and with no special features other than trailers and no inclusion of the Jap Dub, it hardly does the fans justice. However, the anime is still there and it is full of heart and soul. The character development is insanely great and the character designs are just as epic. Plus it’s got that awesome theme song! While the story may not be all that engaging, the characters are and if you can get past all those tiny flaws, you’ll find one heck of a great anime that is really worth watching. I should also mention this collection ends on a massive cliff hanger, so if you plan on buying this one, you should probably also buy collection 2 which will be released on 19/10/2011.

PROS

  • Ensemble Cast of Protagonists
  • Great Character Development
  • Great Character Design
  • Although Repetitive, Fresh Ideas Keep Story Interesting
  • Can Get Pretty Deep For A Kids Show

CONS

  • Mixed Bag of Voice Acting
  • Numerous Plot Holes
  • Some Blurred Graphics
  • Animations Are Repeated A Bit Too Often
  • Has a Slow Start, Doesn’t Really Pick Up Much Until Episode 8
  • No Special Features (Besides Trailers)
  • No Japanese Dub Included

7-0-capsules-out-of-10

World Heroes Review

Joshua Spudic
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World Heroes
Developer: Alpha Denshi/ADK
Publisher: SNK Playmore
Platforms: Playstation Portable (PSN), reviewed), Playstation 3 (PSN)
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $8.99 (PS3)/$6.99 (PSP)

The Neo Geo was both an arcade board and a console released in 1990in Japan, whit subsequence release in the United States. Although it was lost in the video game jungle, thanks to the rise of Nintendo and Sega, it still had its own library of games that were quite decent. King of Fighters originated as a Neo Geo title, as well as some others. Another Neo Geo title was World Heroes, a 2D fighting game. With a choice of eight characters you travelled all over the world until you battle a boss character. It spawned a series of game and is now available as part of the Playstation’s Neo Geo Station emulation, released alongside Shock Troopers. So, is the game worth replaying or worth playing for the first time?

Story
The story affects each character no matter what. It starts off with Dr. Brown, a scientist hailing from the United States of America, declaring that he has invented a time machine. So, what does it do with it? Go back in time? No. Send someone else, possibly an enemy, to another time period in order for him to get what is due? Nope. He decides to use the time machine to summon one of the eight historical figures from various periods of time and let him or her fight each other to the death. Then, the chosen character will travel with the time machine. It sounds interesting because I have never heard of a story like that before.

Gameplay
The game is your basic 2D fighting game. Each character has a punch, kick and throw attack, all performed with the square, X and triangle buttons respectively. Characters also have special attacks, although there are only a few for each character. Quite often you will be only using one of these special attacks as they may be the one that is easily executable. The gameplay is quite fast paced, perfect for any 2D fighting game.

There are two mode of gameplay. The first is Arcade Mode. There is nothing special here, as it is your regular fight everybody in a random order before heading to the final boss. Don’t worry I won’t spoil it for anybody who is interested. To win a match in this game, you have to win two out of three fights. There is no option to change that, you’re stuck with it. Each character has their own ending once you complete Arcade Mode. The second mode is Deathmatch Mode. This is similar to Arcade Mode, however, expect a more dangerous approach. Each arena will have environmental hazards, such as electric fences, at each end. I had quite a bit of fun knocking my opponents into these electric fences and seeing them getting fried.

There are four difficulty options: Easy, Normal, Hard and MVS, which is the difficulty level you would face at the arcade. This is considered between Normal and Hard. However, no matter what difficulty you choose, there are balancing issues with the game, which will frustrate you. Even on Easy mode, expect your opponent to block 70% of the time. Rasputin, based on the Russian of the same name, has a throw attack which drains half your life bar and there is no way to block it. Instead of being a direct emulation, they should have fixed the balancing issues before release.

Visuals
The visuals look good for an early 90’s 2D sprite based game. They have a tinge of Street Fighter with them. It should be pointed out that this game was made as a response of the explosion of the fighting genre after the release of Street Fighter II. Character models are incredibly detailed, right down to their facial expressions. Each character also has a distinct look, except for Hanzo and Fuuma. Apart from their hair and clothes and their animations, I just can’t help but notice that they are meant to act similar, which draws another analogy to another highly popular fighting game during this time. The stages are nice and bright. They reflect on what character you are fighting against and each stage suits the fighter well. For example, J. Carn, based on Genghis Khan, has a staged based on a military camp. Animations run smoothly, although you might encounter a few minor glitches, an example being when you believe you had the chance to throw an opponent but it goes through him.

Music
The music for this game is largely untouched from the original release, this being a direct emulation. The opening theme is quite awesome. It is a theme where you feel pumped up for the upcoming battle. It makes you feel ready and determined to see this through. Each of the stage music enacts a feeling of danger and determination to see the battle through. They also match the character and stage quite well. The sound effects, too, are well put together, also there is one thing I find a bit annoying. When you play a stage with the electric fence and you smack that opponent into it, the sound of electrocution sounds quite wrong. It sounds like more of a poorly tuned television. A sound player is also available so that you can listen to your favourite tracks over and over again.

Overall
World Heores is a decent game. The gameplay is easy to pick up, but not as deep as other fighters. Only a handful of fighters and two modes, although it isn’t much, will still pull you through. The visual look nice and music sounds great. However, balancing issues is a major problem, something that should have been fixed before re-release. They could have also fixed a few graphical and gameplay glitches. If you pick this up for curiosity or for a collection, go ahead. Otherwise, you’re better off with another fighter out there to play on the go.

 

7-0-capsules-out-of-10

New Kirby Mass Attack Trailer shows off a ton of mini-games!

Dustin Spencer
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Kirby Mass Attack has been on my radar since it was announced, and so far the touchscreen styled platformer has been shaping up to be one of this years finest offerings on the Nintendo DS. If you have ever bought a portable Kirby game though since the GBA line, you should definitely expect mini-games to be thrown in as unlockable extras.

Nintendo released a new trailer today, showing off quite a few mini-games that will be able to be unlocked in Mass Attack. Normally we might see one or two, but this title actually features a large variety mini-games based on several types of genres. RPGs, Shmups, Pinball, and even whack a mole are all shown and are set to include several of the enemies from the series such as Mr. Shine and Mr Bright and the infamous Whispy Woods. Check out the new clip below and mark your calenders now, as Kirby Mass Attack launches on September 19th.

Corpse Party coming to PSP in english

Luke Halliday
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XSEED Games have announced that they will be localising JRPG game, Corpse Party for the Playstation Portable and bring it to the U.S.

As you can tell from it’s title, Corpse Party is a horror RPG game. The game was originally created with the program RPG Maker by Team GrisGris, before being adapted into a full-fledged Playstation Portable title by 5pb. Games (known for such hits as Steins;Gate and Chaos;Head).

Along-side the announcement was a promo trailer which can be viewed below. Corpse Party tells the story of two school-girls trapped in a school that is well… haunted!

Be sure to check out the trailer for all the details and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Trailer – COD XP

Luke Halliday
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That’s right the first official multiplayer trailer for Modern Warfare 3 is now out on the web after being revealed at COD XP. The trailer boasts some impressive new gameplay footage and displays some of the new items and mechanics of the game.

New gameplay mechanics and items such as; bouncing betty-like land mines, robotic mobile sentry gun and dog-tag collecting. So what are you waiting for Call of Duty fans?

Check out the new multiplayer trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 below. It’s bound to excite even the lowliest of campers.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

First episode of the Sdatcher radio drama available now, merchandise at TGS

Travis Bruno
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A bit of strange news today, but for those who want to see the first piece of work from Kojima Productions then you can do so now. The first episode of the “Sdatcher” radio drama which was created with help from Suda 51 is available from the Japanese website now. It takes a little bit of navigation to figure it out, but there is some small pieces of English to help out.

There is also going to be some merchandise for Sdatcher available at Tokyo Game Show. This includes a postcard set and a folder which you can see above. The radio drama will have a new episode ever other week with the last listing showing November 25th.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine receives free co-op DLC in October

Travis Bruno
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Warhammer 40K: Space Marine may not be out in stores yet but that doesn’t mean that THQ can’t announce some DLC for the chainsaw-sword wielding title. While this type of news usually makes fans angry, this time around it should make them quite happy, as the DLC is going to be entirely free. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine will receive the Exterminatus co-op mode in early October.

Exterminatus will contain two stages that will allow four player groups to make their way through the level and complete each stage. There will be score modifiers and dynamic challenges to give players more points that can have them rank up on the global leaderboards. Any free DLC is good DLC, even if it is announced before the game’s release.

Limited Edition Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Console Announced!

Dustin Spencer
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Microsoft and Activision have started Call of Duty XP off with a bang this year and announced a limited edition Xbox 360 that will be arriving in stores alongside the heavily anticipated Modern Warfare 3. As you can see above, this unit is a lot like the Gears bundle, and will feature a “wore torn” Xbox 360 Slim, two wireless controllers, and a 320 GB hard drive. The standard release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will also be bundled inside, making this one complete package for the price of $399.99.

Those who are wanting more will also be happy to know that Activision will be releasing the MW3 controller and a new wireless headset with Bluetooth capability (which will also match the console) on October 11th. The prices for both of these items have been set at $59.99 and $69.99, respectively.

I was just pondering the other day why Microsoft haven’t brought out a console for Modern Warfare 3 (as they did with MW2), and it looks my question has been answered and COD fans can have yet another new toy to save for.

Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon Review

Joshua Moris
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Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: 345 Games
Platforms: XBLA (reviewed), PSN
Release Date: August 30, 2011 (PSN) August 31, 2011 (XBLA)
Price: 800 MSP (Available Here)

Overview
As soon as I saw the trailer for Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon, I was pumped. Who wouldn’t be excited about crude humor, lots of blood, sexual themes, and swearing galore? Taking queue from the TV show Ugly Americans, our beloved cast is featured in an action shooter that implements RPG elements. The playable characters are Leonard (drunken wizard), Grimes (the tough cop), Callie (the hot demon chick), or Mark (the lucky human). Even though the main character tries to pacify each situation, you end up killing everything in sight. Sit back and relax for the entertaining blood bath!

Story
Our friends at the New York’s Department of Integration have stumbled upon “stranger” happenings in their immediate world. Demons, zombies, and birdmen roam the streets of NY making a path of destruction. Only by completing case files given by Twayne (leader at the DOI) can our four heroes find the source to the end of days.

Gameplay
Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon operates on a simple control mechanism. Utilizing a duel stick, the player can control movement and throwing direction. With basic instinct of shooting and avoidance, anyone can pick up this game and enjoy the crude pleasures it offers.

Each playable character has an individual leveling system and attributes. As you level, you can place points in different attribute slots such as speed, health, damage, special attack, special recovery, and luck. Allocating points evenly can be a safe route, but you can differ greatly from online players at low levels. Some players may choose speed over attack power or special attack over health. Leveling is both fun and experimental.

The right control stick shoots out a throw-able item that is in your inventory. Throughout each case file you can find items under boxes, garbage cans, and even food stands. Items can have the following characteristics: explodes on impact, enemy penetration, and multi-directional shots. Your arsenal of weapons affects your character’s attributes as well. Let’s compare the baseball and propane tank. The baseball fires in a single line at a very fast rate while sacrificing damage. Propane tanks offer a wider spread of moderate damage at a slow rate. Additionally, weapons can have bonus effects on certain characters. If Mark uses the baseball, he can potentially stun his opponents. And if Grimes uses the propane tank, he creates an even bigger area of damage. Watching out for these special effects can help immensely during gameplay.

Every character has a special ability they can recharge during the course of the game. This special ability can increase in effectiveness by allocating points in either the special ability or special recovery attribute slot. Points in special ability increases the amount of damage, but points in special recovery allows access to the ability more often. The ability affects all enemies on the screen as seen with Leonard’s power below.

Cooperative play online is a necessity to Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon. Hardly ever are you readily equipped with three others ready to play in the comfort of your home. The online feature allows you to pick up 1-3 more guests to play through case files together. The best part is that you can select invite, search, or remove to pre-determine how many people you want in your group. It is possible to invite a friend, search for an available player, and remove a slot at the same time.

Boss battles are tough. Adding a competitive edge to the game, the boss battles create an interesting flow to the game and ultimately bring players closer together. Yes, you probably want a better score than yours truly, but you want these bosses dead – especially the last one. Defeating the hordes of minions is key and requires focusing attacks. Additionally, bosses have special attacks that do heavy damage or stun for several seconds. The worst thing to do in this game is to get trapped. Please stay out of corners unless you want to die. KEEP MOVING!

Graphics/Audio
Blood, gore, manbird crap, dead creatures tend to fill up the screen at times. This just means you are doing your active duty for the Department of Integration. Be able to break food stands and garbage bins adds a fun factor by interacting with the environment. The only addition I would make would be to explode vehicles. Otherwise, graphically this game is amusing and entertaining.

The cut-scenes play out as a low budget film strip from the actual series Ugly Americans. The reason I say low budget is due to the lack of animation that is normally seen from the series. I am guessing this was done to keep the game simple . With that said the story is still enjoyable and can interest newcomers to the show – or Callie Maggotbone.

What can be said about the sounds of the game? One word describes everything, hilarious. With manbirds screaming suck my @#$%, it is hard not to laugh when you completely decimate them. The humor is crude, very crude. Prepare for a laugh.

Overall
Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon combines comedy and gameplay almost too well. If you are not too busy playing, you are laughing your ass off at the cut-scenes. With cooperative online and local gameplay, this is the best new action shooter you can get your hands on. This game is definitely worth the affordable price of 800 Microsoft Points. At least take the time to play the demo because you will not be disappointed.

Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon sets the world ablaze with

9-0-capsules-out-of-10

More Shooter News HERE!

Nintendo of Australia announce Nintendo Connection Tour 2011!

Dustin Spencer
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Nintendo of Australia recently announced some exciting news for all Nintendo fans in the region, as the Nintendo Connection Tour will be launching on September 24th and will continue on until October 15th. Not only will this tour be a gathering of sorts for users of the handheld to exchange data with eachother via the 3DS streetpass, but Nintendo will be bringing titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, and many other upcoming and family favorites for attendees to try out.

3DS owners who attend will also be able to put their Pokedex 3D app to good use, as Pokémon AR Markers will be readily available that will allow users to take home some special photos of them and a Poke-friend. A competition will also be happening, with one lucky winner taking home all of the upcoming titles displayed on tour. To qualify for this contest, you will need to set your clock as the first 125 people to show up each day will be given a Nintendo Connection Tour lanyard to signify qualification.

For a list of locations, times, and more information, check out the Nintendo Connection Tour’s official website at gamesites.nintendo.com.au/connection-tour-2011

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