Did you ever want to be a manga artist? Well now you have to chance to pretend to be! That’s right with the upcoming Bakuman video game titled Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist, you get your chance to pretend to be a manga artist by scribbling on your little touch screens in an attempt to fulfill a dream, sort of… or something?
Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist now has a trailer out so you can see whether you have what it takes in the intense cut-throat world of manga, by not really actually doing any real work, sort of… or something?
Namco Bandai will be releasing the game this Winter, so get scribbling wannabe manga artists! Or you could just wait until it comes out and then scribble on your touch screens. Whichever you’d prefer. Leave a comment below letting us know what you think of Bakuman: The Way of the Manga Artist.
Welcome to the fifth part of our 100 games you must play before you die series! This round again has a variety of different games that our editors have nominated for different reasons, but each title is definitely worth putting on your “games to play” list. Just remember – the games are in no particular order!
This is probably the favourite of many Sonic the Hedgehog fans the world over. While the debate is always raging on about 2D vs 3D gameplay, Sonic Adventure 2 was a shining example of how 3D gameplay in a Sonic game can be done well. But it’s not just the gameplay alone that sells the game. This particular title introduced new characters and concepts that would forever change and mould the Sonic universe, particularly with the introduction of Shadow. It provided both a light and dark side story, finishing with one of the most epic gaming climaxes ever. This allowed players to play the standard hero beats villain story as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, but also allowed players to delve into the role of evil as Shadow, Eggman and Rouge. The three different gametypes found in the game were also unique, but very well executed concepts – high speed platforming, third person shooter and treasure hunting respectively.
The game also featured a fun little mini pet raising section called the Chao garden. For the players who owned this game, this section was addictive. Hours of gameplay time would be devoted to raising these cute little buggers to perform and act like your favourite Sonic characters (and sometimes look like them too). The critters were super cute and could be used to play mini games such as the Chao race and Chao Karate. The Chao Garden was a concept originally introduced in Sonic Adventure 1, but the garden in SA2 perfected them.
Okay so not many games I’ve played can make me want to line up for a tournament…but I did that for Pokemon in Westfield as a little kid, and I also lined up for the movie. This sad admission (not so sad now, it’s got more cred) sums up the impact of Pokemon across the world. Pokemon Red/Blue is pretty much where it all started – from there the anime show was my next obsession, which made me even more obsessed with the games. For about two years of my life as a kid I was trapped between reality and the world of Pokemon, and I’m completely okay with that. Pokemon was the franchise of the late 90s that probably had the biggest impact culturally: it spawned films, merchandise, the TV show, trading cards and sequels, all of which are still going ten years later.
Everybody knows Pokemon, but it’s hard to put into words the sort of phenomena that spread from the game. You don’t even have to play it to know what it’s all about. Luckily, to back up all the word of mouth love at the time, it was actually a pretty good RPG, and it was portable – so much so that I specifically remember people in high school giving the emulated game to their friends on Floppy disks (just before they died). Pokemon helped spawn free emulated games…how rad is that? The ultimate goal was to catch ’em all, and that task on Red/Blue is probably the easiest these days. I’ve lost count as to how many Pokemon there are now in the sequels (I think most people have), but that’s what makes Pokemon Red/Blue probably the best and easiest Pokemon game to play before you die, certainly if you’ve never played a Pokemon game before. When I’m an old fart retiree, I reckon I’ll have another crack at it; the nostalgia almost matches that of any other classic Nintendo franchise.
When you ask someone what the best Final Fantasy game is they are most likely to say FFVII or FFX. While those games are great, Final Fantasy IX – the black sheep of the franchise – is without a doubt the most complete Final Fantasy title. The game features visuals which are a mixture of the older FF games (pre-FFVI) with the newer styled (post-FFVI), has more charm than any other title in the series to date, and has a complex, yet easy to understand story-line that no other Final Fantasy game has ever truly achieved.
But wait, it’s not just that! The characters are without a doubt some of the most well-developed and genuinely relatable characters the Final Fantasy series has ever produced. All of these characters’ journeys become your journey and you can not help but ride it with them. Whilst it did not change the series (it has no effect on it whatsoever, unfortunately), Final Fantasy IX stands a top as the series crowning achievement whether people realise it or not. If you love the Final Fantasy franchise, play this before you die. It is Final Fantasy‘s unsung high point.
It is so difficult to put into words what makes this game special. Shadow of the Colossus is all about atmosphere and emotion, punctuated with incredible battles that leave you drained yet draw you ever onward. It is my favourite game, and I will love it forever for its bold design. It’s story without words, and it is the game that proves videogames can be art.
You play a boy trying to save a girl. There’s no background to it, and there’s none needed. You have a horse, a sword and a bow, and you must defeat sixteen Colossi in order to save her.
The Colossi are the only creatures in the entire game, and they provide some of the best and most unique ‘boss fight’ style gameplay I have ever come across. The majority are incredible battles, littered with spectacular moments like leaping onto the back of a flying eagle or shooting a snake in the eye from the back of your galloping horse. Some are quick and aggressive, others mammoth in scale and unwilling to fight. I remember taking hours over some of the battles, climbing up again and again in a desperate attempt to figure out and reach the weak point to bring them down.
And that’s the inexplicable bit. The emotion that this game somehow makes you feel is incredible for something so minimal. When you do kill the Colossi there’s just this horrible feeling that you are doing something wrong, that these creatures should be left alone. Victory is anything but sweet, yet the game is so well designed that it pulls you on anyway, the next battle filling you with both anticipation and dread.
There are so many stand out moments in Shadow of the Colossus but I just don’t want to talk about them – I want you to play them. It fully deserves the up and coming PS3 release (teamed with Ico and in full HD), and now that I’ve talked about it, I want it now. Damn.
Braid put Jonathan Blow on the map. The former Inner Product column writer for Game Developer Magazine made a huge splash with his first big entry into the game scene with Braid.
It’s rather simple when you think about it. Braid is a 2D puzzle platformer where you use a time mechanic to navigate the protagonist, Tim through six worlds. However, each world has its own rules as to how the time mechanic works, starting off as simply being able to rewind time at will and changes with time moving in the direction that you’re walking or using a magic ring that warps time around it when dropped. Beautifully constructed puzzles aside, Braid really rises above the scrap heap with its narrative. On the surface you have Tim searching for a princess who “has been snatched by a horrible and evil monster”. The details are vague but we know that Tim has made some sort of mistake that he wants to fix in some manner. Braid‘s story and game design are married in a way that few games are. What you do in the game directly tells a story metaphorically of what Tim wants to accomplish. He regrets something and wants to fix it, or rewind time to fix it. I’m not going to go into the details as it would surely spoil the game but I implore you to check Braid out. It’s a beautiful experience.
46. SimCity
Platform: PC Genre: Simulator Release date: 1989 Nominated by: Kyle Moore
Developed by game genius Will Wright, SimCity allowed player’s to finally play God. Well, if God was a city planner, then this might true. Regardless, SimCity opened a world of possibilities for players, allowing them to recreate their own city and watch in awe as it expanded and came to life.
Originally a PC release, SimCity would go on to spawn dozens of ports, from consoles to handhelds and even smartphones. Not only this, but SimCity also gave birth to a plethora of simulation based games such as: SimEarth, SimSafari and most notably The Sims. Arguably, The Sims itself is a game to play before you die, but where would The Sims be without SimCity? Since it’s release in 1989, SimCity has gone on to win a number of awards, from Game of the Year in 1989 to being named number 4 in the Ten Greatest PC Games Ever by PC World in 2009. SimCity has left a profound impact on video gaming, and now can take its rightful place as one of the 100 games you should play before you die.
47. Banjo Kazooie
Platform: Nintendo 64/XBLA Genre: Platformer Release date: 1998 Nominated by: Phil Federico (written by Jared Hilliers)
Classic rare titles are rarely released these days, and Banjo Kazooie is one of them. It was re-released on Xbox Live Arcade for a reason and you should pay attention and take advantage! At the time of it’s release, Banjo Kazooie was a landmark graphically for the N64 and it was compared quality-wise to Mario 64 across the board. Some would even argue that it’s in fact better than Mario 64, and that’s a pretty big deal. It still stands the test of time over 10 years later, even though the port on Xbox Arcade isn’t the greatest.
Banjo-Kazooie successfully blended humor, fine gameplay, a great soundtrack and some of the best graphics found on the N64. Everything you want in a platformer is found in Banjo and for under $20, it’s well worth playing before you die.
48. Left 4 Dead 2
Platform: Xbox 360/PC/Mac Genre: First-person shooter, survival horror Release date: 2009 Nominated by: Michael Marr
Left 4 Dead 2 is the ultimate zombie survival game (never mind what MasterAbbott tells you). I love this game because it promoted co-operative gameplay with friends. Sure, it was certainly playable alone with the AIs, but it delivered a better experience with human players – not to mention that in versus mode that allows teams to play as special infected, there’s a degree of challenge in facing down a human controlled opponent in a survival horror game that you can’t get anywhere else. Couple in all of the gameplay improvements that were made over L4D (such as melee weapons, dispensable ammo and unique grenade types) and you’ve got yourself a definite game that you must play before you die.
49. Starfox 64
Platform: Nintendo 64 Genre: Platformer Release date: 1997 Nominated by: Matt Vella
Hands down, some of the most fun I’ve ever had while wearing pants. Starfox 64 is asily one of the most charming and memorable prodcuts to ever come from Nintendo! This third-person rail shooter has players control Fox McCloud in his Arwing spaceship as he travels through the Lylat System with his team in the attempt to defeat the evil Andross. Amazing level design, unique game play, awesome soundtrack, great boss and character design, alternative level paths, consequences for not helping/protecting your team mates….oh god, there are just too many things to describe about this game. It also introduced the Rumble Pack for the Nintendo 64, a revolutionary feature and a monumental moment in gaming history.
This game still looks and feels amazing to date. The personalities of the characters are so memorable and it’s just outstanding. For those who don’t know, all you need to know is that Falco is a douche, Slippy is a wuss, Peppy is old and Fox is awesome.
Halo: Reach may be young in age, but in my opinion it gave rebirth to the Halo franchise as a whole. So how does a series deliver without the main protagonist (Master Chief) returning? By delivering five early spartan soldiers to team up with in a whole new campaign.
Jorge, Kat, Carter, Jun, and Emile were a lot more than subtle stand-ins for combat, as each had their own traits and personalities that the player could relate to in one form or another. Introducing such a rich teamwork based storyline did wonders for keeping the player immersed in Reach‘s plot, and the finale was truly one of the most kick-ass moments this generation.
Along with the lengthy campaign, players were given a whole new set of stunning locales for multiplayer combat, the largest map editor in history, and a ton of tools to communicate with the millions of other fans from all over the world. Bungie may not be working on the franchise anymore, but they set the bar for all sequels to come with Reach, and if history serves correct…this could very well end up being the definitive title in the series that is sure to see every top 10 list for the genre for generations to come.
For those who weren’t fortunate enough to bare witness to JAST USA’s Visual Novel Panel at this year’s Anime Expo, JAST have graciously uploaded a recap video, highlighting the best moments of the panel and all the announcements that were made.
If you don’t know who JAST USA are or what they do here is a quick run-down. JAST specialise in localising Japanese video-games (mostly visual novels and dating-sims) into English, including titles from Nitro+ and Peach Princess. There isn’t many companies out their bringing these titles to the Western world and JAST USA are there to give you your bishoujo fill.
You can check out the recap video below to see what happened at Anime Expo 2011 and if you want to see more you can view their website here. Also please leave a comment below letting us know what you thought.
If you’re after a game with ‘Gears’ in the title and just can’t hold on any longer, then Gatling Gears has popped up on PC to try and distract you from that other game. OK, so it’s a tenuous link at best, but you still get to shoot stuff! That’s close enough, right?
Previously only available on the Playstation Netork and Xbox Live Arcade, Gatling Gears is a top down shooter that throws players into a quest to save the world and defeat an evil Empire (cue sinister music). Players suit up as retired gear pilot Max Brawley, and are armed with grenades, rockets and of course, a gatling gun. There are 30 chaotic levels to blast through, as well as plenty of online and offline action in co-op and survival modes.
The game in it’s XBLA form got an ‘excellent’ rating from Dustin here at CC, so check out his review for some more information on the game.
Released today in Australia ($15.95) and New Zealand ($18.90), Gatling Gears is available via various worldwide digital outlets, including EA’s much loved Origin distribution store…
The first is Persona 4: Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (which is the screenshot above). It is a sequel to Persona 4, set two months after the game. It is a fighting game being developed by the team behind BlazBlue. The premise is a fighting tournament hosted by Teddie, a resident of the TV world. So far, Yosuke, Chi and Yu (the nameless protagonist in the original game, name taken from anime) have been revealed. Aiges from Persona 3 was also confirmed. He will be joined by other Persona 3 characters. The game will be released for the arcades in Spring 2012 before making appearances on consoles later in the same year.
The second game isn’t really an announcement as such but more of a confirmation. Persona 5 is currently in the early stages of development and the regular Persona team will be fronting the development. Regulars Katsura Hashino and Shoji Meguro will be director and composer of both games respectively. Shigenori Soejima will be character designer on Persona 5. Hashino revealed that the game will have new elements, comparing the the nature of change to that of Persona 3, when it introduced dating-sim elements to the series. It will also be built around an internal HD engine, a first for the team. Although there was no platform announced, expect the game to make an appearance on the Playstation 3.
So, some extra Persona news. Must be a good day to be a Persona fan. What do you guys think? Is the Persona fighting game what you’re looking for? Or is the new entry to the main series more your cup of tea? Give us you opinion below.
Retro specialists Dot Emu have released a collection of arcade hits to the Mac App Store, giving Mac gamers 18 challenging games for only $9.99. The French company focus on bringing old (or simply overlooked) classics to gamers, and spend a lot of time bringing these titles to light, reprogramming them and sometimes even adding new features.
This collection is drawn from the 80’s and 90’s and together the 18 titles amount to 100 hours of gameplay. So if you’re looking for a long haul, multi genre retro flashback, then IREM Arcade Hits looks like a good bet to give that other Apple in your life some love. The games included are a pretty diverse lot, as you can see in the full list of titles below:
It was rumored a few weeks ago that D3Publisher was working on another title in the Onechanbara series, but they never truly said that it was going to happen. That is of course until today when D3Publisher revealed that they are bringing Onechanbara Z: Kagura exclusively to the Xbox 360.
Famitsu reports that Onechanbara Z: Kagura will contain just as much blood as previous games have had, but rather than playing as the normal protagonist Aya, players will be playing as Kagura and Saaya. The game will be released sometime in the Winter for Japan, and considering the title is 360 exclusive, there is a very good chance the game will be localized to North America.
I played the previous Xbox 360 title Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad and found it to be an enjoyable and mindless hack and slash title, albeit one with plenty of fan-service. It felt a bit dated for its time but was still fun, so hopefully this title will indeed be localized for fans of mass zombie killing and bikinis.
It seems that this week’s Famitsu is just full of reveals, as they have also revealed that Tecmo is working on a new Fatal Frame title for the Nintendo 3DS. Though perhaps new isn’t exactly the right word, as it is being described as an augmented reality spinoff. The game will make use of the 3D camera and will be titled Spirit Photography: The Possessed Notebook.
Not much is known about the title at this time, but the game will have a story mode and something called an “AR Note” that will be used for the title. It will also have a mini-game mode that makes use of the notepad which is called Horror Not. Ghost camera is a camera mode that allows players to take spirit photos and battle other ghosts. There unfortunately isn’t a release date at this time, but seeing that picture up above in 3D would give me trouble sleeping at night.
Those hoping to see some sort of music game for the 3DS guaranteed a Western release should be glad to hear that Sega indeed plans on localizing such a title. Recently Sega Japan announced that they were developing a game called Rhythm Phantom Thief R: The Inheritance of Napoleon which was a rhythm game where players controlled Raphael by touching the screen with the stylus, swiping directions or even moving the 3DS to the beat of the music.
Today Sega of America confirmed that they will indeed be bringing the game overseas to both North America and Europe under the title Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure. It will feature both single and multiplayer modes as well as StreetPass. Fans of music and rhythm games can expect to see the title sometime in the early months of 2012, and can also catch the below trailer for the game.
My only experience with anime – ever – was with Pokemon in grade six, and the masterpieces from that Pixar of the East, Studio Ghibli. Other than that, I’ve just never really gotten into it, despite recommendations for various series from various sources. My girlfriend and her friends had been planning to go to Manifest, Melbourne’s annual anime festival, for months, and I was of the mindset that I didn’t want to go. But when MasterAbbott asked if I wanted to go along to write about it, I agreed, thinking of it as an interesting experience in a culture I’m not used to.
“Interesting” is just one of the words I’d use to describe my weekend…
It started Saturday morning at a friend’s place, a house so creepy that even it seemed to be cosplaying as the Resident Evil mansion. Apparently it used to be a doctor’s surgery of some kind, and the back rooms, where the actual surgery used to take place, have been bricked up. Freaky.
Anyway, we piled into a couple of cars and headed to the Melbourne Showgrounds, and my first glimpse of the attendees included a guy dressed as what appeared to be a peacock: he sported an open-chested purple spandex jumpsuit, blue hair and a big blue boa scarf, huge golden boots and peacock feathers arched over his shoulders. I was…confused, to say the least. I was assured this was a normal, albeit extravagant costume. So with an uneasy mix of excitement and dread, we headed inside.
We met up with the rest of the group in the car park, to put on their own costumes, and perform some quick maintenance. Four of the guys donned robes from Magicka, and another three went as the Heavy, Medic, and Spy from Team Fortress 2. The Magicka robes and clothing for the TF2 characters were handmade and custom-fitted to each wearer, made by Kaori (the one in the Medic costume – check out her blog for some costume development photos). All the props, including the Magicka staffs, the Heavy’s minigun, and the Medic’s pack and Medigun, were made mostly out of cardboard, to scale, by Maemon (the Spy).
The huge amount of effort over the previous weeks obviously paid off – it took more than twenty minutes for the group to move from the car park into the main area of the convention, due to constantly being swamped by people wanting photos. Some were polite, some waaaaaay too keen. One guy got down on his knees and screamed out “Meeediiiic!” The subtle speech bubble seen above the Heavy’s head seems a much more elegant way to request a health fix.
There were plenty of amazing costumes, about 10% of which I actually recognized. Some were iconic characters that even an anime virgin like myself could identify, like Ash Ketchum, Naruto, Link, and Sailor Moon. There was an abundance of Pokemon (specifically store-bought Pikachu costumes and Ash outfits of varying quality), but most costumes seemed like non-descript schoolgirls, robots, ninjas, and guys with big hair and big weapons. I’m sure they were from something specific, but with my untrained eye, they all kinda looked the same.
There were plenty of events across the weekend, most of which I had no idea or interest in. The guests included some of the guys who made the Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged series, and a couple of voice actors I’d never heard of. They were screening various anime as well, none of which caught my attention.
A few of us entered the Super Smash Bros Brawl tournaments, and while I was eliminated in the first round, two of our mates went on to place third in the doubles competition. And that was no easy feat for a couple of relatively “casual” players: while they were the type to play it with a few beers and a few mates for, you know, a bit of fun, the competition included some serious, “I’m gonna bring my own controller ‘cause yours are the wrong colour” type of players. So well done, guys. I get the impression your laidback attitude may have angered some self-proclaimed hardcore players.
The Trades Hall had a frankly ridiculous selection of everything anime and pop culture, including several stores, physical and online, that I plan on checking out at some point. Even I, immune as I was from the lures of anime merchandise, succumbed to the temptation to walk away with more loot than I could justify to my wallet. I snagged a couple of Simpsons and South Park figures, some Plants vs. Zombies plushies I haven’t seen before, and a T-shirt featuring an awesome representation of the Mushroom Kingdom. Apparently the guys from Manco were there on Friday, sold every bit of stock they had for the entire weekend in one day, and didn’t bother showing up Saturday or Sunday. Considering they sell the Valve store stuff, that’s no surprise.
It also seemed a great opportunity for artists to sell their creations or take commissions for pieces, and from what was on show, there are definitely some talented artists in the area.
While the afternoon was winding down, the cosplay competition began, and I felt obliged to have a look. I was disappointed to learn that my friends’ efforts didn’t fit the official competition criteria, due to not being from a product of Japanese origin. Nevertheless, we went along, and watched in a mix of awe/confusion/ mild terror as the event unfolded. Despite my confusion over the characters each of the costumes were supposed to represent, it was lost in awe of the effort and accuracy to the source material, images of which flashed up alongside each act. The mild terror came in response to the consistently grating, face-palm-inducing hosts, and the often bizarre, non-sequitur nature of the skits. For the most part, the costumes looked fantastic, but the creators should probably keep their efforts focused on their amazing handiwork rather than attempting to perform. Just sayin’.
All up, the weekend was an interesting first foray into the daunting world of anime. I learned that this sub-culture is a little frightening from the outside, but its enthusiasts are more than willing to accept pretty much anyone who gives it a chance. The amount of effort everyone puts into their work, be it costumes, drawing, painting, prop making, music, or who knows what else, is impressive, and none of this art goes unappreciated. Everyone loves to get photos with cosplayers of their favourite characters, and everyone is spirited and enthusiastic. And why not? This is the anime fan in their natural habitat, surrounded by others who share their passion.
Have a look at the rest of the photos below. Those tagged with (RM) were taken byRowan Mahoney.
Also don’t forget: those tiny 2 and 3 tags at the bottom contain many more photos. WordPress apparently disapproves of images and likes to make viewing them as awkward as possible.
While the afternoon was winding down, the cosplay competition began, and I felt obliged to have a look. I was disappointed to learn that my friends’ efforts didn’t fit the official competition criteria, due to not being from a product of Japanese origin. Nevertheless, we went along, and watched in a mix of awe/confusion/ mild terror as the event unfolded. Despite my confusion over the characters each of the costumes were supposed to represent, it was lost in awe of the effort and accuracy to the source material, images of which flashed up alongside each act. The mild terror came in response to the consistently grating, face-palm-inducing hosts, and the often bizarre, non-sequitur nature of the skits. For the most part, the costumes looked fantastic, but the creators should probably keep their efforts focused on their amazing handiwork rather than attempting to perform. Just sayin’.