The film that was hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time is finally receiving it’s 3rd and final instalment! Following the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the 3rd and final film in the movie triology will close out the story of Batman in what looks to be an epic conclusion. The offical trailer was released yesterday, and it must be said that speculation is abound. The trailer shows off a new design of an old nemsis, and one of the supposed villians of the final movie: Bane. Physically, he does not yet look anywhere near as domineering as we usually think of him from the cartoons, or from Arkam Asylum. However, from what we can tell, an evil is rising that will force Bruce Wayne to don the Dark Cowl as Batman one last time.
However, as we already know all too well from the triology so far, there is ALWAYS more than one villian. So who are we likely to see crop up this time? Liam Neeson is confirmed to be making a return to the series. But will it be in the form of a flashback, or a ressurected Ra’s al Ghul? But the big announcement that was not released in the trailer was the confirmation of Anne Hathaway as Selina Klye, better known as Catwoman. So, we’re staring at 3 potential villians for this conclusion. And fingers crossed that this one is right on the money. Some people think that the lineup is medicore in comparison to the previous installments. To those critics, I have one thing to say:
There’s an old saying in the hospitality industry: “You haven’t really made it until the line outside is so long that the riot squad will be called in if it doesn’t disperse.”
If that’s the case, then Mana Bar Melbourne “made it” within hours of first opening its doors to the public on Saturday. The line, consisting of Lara Crofts, zombies, Pacmen, Links, Zeldas, and even the occasional plain-clothed patron, took up much of the walkway for several Brunswick Street blocks. Not surprising, really – the opening event for the 50-person capacity venue had over 2,300 attendees, according to Facebook.
With their liquor license at risk, the staff quickly introduced a ticketing system, whereby tickets were handed out to rotate 50 people through each hour. By the time we got there at about 7pm, it was booked solid for the night. Unperturbed, we decided to hang around and try our luck.
Looking longingly through the window, the venue was a clear success. People were milling around, drinking alarmingly-vibrant coloured cocktails and obviously, playing games.
The concept didn’t just appeal to the people who’d been waiting months for the opening, either. In the 15 minutes or so we spent standing out the front, plenty of people walking past would stop and ask about it, try to get in, or just stand and take photos.
After some dinner, and a few drinks at the gypsy bar next door – which seemed to be doing quite well just from Mana Bar’s spillover – we managed to get inside thanks to some 10 o’clock no-shows.
We immediately went for the bar to try some gamey cocktails. The first round we tried the iconic Mana Potion and Health Potion, and despite the $15 tag leaving a larger dent in our pockets than we’d hoped, they more than delivered on taste. It’s still my goal to try all the cocktails and shots – except the Imp. Licorice is the Devil’s doing.
Drinks in hand, we scoped the place out. People were jammed in front of the five screens in the main room, playing Super Street Fighter IV, Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario All-Stars, CoD: Black Ops and the Australian-developed XBLA title Raskulls.
It took me a little while to even notice there was music playing in the background, and longer to realize what it was. It wasn’t until I heard a familiar sting that it clicked: a Zelda theme instrumental. The music selection across the weekend, played at a volume that wasn’t imposing, was a mix of “normal” music; chiptunes, both from games and original compositions; and instrumental or remixed versions of classic game music. One that struck a chord with me was a version of Stickerbrush Symphony: the bramble level music from Donkey Kong Country 2. It never occurred to me that I might hear that outside the game.
We wandered down a small corridor, past a display cabinet of various game merchandise, to the back room, which featured an early demo of The Darkness II, an arcade machine stocked with a selection of great indy games, and a permanent Guitar Hero World Tour set up.
We spotted several faces familiar to gamers: professional angry-man Yahtzee (who my girlfriend proudly “collected” on her 3DS, via Streetpass), Good Game co-host Hex, “ex-Hex” Junglist, and what seemed like the entire staff of the Brisbane Mana Bar. I have no idea who’s keeping an eye on things up there.
We had little more than an hour inside, but it was enough to soak in the unique atmosphere. We went back on the Sunday night, to a much more relaxed ambiance. This time I ran into a friend from Qantm, and for most of the night we hung out with her and her friend – who turned out to be Junglist.
The thing that struck me was the general friendliness of absolutely everyone, patrons and staff alike. We jumped into a game of Raskulls with two randoms, and bam! Insta-friends. Soon after, while watching said game, the guys next to me needed a fourth player for Black Ops, and I was conscripted. It really is the perfect ice-breaker for meeting new people: completing gigs as a band in Guitar Hero is a bonding experience like no other. And once the game is over and everyone swaps around, you continue talking to these people. Playing a game with new people removes that initial awkward barrier.
The friendliness wasn’t confined to the customers, either. The staff were also enthusiastic about getting out there and mingling. They could be seen wandering around, talking to anyone and everyone, jumping into games like it was their own living room. Nowhere else is the staff so genuine, or so involved with their customers.
Overall, the Mana Bar obviously caters to gamers, but does so in a more refined manner so as not to alienate non-gaming customers intrigued by the quirkiness of the venue. Contrary to the popular assumption that the patrons would all be fat, sweaty neckbeards, it goes a long way towards showing that games appeal to a much wider audience than the stereotypes suggest.
Melbournian gamers: you have a new regular watering hole. And I’ll be right there with you.
Photos courtesy of Drew Taylor and Mana Bar Melbourne.
The Mana Bar is located at 336 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Open noon to 11pm, 7 days a week.
For updates and events, stalk them on Facebook or Twitter, or check out their website.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Part 5 Studio: Bones Publisher: FUNimation Release Date: August 2, 2011 Episodes: 53-64 (end) Price:$54.98 Blu-ray, $49.98 DVD (reviewed)
Overview:
Fullmetal Alchemist is a series that originally began back in 2001 when writer Hiromu Arakawa the story in manga form. Now ten years later here we are, with one anime adaptation already completed, though drastically different from the source material, we have the final part of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. The entire series has been building up to this ending; does it wrap everything up in a neat package to satisfy fans of the series?
Story:
Something that Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood has followed nearly to the letter has been the original manga series which concluded just a month before the final episode of the series aired in Japan. Thus you have an experience which not only provides an amazing conclusion to the series but perfectly follows the author’s intentions for the series.
As the battle in Central begins to swing in the favor of Mustang’s forces, all of the central characters to the series begin to move towards Father, the original Homunculi. It takes a lot of skill to wrap everything up in a fashion that will satisfy viewers who have been supportive of the series for so long and Brotherhood does it with style. With non-stop action Part 5 contains the best action of the entire series.
Nearly every main character gets their chance in the spotlight against one of the surviving homunculus. Plus, although a bit strange due to the fact he stood around most 90% of the time, the final battle against Father definitely contains the feel of a boss battle that could rival any other series finale. We see Mustang finally meet Hughes real killer and other characters struggling to prevent him from becoming a man who is fueled by rage alone. This is the only bit of information I am going to reveal simply because this is the ultimate finale of the series. Anything left to be solved is resolved in this part and explaining further would ruin the emotional build up that these scenes cause.
Despite the fact that the series builds up to the huge battle and finally the end of Father, we still are treated to a mild timeskip. As I mentioned before it takes a lot of skill to wrap things up nicely without leaving any plot holes that can be picked at by fans, and FMA Brotherhood wraps up in a package so tight that not even alchemy could be used to break it down.
Although there is a lot of combat to be seen, Part 5 can also be seen as one of the most emotional part of the entire series thanks to the fact that a lot of the characters who have been seeking something end up finding it in these final episodes or are able to complete what they set out for. As I said before emotions run high in this part, both for the characters on the screen and the viewer sitting at home. Thanks to this many viewers will find themselves feeling drawn in to specific moments of the show as these climactic moments play out.
I find the ending to Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood to be satisfactory with nearly every character getting at least some sort of closure that should please long time fans. Though the interaction Ed has with Winfry at the train station seems almost a little forced thanks to the fact that there had been little shown development between the two. This can be partially forgiven thanks to the fact that throughout the series it has been hinted at that the two had feelings for one another. Plus the way that Edward confesses is simply hilarious and I am a sucker for a happy ending.
Artwork:
Now a lot of anime that contain heavy action occasionally slip on their fighting choreography or with the character designs during the fight. This is something that barely even comes close to applying to all of the fights that take place during Part 5. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood has had great battles before, but all of the artwork and fighting is amazing to watch. There are a lot of times characters will use huge attacks simply because they can, with only the occasional drop in quality. All of this is shown perfectly by the animators with fluid animations and plenty of destruction ensuing from said attacks which creates battles so intense and large in scale it truly pulls the viewer into the experience.
Besides the battles and everything else, the backgrounds that you will be seeing are still as impressive as ever. Though the majority of the visuals take place deep under Central they are still varied enough to not feel stale. The backgrounds are detailed impressively and colorful, providing a great life to the world even as the intense battles draw your eye to the characters.
Audio:
Let it first be said that nearly all the characters you will be seeing in this part have already made appearances periodically throughout the show which means that FUNimation’s dubwork is going to be the same as before regarding voice actors and actresses. The quality of the voice work is still very well done and consistent throughout. The emotions of the characters are performed well and it is a perfect example of voice work done right.
There are a number of insert songs that are in this part which are subbed in English, though the subtitles can be turned off if you wish. These songs certainly highlight specific moments of the show and none of them feel out of place. The opening and ending songs are enjoyable, especially “Rain” by SID though I found “Ray of Light” by Nakagawa Shoko to be a little disappointing as an ending song simply because it feels out of place and inappropriate sounding as an ending.
Extras:
There are a number of Extras that are included in Part 5, this includes your standard clean (textless) opening sequence with the song “Rain” and then the clean endings of Ray of Light and Hologram. There are also two other special features which are worth taking notice of.
One of these is the outtakes which are very hilarious to watch. These outtakes span across many episodes and are usually different words being said instead of what was meant in that part. The combination of the situation plus the words spoken had me laughing more often than not and fans will certainly enjoy the jokes. There is also commentary for the entirety of Episode 64, the final episode, which is an enjoyable to listen to after seeing the episode normally.
Overall:
Providing a satisfying ending to a series that has spanned over a decade is quite a monumental task to undertake. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 5 does not only that but it does it with style. The amount of fluid and intense combat that persists throughout the entire last episodes in this part will take viewers on a rollercoaster of emotion. With a great returning voice cast and superb animation, Part 5 does everything a FMA Brotherhood fan could ask for and more.
If you have played any board game, there is a good chance you have played the grandaddy of them all, Monopoly. Over the years we have seen a ton of different incarnations from the Parker Bros. Classic, and this trend is continuing even further with the release of Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition on the iPad. While this version has seen a release in the past on the iPhone and iPod Touch, EA have now remastered the game in full HD with a few new features in tow along with a slick new menu system and design for the touch platform. So is this dice rolling, property buying reincarnation worth the cash or does it fail to live up the the rich history of it’s famed predecessors? Here is my review for Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition on the iPad.
Gameplay
I don’t think I need to go into deep detail on how to play Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition, as if you have ever played any version of the game, the core formula has remained in tact. The main objective is to buy up as many properties as possible in order to dominate the board and drive opponents bankrupt by collecting rent. Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition changes up the standard currency system a bit though and has players start with 15M in cash funds due to the inflation of prices that the worldly properties possess. Instead of classic properties such as Boardwalk and Marvin Gardens, Here & Now offers up some of the most prominent cities in the world such as Montreal, Sydney, and Jerusalem (just to name a couple), with each featuring landmarks pictured on their particular space on the board. Even though everything still functions the same, these locations truly set the game apart from the standard experience.
In a single player game, the player can assign up to four AI opponents to go up against with four different difficulty settings. Personally, I found Hard to be the only difficulty even worth playing though, as even on Medium you will find the computer opponent constantly offering bizarre trades that make the game a bit to simple to win. For example, the much prized Montreal (which has replaced Boardwalk) was purchased by the AI in my first game. The very next turn had the computer trying to trade it off to me for one of the cheapest properties on the board along with a very small sum of cash. This happened quite a bit and I had all of my opponents going bankrupt before I could even get hotels on my properties in nearly every occasion. Bidding Wars for properties also caused a headache, as the AI would literally mortgage every property they owned just to win a random location. That is the biggest flaw within The World Edition, as there is not much challenge for those who go in alone. Thankfully, human players can be added which makes the experience rival that of the board game and is honestly where everything begins to take off.
Controlling the actual game is rather simple and executed perfectly for the iPad. To roll the dice, the player simply holds, shakes, and rolls with a simple flick of a finger. When it comes to bidding or dealing with cash, a simple tap is all that is needed with the very useful in-game calculator. Pieces move automatically after each roll, which is displayed by the player’s fully animated game piece. For those who are picky on picking that particular game piece to play as, a plentiful and appropriately themed selection of pieces are available which are all fully animated and consist of a Sumo, a soccer ball, nesting dolls, and several other worldly representations of different cultures. I never once had any trouble with the touch screen responsiveness, as the gameplay is literally so simple a child could easily join in and catch on almost instantly.
For those who have never played the game before, a “Teacher Mode” is also available. I tried this mode just to see what was inside, expecting a dumbed-down tutorial, and I was quite surprised by how much work went into this mode. Teacher mode not only teaches players how to actually buy and purchase properties, but also teaches strategies for success. For example, for each property you land on, a small description pops up explaining the role that color-set can have on gaining a victory. I really didn’t feel like I needed training as it is just Monopoly, but this tool could certainly be used to groom even Novice players into Monopoly masters in a short time span.
For those who are up for more of a classic experience, Table Top mode allows for a group to play while the screen rotates based on turn face the current player with a top-down camera angle. This allows for the whole board to be on the screen at once, simulating the perspective of….well..a table top. Not too much is changed aside from the screen rotation and camera angle, but it was nice to not have to constantly pass around or turn the iPad while playing.
Another feature worthy of note is that you can now customize the House Rules to your liking. This allows for the customization of bonuses rewarded for passing GO!, a Cash Reward for Free Parking, and a bevy of other rules to be changed to let players change up the formula and and play the classic in a whole new way. For those who are going in solo, this can perk up the challenge a bit and even though it doesn’t give the AI player a brain, it can stack the odds against the player to make the outcome a bit more exciting in the long run. Multiplayer also can offer a bit more replay value as players can either play locally or over Wi-fi against other owners of the game. Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition will even downgrade itself to allow play against the iPhone/iTouch owners, which is another small but welcome option.
As I am writing this, I have played around 15 full games in total and sadly, 10 of those have resulted in a crash. I can say this only happened once per game of those ten times and the autosave brings everything right back up to speed in less than a minute, but it was a rather frustrating occurrence that could certainly use a patch. If I were playing on Wi-Fi during any of those games, I am certain I would reflect a bit more negatively, but there isn’t much of a community to be found at the moment for that mode.
Graphics/Audio
The visuals are the most impressive part of Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition. Everything is in beautiful HD and truly makes the board look fantastic. 5 different settings can also be chosen, which set the board up at locations such as a backyard patio, a cabin, and a living room. The game is also surprisingly animation heavy, with game pieces coming to life to move to a spot and a jail cell rising up to lock a player up. These touches go a long way to make this version of Monopoly more of a visual feast and while the actual game might have a few flaws, nothing bad can be said about the spectacular presentation value.
Music for the game consists of a relaxing, upbeat soundtrack that flows perfectly into the background and keeps the actual game the forefront of the experience. Sound effects however play a much larger role and assist further into bringing out some much needed personality to the game pieces and event spaces with all the bells and whistles a Monopoly fan could ask for. Those who prefer not to hear the standard soundtrack also have the option of turning on their iTunes library as the game is played, which is an excellent option considering the platform.
Overall
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition is a fine variation of the classic game of Monopoly, but sadly it possesses a few flaws that hold it back from reaching it’s true potential. The presentation value is fantastic and the menus and controls compliment the iPad well, but the poor and downright stupid AI can make this version feel like it was intended for multiplayer only. Hopefully the crashing issue will also be addressed in the future as having the whole game simply turn off while playing is a bit of an annoyance that leaves one to wonder how this bug was not caught before the game released. All of that aside though, I can easily say that Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition is still a blast to play ad worthy of a purchase for those wanting to relive the classic in a whole new way.
I Give Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition for the iPad:
Voltron is making a comeback in October, THQ has announced Voltron: Defender of the Universe, scheduled for release on Xbox LIVE®Arcade and PlayStation®Network.
In this brand-new take on the classic Voltron animated series, nostalgia induced players like myself can except Interwoven clips from the original animated series remastered in hi-def.
The game has multiplayer, including either online 1 to 5 player co-op or offline in 1 or 2 player co-op. Players select a Lion based on a number of strengths, resistances and elemental attacks that they use to battle fierce Robeasts and a number of other familiar enemies.
“We really wanted to create a game that’s exciting, true to the original series and challenging to play,” said Peter Armstrong, executive producer. “All of us here are big fans of classic Voltron, and we’re really proud of what we have created.”
Voltron: Defender of the Universe will cost 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Arcade and $9.99 PlayStation Network. Checkout the screenshots below
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced that the team behind the upcoming LittleBigPlanet on the PS VITA, signed a deal which would see the studio, developing exclusively for Sony platforms.
The studio was formed by Rockstar Leeds lead-engineers in 2010, in a short time it has grown to become one of the biggest new developers in the UK. The company was behind the technology to run LittleBigPlanet on the PS VITA’s hardware.
Under the conditions of the deal, Double Eleven will work on the new LittleBigPlanet, but can also begin working on other titles across Sony’s platforms.
Michael Denny, Senior Vice President of SCE Worldwide Europe, had this to say about the studio “Double Eleven are one of the most exciting developers to emerge onto the development scene in recent years, their technical expertise makes them a great fit for LittleBigPlanet on PSVITA and we’ve very pleased with the progress the team have made on this hugely anticipated title,”
You may not of heard of this studio before, but the future is no doubt brighter for Double Eleven after this announcement, and CEO Lee Hutchinson seems to think the same “The opportunity to work so closely with Sony is simply fantastic and we look forward to a truly exciting new phase in our own development, with the absolute intention to become a world-class studio.”
Japan is always great with their artwork for both films and video games, and the release of L.A. Noire has inspired a reflection on the old, moody imagery of the film noir genre.
According to Rockstar, the Japanese versions of noir art are even better than the original Hollywood ones. Not only does the kanji jump out against the background with its geometric aspect, but to Westerners the added enigma of unreadable text makes for even more of a visual riddle. Not only is it a mystery to uncover what narrative lies behind the art, but it becomes a mystery what the poster is actually saying.
We’ve taken a few Japanese noir posters and compared them to their US counterparts.
Today sees the North American launch of 8 pre-NEOGEO arcade titles coming to the PlayStation Store for the PSP and PS3. Emulating that really old-school arcade experience from SNK’s Golden Age, these mini titles are on sale for $2.99 each from the NEOGEO Station. One of these titles, Guerrilla War, is actually FREE for one month starting July 19th, 2011 for PlayStation Plus members! The Games are listed below.
OZMA WARS
Originally released in 1970, Ozama Wars was not only the second released vertical shooting arcade game, but is also known as the first game with disparate levels! This title will have you fighting against UFOs, meteors, comets, and dock with the mothership until your health bar is depleted. out
SASUKE vs COMMANDER
This 1980 arcade shooter is famous for being one of SNK Playmore’s first games to include a bosses. In Sasuke vs Commander, player play as Sasuke, who must protect the Shogun from Ninja in the style of a gallery shooter.
VANGUARD
Known for being one of the very first scrolling shooters, VANGUARD will see players shooting enemies in four directions and collecting energy pods to ram foes in the 1981 title.
MARVIN’S MAZE
This game from 1983 has players fill the shoes of Marvin, who must defend his Maze from the evil Robonoids. A puzzle-action game that’s pretty cute for its age.
HAL 21
Another classic shooting title, this one from 1985. Players control Captain Clain, and must preform arial attacks on enemies and bombing ground targets before reaching the boss in this 1985 classic.
ATHENA
As ATHENA, the Princess of the Kingdom of Victory, this classic platform arcade game released originally in 1986 has player opening a “Forbidden Door” and descending into a realm of fantasy.
IKARI WARRIORS
This ’80s ‘run-and-gun mega-hit’ has players controlling a colonel turned mercenary Ralf, with machine guns, grenades, and tanks in your arsenal to take on endless amounts of foes as you infiltrate an enemy base.
GUERRILLA WAR
Free for 1 month for PlayStation Plus Owners, GUERILLA WAR has these heroes of revolution entering jungles and ruined cities of a tropical island in order to overthrow its tyrannical dictator. Players must rescue captures comrades along the way while trying to liberate the nation against the dictator.
What a blast from the past, I wasn’t even born for these titles! If you want to grab a piece of history, head over to the the “New Releases” category and the “SNK NEOGEO” Featured Publishers page now on the PlayStation Network!
Asura’s Wrath looks to take the normal action gameplay model and punch it in the face with six arms in rapid succession as you can see in the latest trailer released for this title. We are treated to plenty of combat and enemy killing as we see Asura’s six arms put to good use. Normally Asura will have only two arms but can power up to have six at once.
Unfortunately something that you should do while watching this video is turn down the volume because the narrator is probably the worst I’ve heard narrate any game trailer in recent memory. At least the game itself looks good enough for us to forgive the lackluster Capcom worker. Check out the video below.
Planning on playing some The Darkness II for Halloween this year? Then you might want to lower your expectations to The Darkness I instead because 2K Games revealed today that the title which was originally meant to be released on October 4th has instead been pushed back until February 7th 2012 in North America and February 10th elsewhere.
No reason was given for this delay but it could be due to the saturated October release schedule which is already full of titles like Batman: Arkham City, Gears of War 3, Twisted Metal, Battlefield 3, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record… it looks like October is going to be a busy month. Nevertheless the delay could also be to help throw an extra layer of polish on the title and make sure it is bug free for fans.
