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K-ON! Volume 2 Review

Luke Halliday
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K-ON! Volume 2
Tag Line: The first performance!
Produced by: Bandai Entertainment
Run time:  100 minutes in 4 episodes
Language: English, Japanese
Genre: Slice-Of-Life, Comedy, Music
Release Date: 14/09/2011
Available for purchase at Madman Online Store ($49.95)

Overview:
K-ON! is one of those perculiar series, in which there is just something about it that you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s got that curious itch, that must be scratched, without any thought. It’s a mystery as to what is that key factor in K-ON! that makes it so very compelling, is it the characters? Perhaps. Is it the story? Perhaps. What is it though that make’s us drawn to these girls and their club?

Story:
This volume of K-ON! has the girls continuing on from last volume which we reviewed, with the light music club on their way to their first performance. While this may seem like a trivial storyline, there is something underneath the story of these girls that makes it so enjoyable.

This volume in particular has excellent pacing that is both fun and relaxing. I get the feeling with K-ON! that it would be nice to watch on a rainy afternoon over a spot of tea. It’s just a pleasant, relaxing series that will leave you free of all forms of tension. It is the perfect chill out show.

That is perhaps what makes this series so successful. The fact that it is just so fun and is just a good old wholesome watch. I guarantee you will leave this series happy. It’s virtually impossible to finish this series without a smile upon your face.

I mentioned in the previous review of volume 1 that there is an over-arching theme behind this series, that being the theme of “belonging”. That theme carries over into this volume. The light music club girls each find a place to belong in eachother and their joint venture to both learn music and well, get good at playing music, keeps them united.

There are some highlight moments such as the entire Christmas episode. An episode which would with out a doubt classify as “A Very Special Episode”. It was simply the best episode thus far of K-ON! in my opinion and will be difficult to top.

All-in-all, the plot continued on at it’s chilled pace that we have come to expect from K-ON! and the more power to it. It is the perfect speed for this series and would only benefit from maintaining it.

Characters:
The cast of K-ON! continue to mesh well together this time around, even more so than in the previous volume. The light music club girls are an absolutely brilliant example of character chemistry that is organic.

I personally believe the most emotionally engaging part of these characters is their connection. Music connects them and holds them together. Without their club, they have nothing. That is why they make music despite lacking skills, that is why they are drawn to one another. They need to belong. It’s the heart and soul of each of these girls and that is what I feel is so relatable about their connection to one another. At some point each of us want to belong to something in our lives, these girls are in that point in their lives, that is how we relate to them.

Without it’s characters, K-ON! would indeed be a baron wasteland without any semblance of a heart. Thankfully it has it’s characters, the glue that holds this crazy thing called K-ON! together.

Artwork:
The art and animation is in great shape here, much like last time, with the music scenes incredibly well animated as the girls play their instruments the motion is near life-like in it’s fluidity. It is sakuga anime at it’s finest.

This volume does seem to have slightly more crisper visuals in comparison to the last volume but it’s only a tiny slight, not really something you would catch easily.

It is a good job from the animation department in general, I look forward to seeing the music scenes each time they appear as they are so well animated it’s just a joy to watch.

Audio:
Like the previous collection the audio is great. The songs are all fun and pleasant on the ear, not to mention catchy as hell. You will certainly find yourself humming the tunes subconsciously after watching this volume. I know I did, this time and last time.

On the other side of the coin, the voice work is another triumph in K-ON! I absolutely adore Stephanie Sheh as Yui Hirasawa, it’s like a perfect match. She just portrays these sorts of characters so well (see Orihime Inoue), that I can not picture anyone else voicing her. Even listening to the Japanese audio, it just did not feel like Yui to me. It needed to be Stephanie Sheh. But that’s not to say the Japanese voice actors aren’t good. They are great in their own right. But I just have a certain fondness for the way Stephanie Sheh gives life to a character.

It’s hard to find a series that has as good a soundtrack and voice work as K-ON! I’d go as far as to say that K-ON! is the benchmark in this field.

Special Features:
It astonishes me how much Madman manage to fit into such a small package. It is always surprising especially when compared to other anime collections out on the market that lack any sort of special features what so ever.

K-ON! is one of Madman’s small packages that pack a huge punch. We have the usual trailers on disc, alongside an interview with Christina Vee (the voice of Mio), a little featurette called Fuma Fuma Time and even music videos. This volume is utterly bursting at the seams with extras, depsite being only 4 episodes in length. It’s an amazing feat by Madman here.

Conclusion:
K-ON! is a series that is as enigmatic as it is compelling. It’s a series you will love to death, but will find difficult to pin-point why. It just has that x-factor that is so rare to come by in anime these days. To miss out on it would be to miss out on a true experience in animation. I wholeheartedly recommend the second volume of K-ON! If you have yet to purchase the first volume, do so and then purchase this one while your at it.

I give K-ON! Volume 2:
8-5-capsules-out-of-10

PSN Pass Required For Uncharted 3

Joshua Spudic
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Anyone who is thinking to buy Uncharted 3 used and want online play better think again. The highly anticipated November release will require the PSN Pass for online multiplayer. It was confirmed when Sony España Software Manager Juan Jiménez mentioned it with Spanish website The Vault. For those who want to play online without the PSN Pass, make sure you have US$10 in your PSN account.

The PSN Pass was introduced with one of Sony’s other highly anticipated, Resistance 3. It was the reason why I wasn’t able to give a review on the multiplayer aspects of the game. However, if you still want an idea of how the single player aspect fares, then read the review. Uncharted 3 will hit selves in November 1 in North America, November 2 in Europe and Japan and November 3 in Australia.

Lord of Apocalypse Pricing Revealed

Joshua Spudic
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Lord of Apocalypse, the second Playstation Vita game to be launched from Square Enix in Japan, has its own pricing scheme released. This comes as Army Corps of Hell received its pricing scheme. If you decide to trek to your local store, then expect to pay ¥5,980. Is a digital copy more to your liking? Then expect a price of ¥4,980, a whole ¥1,000 less than at retail.

Unlike Army Corps of Hell, Lord of Apocalypse will have a Playstation Portable version available for those who are not ready to go the next step. However, expect to pay the same price as your Vita brethren with price tags of ¥5,980 and ¥4,980 for retail and digital download respectively.

What I would like to note is that Lord of Apocalypse seems to be more expensive than Army Corps of Hell. Both are launch titles. So, why the more expensive price tag? However, if you are a Japanese Square Enix Member and redeem those points for purchasing the game, then they will receive an original magic card for Lord of Vermillion Re:2, an arcade title.

Shin-Chan 3DS Trailer

Luke Halliday
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Namco Bandai have today released a new trailer for the upcoming Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS adventure game titled Crayon Shin-chan Space DE Acho!? Obakarate Your Friendship! or Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS for short.

Crayon Shin-Chan 3DS follows Shin and friends as they try to protect their town from an alien invasion, in a crude, lude and definitely rude way that you’d come to expect from young Shinnosuke Nohara. The Crayon Shin-Chan anime has been around for nearly two decades now and has recently been reinvisioned in English by Funimation Entertainment.

You can check out the awesome trailer below. Let us know what you think in the shoutbox or comments section.

How FIFA 12 Ate My Long Weekend

Julien Durand
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It’s the dying minutes of the game, and Tottenham have contained Arsenal to a score of 1-1. But then the break.

Walcott tears down the left flank and passes the ball straight to Van Persie who taps it gently towards the man who would score the winning goal… David Villa.

In case you didn’t know, this weekend Arsenal lost to Tottenham. And they certainly don’t have Barcelona’s David Villa at their disposal. But this weekend, I found myself hardly caring because my Arsenal are close to top of the table, with one of the strongest teams in their history.

On hearing the phrase long-weekend, people conjure images of a day in the park or a Sunday afternoon adventure. And when a game is released packed full of features and modes, people tend to play the entire experience the game has offered them, online and offline. But I’ve spent most of my weekend locked away, playing away at one spectacularly addictive mode from FIFA 12: Career Mode.

To put it shortly, if you care even a little bit about soccer, this mode will have you missing entire hours as you become completely enthralled in the Manager’s experience.

Immediately upon becoming the manager of your chosen club, you are thrust into the start of the transfer season, a few million dollars in your pocket. Between playing a spatter of pre-season friendlies, you throw any excess players overboard and chase after those who you think will swing things in your favour. This culminates on the bi-annual transfer deadline days, where you go into what can only be described as the menu version of bullet-time. As every hour ticks away, you begin desperately throwing millions of dollars towards players who you not only want, but you need to make your side the best. Other clubs will be doing the same throughout the transfer season, so that by the time the season starts, the in-game Manchester City you will be playing against is far different from it’s actual counterpart. The thrill of buying and selling players is so addictive, I found myself lining up potential buys ages before the next transfer period, praying I could afford them when the time came.

And that’s just the pre-season. Once you’ve got your side all lined up, you’ll find yourself trying to grapple your way to the top of the tables match after match, and as your players begin tiring from the constant stream of games, you’ll find yourself pressed to substitute your star players for your not-so-star players. And let’s not forget player tantrums.  If a player is in good form and you’re playing him regularly, he’s sure to be beaming, but that average player you’ve benched for half the season? Well, he’s going to start whining and whining until he either decides to leave entirely or you get tired of his incessant moaning and sell him to the first buyer. Or I suppose you could listen and try to play him a bit more…

As the season goes your younger players may improve significantly, and your older players might deteriorate. You can set up scouting networks, searching for your future stars and creating the youth team of your chosen club. Headlines of important soccer news scroll down the Career Mode menu, letting you know how the team is doing, which players from other clubs to watch out for, and which players you seem to not be using enough. And your own statistics are tracked. As you win more games, you managerial abilities will be noticed by other clubs, who will try to poach you away from your team by offering you better salaries. Not that your manager salary impacts anything, but it’s a nice touch.

In the end I think it’s easy to see why my three-day weekend slipped by in a blaze, as I was completely absorbed by a singular game mode. In the end, much of the mode involves menu-surfing, but the way the features are implemented and the slick interface connecting them all creates a time-consuming and personal experience very few games achieve. The game made me feel like I really was the manager of the almighty Gunners, and (between you and I) I’m a much better manager than Arsene Wenger.

Nerdy Niches – Jay Jays

Aura
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I love Jay Jays. I see it as the Australian version of Hot Topic and before someone starts complaining that its not a nerdy place well you just got to look at some of their products. I mean t-shirts filled with Spongebob, Invader Zim, Mario, Yoshi, Boo and Transformers kinda have to be seen as a bit nerdy.  So let’s check it all out..

 

 

 

Here is some helpful information:

What: JayJays

Where: Albury, Armidale, Ballina, Bankstown, Batemans Bay, Bathurst, Bay Street.

Products that were memberable:

• Gir Backpack
• Boo Hoodie
• Yoshi shirt
• Transformer Top
• Hello Kitty Tank Top
• Mario and Lugi Shirt
• Superman Shirt
• Futurama Bender Shirt
• Decepticon Shirt
• Green Latern shirt
• Spongebob shirt
• Epic fail shirt
• Optimus Prime Shirt
• Invader Zim Underwear
• and much more 😀

The Good:

They have fun nerdy fashion that is hard to find anywhere else in Australia.
The clothes are actually reasonably priced at the shirts usually costing $20

The Bad:

They stopped selling invader zim stuff!!! I love Invader Zim and well since Invader Zim isn’t as big in Australia as it is in America, they stopped selling these design because people weren’t buying them.

My silly own opinion:

I love JayJays for all their nerdy shirts and accessories. It’s one of my favourite stores in Australia and I honestly get a lot of my clothes from there. I love that they have so many nerdy stuff for girls and boys, though I must admit … sometimes I buy some of my clothes from the boys side because something such as Yoshi or Boo is so much cooler then Hello Kitty or Tinka Bell.

Avalanche of Final Fantasy Type-0 News

Joshua Spudic
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It’s getting mighty close to the release of Final Fantasy Type-0 for the Playstation Portable. As one of two PSP games that will utilise two UMDs, expect a lot of content to find its way into the game. Of course, expect the game to be available on the Japanese Playstation Store. So, what has Square Enix revealed so close to the release date? Let’s list them right now.

First up, we have a new summon. Named Diablos, this demon summon sucks out the HP from enemies with its gravity ball. The ball does grow in size. The downside of this ball is that, if one of your fellow students are nearby, their HP will be sucked up as well. Considering that you sacrifice one of these students to summon it, proceed with caution.

Second, aerial combat will be available. On your airship, the defenses available are cannons that shoot out flying dragons out of the sky. If you don’t get all of them, then expect the dragons to land on your ship, activating a standard battle. Tough, isn’t it.

Above this paragraph are the Cranberry Knights. These Moogles are the support for each class at Suzaku Peristylium, the school Type-0 is set in. Each class, including Class 0 (where our heroes are placed), have their own Cranberry Knight. Think of them as a mission and shop hub, where you receive mission and shop for items and weapons.

The free battles and exploration mechanics are not the only mechanics in the game. The game will have an element of real time strategy when the forces of Byakko and Souryu face off. Your class Moogle will issue the mission orders while you excute orders such as defending the stronghold. Clear these missions and you will receive command missions, which allows you to have more control over the army.

There is also a Coliseum in the game. Named the Suzaku Coliseum, this is where you go to train your characters. There are two modes of play, Mock Battle, where you face 20 waves of enemies and receive EXP and Phantoma (used for magical abilities) for your success and Secret Training, activated while your PSP is in Sleep Mode. Leave it for a while and your characters will see a change in their parameters… in a good way.

The way to learn abilities seems to be influence from more modern Western RPGs. Every time your character increases by one level, they will gain Agito Points (or AP). These Agito Points can be used to learn abilities. The abilities are character specific, I will add. Above is the ability Sword field, used by the character Machina Kunagiri. Two rapiers of light appear and spin around, damaging enemies in their path. This ability was present in the demo.

Lastly, Square Enix has revealed several sub-characters. The one above this paragraph is Caetuna, who happens to be a I’Cie from the character’s homeland of Suzaku. Considered to be a great with magical powers, they say that she can summon multiple creatures. She is also the oldest I’Cie in Orience, which is the name of the game world. Others include Diva (storyteller), Ninbus (I’Cie from Byakko), Enkido (a Genbu I’Cie), Aria (the orderly of Class 0), Naghi (cheerful member of the intelligence division) and Carla (item and info seller at Suzaku Peristylium)

Who’s excited to see what could be Final Fantasy’s last PSP outing? Would you like to see this in the West?
Source: Andriasang

Top 5 Geek Culture Crushes – Part 2

Aura
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Welcome to Part 2 of the Staff’s Top 5 Geek Culture Crushes. Now sit down and get yourself ready for the rest of our wonderful crushes, and maybe even get be worried and amazed at our own choices.

Josh Morris

No#1 – Midna (Twilight Princess) – I so wish I could have been Link in Twilight Princess because I would have totally ditched Zelda for this babe. At the end of the game, Midna transformed back to her humanoid form as she left for her home world. Needless to say, Hyrule could defend itself from that day on.

No#2 – Tifa (Final Fantasy 7) – You know it! This brawling chicka would kick my butt. Of course I would let her anyway.

No#3 – Hermione Granger (Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows) – The character or real life persona Emma Watson would do just fine. Who else can go to Brown University and be totally innocent asking for a “rubber”. All she wanted was an eraser.

No#4 – Talim (Soul Calibur 2) – Hm…. crescent blades and short hotness makes this girl attractive beyond reason.

No#5 – Natalie Portman – She seems to be a popular choice no matter what discussion. She can wear her Star Wars costume or rap on Saturday Live and still be drop dead gorgeous. Thank you Natalie for making my heart stop!

Ashlee McKinnis

1. Alistar (Dragon Age: Origins) – This guy is just freakin’ adorable. So awkward and sweet, I like especially because he has no idea how cute he is. Who wants a guy who thinks he really hot anyway? Also has a sense of humor… Ah sweet animated perfection. Have you ever licked a lamp post? Wink Wink.

2. Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds) – He is a whole lot of yumminess. Not a word, I know but I couldn’t think of anything to express how hot he is. I haven’t actually seen this movie yet. I am going to go see it with my sister so we can sit and oogle. Should be a fantastic couple of hours.

3. Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy novels and soon to be comic) – Ah…. the strong silent type. Has a slight russian accent and has a slight obessesion with westerns (he even wears a duster). He is loyal and extemely dedicated. Everything you would want a boyfriend to be.

4. Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) – Men love Lara Croft.. Women should love Nate Drake. He has a quirky sense of humour, smart, and athletic. Ah… having another mental image.

5. Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) – First I would like to get it straight that I am indeed… well straight. However hot is just hot and Black Widow from Ironman 2 sizzled. Speaks several languages and can kick some serious butt. No sense of humour though… but still extremely attractive.

Michael Marr

1: Kaylee (Firefly): Out of all of the Firefly girls, I personally thought that Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee the mechanic was the cutest out of the bunch. She had a kind and caring personality, but was also the physically cutest. Her happy bubbly personality and unique skill set made her an invaluable member of the show. Essentially she was the girl that the other crew members tried to protect, but she made herself seem capable in so many other ways. As caretaker of the ship, she was also one of the funniest characters becasue she could understand so many thing that the others could not.

2: Feldt Grace (Gundam 00): One of the supporting cast from the Gundam 00 series. Feldt is one of the few members of Celestial being who manages to survive the climax of season 1 to make a re-appearance in season 2. Initially, she started off as a shy, scoial recluse, but eventually came out of her shell thanks to her crewmates on the Ptolemios. In second season, she returned as a veteran member of Celestial being, and performed the role of combat supervisor for the Gundam Pilots. Her technical skills are sharp, and she’s cute as anything. She also presented herself as a potential love interest for the protagonist Setsuna F Seiei near the end of season 2.

3: Serra (Fire Emblem GBA): Out of all of the female compatriots that made themselves known in Fire Emblem 7, Serra was the only one to have her own soundtrack. Every time it played, you knew she was going to be the bane of whoever else she was talking to (particularly Erk, Hector and Matthew). Interestingly any of the 3 may end up getting together with her by game’s end. She has a very selfish personality that seems more driven by ignorance rather than plain self interest. She’s loud and clearly not particularly smart, but all the same she’s a hilarious party member to keep around. Additionally, her healing abilities are invaluable in the long run of the game. And as Matthew said “She’s quite cute… if only she could just… shut…up!”

4: Rena Lanford (Star Ocean 2, Star Ocean EX): Rena is one of the two main characters from Star Ocean 2. She’s a young girl from a small town that believes very strongly in the legend of a hero. She’s a VERY cute character, and she has a very nice personality. She’s kind to everyone she meets and her smile lights up the mood of the game.

5: Zoey (Left 4 Dead): Proving that hot chicks will survive the Zombie Apocalypse. Zoey is not only a girl with a cute face and great looking body, but hse’s a complete badass with her Zombie killing skills. She is by no means one of the typical damsel in distress types. She’s more than capable of handling herself. But even through the worst of the apocalypse, she still tries to add humour and a positive attitude to keep up team morale.

Kelly Teng

1. Batman (Christian Bale specific, though) – Some may find his ridiculously low voice annoying, but I for one think that the deep voice makes Batman one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters. A typical antihero, Batman exudes broodiness and sadness; however there is a spark of life in him that makes him a definite candidate for one of the most appealing superheroes. Also: The Batmobile. Need I say more?

2. Zack from FFVII and FFVII: Crisis Core – Man, I’d have to say that playing Zack in Crisis Core was perhaps a better experience than playing Cloud in FFVII. Zack is full of energy and life, and he always tries to do right by other people – plus, he wields his sword like a true hero (with a true hero’s muscles too).

3. Kairi Okayasu from Peach Girl – I admit, I NEVER watch anime or read manga, but when I was younger I stumbled across Peach Girl and fell in love with Kairi. He’s absolutely awesome, cares a lot about everyone, is nice to everyone, but is still not afraid to fight for what he believes in. Also, he chases Momo, the protagonist, unrelentingly…definitely a winner for me.

4. Roy Earle from L.A. Noire – Earle is everything I hate in a person, but damn, that guy has got some sort of appeal. He’s arrogant, rude, funny, arrogant, smart, and arrogant some more. You’ll always hear about how girls like arrogant guys, and my crush on Earle is most definitely proof.

5. Fernando Torres from FIFA – Yeah, I cheated. Technically not a video game crush, but I love Torres so much that you’re just going to have to accept it. And yes, he will score again this semester. With me. And for Chelsea.

Jared Hilliers

1. Rogue (Xmen)

First of all, Rogue’s played by Anna Paquin in the original films, so that’s a win. Secondly, she probably has one of the coolest powers out of all the Xmen. She’s essentially a sexually frustrated succubus, which makes her more appealing and mysterious, at least to the guys.

2. Tomb Raider (Angelena Jolie)

Okay, the film is terrible, but this movie came out when big budget video game adaptions began. It held the title of highest grossing video game adaption up until last year (The Prince of Persia broke the record), not to mention it turned Angela Jolie into an international superstar. A hot one at that, it’s almost like the character Lara Croft was based on her, she was perfectly suited to the role.

3. Samantha Carter (Stargate)

She makes smart look pretty sexy, astrophysicist, engineer and pilot, A SEXY PILOT. I think the shows popularity really benefited from Sam and they never managed to get someone similar for the spin offs. Both of those series are now dead, Atlantis and Universe, but Samantha Carter is one of the most memorable characters (especially for the nerds)

4. Jessica (True Blood)

*In Bill Comptons voice* JESSICA! This character is probably one of the only reasons I watch the show, if they kill her off I might stop. She’s the stand alone ranga and one of the sexiest vampire characters around. That’s a pretty hard thing to do in one of the hottest TV shows running, something like Twilight doesn’t even compare. SO HOT RIGHT NOW!

5. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)

I probably don’t need to explain myself here, she’s one of, if not the sexiest woman from my generation. All they needed to do was put her in tight leather and everyones sold. Ryan Reynolds, why would you leave that??

Kellie Wallace

1. Soap Mactavish from Modern Warfare series. Ive been a fan of Soap’s since i began playing modern Warfare 2 a year ago. His good looks and accent got me. He’s the best character ever created…period

2. Jack Carver, Far Cry. At first i didnt like Jack’s arrogance but his bad ass attitude was awesome.

3. Isaac Clark, Dead Space. Who doesnt like the idea of a man fighting aliens to save his love?

4. Nathan Drake, Uncharted. I can now see all the fuss about Nathan. He’s charming, good looking and one hell of a climber

5. Sev, Killzone. Something about his loyalty and mohawk reminded me of someone…

Thanks for reading our lists and I hope we didn’t scare you too much.

If you missed it, check out PART 1 of our Top 5 Geek Cruhes here

Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll

Peter Moorhead
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Indie games are rather a tough bunch to nail down, ranging from everything to the astonishingly beautiful “Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery” (iOS devices) to the immersive and action-packed “Interstellar Marines” (Upcoming; Mac, PC), they’ve proven themselves, especially in recent years, to be complex and extremely varied.

Take as an example “Limbo” (PC, Mac, XLBA, PSN) the dark and claustrophobic puzzle platformer from Swiss developer “Playdead”, as it’s a game that I personally had an awful lot of fun with. I found it to be visually enthralling, provocative, cleverly designed and extremely deep, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider that game to be a work of art, and a triumph in visual storytelling.

Compare that to “Super Meat Boy” (PC, XBLA), the thumb-blistering action platformer from the aptly named “Team Meat”, which, despite the intense buzz surrounding the game, I’ve always found to pretty underwhelming in anything other than short bursts. Don’t get me wrong, I love what Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes tried (and largely succeeded) to do with this title; they created something that perfectly mirrored the RSI-inducing platformers of old, and then took it to the next level in terms of difficulty, but for me an ideal platformer should be about the process of figuring out how to get from A to B, and having the actual dexterity to do it is somewhat subjacent.

One of the reasons I find myself falling more and more in love with indie games in general is my own work in the indie scene, with a developer I set up called Cube Noir (shameless self-plug), through which I’ve discovered just how friendly and open a community there is for small developers, and my heart was especially warmed by the huge amount of positive feedback we’ve received, both from fans and fellow small developers, even in the short amount of time we’ve been around, as well as the job emails I’ve received from many talented artists and programmers.

It has also given me a direct insight into the creative process, which has been especially useful for my journalistic work, in particular when it comes to comparing games that started on entirely different grounds. Take for example the upcoming multi-player space-age shooter (with dinosaurs!) “Orion: Prelude” (PC, XBLA, PSN), and compare it to the depressingly overrated “Call of Duty” franchise. How on earth, when a large team of highly-funded and extremely wealthy developers can only manage to recreate the same generic FPS experience over and over with slightly better graphics, can a small team of brand new developers with limited funding manage to create something quite so original and refreshing? It just doesn’t make sense to me, but it makes it a great deal clearer in my mind who is REALLY more passionate about creating great games, and it sure as hell ain’t the COD guys.

New Gameplay Footage of Batman: Arkham City

Thomas Giles
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A full minute and thirty seconds of all-new gameplay footage of the upcoming Rocksteady release, Batman: Arkham City has hit the internet. It shows our favourite caped crusader flying through the towering structures and quirky landscapes of Arkham, which looks to be a real treat to the fans of the older, more “out there” visions of Gotham City in the earlier movies.

We also see some great brawl action as Batman takes on 4 bad guys hanging out on a rooftop. The silky-smooth fight moves return from the game’s predecessor, Arkham Asylum, with an even wider array of fisticuffs and gymnastics.

Coupled with the gradual announcements of more and more classic villians we love to hate, the game is shaping up to be a real fan-pleaser, as well as being an impressive title in it’s own right.

It’s set for release in the US on October 18th 2011, so be sure to get your pre-order sorted now, as it’s bound to fly off the shelves!

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