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Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 1 Review

Travis Bruno
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Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 1
Tag Line: Memories of a bloody past
Produced by: Studio DEEN
Run time: 100 minutes in 4 Episodes
Language: English, Japanese
Genre: Mystery, Drama, Shōjo, Supernatural
Available for purchase at: Madman Online Store ($24.95), Amazon US ($14.99), Amazon UK (£8.10)

Overview:
Vampires have been depicted in countless different ways and everyone has their own idea of what a vampire should actually be like. They can be cruel and heartless beasts, or they can also be misunderstood creatures and have even been romanticized.

Such is the case in Vampire Knight Guilty, the second season of Vampire Knight where at the Cross Academy two classes exist. A day class and a Night class, but the Night class consists of vampire students. With the continuation of Vampire Knight’s story directly into Guilty, how will Yuki cope with the relationship triangle brewing from past season as well as the threat looming over both her friends and herself?

Story:
Vampire Knight Guilty begins just a few short weeks after the events of the first series. Zero returns to Cross Academy after his transformation into a Level E was prevented by Kaname’s blood during the last season. Yuki is happy to see Zero back but is still troubled by the fact that she does not have any memories of her past and Zero is concerned about Kaname’s blood inside of him.

The death of Shizuka in the previous season provides much of the plot in these four episodes as we learn more about what she was actually planning to do. With her death however many things begin to quickly move in the vampire world, including the fact that Zero is being hunted for the murder of Shizuka.

The inherent problem with Vampire Knight Guilty is the fact that it is a direct continuation of Vampire Knight, meaning that knowledge of the previous season is required to understand most, if not all, of what is going on at any given moment. This means that there is a bit of an entry level to Vampire Knight Guilty, though fans of the series should find absolutely no trouble picking up the story where it left off.

These first four episodes help develop the initial plot with a few flashbacks here and there but mostly focus on developing the love triangle involving Yuki, Zero and Kaname. The intensity level of the relationships between Yuki and Zero and Yuki and Kaname increase greatly. Romantic scenes occur often and end up becoming quite endearing at times, meaning that fans of romance novels or romance in general will find these first few episodes to their liking. There is also a decent amount of comedy mixed in with the drama but the comedy begins to dwindle as the foreshadowing of an imposing thread begins to loom over each character.

One thing that is a bit disappointing however is the fact that there are only four episodes on the first volume of Vampire Knight Guilty. The series will eventually culminate at thirteen episodes, which is the standard for most anime DVD releases nowadays. Madman did release Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 1 at a cheaper price than average but the limited content per purchase (there is no bonus content) is certainly going to hurt wallets when all three volumes finally are released.

Artwork:
The character designs for Vampire Knight Guilty have not changed at all since the first series which means you will immediately be able to recognize returning characters and the rest of the scenery around you. The character designs themselves are still a bit too exaggerated. This may sound a bit odd when criticizing an anime due to their usual exaggerated features but some characters’ eyes are quite large. Vampire Knight Guilty falls into the shōjo genre (meaning female audience) so this is something that one can expect, though perhaps not in such quantity. Take a look at Fruits Basket for example.

The environments are suitably eerie and help create the dark theme that the anime works towards creating. Besides the exaggerated facial features most of the characters appearances are quite close to reality and shading on the outfits and hairstyles was really well done in these first episodes. I didn’t find many issues with the character designs but there are some problems with the video itself, mainly revolving around poor quality. Scenes with action involved keep the same animation consistency throughout which is a definite plus. The opening video is enjoyable to watch though the ending song animation feels quite week, even for an ending video.

Audio:
Vampire Knight Guilty has both English and Japanese language options depending on which you prefer of course. The English cast fits well into their character’s roles and all voice actors have retained their jobs this time around so you will not be hearing any inconsistencies between Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty. Overall these voice actors were nice and consistent but I found myself unimpressed with their presentation.

The Japanese voice acting is great and fits the characters well enough.  Comparing the two different dubs the English version was done well enough that viewers who may prefer the Japanese version won’t find the English option too off-putting.

The opening song, “Rondo” by the band ON/OFF is enjoyable to listen to and matches the animation quite well. The yellow subtitles are a bit off putting unfortunately but being as the song is in Japanese; this is the only way most viewers will know what the lyrics to the song are. The ending theme “Suna no Oshiro” by Wakeshima Kanon is quite impressive and matches the theme of the anime well. The background music and sound effects help provide the dark and eerie feeling that the series tries to place over the love triangle focus.

Characters:
Yuki Cross is a fifteen year old student who is human and also a Guardian that is tasked with the job of protecting the vampire students’ secrets from reaching the human students in the day class. She is seeking a way to recover her lost memories. Yuki shares a long lasting love for Kaname but due to his vampiric nature it is difficult for her to approach him romantically. She also has fallen in love with Zero, and struggles with her feelings for both Zero and Kaname while both men share a hatred for one another. Her constant struggle with emotion will leave fans of both Zero and Kaname growing angry with her as her indecisiveness and naivete is an issue with the series.

Zero Kiryu is a close friend with Yuki. He became a vampire at a young age when his family was killed by a pureblooded vampire that also turned him. After the events of last season Zero has had to avoid capture and conflict with other vampires due to the charges leveled against him of killing Shizuka. His sudden return to the Cross Academy also brings the trouble that has been following him. His relationship with Kaname can be best described as strained due to the fact that Zero wishes to slay any pureblood vampire he meets.

Kaname Kuran is a pureblood vampire who is in love with Yuki. He saved Yuki when she was a young child from being attacked by another vampire. His true intentions for fostering feelings for Yuki have yet to be revealed but it is obvious through his actions that he is in a constant struggle to keep his emotions in check when he is around her.

Overall:
Vampire Knight Guilty is a great series for those looking for romance and action mixed together. These first four episodes are more of an introduction to what will be occurring further on in the series and with their focus on relationship development these episodes are certainly slow with development. The animation quality is rather impressive, if not a tad too shōjo for my liking. The main issue with Volume 1 is that the viewer will be left wanting more, but will need to buy the second volume. Also with being a direct continuation of the first season, it is highly recommended that viewers watch Vampire Knight before watching Vampire Knight Guilty.

I give Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 1:

7-5-capsules-out-of-10

Konami announces Flight Simulator: Birds of Steel

Jared Hilliers
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I know what you were thinking when you saw the headline, if you’re like me you saw “Balls of Steel”, but that’s another story.

Konami announced a game today for Xbox 360/PS3 that aims to replay Famous WWII Battles with Realistic Air Combat Simulator and MMO Game Play, which sound like an interesting mix, even though I’ve never really liked flight simulators. Besides I thought they were a PC thing, so it’ll be interesting to see how this goes.

The game is developed by Gaijin Entertainment, battles from WWII include Midway, Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Siege of Malta and the attack on Pearl Harbor, in both single player and multi-player. Shinji Hirano, President of Konami had this to say about their new IP.

“For far too long, first person shooter fans have been tied to the foot soldier point of view, with the rare ability to experience realistic flight simulations or combat situations,” he went on  “Birds of Steel pushes the throttle of realism by giving fans what they’ve been missing; cooperative online game play, life-like VFX and game dynamics, and a campaign that spans that encompasses some of history’s most memorable aerial battles!”

Comparisons can be easily made to Battlefield, but the focus on air simulation seems like a niche’ market that konami are looking to target. Featuring realistic damage, physics and varying cockpit views, they could very well be successful. I can’t honestly think of any other online flight simulator for consoles, but maybe that’s just me and there’s a great one out there.  Check out the trailer below and some highlighted features

•    20 historical and lots of fictional missions, spanning 15 world-famous campaigns (including DLC)
•    Over 100 famous aircraft
•    Dynamic Online Campaign
•    Realistic flight environments, weather conditions, time-of-day changes
•    Enhanced flight controls
•    Monthly dogfight tournaments and arena game play
•    Ability to create, edit and share videos of game play

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joElfrJno8M[/pro-player]

Behind the scenes of Lego Universe with Patrick Stewart and Brian Tyler

J. Bradshaw
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The Lego Universe soundtrack has been “recently nominated for the IFMCA’s award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media.”  To get a better idea of who is behind the voices, sound and music in the game , a new video has been unveiled that gives an inside glimpse into the recording studio and Slovakian Orchestra that made the Lego Universe come alive with audio.

Plus, Patrick Stewart lends his legendary talents to the video.  As usual, when he is around, nothing else can top it.

If your looking for something to do on Memorial Day weekend, Capsule Computers suggests that you give Lego Universe a try.  It may not appeal to everybody, but the soundtrack and gameplay are great for people of any age and it is truly epic now that the Nexus Tower has been completed.

Check out previous coverage of the game here.

Huge sale on mobile EA game titles

J. Bradshaw
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Electronic Arts has just told us about some amazing deals that will be headed to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.  These sizzling deals are said to warm us up for winter.  Thankfully, they were talking about Australia and New Zealand, as it has already been winter in America, and although spring has cometh, the colder temperatures are refusing to go away for good.     But, let that not dampen our zeal for a game from EA that is sure to light up that iPhone of ours and give us enjoyment for many hours.  Following is the list of games that are on sale for a limited time.

EA iPhone and iPod touch Games on Sale

Battlefield Bad Company™  2$1.19
Dead Space™$3.99
FIFA 11$1.19
Fight Night Champion$1.19
Heroes Lore™$1.19
LITTLEST PET SHOP$1.19
Madden NFL 11$1.19
Mass Effect™$1.19
Mystery Mania$1.19
NBA JAM$1.19
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit$1.19
Need for Speed™ Shift$1.19
Need for Speed™ Undercover$1.19
R-Type™$1.19
SCRABBLE$1.19
The Sims™ 3$1.19
The Sims™ Ambitions$1.19
The Sims™ World Adventure$1.19
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12$1.19
Zombies & Me$1.19

EA iPad Games on Sale

 

Coconut Dodge$1.19
Dead Space ™$5.99
FIFA 11$5.99
Madden NFL 11$1.19
MONOPOLY$5.99
NBA JAM$3.99
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit$5.99
Reckless Racing$1.19
RISK$3.99
SCRABBLE$3.99
SimCity™$1.19
Snood$1.19
Tetris®$1.19
THE GAME OF LIFE$3.99
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12$3.99
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3$1.19
YAHTZEE$1.19

Help Two Tribes improve Toki Tori

J. Bradshaw
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Two Tribes is looking to improve one of their games, Toki Tori.  They are asking you, if you have played the game, to answer a short survey.  The survey can be found here. The questions deal with the level of difficulty present in the game, what items are your favorite,  what is the worst part of the game and what would convince you to get the sequel.

Its not often that a game company asks its fan base to give them direct feedback.  Hopefully, this will be a sign of things to come for other developers.

Square Enix has another new MMO in development

Travis Bruno
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It looks like Square Enix is investing a lot of time and money into the MMORPG business. In a meeting today, CEO Yoichi Wada stated that there will be a new MMORPG announced by Square Enix sometime in the current fiscal year. This fiscal year will end March 31st 2011 for Square Enix so there is a decent amount of time for the company to work on their presentation at least.

The new MMO will operate alongside Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV with both titles still receiving support from Square Enix in the future. The meeting also addressed the issues with FFXIV (still free to play) and said that fixing the title is in their sights but will take time. The meeting notes translated by Andriasang say that the large scale MMO is being heavily invested into by Square Enix. Lets just hope it will be better than FFXIV was.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare rated by the ESRB for the PS3

Travis Bruno
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Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare rated by the ESRB for the PS3

The ESRB is probably one of the best sources for video game information leaks. Not only does every game have to go through their rating process but some go through it before they even end up getting announced. Such is the case with today’s current ESRB ratings. First we saw The Witcher 2 and now we have Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare rated for the PlayStation 3. The game itself was released back in 2001 and was only rated for the PlayStation 3, not the PSP which means it could be something other than a PsOne Classic.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare allows players to play as either Edward or Aline and each character has their own unique route through the game. If this horror title ends up being remade for the PlayStation 3 that would mean that the game would be released on the PlayStation 1, 2 and 3. Going for the trifecta eh?

Xbox Live Marketplace outage acknowleged by Microsoft

Travis Bruno
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If you have been trying to download anything off of the Xbox Live Marketplace today then you may have noticed that you aren’t able to do so. I say may because the system appears to be working for some users but not all at this moment. A glance at the Xbox Live status page shows that the Xbox Live Marketplace is experiencing some problems at the moment.

With the whole PlayStation Network hacking in recent memory it is easy to jump to conclusions about the service and hackers but Microsoft was quick to squash these rumors by releasing a statement to Joystiq about the Marketplace, claiming the outage is due to “an internal operational error.”
You can read their full statement below and hope that it is simply as they say it is.

The Xbox LIVE Game Marketplace and the Games for Windows Marketplace are currently experiencing issues due to an internal operational error. This issue is impacting users’ ability to browse and purchase content from the Marketplace. We apologize for any inconvenience, and are actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Please stay tuned to this page for further updates.

The Witcher 2 rated for the Xbox 360 by ESRB

Travis Bruno
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Excuse us for a moment while we make a small hopeful cheer. The ESRB has recently rated The Witcher 2 for the Xbox 360 despite there being no announcement from CD Projekt about the title being multiplatform. The Witcher 2 was released on the PC recently but for many gamers the recommended, even the minimum specs needed to play the title on your computer can be too much for their PCs.

This news coincides with the fact that E3 invites to CD Projekt’s booth has been saying that their announcements for E3 will be something that “console gamers might be interested in.” In the past there had been hopes that the first Witcher title would be making its way to the Xbox 360 but it never came to fruition. We have reached out to CD Projekt in an effort to hear more about this ESRB rating and the potential release of a 360 Witcher 2.

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