With all the speculation surrounding Nintendo’s successor to the Wii, a simple pdf letter has been released on their official Japanese investors website announcing their next console is due in 2012. While boasting of sales over 85 million since the launch of the Wii, the letter does not hint at any kind of specifications relating to hardware or design. Rumoured features of Nintendo’s next console range from 1080p capabilities, 3D as well as controllers with built-in screens allowing for mobile gaming. Conceptual designs have ranged from the ridiculous with some saying it will look like a Xbox 360 sized SNES through to sleek back designs that resemble modern day routers. Whatever the outcome I always find it much more exciting when Nintendo have a major release, there is always the element of the unknown, the feeling you are going to experience something new and innovative.
Codenamed Project Cafe, Nintendo have chosen E3 as the launch pad, saying they will give more details at the expo as well as have a playable model available for use.
Here is a copy of the simple announcement they made:
It’s safe to say that we all love Pokemon, but with over 600 Pokemon spanning five generations to choose from, it can be hard to decide on your favourite six. If you could choose six Pokemon from any generation to make your own ultimate team, what would they be? The staff here at Capsule Computers share the six Pokemon that would be part of our “Pokemon Dream Team”. Happy reading, and tell us: what’s your Pokemon Dream Team?
Torts (Wartortle) – Back when Diamond & Pearl first launched, I picked up a Turtwig as I have always been fond of Pokemon with a turtle appearance. While I did indeed love my Turtwig, I wanted a decent water type at the start so I had a Squirtle Egg sent to my game. After nicknaming it and evolving once, I quickly equipped an Everstone on Torts and he soon became the leader of my team for the rest of the game. I have wiped out many foes with Torts with his Aqua Tail and Ice Beam, and to this date I cannot think of a team member I have been more attached to. Torts is currently a father of about 30 and happily married to another Wartortle (It’s a Ditto, but I just can’t break it to him).
Crinkles (Tangela) – Don’t diss the nickname. Back in the original Pokemon Red, I had a pretty decent team and made my way to Cinnabar Island. It was in a lab that I found a trainer wanting to trade me a Tangela for a Pokemon that I had at the time, so it was a done deal. Back then, Tangela was my top favorite of all the roster and something about getting it from a trade really got me excited to receive this one. After I traded, I noticed that the nickname was “Crinkles” and quickly wanted to run to a name rater and change it immediately but to no avail as “Crinkles is a perfectly fine nickname”. After all the training I did at that point and already making past the Elite Four, Crinkles stuck with me up to level 100 until my save battery died. Usually in every game, I catch a Tangela and name it Crinkles just out of the sheer memory of owning this odd little Poke.
Argo (Rapidash) – During my Champion battle in Pokemon Diamond, I was completely wiped out by Cynthia’s team and down to my last Pokemon. I only had a Rapidash to start with as that was one of the only fire types available at that point, so I felt I was pretty screwed as she still had three heavy hitters remaining. I pulled off a fire blast, knocked one out, a stomp, OHKO’d another, but when the very last member of her team delivers a huge blow which I was sure was going to take Argo out, but to my surprise I still had 1 HP remaining on my fiery steed. After a quick attack, the match was over and I gained a whole new respect for Rapidash and decided to use Argo for all future battles.
Alti (Noctowl) – Everyone knows that is HG/SS, you have a choice of an early flying type from either Hoot-Hoot or Pidgey. Seeing how many times I chose a Pidgey, I wanted to switch things up a bit and go for Hoot-Hoot. After evolving into a Noctowl, Alti became a powerhouse of my team and thanks to Hypnosis and other status effecting attacks, I have used her for many online competitive battles.
Tegen (Togakiss) – You know that Togepi egg that you get from Elm? I finally decided to just go ahead and raise it and see just what might come out of a Togepi once and for all in a Japanese copy of Heart Gold (I was impatient and imported when it was released there). After hatching and a few levels, I put this Togepi to the test in trainer battle. First move I used was Metronome, where this little Togepi cast one of the most powerful moves in the game, Judgement. Of course Togepi was the victor, but it didn’t stop there. Nearly every time I used Metronome, all the way up to the Elite Four, I have seen Hydro Pumps, Fire Blast, Aeroblast, Explosion, and many more of the most powerful attacks in the game come from Tegen which made me unleash it on many occasions when I had been in any tight spot.
Milli (Vanillish) – When I first seen the ice cream cone Pokemon advertised for Black/White, like most I thought the concept was pretty ridiculous. When I got Black and had the encounter with a Vanillite, I caught it for laughs and to go the extra mile, I named it Milli (Milli-Vanillite….get it?). I leveled Milli up a bit and it was for some reason still on my team by the 8th gym, so I put it in the front of my party to gain some levels. After evolving by winning the first battle from a much higher level opponent, Milli went on to take out the whole gym alone. Yes, this was due to it being a Dragon gym where the type advantage was in my favor, but either way it was my first big memorable moment of Pokemon Black and I will never laugh at stupid concepts for Pokemon designs again.
I know this isn’t exactly a dream team, but these are the ones I remember right off the top of my head for one reason or another which makes me favor them a bit more than a typical powerhouse. I have many other memorable catches, such as ThirdPlace, a Scyther who was beat by a damn Weedle in the bug catching contest as well as Storage, a Nidoran Male I caught in FireRed due to the fact that Nidoran were popping up like crazy when I was in a hurry to reach the Pokemon league (I’ll give you a guess where he still is too). That is why Pokemon is so popular though, everyone has a different experience each time you play through.
I am a Psychic/Dragon/Ghost Trainer so a majority of my Pokemon I ever use in any game fall into one of those 3 categories in some way. Gyarados is technically a dragon even though it is a “flying/water” type, but a Majority of its moves are dragon moves and hence the reason why I count him as being a dragon type as well.
Alakazam – I hate the fact that you have to trade to evolve to the max; but nothing beats Alakazam. Plus, in later installments Alakazam gained moves that enabled you to steal stuff. You could make millions off of stealing gold nuggets from specific trainers who for some reason made their Pokemon hold Gold Nuggets.
Gyarados – Training a Gyarados from a Magikarp is both rewarding and fun. Plus, you can get a Gyarados really early in the game and essentially makes the rest of the game a lot easier until all the Pokemon that other trainers have start balancing out again. Also host to my Surf HM.
Pidgeot – I need a flying type to fly around with, plus Pidgeot kicks butt!
Gengar – My Ghost type of the group. Nothing beats a good curse, plus if you run into a trainer that actually knows what he is doing and manages to counter all your attacks with 1 specific annoying Pokemon then pull out Gangar and life link the Pokemon essentially stopping that specific enemy Pokemon from terrorizing your group and giving the upper hand back to you.
Dragonite – Dragons are sexy, get over it!
Mewtwo – Honestly, Mewtwo isn’t in every game. Like the other “Clone Pokemon” Above, not every game consists of every Pokemon. These clone ones are usually obvious as too who the clone is and I go for them immediately. The legendary of each games is usually incredibly strong and can give an upper hand in any battle.
In Pokemon Silver, I speed-ran it with Cyndaquil and evolving it into Typhlosion, the rest of the party were used for the HM compatibility.
In Pokemon Pearl, I ran an all Eevee evolution party.
Leafeon, Glaceon, Espeon, Umbreon, Jolteon and the sixth alternated between a flying type and Vaporeon or Flareon, depending on what I was doing.
Sapphire (before it got stolen 🙁 ) I ran a Breloom with the rest of the party being there for HM usage. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing, but it was incredibly fun.
As for the other games, I was too young to remember which party I used. Though I ran those games more times than I count.
Lanturn: Lanturn is a perfect example of two types working together; being both Electric and Water, its standard weaknesses are canceled out by its second type. For example, Water is usually weak against Electric attacks, but Lanturn’s Ability uses Electric attacks to regenerate health, effectively turning that weakness into a strength. And if an opponent uses Ground or Rock type Pokemon to counter Lanturn’s Electric attacks, it can use Water attacks to wipe them out. All up, Lanturn kicks arse.
Excadrillis the only one from the current generation that makes my list. In each game I always have a Ground type in my party, as they seem to be super-effective against a lot of types. And Drilbur looks so damn cool, I had to catch him. And then he evolved. Being Ground/Steel, Excadrill has all the effectiveness of Ground attacks, with the defensive power of Steel. He always gets me through.
Honchkrow: Every team needs a Flying type to get around, and after discovering how useful Murkrow was as Flying/Dark in Pokemon Sapphire, I was damn happy to realise he was given an evolved form in Diamond. I ported him over as soon as I could, evolved him, and bam! Honchkrow is a powerhouse against Fighting, Psychic, Bug, Grass, and Ghost Pokemon.
Roserade joined my Diamond team by accident, and while he looks a gay flowery Zorro, I love him anyway. I originally wanted, really badly, to use Carnivine, an awesome looking Venus Flytrap thing, as my team’s Grass Pokemon. Despite being really weak and always fainting before doing much damage, I stuck with Carnivine for ages. Then I faced a Rock Gym, and recruited some extras to help. I trained up a Roselia for a while, evolved it into Roserade, and planned on using it only for the one Gym battle. Well, Carnivine predictably fainted without contributing much, and Roserade ended up taking out the entire Gym almost single handedly. And thus I learned the lesson; don’t judge by design alone.
Toxicroak is me unlearning the above lesson. There’s no obvious reason to go for a Poison/Fighting type, but Toxicroak looks cool. And he has been handy, with Fighting good against Rock, Ground, Steel and Normal, and Poison being useful to slowly drain health from harder enemies. Plus, his Ability regenerates health if hit by Water attacks. Finally, a cool looking Pokemon that earns his keep.
And finally, Froslass rounds out my team, both from being strong and from falling into my team so memorably. In Sapphire I was training a Snorunt, simply because I found it in a cave after completing the main game and wanted to evolve it into a Glalie, just for my Pokedex. I stopped playing the game before i got around to evolving it, and when Diamond came out and i once again became addicted to the series, I went looking through Sapphire for ones that I could port over to get new evolutions. In Diamond, only a female Snorunt could evolve into a Froslass. Thankfully, the Snorunt I’d been so close to evolving was female, and Froslass became a much better team member than Glalie ever could.
Froslass is powerful mostly because it’s so hard to hit. As a Ghost, Normal and Fighting attacks do nothing on it, and using the move Hail straight up increases its evasiveness, as well as damaging the opponent each turn. Then it’s a simple matter of using Blizzard and Ice Beam. And if it gets close to fainting, Destiny Bond takes the opponent’s Pokemon down with it.
Well, I like my Pokemon aesthetically pleasing as well as kick-ass. I have pretty much played every single Pokemon game out there, but I’ve built up a collection of my favourites and these were the first that sprung to mind. I love being diverse with the types of Pokemon I have as well.
Vulpix/Ninetales – eternally, Ninetales and Vulpix are my favourite Pokemon. I fell in love with them when I watched the show as a kid so no matter what game I’m playing or what team I’m putting together, I always try and incorporate one of these two. In my opinion, Vulpix/Ninetales is one of the strongest Pokemon you can get and it’s too damn lovable not too include.
Lugia – By far, one of my favourite legendaries. Lugia’s Aeroblast was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and it’s Silver over Gold anyday. The best thing was though, I could always teach it Fly if I wanted (it’s a massive waste, but hey, I like the option) and save myself from having to have a Level 30-something Flying Pokemon cluttering up my team.
Blastoise – I have always, always, always chosen the water Pokemon as my starting one. It’s not even a question anymore for me; no matter which it is I always choose it. However, Blastoise has got to be the one that is eternally amazing. The dude just looks powerful, and I’ve always felt like Hydro Pump coming from him is so much stronger than anyone else. I like having him there to teach Surf and Waterfall to as well…plus, who can forget that they can fight fires?
Arcanine – Truthfully, I do have a bit of an obsession with fire Pokemon (I would have included Ponyta/Rapidash too if I could have). Arcanine is one of the Pokemon I’ve wished exists in real life. He’s a beast with his fire attacks, and I’ve always found he’s a bit difficult to find in recent games so that’s made it frustrating for me to catch him.
Cobalion – One of my favourites from Pokemon Black. This guy’s back-story just drew me to him as a Pokemon. I’ve got the most amazing respect for this Pokemon (sounds so lame, I know), and he can learn Cut and Strength too…makes getting around a lot easier!
Sawsbuck – Since my starting Pokemon is always a Water Pokemon, I need a Grass type to help me fight those pesky Water Pokemon. I love Sawsbuck’s ability to change and adapt to different environments, and he’s got some great moves like Energy Ball and Horn Leech which make it a worthy Pokemon for my team.
Jolteon: Probably my favourite pokemon of all time. It’s spikey, and the actual design is really well put together. Plus, it’s great to use in battle. Super fast speed stats and super high special attack means that Jolteon is a fast, and devastating electric hitter. Everyone always got an eevee at some point, but I only ever evolved it with a thunder stone. Back in the ages when all pokemon looked like they were designed for fighting and not to participate in damned musicals…
Scizor: Let’s face it people, for the most part: bug types SUCK. However in the pokemon universe, Scizor and Scyther are exceptions to the rule. Both have crazy high attack stats and scizor, VERY solid defense. Additionally, the range of moves they can learn are huge, making them great multi-purpose fighters. I chose Scizor over Scyther because it is able to boast it’s steel type defence in addition to what scyther already has. To my knowledge, i’m pretty sure that Scizor is by and large immune to super-effective attacks, from all types except fire. Also, Scizor’s hands are made from razor bladed claws, and he’s a magnificent shape of red, my favourite colour.
Typhlosion: I ALWAYS pick the fire type starter. (Except Tepig, because that thing is just silly looking.) And while I loved fighting with Charizard in the original game, I loved using Typholsion so much more. I think it’s partially the design of the pokemon itself. I’m not exactly sure how to put it, but Cyndaquill, Quilava and Typhlosion’s designs and abilities have held a greater appeal for me. Maybe because they get FLAMING SPIKES shooting out of their backs when in battle. And more to the point, in Generation II, players could see that some careful thought had clearly been put into the new pokemon designs, unlike the current gens which all feel like a rush job to me. Typholision is just plain cool looking, and powerful as hell.
Lapras: While I know most players tend to veer towards either the water type starters, or Gyarados or some other common water type, I like Lapras a whole lot more. In terms of stats, it has an insane ammount of health, high defense, special defense and special attack. On the design side of things, this pokemon practically screams: “loch-ness monster”, which I think to be pretty clever. And it’s actual design is quite cute, and yet intimidating at the same time. Despite it’s gentle, and almost harmless appearance anyone who fights against a Lapras will know they have a fight on their hands. Plus it has the capacity to learn ice-type moves, which always comes in handy fighting those bloody inevitable Dragon-types.
Mewtwo: Pokemon number 150 himself. When the first game was release, Mewtwo was the Legendary pokemon that all trainers aspired to catch. Now there’s like 50 or so of the legendary buggers, and that’s lost the appeal in my opinion. But come-on, thisa pokemon was friggin cool. It’s the smartest pokemon around and has some just plain deadly psychic abilities. I also loved how Mewtwo was given a unique storyline in the anime and movies, which made him seem almost human. In fact, his humanoid appearance is pretty cool, considering that his DNA was spliced from a tiny pokemon 1/5 his size. His in-anime demeanour and in-game abilities certify Mewtwo as the only offical badass pokemon in my book.
Tyrannitar: A very CLOSE second place for the role of ultimate”badass”. Tyranitar is the epitome of everything trainers don’t want to face. Being a Dark/Rock type is a volitile combination. While it has weaknesses to quite a few different types, it’s base stats more than make up for those weaknesses. Tyrannitars move set is devastating to say the least. It has the capacity to learn a majority of the most devastating pokemon moves known. Plus I also like the name and vicious looking design of the pokemon.
It seems everyone is suing each other nowadays, from Sony and its recent court cases against hackers to the latest saga involving technology giants Apple and Samsung. Last week Apple sued Samsung, claiming intellectual property infringement and accusing them of “Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products.” In what looks to be indirectly an IOS via Android war, Apple are seeking financial damages and that the accusation was wilful.
The latest turn in the saga has come from Samsung filing a countersuit of their own, claiming that the iPhones and iPads contain up to 10 Samsung Mobile technology patents. Interestingly Apple purchases chips and semi-conductors as well as other parts from Samsung and was there second largest customer last year. It is no coincidence that Apple has timed their accusations close to the release of a new Samsung Smartphone. Apple has reportedly taken notice of Samsungs fast rise through the virtually created market and perceives them as a real threat to market share.
The 3DS has some really cool features that you might not of even know about. Did you know that the Nintendo 3DS can play music in MP3 and AAC format without you having to convert the music into some sort of crazy format for it work? Well not only that, you can have a lot of fun playing around with your songs in the Nintendo 3DS’s music player. If you want to test it out, follow the step by step instructions on how transfer the music from your PC to your 3DS below. Don’t worry it’s super easy to do.
Instructions on Transferring Music from PC to 3DS:
Turn off your Nintendo 3DS.
Remove the SD card from its slot. The SD card slot is located on the left side of your 3DS. Open the flip cover for the SD card slot, then push in the SD card in you will hear a click sound this will release the SD card.
Insert the SD card into your computer that has the music files you want to transfer to your Nintendo 3DS. ** Special NOTE ** Your computer must have an SD card reader / You can also use a SD – USB adapter.
Next click “My Computer” icon on your desktop, then click on your removable media drive/disk, this is normally after your CD/DVD drive letter.
Next step is to copy the music from your PC to the SD card. (This step you can do in a number of different ways, you could open another window that contains the music you want to transfer. Copy and paste the music files that you want on your Nintendo 3DS onto the SD card. ** SPECIAL NOTE ** The music should go on the cards root directory or in a “MUSIC” Folder: Do not put it in the folders marked “Nintendo 3DS” or “DCIM.”
When the copying is done transferring, safely remove the SD card from your computer.
Place the SD card, connectors-up, back into your Nintendo 3DS. ** SPECIAL NOTE ** Make sure the power is off.
Turn on the 3DS.
Now the fun begings!! Start up “Nintendo 3DS Sound” on the menu screen.
Navigate down with the controller to the folder /SDCARD Press the A button to select your music from a menu and enjoy!
NOW THE COOL STUFF !!!
You can assign a playlist, do this by playing a song, then click the “Add” button on the bottom left section of the screen. Here you can select a playlist, or create a new one.
When the music starts up you can have some fun manipulating the song. When the song is playing, tapping the buttons on the bottom screen you can change the song’s speed and pitch. Another awesome features you can do is convert the song to an 8-bit game. You can also use the L and R buttons to add effects, such as claps, drums, barking and more.
The coolest part of is Pulling the rope on the bottom screen (blue handle) to assign a different graphical display that plays while the music is going. There’s quite a lot of old school retro love here, my personal favourite is the classic Game & Watch feel that has the little man juggling a soccer ball in the air (just like FIRE and PARACHUTE), you can play the game and it’s really cool to see it in action – brings back good memories. Other retro games you can see are NES classic Excite Bike and a REZ style shooting game, if you have pictures on your 3DS you can also enjoy a slideshow while the music is playing.
Now plug in your headphones, close the Nintendo 3DS, and the music will still play through your headphones.
You can also shuffle through your playlist on the 3DS by pressing the left and right buttons on the d-pad.
You can also add music to Streetpass, add the music you like to Streetpass playlist, turn it on and walk around place 😉
That’s all folks, hope this was helpful. Check out the images below, let us know what you thought of this little guide and also what your favourite graphical display is 🙂
Genre: Mystery/Thriller Director: Alfred Hitchcock Starring: Ivor Novello, Arthur Chesney, Marie Ault, Malcolm Keen, June Running Time: 74 minutes Available for purchase at: Madman Online Store ($34.95)
Overview
The silent film era is one that has been largely forgotten by us modern day audiences, but every now and again there are a few that resurface and prove that silent cinema can be just as spectacular as sound cinema (or talkies, for those who are old-fashioned enough to call them that). What the majority of audiences don’t know is that before Rear Window and Marnie days, Alfred Hitchcock actually had made a few silent films.
Ivor Novello, the mysterious lodger.
The Lodger is one of these silent films which was largely been lost in the new wave of sound, special effects, and animation. However, those who see it will find traces of the classic Hitchcockian suspense film, as well as lighting and camera shots influenced by the German Expressionism movement. The Lodger is the perfect blend of suspense and comedy, making it a great silent film which is enjoyable for both silent film amateurs and experts.
Plot
As with most silent films, the plot is straightforward, simple, and linear. There’s no “Tarantino-ing” of the storyline, but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t engaging, interesting, and an absolute mind-trip in its own right.
A serial killer with a fascination for blonde women is on the loose in London, and is on to his seventh victim. No one knows his identity, and the only trace of evidence he leaves is a piece of paper with “The Avenger” written on it. One of the families that lives in the vicinity of the murders is the Bunting family: Mr Bunting (Arthur Chesney), Mrs Bunting (Marie Ault), and their blonde daughter Daisy (June), who is a model. Daisy is dating a detective, Joe (Malcolm Keen), who has been assigned to the avenger case One day, a mysterious man known only as “the lodger” (Ivor Novello) arrives at Mr and Mrs Bunting’s home after seeing a “Room to let” sign. He rents the room for a month; meanwhile, the killings continue. Mrs Bunting begins to suspect that he is actually the Avenger after some strange occurrences, and Joe – half suspecting and half jealous of the time the lodger has been spending with Daisy – shares her sentiment and tries to uncover the lodger’s true identity.
The Lodger and Daisy playing more than a game of chess.
The narrative is actually based on the unsolved murders of Jack the Ripper in the late 1880s, and is really presents Hitchcock’s own hypothesis on the murders.There are no sub-plots, which means the narrative never becomes confusing as some silent films can be if the director tries to include too much information. The best part of the storyline is, though, that you are never quite sure whether what you are told is correct. It will keep you guessing, thinking, and re-thinking what you thought; actually, the film is so ambiguous in everything it does that I’m still not 100% sure on whether my thoughts towards it are right. That’s the trademark of a great suspense film though: the suspense stays with you long after the film has finished, yet the storyline is closed enough to make the narrative feel complete. Hitchcock leaves the film as unsolved as Jack the Ripper’s identity, and that is by far makes the film’s impact that much more powerful.
Characters
While a silent film’s characters aren’t always as engaging as characters in a sound film, there’s still a great deal of enjoyment that can be obtained through watching them. Since there aren’t actually that many characters, Hitchcock gives audiences plenty of time to get to know the five main people who are involved in the film’s narrative.
For starters, the Lodger himself is absolutely brilliant as a character. Ivor Novello was chosen for the role purely for his good looks, but really rose to the occasion and managed to deliver a stunning rendition of the Lodger. The character is a gentleman, yet there’s just something slightly off kilter about him, and Novello’s ability to make the audience feel uncertain plays right into Hitchcock’s intentions. Novello is also a fairly handsome man, which goes against everything any viewer would expect from a suspected killer – and I, personally, wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The Lodger in a bed with Daisy by his side…one of the few moments where June isn’t over-acting.
What I do tend to have a problem with in many silent films is the female characters. Many silent films require a certain degree of overacting to compensate for the fact that there’s no dialogue, but I find that women always tend to overdo it. Daisy is the prime example of this: she’s over-exaggerated, gullible, and really lacks the depth some of Hitchcock’s other female characters have. In The Lodger, even the elderly Mrs Bunting was more appealing as a female character than Daisy. She at least had some humour in her, not to mention she’s the one who suspects the Lodger is the Avenger while Daisy just ignores any warnings and ploughs on ahead with her own intentions.
The other two characters, Mr Bunting and Joe, are both characters which can really only be described as “blah”: you wouldn’t miss them if they weren’t there, but they still have to be there for the storyline to work. Mr Bunting provides a good deal of comic relief to an otherwise intense narrative, but Joe is really pathetic, needy, and absolutely everything I dislike in a detective.
Visual and Audio
As I mentioned earlier, the film is reminiscent of German Expressionist films from the 1920s, such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari or Nosferatu (which are both two other great silent films). The visual elements are wonderful because there are no real special effects: everything is implied, and it’s all about how expressions and movements can create an experience for the audience. Hitchcock uses plenty of unique shots and great shadows to generate the suspenseful atmosphere, and it’s safe to say that when he combines this with music, the result is a film that’s just as intense as any blockbuster thriller today.
Novello gazes out the window: one of the most stunning shots in the film.
However, for all the beautiful shots and great plot, the audio is really what makes the film as engaging as it is. Without voices to drive the story, Hitchcock has to rely completely on the score to keep the audience’s attention. The Lodger is filled with loud music at the right times, cheerful music to break up the tension, and the text and characters’ movements often sync up with the rhythm which provides the film with a great flow. While it’s not as great as watching a live string quartet perform the soundtrack (but let’s be honest, where are we going to find that in this day and age?), the audio in this film really does heighten the experience and bring it on par with a lot of other films made later by Hitchcock.
DVD Extras
The DVD comes jam-packed with a ton of goodies to ensure that everyone has plenty to watch beyond the film itself. One of the best extra features is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent film Downhill (otherwise known as When the Boys Leave Home). Ivor Novello plays the main character in this film too – Hitchcock did that with many stars; remember James Stewart and his multiple appearances in Hitchcock films? – and it’s great to have another silent film from the master of suspense in one DVD case, but the film is really nothing in comparison to The Lodger.
Downhill (When the Boys Leave Home) – another silent film by Hitchcock.
The DVD also comes accompanied with the original score, the new 1999 score (it doesn’t sound like anything special, but there is a difference and it does alter the tone of the film slightly), the 1940 radio play of The Lodger, and a booklet with two essays titled The Lodger: Hitchcock making cinema and The Lodger: A theory (or two). The radio broadcast is absolutely great to listen to and it left me hanging just as much as the film did – it’s a great look at how people were entertained back in the ‘40s when radio was a popular medium. You’ll probably want to read the essay with a theory on the film as well; after I finished watching it, I immediately jumped to the essays to try and figure out if my thoughts about the film were right or wrong. The rest is great to have on the DVD because it most definitely gives you your money’s worth, and keeps you entertained for hours after the film has finished.
Final Comments
Hitchcock’s The Lodger is a silent film that is definitely worth watching, regardless of who you are. While the characters may not tug at your heartstrings as much as characters in recent movies do, the narrative and the ambiguity of the entire film will leave you thinking for at least the next few hours – if you’re like me, though, you may have to make peace with the fact that you’ll never really know. If there’s any early Hitchcock film to invest in, this is it, and I can ensure you that I will be re-watching this over and over again in the years to come.
Genre:Horror/Mystery/ Sci Fi Platform: DVD (Reviewed) Produced by: Geneon Entertainment Director: Issei Shibata Starring:Takuya Ishida, Mitsuki Tanimura and Shunsuke Daitô Running time:98 min Language:Japanese with English subtitles Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($29.95)
Overview
Yusuke Yamada’s best-selling novel, “Real Onigokko” is about a King who decided to kill everyone in the country with the popular name “Sato” for sport in the year 3000. The Chasing World is loosely based on this novel, changing and adding many extra elements to the story such as alternate realities, supernatural powers, setting it in the present day among other drastic changes, and had a very low budget for filming. While it may not be faithful to its original source material and filmed on a small budget, The Chasing World is quite engaging and has many qualities such as its characters and concept which maintain the interest of the audience. However, there is much to this film which holds it back from seeing its true potential, but still remains easy to recommend to fans of Japanese cinema.
Plot
The Chasing World focuses on Tsubasa Sato (Takuya Ishida) who notices that many people with the last name “Sato” are are falling victim to mysterious deaths all over Japan. He is soon transported into a parallel world exactly like his, only with an evil King having everyone with the last name “Sato” being captured and killed by convicts playing a sport where they must kill people with the name “Sato”, but by following strict rules. By killing them, they get reductions on their sentences, and if they die in this world, their double in the parallel universe in which Tsubasa Sato comes from dies as well. He teams up with with others with his name, including a parallel double of his sister in order to survive the game, and uncover the truth of the King and thw parallel worlds.
The concept of the film is engaging and entertaining, however, many aspects seriously hold it back and bring the majority of the movie down with it. Without ruining too much of the story, there are various unconvincing plot points and even more importantly, various obvious plot holes that can disengage the viewer from the experience. There are a few plot twists in the end which do come as a surprise and are insightful, but they also have problems with unbelievable plot points and problematic plot holes as well, which will make many feel quite unsatisfied. Furthermore, so many themes are touched on in the film and yet either are barely touched upon, or are almost never explored, such as fate, parkour and the working of the supernatural powers. There is a common saying of the protagonist in the film “nobody can catch me” and its true; as no one can. But they never explain why, which just makes everything seem slightly stupid, as if to say “nobody can catch him, because he said they can’t”. The worst part however seems as if director Issei Shibata appears as if he doesn’t know which target audience he is catering too. There is some slight gore in the beginning, but it never resurfaces for the rest of the film. The chases are engaging and feel straight out of a 90s Hollywood slasher, but often the music isn’t dark enough to project the sense of fear into the audience. It has a Sci Fi theme, but doesn’t explore the details of it much, and many physiological themes are implied, but rarely if ever referenced too. Sometimes it feels its meant to be a martial arts action film with the parkour-styled chase scenes, but they are very short lived, and there is evene a martial arts fight scene which while good, seems really out of place as they spend the entire films running but all of a sudden, for once scene they can fight against them really well, for no apparent reason. The point of a film is to entertain, and it is entertaining, but its confusing trying to tell what type of audience the film hopes to entertain.
However, if one can look past these issues, most of the actors do preform well and the characters are likeable and will most likely grow on you, and the concept and story is still engaging, action packed and filled with twists, so if you ignore a few flaws here and there, its easy to see the charm of The Chasing World which can be very captivating.
Characters
A highlight of The Chasing World are the characters and the actors that portray them. To the most part, they play their roles believably and as the story progresses, so do the characters with character development, and most are easily likeable, only brought down by the films occasional issues with plot. Its also interesting to see characters shown in alternative realities and how they are all linked together. The character of Ai is easily the most interesting of the bunch with a unique, mysterious vibe to her, and is played splendidly by Mitsuki Tanimura. In both worlds Akira Emoto plays the villain, but sadly he just doesn’t seem threatening enough as an actor to fulfil the role without a scary mask. However, Takuya Ishida does a excellent job as protagonist Tsubasa Sato, being both likeable, innocent and heroic enough to lead the film, with believable performances. Shunsuke Daito should also be commended for his acting as Hiroshi Sato, as he played two very different roles which both see plenty of screen time and pulled it off well.
The biggest issue I found was while the Chasers have amazing costume design and move like scary killers, they act more like robots rather than convicts, and therefore damage the belief in their performance. If the story had them as robots or trained assassins maybe, but rapists and the everyday typical killer? Highly doubtful. However if you ignore the fact their meant to be just random convicts, the Chasers are just plain awesome. They move and act like a Hollywood slasher killer, and have menacing costume design which is easily recognisable and memorable. They’re designed so well that at times its like they carry almost the entire film on their shoulders, as while not every scene is entertaining, scenes involving the Chasers are quite thrilling.
Visual and Audio
Costumes are decent for the most part, although the king and his henchmen do seem a bit out of place like they should be from a superhero cartoon. The Chasers however look amazing, threatening and memorable, and simply just really, really cool. While they do look a little bit like they were ripped straight out of an anime, they’re not over done and they do fit in, unlike the king and his robed henchmen. There are a few scenes of oddly placed gore, which do look great and believable, although there is a scene where a pair of severed legs do continue to run without a torso. It looks cool, but technically speaking its impossible and unnecessary. There is also an explosion in the film which is obviously CGI, and seems rather cheap, but it does its job. Teleportation scenes between worlds look cliché, but done well. There is very little make up used on the actors as well by the looks of things, for example; the main character as acne. Its doesn’t take away from the film, but you can tell it was made on a low budget.
The audio does its job, all tunes are good and coherent, however, the choice of certain scores in particular scenes of the movie don’t make too much sense, most in particular the chase scenes. Sometimes when a Chaser gives chase to a Sato, there is scary music which builds an intense, nail-biting atmosphere. However, a few scenes contain slightly upbeat, violin-based music which destroys the fear of the scene, and seems rather inappropriate. I can’t help but wonder why this was chosen to include this, as the scenes with the horror-themed music are quite captivating, while this other style of music seems inappropriate, as the actors are acting scared but the music sets the mood for a non-threatening situation. However, with this aside, everything else is great.
Final Comments
I feel The Chasing World is the result of a director trying to squeeze too much into a movie, where if he chose to keep it more simple the film would’ve been more entertaining. It contains sci fi, parkour, martial arts and horror, and touches on themes such as parallel universes, rape, murder, fate, family, human rights, mental health, deception and many more. The low budget and the script of the film seriously hold The Chasing World back from what it should be. The low budget special effects can be easily overlooked, but its unexplained character traits like the protagonists ability to never be caught and the behaviour of the Chasers, as well as plot holes and unconvincing plot points which holds the movie back. With all this said however, its still a good film. The concept is engaging, the plot is constantly moving forward, and is action-packed along the way. If The Chasing World focused more on either the action or the killing, perhaps the story wouldn’t of been such a big issue, but since it focuses more on uncovering the mystery behind the king and the supernatural and explained poorly, its really a hit and miss of what its aiming to be. There was a sequel to follow this film though, hopefully these issues have been addressed in that film. With all that said though, if you need a reason to go watch The Chasing World, I’ll give it to you in two words; the Chasers, cause those guys are bad ass!
First of all, Happy Easter! Now that we have that out of the way, a new sale that deserves some attention is coming from Best Buy’s online website that is seeing some huge slashes in prices of fantastic titles for the holiday. Kirby’s Epic Yarn as well as Metroid: Other M for the the Nintendo Wii have now been listed on sale for $30 & $35 off the standard MSRP for just $19.99 ($14.99 for Metroid).
While those deals are absolutely fantastic though, the star of this sale is Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky for the Nintendo DS. With a current MSRP of $34.99, I can already recommend this fantastic RPG, but right now for Easter, Best Buy online has the price sitting at just $6.99. With over 100 hours of gameplay, anyone with a DS and an RPG craving should certainly grab this while it is on the cheap as this offer is only going to last throughout the rest of the day.
There is also a full list of other titles on sale as well as some gaming equipment such as Xbox 360 controllers and a few different sports themed gaming chairs, but in my opinion with Kirby, Dragon Quest IX, and Metroid all being so cheap at the moment, now is the time to take the plunge as I don’t see these three ever decreasing in value this low for quite some time. Click HERE to be taken to the full sale and enjoy!
This week on our search to find the worst boxarts, we are going to take a step further back to explore the odd and simply inappropriate covers that graced Mattel’s Intellivision. Now before anyone steps in and thinks that all covers were bad just because it was a classic console, that really wasn’t the case. Most arts were actually really well done for the system due to the fact that at the time an interesting cover was the main thing that would sell a game as there wasn’t any big magazines or promotion aside from television commercials so covers in the late 70’s and early 80’s had to act as the voice for the game.
That being said, there were still some horrible or just simply lazy ideas put to use on the classic console’s covers, so join us as we list off the worst boxarts for the Intellivision.
Beauty and the Beast
Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast…wait. I don’t see a singing teapot or a happy ballroom for this title. With the Intellivision release of the classic fairytale, a completely different scene was set where apparently Beast decided to just not care if his Princess was in love or not and pull a King Kong while apparently kicking a man off a building. Note that the animated feature was released 10 years after this, but there was still a story to go off of which was clearly not followed and this game just went where it wanted to go. I kind of would have liked to have seen something like this for the Disney re-imagining, but with metal music instead though. Now that would have been a classic for the vaults.
Mouse Trap
Mouse Trap was originally seen in arcades before it graced the Intellivision and played a bit like Pac-Man. The game was great for it’s time, but apparently the creators of this cover decided they needed to remind players where it came from rather than show just what the actual game would present. Many other titles on the console also got the same treatment as Mouse Trap with just a picture of an arcade cabinet, but with such a great little game it is hard to see why more effort didn’t go into it’s box art representation.
Truckin’
As soon as I see the cover for truckin, I am quickly reminded of a popular meme. “I’m gonna put a truck in your truck, so you can drive in your truck”. I guess two is better than one, but this is for sure one of the oddest choices of design for the Intellivision’s vast library. It’s like the creators were arguing who’s rig got to be on the cover, and some brilliant designer stepped in and said “WAIT GUYS! I HAVE AN IDEA!!!”
Tropical Trouble
What we have here for Tropical trouble is an angry naked man in what appears to be a jungle with an old woman that seems scared for her life. While this art certainly says a lot, I can’t really say it screams “game” by any means as it seems like an ad to protect your family against angry naked men in a jungle. I have never tried Tropical Trouble personally, but the game actually was a platformer and played out a bit like Donkey Kong.
You know, if Donkey Kong dodged fruit, snakes, and other obstacles in the nude. As you can see, he actually does have boots on, so that is a plus, right?
Donkey Kong
Speaking of our ape friend, he gets to make this list as well. This port of the arcade classic brings a whole new life to what we know about two of Nintendo’s age old mascots. Looking like a Mulleted Thor of sorts, Mario seems to have been the culprit of a pure westernization, not to mention the rabid ape that is supposed to be Donkey Kong. Back then, Intellivision featured quite a few ports on the system which were allowed to keep their standard appearance such as Burger Time but DK just wasn’t as lucky. Thankfully though, we never seen an appearance again from this “special” version of Mario as he retired his ape-crushing golden hammer and disappeared into oblivion for good.
Or did he?
So tell us in the comments below your own opinions of these astounding masterpieces, and join us next week as we fast forward a bit to visit Sony and the many stunning art pieces that graced shelves for the original Playstation.
P.S.
I told you there were some awesome boxarts on the Intellivision earlier…..
Michael Jackson: The Experience Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Available on: Xbox 360 (Kinect Required)(Reviewed)PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS Release Date: April 12th 2011 Price:$49.99 US, £39.99 UK, $89.99 AUS
Overview:
Michael Jackson may have passed away but his memory lives on in his music. Practically all of us have heard at least one of his greatest songs and his voice will continue to be heard for generations. Now of course alongside a music legend has to come a few video games that involve his music and Michael Jackson: The Experience is exactly that. Much like other music games have created games solely for one band, such as The Beatles, Michael Jackson: The Experience focuses only on MJ. Now the Xbox 360 version of the title requires Kinect support which means you will be able to perform Michael Jackson’s songs like never before. But does the game itself stand up to the man’s name?
Graphics:
Now Michael Jackson: The Experience contains some rather impressive visuals with the Michael Jackson dancers providing plenty of flare to the stage as you dance across it. They aren’t completely visible and vibrant, instead they are outlined with neon like coloration that helps accent the stage that they are dancing on. The stages themselves often take on the impression of the songs that you are dancing too. The background becomes spooky when you dance to Thriller and the ground lights up similar to it did in the music video for Billie Jean as you step along to the song.
Now Michael Jackson: The Experience takes the same approach as Dance Masters and places the player themselves on the stage alongside the rest of the dancers. This approach is quite impressive to look at and the player is given the same grayed out and neon light effect that the other dancers receive. Unlike in Dance Masters however there is occasionally minor input lag that makes the dancing avatar on the screen act out slower than the player is actually moving. This can not only disrupt your own dancing rhythm but also looks out of place alongside the rest of the dancers on stage.
Audio:
If you want to listen to any Michael Jackson’s songs then you are in luck because practically any song that you would want to listen to by MJ is included on the disc. Some of the most popular songs such as “Beat It,” “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” and “Earth Song” are included in this package. These songs are all in their original format which will give players the full experience of Michael’s songs.
On the other hand there really isn’t a whole lot included in the game besides the songs. There are no music videos to sit and watch, though snippets are played during some songs, and all of the songs are available from the get go. Also at the moment there is no way to actually download additional songs to dance/sing to, the case for the game says that there will be DLC but at the moment there is no option for such content. The MJ School training videos are well done and easy to understand if not a bit difficult to learn in the end.
Gameplay:
Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Xbox 360 makes full use of the Kinect, meaning of course that you require one to play it. The user interface is easy to use and doesn’t provide much of a hassle and is actually one of the better implementations of a Kinect controlled menu system. As you enter the dance mode you will be treated to the list of songs that are included in the game, but before you make your decision on what to perform you have to select how exactly you want to play that song.
Some songs in the game give players three different choices on how they want to perform the song. They can Dance which allows the player to only dance to the song as they follow the on screen cue cards, they can do a Performance where they will be singing aloud and dancing, or even a Master Performance where they will dance and sing to a harder routine than normal. The only problem with this aspect of the game is that not every song has these options and some of the songs in the game only allow the player to sing them with no actual dance moves included in the whole routine.
Now the karaoke aspect is certainly hit and miss as far as Michael Jackson: The Experience is concerned. Whether it can be credited to the limitations on the Kinect’s microphone or something in the game itself, the Kinect’s built-in microphone picked up the song on the television and performed the karaoke 100% correct whenever singing was involved. To remedy this problem you can use any variation of a microphone peripheral and simply hold the microphone as you dance along. In the end though, the game does not have you sing and dance literally at the same time but gives a visual cue as to when you will be switching between singing and dancing.
Your performance on a song is given a five star rating but there is actually no way to fail a song. Your moves are rated as either Miss, OK, Good, Almost or Perfect depending on how close you are to the move that you were required to perform. You will be able to tell what move you will be required to perform via cue cards that appear on the bottom right of the screen. The next cue card will appear when a countdown ends which allows the player to at least know when they will have to change their movements. Unfortunately if you do happen to miss a move the game will not actually show you how you messed up that move which is a disappointment for those looking to improve for the next time they perform the same routine.
MJ: The Experience contains the standard multiplayer mode that all of the different dance games have. However it goes a step above by allowing players to pair up in teams of two against another team of two that allows four players to battle it out to see who is actually the better dancer. One team, or one individual player if you are playing one on one, performs a section of the song and then the other team has to dance after the first player swaps out. This allows players to do battle with one another or they can even dance a co-op routine this way with a combined score in the end.
Now the game is still quite enjoyable for the songs themselves and will be great at parties but unfortunately there is zero sense of actual progression in the game. Besides acquiring achievements there is nothing to unlock in MJ: The Experience. Other dancing games on the Kinect feature at least some sort of unlockable modes, dancing stages, or even characters but this one does not which can be a problem. Then again with the inability to actually fail a song, it makes sense to not allow unlockable content.
Overall:
Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Xbox 360 contains everything that a Michael Jackson fan will love. It has nearly all of his classic hits and some of his most famous moves are weaved into the routines flawlessly. The only let down is the fact that there karaoke is extremely hit and miss with the Kinect sensor and the use of a microphone only seems to hinder the supposed “controller free” experience. Considering there is also no feeling of progression some people may find themselves growing tired dancing with zero reward. At the end of the day MJ: The Experience is still a pleasure to play, but its faults certainly weigh down what could have been a stellar experience.
Take this bit of news as just a rumor right now, but according to Japanese Gaming Magazine Dengeki Nintendo DS, an announcement for a new Pokemon game is scheduled to be announced in an upcoming May issue. This rumor officially started brewing after a Japanese blog caught wind from a leak from a leak of an upcoming Dengeki issue, confirming that a “new title” is definitely in the works.
That small sentence is causing quite an stir of excitement in the community, but unfortunately for now, that is just about all the news we have on it. Now the speculation can begin in full force though as the news of a new title for the series if definitely not surprising with “Pokemon Gray” being named off by fans before Black & White even hit Japan. While something like Gray or a third version is definitely a possibility, I really think this could be hinting at a new battle simulator, such as Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Battle Revolution as this generation has yet to see such a title. Either way though, now we must wait until more leaks out when the next Dengeki hits shelves May 21st. We will keep you updated so stay tuned.
