Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, famous for bringing the franchises Rayman and Assassins creed into our homes across multi platforms has expressed worry over the current state of the video games market essentially blaming old technology and a lack of new hardware available to consumers. His comments and insights into consoles life cycles and the introduction of new IP suggest he disagrees with such long intervals between console launches. He goes on to comment that consumers have more incentive to purchase for new consoles and as the life of the console matures, only the big established brands can compete.
Guillemot praises the introduction of new motion detection devices such as the Kinect and Move, as well as the 3DS and Sonys new NGP, but says not enough is being done by developers to take advantage of newer technologies in getting them to market.
After EA sold their stock in the company, Guillemot also believes that the French company can overtake the 2 major players standing at the pinnacle of the industry, EA and Activision. Previously with EA, essentially a major competitor to Ubisoft, owning a stake in the company meant they were always concerned about a takeover and were hindered in their acquisitions should they conflict with the strategies of such a large company as EA. With independence, Ubisoft is free again to do as they please and follow their own vision. Still way below the sales figures of EA and Activision, he believes that they are headed in the right direction to become the market leader having already moved up from 25th to 3rd in sales, and plans a heavy focus on the creation of new products.
Regardless of his view, only Nintendo may answer his call with many gaming analysts speculating on a Wii 2 announcement as early as E3. Microsoft has no immediate plans for the release of their next console with as late 2015 being speculated by many. This would also fall in line with Sony’s 10 year plan for the PS3, with SCEA CEO Jack Tretton stating that the ‘PS3 is only now taking its stride 4 years after launch’. He has a firm belief that a consoles life cycle and ultimate success resides with it having ‘cutting edge’ technology on launch, not offering it as optional extras. While making some derogatory comments regarding the current Nintendo and Microsoft systems which he believes are outdated and technologically inferior, he of course has nothing but praise for the PS3 platform.
Please note the release date of consoles is pure speculation gathered from trusted gaming analysts not fact based announcements.
Alongside the original IBM PC and the Apple II, the Commodore 64 is perhaps one of the most classic computers of all time. While it wasn’t the most popular home computer in North America, it was one of the most widely used units across Europe from its release in 1982 until the early 90’s. Why am I telling you all of this? Well, Commodore has come back into being recently and has started selling Commodore branded PCs once more. Most exciting, however, is the PC compatible Commodore 64.
This screen is like instant nostalgia to millions.
Now this isn’t a Commodore 64 that you would buy in stores in 1982, but you would never guess by look at it. This is a fully functional modern PC built into an exact replica of the original C64 shell. Available in several different packages and price points, ranging from barebones to ultimate, there is a model available for any fan of classic computing. It also offers access to an official Commodore OS 1.0 emulator with classic Commodore games for those who wants to relive the golden age of home PCs without the hassle of finding a retro setup.
For more information on specs, prices, and how to order, hit up Commodore’s website. For any North American readers who don’t understand why this rig is so awesome, check out Lazy Game Reviews on YouTube, which offers retro reviews of tons of classic gaming PCs.
A few days ago, we brought you a story about the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack being leaked by Australian retailer, GAME. It now seems that since the cat is out of the bag, both Activision and Microsoft have decided to come forth with some new details of just what the Escalation pack will hold, as revealed through Major Nelson’s official blog:
Today Activision has announced Escalation, the next game add-on for Call of Duty: Black Ops and that it will be available first to Xbox LIVE members on Tuesday May 3rd. Escalation, the second downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops, contains 5 all-new maps; featuring 4 Multiplayer maps and an epic Zombies experience with all-new playable characters. In Multiplayer, battle it out in Hotel, on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel and casino against the vivid backdrop of old Havana; Convoy delivers intense, close-quarters combat at the scene of an ambushed US military convoy; Zoo takes you on a wild ride in an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo, with danger at every turn; Stockpile pits players in a remote Russian farm town housing secret WMD facilities. For Zombies fans, “Escalation” features a unique Zombies experience.
These new details don’t give us a whole lot of information, but they do certainly help paint a better picture of what to expect for the 5 new maps included. As of now, there is no official price-point for the Escalation Map Pack at the moment, but I would expect for it to be around 1200 points. We will bring you some more updates for this developing story as more is revealed in terms on a PS3 & PC release, but for now all of you Black Ops players on the Xbox 360 can rejoice as your next map pack is just under a month away.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation has been out in the states for around two months now, but it seems now that Nintendo of Australia are preparing to release the title to the rest of the world due to a new rating which has surfaced on the evil Australian Classifications Board. For those curious, DQVI has received a PG rating for “Mild fantasy violence, themes, sexual references, and simulated gambling”. This news doesn’t quite set this release in stone, but I would say an announcement could be surfacing just about any day now that the slime is out of the bag, so to speak anyway.
We recently reviewed Realms of Revelation (you can check that review out here), and it certainly is a small beast of an RPG which no fan of the series should go without. Now it is just time to wait this one out and hope that the eventual announcement for the game’s PAL release comes soon. Keep checking back, as we will let you know once an official date or any sort of news on this release surfaces.
While we have been heavily anticipating the release for BloodRayne: Betrayal, one title which I completely forgot about has now resurfaced online due to a small message confirming a delay. BloodRayne: The Shroud was originally announced last year during E3 for the 3DS, but nothing has been heard since then. Today, a small reminder of the title came via the series official Facebook page which stated:
“The 3DS title is currently on hold. We’ll be sure to share any news when it’s available”
If Betrayal were not just announced, I might have found a reason to be disappointed, but for now the brand new side-scroller will satisfy my appetite until we eventually hear more about the 3DS version. I am all for any developer focusing on one project at a time as it usually creates a non-rushed, much polished final product, so hopefully this will be the case and we will not hear “cancelled” anytime in the future.
After a small delay, Nintendo are finally ready to launch the heavily anticipated Global Link for Pokémon Black & White. Starting April 13th, players will be able to use their Game Sync option on the C-Gear to access the Global Link via the internet where they can view some customizable, web only content, exclusive to the site. There are a ton of features that the Global Link holds and anyone with a broadband internet connection as well as Pokemon Trainer Club account (which can be obtained at www.pokemon.com) can freely log on and begin this brand new tool for either version of the game.
For those of you who have not been following just what the Global Link actually has to offer, here is a quick rundown on what to expect.
Dream World
The Pokémon Dream World will allow players to interact with their Pokémon as well as other trainers in a fully customizable world that will boast several mini-games as well as exclusive content and activities. Once a player “tucks in” in a Poké of their choice, they will be able to access the Dream World which boasts a watercolor like setting. The possibly greatest feature of the Dream World is that many non-Unova Pokémon make appearances through mini-games, and after befriending these said monsters, trainers can then transfer them to their own games.
Players also have a home that can be customized to their liking with a garden that will let you grow berries that you can use in your own game. Any berries or other items found are kept in a treasure chest to be later transfered to either Black or White. You can also visit other trainer’s homes and assist them in berry growth, share items, or simply just check in on their design choices.
Battle Union
Battle Union is sure to be the most visited of the Global Link’s locales, as this are is where the true competition will lie. After gaining access to to Random Matchup Rating Mode in his or her copy of Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version, players can view their stats and have full access to check out the world leaderboards. Think of it like Pokémon Stadium, but you are now against the world rather than the second player on the Nintendo 64.
The Global Link will also be home to hosting various events such as item giveaways and Pokémon distribution. Right now, any user with a Trainer Club account to meet an Eevee evolution in the Play to Befriend a Pokémon game in Pokémon Fun Zone, which will soon be fully able to transfer to either version of the two newest Pokémon games.
This Global Link feature is honestly the biggest thing to hit the series since Pokémon Stadium was introduced years ago and this feature should alone add a lot of life for players who are already finished with Black or White’s main story. I am sure over time many more exclusive events will be announced, so stay tuned and we will let you know as each one drops on the Global Link.
Co-op has to be one of the best features of any game as there’s nothing quite like playing alongside a couple of friends. It’s also a redeeming factor for any bad game as co-op can make anything bearable. Fortunately, it looks like Operation Flashpoint: Red River is going to be good enough that resorting to co-op to get any entertainment won’t be the case, only a bonus for those who want to share the fun with friends.
Codemasters have released a new gameplay trailer based on co-operative play for Operation Flashpoint: Red River. It shows the CSAR Fireteam Engagement mode, as Fireteam Bravo gets behind enemy lines to save downed pilots trapped in enemy territory.
A Patapon 3 trailer entitled “Bigger, Badder” has been put out ahead of the title’s launch later this week on PSP.
With the Japanese line of Sony Computer Entertainment’s development studios in charge, the game is a rhythm-based war experience. You must tap different combinations of buttons to the rhythm of the background track, with each action commanding your fighters in different ways into battle against beasts and ultimately, the seven evil spirits.
Where it differs from the other games is through a number of new enemies to fight, a creation tool for your own ‘Hero’ fighters, and the welcome addition of eight player co-op.
Bethesda Softworks have revealed today that their anticipated shooter, Brink, will be releaseing a whole week earlier than planned as they’ve pushed the schedule forward, following an efficient production process that is wrapping up faster than expected. Brink will now first be available for purchase in North America on May 10th instead of May 17th, in Australia on May 12th instead of May 19th, and in New Zealand and Europe on May 13th instead of May 20th.
“Production wrapped on Brink earlier than we planned and we didn’t see any reason to keep gamers from getting their hands on this highly anticipated game as soon as it was ready,” said Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. “It’s apparent from the tremendous reaction so far that people are eager to jump online and play, and if we can make that happen earlier – we’re going to.”
Is anyone excited that they will be able to get their hands on Brink that little bit earlier? Will you be buying it on its new launch day, have you already pre-ordered it, or doesn’t it interest you?
Produced by: Beetrain, Genco, Funimation Distributed by: Madman Entertainment Media: DVD Genre: Action, Drama, Romance Runtime: 325 minutes, 2 DVD’s Rating: MA15+, Strong animated violence Available from: Madman $59 Reviewed by: Michael Marr and Grace Mitchell PREMISE
Do killers get to have a conscience? What choices exist to those who only see the world in the distorted eyes of an indentured assassin? Something that can be said for Phantom: Requiem is how it attempts to establish and resolve moral quandaries in a world that supposedly exists without morals. Throw together a story that involves pre-meditated murder, lost souls, an unlikely romance and a full scale gang war, and this anime collection is the result. Not exactly your child friendly happy-go-lucky Pokémon anime affair. If nothing else, the rating on the side of the box art should be enough of an indication of the content of this anime. Watch it expecting a bloodbath.
“A young man with no memories fights to salvage his humanity when he’s forced into a life of murder by a dangerous crime syndicate called Inferno. The organisation gives him a new name, Zwei, and moulds him into a perfect killing machine, a meticulous instrument of death created to obey his masters’ every deadly command.
Zwei’s not the only puppet controlled by Inferno; Ein is a girl as beautiful as she is brutal, and lethal as she is lost. While mafia violence escalates around them, the two assassins grow closer, and Zwei begins the struggle to reclaim his past and save Ein from a blood-soaked future.” -DVD Blurb
While it may not be an anime title that many within western circles would be familiar with, it was apparently popular enough in Japan to spawn several spin-off games for the current generation of Consoles. Additionally, the original visual novel featured a choose-you-own adventure style story flow, which allowed readers to experience multiple endings. While watchers of the anime will be stuck with the pre-set story flow, there are many scenes and occurrences that will no doubt leave some of the episode endings open to the interpretation of the viewers. A Dark edgy thriller mixed with a slice of drama and romance.
STORY
The story begins with very little detail regarding the universe and characters. All we as viewers are told is that an Organization known as ‘Inferno’ is pulling some serious strings. Cut to a young man driving a convertible through what looks like the coast of Brazil. The car approaches a check-point with two heavily armed guards waiting to check him out. They never get around to it though, courtesy of the few extra holes that the young driver just put through them using his concealed weapon. Viewers are then treated to a sudden onslaught of gunfire as we realise that this young man isn’t somewhere where he’s supposed to be. That is the introduction of our protagonist: Zwei.
The show primarily centres around both Zwei, and an young girl codenamed Ein. Both are established as elite class assassins, with the senior killer Ein taking on the mantle of “Phantom”, the best assassin and marksman of the Inferno criminal organization. Her name is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of Inferno’s enemies, whether they be the law, or any rivals to their power. Sufficed to say, they are a very rich group with few quarries about killing what gets in their way, and plenty of bullets to achieve that. A volatile combination. Wishing to usher in a new world order, which is to be controlled by their organization, Inferno goes about the task of destroying any rival mafia gangs which may pose a threat to their superiority. To do so, they need to kill a lot of people. One of the senior members of Inferno refers the matter to one of the group’s top scientists, a cold-blooded professor known only by the nickname “Scythe-Master”. He commissions the creation and manipulation of the two super-assassins Ein and Zwei based on their animal like instincts, as well as their brutal natural combat skills.
Now, as both slaves and assassins, Zwei and Ein are forced to undertake deadly missions if they are to survive within the Inferno organization. Their code of life is to kill or be killed. Throughout the series, we see both assassins learn and perfect killing techniques, but we also recognise that they feel they are losing their humanity in the process. They undertake many fatal missions at the whim of both Inferno and the Scythe Master himself, who viewers will no doubt perceive as something of a wild-card in this story. Additionally, an unpredictable and somewhat unexplainable romance begins to develop between the two assassins and is often hinted to in many episodes.
By and large, the themes and story of the anime are quite dark. The plot has been pretty well thought-out, and episodes and events spaced at appropriate intervals. However, there lies something of a predictable pattern in each episode. In an immoral world rules by crime lords and killers, it’s pretty obvious that in each episode, someone is going to get back-stabbed or killed in some way, shape or form. Add on the numerous hidden agendas and the mysterious nature of the story itself, it is sometimes difficult to place what is happening and whether we, as viewers, are supposed to side with, sympathise or detest certain characters. The pace is well thought out, but sometimes, audiences do value a degree of transparency. We love knowing who to hate, but in this show, it isn’t always clear.
VISUALS
The art style of the anime is actually quite well executed. Dark colours dominate a majority of the darker scenes in the anime, however not so much to the point where the whole series is overwhelmed by it. Colouration of other scenes is well varied. This is accentuated in viewing the recon scenes being executed by Zwei and Ein, who both pretend to be a couple on a date of some kind to divert attention from themselves. In these scenes, viewers are treated to a few wacky scenes which seem totally out of character for the dumbfounded Zwei and cold hearted Ein. I personally did not picture Ein as a girl who would be sensitive about Zwei’s approval of her swim wear. In these scenes, natural elements like water, wind and light really change the feel of the scene. Despite the viewers being aware of the charade, they genuinely believe that the two are treating the experience like a real date. In contrast, it does seem to me that much of this anime tends to take place at night. Often during the missions themselves, darkness dominates everything. Even amongst the bright casinos, we know that, like the date, the pretty and seemingly normal display, there lies a sinister intent or deed.
A lot of emotion and despair is visually translated to the audience by the eyes of the characters. When Zwei and Ein kill, we see a faint greenish glow around their eyes, showing that the natural instinct of kill or be killed has taken them over. In contrast, we never see some characters eyes clearly, and thus their intent is difficult to place.
As the anime attempts to portray itself as a sort of realistic, dark interpretation of a sinister world, the need for special effects or over the top clothing or character design is played down. The anime itself seems accurately contextual to the date in which it is published. No futuristic or alternate universe clichés to bog it down. The rough raw feel and simple elegant character designs really benefit the overall tone of the anime.
AUDIO
The opening song reminds me a lot of Ghost in the Shell, maybe not the beat as much as the melodic voice. Either way it’s a beautiful and interesting way to begin an anime on. The music within the anime itself can only be described as magical and mysterious at times and then dark and full of tension at other times. The only thing I can say is the music seems to be mostly instrumentals. An interesting fact is that the closing song made me laugh slightly because I instantly recognized it. The closing song is the famous Rozen Maiden’s opening song! Overall the music really fits with the anime and brings out the darkness from the story line.
CHARACTERS
-Zwei
Zwei is the main character of this anime. A Japanese tourist who has had all his memories erased has been turned into an assassin by a criminal organization called Inferno. Zwei means two in germen and this can be seen as very fitting as he is the number two assassin for Inferno. Unsure of whom he is or what he is doing, all Zwei knows and has been taught is that he has to kill to survive. All together he is an interesting character but through watching the first 6 episodes, I can’t help but feel like he should have given a bit more of a fight then just accepting that this was his life now.
-Ein
Ein is the first assassin that Inferno has, and therefore her name means one in germen (though it really should be eins.) She is a cold blooded killer that seems to feel no emotions but at the same time you can’t help but feel like she is slowly breaking down as she watches her prodigy, Zwei. This character seems to have no real flaws with her characterization as I understand why Ein has become cold and seems to have shut down from the world. The only thing I question about her is why she is being so nice to Zwei and what it is about him that is making her break down, maybe a real social relationship? I don’t know but I’m curious to find out.
-Scythe Master
Scythe Master or just Master as Ein calls him is the puppeteer pulling the strings of the assassins Ein and Zwei. Instantly we can tell he is the villain and the way he treats Ein in his creepy sleazy way just makes him seem even worse. We don’t know what he is exactly planning but we know it isn’t going to be good for his two puppets.
– Claudia McCunnen
Claudia is a confusing one. She is a lady with lots of power and wealth, and just seems to have fun messing with Zwei’s head. Sexy and full of confidence, she is a good asset to Inferno but what I’m really wondering is what she is getting from all of this.
CONCLUSION
Phantom: Requiem is a unique and dark toned anime. It has both an interesting concept of mind controlled assassins as well some great characters and an interesting story line of a crime organisation trying to unify the underworld. While it’s not perfect, and the story and characters tend to jump from one place to another very quickly, the moral argument of using people as tools is quite clear, as is the social commentary regarding choice. I believe those who love concepts, characterization as well as drama and action would love this anime.
