It seems to be more of the norm now to see Ridge Racer launching with new consoles. After well over 20 different releases on many different platforms in the past 18 years, this age old series is finally ready to debut with the 3DS. Namco also seem to be pretty pumped up about Ridge Racer 3D as well as today they released a new launch trailer today to show off just what wild ride gamers will be in for with the new 3D elements in tow.
The trailer (which you can view below) shows a bit of the gameplay as well as some nice eye candy such as a car jumping out of the screen as well as Reiko tossing her sunglasses at the player. Now as with all 3DS trailers, I am sure this is better in person but this clip certainly does a better job at showing the actual game than other 3DS trailers that have come forth. In my honest opinion if you are trying to decide just which racer to go with out of this or Asphalt, I would say due to past history and the name alone, Ridge Racer 3D is top choice for the genre at launch and is looking to be one of the better titles in this line up period at the moment. Ridge Racer 3D is also available now wherever video games are sold.
There are many different ways that you can explore a dungeon, with swords, magic or guns apparently. But don’t worry the guns are magical and shoot magic bullets. Katarina joins the cast of playable characters in Dungeon Siege III alongside previous character reveals of Lucas and Anjali. Except rather than the standard medieval fantasy weapons we see usually in a game like this we see her wielding a rifle for long range attacks and double pistols for anyone close to her.
Of course she also ends up getting to summon a hound to help separate herself from any enemies that get to close. Now Dungeon Siege III was said to have four playable characters total so that means there is only one left to be revealed before the game comes out on May 31st. After Katarina’s weapon specialty it’ll be interesting to see what this last fighter uses.
Ah Microsoft… long have you been seen as a tad bit money hungry but nothing says it more when the developers of a company say that they will release their game on your console as a freemium title, and then you turn around and make it cost money. In a response to our inquiry Microsoft has responded saying that Dugneon Fighter Online will not be a freemium game but will be game requiring to be paid to download.
They also stated that DFO will have “online multiplayer features” but did not go into further detail. Dungeon Fighter Online will be developed by Nexon and Softmax with Nexon being the company who developed the original free-to-play with extra purchasable content inside MMORPG. As to what the online will be for Dungeon Fighter Online on the Xbox 360 we will have to wait and see. Dungeon Fighter Online will see a release sometime this year internationally.
It seems like Jill and Wesker are getting along better than we thought after the events of Resident Evil 5. Nah, just kidding. But what is happening is the fact that Capcom has revealed these two characters to be playable in the upcoming Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D that will be coming out in Japan on June 2nd and an eventual release overseas forthcoming.
Capcom Japan went on to explain that the touchscreen wll be used to sort items around and to view the map. This also means that you will still be able to move your character around on screen while managing your items. Also detailed was the Duo Mode (two player co-op) that will feature both online and local play. Local play meaning someone else having the 3DS and a copy of the game itself of course.
It’s easy for us on the other side of the world to forget that while it may not be on the news ever day anymore, there are still people in Japan who don’t have a bed to sleep in, a dinner to eat, and a home to go back to.
We know that many think Japan is a rich country that doesn’t need help, but in the time of disaster everyone needs help. That’s why AppsJP is urging gamers to make a difference as well with a SAVE THE VICTIMS IN JAPAN campaign. This campaign is designed to encourage you to donate or take some action towards the devastation in Japan. In return, AppsJP is doing a giveaway on apps for spreading the word and helping those in the affected areas.
For more information, visit the page here and jump on board. Don’t forget – if you donate, you can also earn CubePoints at Capsule Computers to redeem towards games and apparel. Just visit this page for more information.
Lend a hand. Don’t buy your gaming magazine this month, or take the $10 you would spend on fast food and give it to people who need it more. Remember, for the media this disaster might be over…but for the people of Japan, it’s just the beginning of a long journey of rebuilding their towns and their lives.
River City Ransom may be familiar to some and others may never have heard of the old NES brawler. Regardless of whether or not you know of the title it looks like the game will be finally getting a sequel after over twenty years. Miracle Kidz has announced that they will be bringing the brawler to the Wii console in Japan this summer in the form of WiiWare. They also divulged that there is a PC version in the works as well but it will not be ready until 2012 but will contain an online mode according to andriasang.
There has been no announcement about a U.S. release but it is likely to happen due to Miracle Kidz previous game, Downtown Smash Dodgeball is available in English for the Xbox Live Indie Game section. It is also curious that the Wii would be getting the game only instead of a release on multiple consoles.
Is it bad form for the first details about a game under development to be leaked by the rating it was given and the explanation for said rating? That is up to the reader of course but it seems that Sega’s Rise of Nightmares game has gotten its official ESRB rating of M and they have also released their reasoning for the rating which you can read below.
But before that it is worth taking note that Rise of Nightmares was announced back at Tokyo Game Show and was described as the first Kinect enabled horror game for the Xbox 360 and would be released some point in Spring 2011. There was no more information given since then except for this rating which you can read below:
This is a horror-adventure game in which players assume the role of an American tourist who must rescue his wife from a deranged scientist. From a first-person perspective, players use brass knuckles, knives, hatchets, and chainsaws to kill zombie-like creatures and disfigured monsters inside a mansion environment. Combat is highlighted by exaggerated sprays of blood, and damage often results in dismemberment or decapitation—stray body parts sometimes litter the ground.
Some sequences and cutscenes depict more intense acts of violence: a man screams loudly as spikes impale his body; a restrained character’s hand is chopped off before he is killed; a character (cut in half) crawls away in a pool of blood; a soldier is ripped apart by a monster, causing blood to stain the screen. During the course of the game, some female creatures are depicted in revealing outfits (e.g., ‘pasties’ that partially cover their breasts); in one sequence, a woman sits on the central character’s chest and engages in suggestive dialogue (e.g., ‘Oh, how I’ve thought of this—night after night. How I’ve missed these lips.’). Dialogue also includes phrases such as ‘Best sex of my life.’/’Worst sex of my life,’ ‘f**k,’ and ‘sh*t.’
Well… wow is all I can say at first glance. Could this be perhaps one of the first hardcore-audience targeted games for the Kinect? Because that description certainly sounds like Rise of Nightmares will be a great game. Unfortunately nothing else is known at this time, but it is worth noting that the ESRB has since pulled the rating from their site. This most likely means that Sega will have plenty of official announcements next week for the titlle.
The users over at BoingBoingVideo made a pretty cool if not a bit sad homage to the games of yesteryear. Specifically, it’s a compilation death in video games dating back to the 80’s and 90’s. The video definitely evokes a sense of nostalgia if you were old enough to have played these games back then. Take note of the simultaneously awesome and somber MIDI remix of “Mad World” (the song, not the game).
Those who aren’t getting a 3DS (or at least not for the meantime) may be interested to know that LEGO Ninjago – The Videogame which is coming exclusively on DS has been dated and given a new trailer. The trailer depicts a large Ice Dragon, just one of the many obstacles you’ll have to overcome in the game. The game itself has been confirmed as releasing on 15th April.
It’s aimed at a younger audience,produced to coincide with the LEGO Ninjago toy line and puts gamers into a world where ninjas face-off against evil Skeleton forces to restore harmony to the Earth, using the tornado martial art of Spinjitzu. Its part predecessor LEGO Battles was surprisingly strategic, so this could go the same way, offering a simple, likeable game for people to play with younger siblings or their children. Plus, it’s nice to see the DS still getting some support after the 3DS is out.
Genre: Action/Sci-fi/Comedy Producer: Sushi Typhoon Director: Seiji Chiba Actors: Mika Hijii, Shuji Kashiwabara, Masanori Mimoto, Yuuki Ogoe, Donpei Tsuchihira Tag line: “Seriously.” Running time: 90 minutes Available for purchase at: Madman Online Store ($29.95AUD) , Amazon US ($21.50USD), Amazon UK (£8.93)
Overview
“Seriously…”
I suppose it’s only fitting that this was the tag line, because that’s what I was saying for the entire duration of watching the film. It was only when I jumped on to Google and looked up the IMDB page for this movie that it clicked…this is a comedy, and I had missed director Seiji Chiba’s entire point. Suddenly, all the ludicrous aspects of the film and the moments where I said “seriously…” began to make sense, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.
With a name “Alien vs. Ninja”, it’s pretty hard to take the film seriously even if it wasn’t a comedy. It sounds a little bit like that book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and it goes down the same path. AvN takes on a satirical approach to sci-fi films such as “Alien vs. Predator”, and ultimately serves up a ridiculous clash of Eastern and Western action and horror cinema which would never happen anywhere else. In concept, film like this sound great. In reality, I’m not so sure about how they managed to pull it off.
Plot
The story follows a band of ninja warriors led by Iga ninja Yamata (Masanori Mimoto). One day after blowing up enemy Lord Oda’s castle, the warriors are chased into the forest by some of Oda’s men. While in the forest, the ninjas see a fireball crash into the forest and are sent by their village Master to investigate the potential threat, which is assumed to be the work of Oda again. What the ninjas find instead are bloodthirsty aliens who proceed to attack and feast on any victims they can find, and a boy from a distant village who saw the aliens slaughter and kill all the people in his community. The aliens are immune to throwing stars, swords, and even guns, and together the ninjas must find another way to rid their world of these creatures.
The fact that the ninja weapons don’t work against the aliens is a little bit of a paradox, and inevitably turns the movie more into “Alien vs. Throw anything you’ve got at them”. Overall it’s a solid storyline that doesn’t leave audiences too confused over what’s happening, but halfway through the film I began to wonder if I was watching ninjas or kung fu. I will say, however, that the combination of aliens and ninjas was pretty awesome, and was a great amalgamation of heroes in traditional Asian cinema and monsters in Western sci-fi.
The plot is a cookie cutter storyline, although a few funny twists took the story to ridiculous places I wouldn’t have expected. There was no real sub-plot; throughout the entire film I was focused on one story which I suppose makes it easy for the filmmakers to do improbable things because no other story will suffer. In a way, I wouldn’t have expected it any other way although and it was really the ridiculous twists in the storyline which give AvN a little bit more life and hilarity.
The script is also very corny and flat, with most dialogue being either crude, cliche, or just plain unnecessary. I understand that satires and parodies don’t necessarily look for the best script as it’s supposed to be bad, but it really wouldn’t have killed the scriptwriters to think a little bit more about what the characters are saying.
Characters
The three ninja warriors in AvN are Yamata, Jinnai (Shuji Kashiwabara), and Rin (Mika Hijii). There is also the boy from the village, Nishi (Yuuki Ogoe), and Nezumi (Donpei Tsuchihara), a fellow ninja who is extremely cowardly and with the warriors from the start.
For the most part, the characters were one dimensional which is what you’d expect. However, I really didn’t like most of them and as per any satire, they were more there to satirise than to serve any real purpose. As with the plot, the characters are cookie cutter: Yamata is the strong one who always goes against what he is told, Jinnai is the quiet, brooding one who protects but doesn’t reveal too much about himself, and Rin is the token female who has to deal with quips about her being a woman. Nishi is a weak boy who needs to get stronger and Nezumi is a massive chicken (there’s always one, isn’t there?). Every character is sex obsessed too (and when I say every character, I mean the aliens too), which definitely adds comedic value to the film.
Chiba develops the characters a little bit – there is a scene where Yamata and Rin reveal why they became ninja, but this felt very awkwardly thrown in. It would have probably suited me more if the characters had just stayed one dimensional the entire time instead of trying to gain some sort of audience sympathy. Also, the acting is very overdone but not in the typical Scary Movie sense – in Scary Movie, the characters are overdramatic but at least believable as actors. Instead, you end up with an amalgamation of overemphasized angry looks on Yamata’s face, and strange half laughing, half angry looks on Rin’s face.
In all honesty, I’ve heard a lot of people say they hated Nezumi but I think he was the least one-dimensional character. Even though he is cowardly (and when I say cowardly, he runs away from everything and would sacrifice his fellow ninjas in the hope that he will stay alive), his fear is completely justified and probably more relatable than the likes of Yamata who seem completely fearless. Nezumi’s expressions are so extreme that he really portrays a bimbo-like character common to Asian cinema, yet at the same time he is funny because of how extreme and ridiculous he is.
Visual and Audio
The special effects – if you can call them that – are probably the most ridiculous thing in the film, and the most funny and great aspect because they’re just so ridiculous. The film clearly did not get a high budget, and Chiba used that to create visual and audio that was so bad it was good.
The aliens for starters look like giant walking dolphin toys and let out little creatures from the holes on top of their heads; the little creatures themselves are obviously little squishy toys the props department found from a dollar store somewhere. The aliens are really just people in costume and made to resemble human weaknesses, so it’s great when Rin punches one in the crotch as a means of defeating them.
Explosion-like effects are also used when the aliens reach up from under the ground to drag their victims and eat their bones. These explosions are more like the cut-and-paste effects you’ll find in iMovie or Windows Movie Maker than real explosions, which again are so clearly not real that it’s laughable.
The sound effects and soundtrack were pretty average for this film. Of course the sound effects were also taken straight from another source instead of generated by the AV departments, but where the audio could have been so much better was the soundtrack. The song for the final fight scene (without giving away anything about the story) is a strange mix of J-pop and J-rock, but going with the overall film I would have felt a Japanese cover of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger would have been much more fitting and not difficult to do.
DVD Extras
The DVD really only comes with an extra couple of trailers. Some US ones may have extra special features, but as far as I know mine only had the AvN trailer and a few extra Eastern Eye trailers. It’s nothing to write home about, but it is good to have the trailer on there in case you want to watch it.
Final Comments
The easiest way to put it is this: if you watch this film prepared for ridiculousness, you will get a lot more out of it than expecting a lyrical masterpiece. When I went back and watched it again, it was a lot better just because I knew exactly what it was about. With that being said, this is not a film for those without a gory sense of humor (or a sexual one, at that), and it really isn’t anything you’ll write home about. I’m still in two minds whether it was brilliant or whether it was ludicrous, and I think the only safe thing to say is that AvN was brilliantly ludicrous. Crack open a beer and have a good laugh while watching it, then shelve it and pull it out on a rainy day.
